Saint John is a model because of his three "callings", which are an example for all believers: "preparing the coming of the Lord, discerning who the Lord is, lowering himself that the Lord may grow."

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "A Christian does not announce himself; he proclaims another, prepares the way for another: the Lord," is the lesson Pope Francis drew from today's Mass, which he celebrated this morning at Domus Sanctae Marthae, focusing on the callings of John the Baptist, the "greatest of prophets," whose birthday is commemorated today.

The pope, Vatican Radio reports, stressed how John the Baptist had three "callings": preparing the coming of the Lord, discerning who the Lord was, and lowering himself that the Lord may grow. This makes John an ever current model for a Christian. First of all, John prepared the way for Jesus taking nothing for himself. He was an important man, and "people sought him out, followed him because John's words were strong." His words touched the "heart".

And perhaps that is when he was "tempted to believe that he was important, but did not fall" for it. When, in fact, the scribes came to ask him if he was the Messiah, John answered: "I am voice, only voice," but "I came to prepare the way for the Lord." That is the first calling of John the Baptist: "Preparing the people, preparing the heart of people to meet the Lord."

John's "second calling" is "discerning, among so many good people, who the Lord was. And the Spirit revealed this to him and he had the courage to say: That is the one. This is the Lamb of God, the one who takes away the sins of the world.' The disciples went and looked at the man who was going by and they let him go. The next day, the same thing happened. That is the one! He is worthier than me.' The disciples followed him. As he prepared himself, John said, 'Someone is following me . . .'. In discerning, about discerning and indicating the Lord, he said, 'In front of me ... that is it!'"

John's third calling is lowering himself. From that moment, "his life began to lessen, to diminish that the Lord may grow, and that he would lower himself. [. . .] He must grow, I must diminish", [. . .] behind me, in front of me, far from me."

"This was the hardest stage for John, because the Lord had a style he could not imagine, to the point that in prison - because he was in prison at that time - he had suffered not only from the darkness of the cell, but [also from] the darkness in his heart: 'But is this it? Did I get it wrong? Because the Messiah has an easy-going style . . . I cannot understand . . .'. And since he was a man of God, he asked his disciples to go to him and ask: 'But are you the one? Or should we wait for someone else?'

"John's humiliation is twofold: the humiliation of his death, as the price for a whim," but also the humiliation "of the dark soul." John, who was able to "wait" for Jesus, was able to "discern", and "now sees Jesus afar. [. . .] That promise went away. He ends alone, in the dark, in humiliation." He remains only "because he lowered himself so much that the Lord may grow." John sees the Lord who is "afar" and he is "humiliated, but with a heart at peace."

"Three vocations in a man: preparing, discerning, letting the Lord grow and lowering oneself. It is also nice to think about the Christian calling that way. A Christian does not announce himself; he proclaims another, prepares the way for another: the Lord. A Christian must know how to discern, must know how to discern the truth from what seems to be the truth but is not there - a man of discernment. And a Christian must be a man who knows how to lower himself that the Lord may grow, in the heart and soul of others."

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