Want it Your Way?

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today illustrate the struggle we have when we attempt to deal with revelation that does not quite fit with our need to understand, be in control or deal with cognitive dissonance. The first letter of John, according to Friar Jude Winkler, deals with the Gnostic heresy which held to the Greek thought that God is Divine and separate from human experience. John reinforces the Christian message that Jesus, fully human, is the Christ, the Divine, the Son of the Father. The resolution of our need to control is to be open to the guidance of the Spirit which we experience as we abide in Jesus. The mystery of the action of love and mercy that we witness opens up more possibilities for life and understanding than we initially considered. The representatives of the Jews and Pharisees who come to John the Baptist are trying to fit him into a mold that they understand. Elijah came to Israel in the past with direction from God. Perhaps we can understand John the Baptist as Elijah. We have some expectations and ideas of the Messiah. We could work with John as Messiah. The openness that John requests to see him as herald of the greater "bride of Israel" is very disconcerting when we need so much to know the plan.