Reflection for January 3
Nora, age 7
My husband and I raised two wonderful children. Loving and spending time with our children over the years, I felt that I knew them very well. However, when each of them shared with us that they were LGBTQ, I realized I had not fully known them. I came to appreciate how fortunate I was that they were willing to share that part of themselves with me, so I could understand and love them more completely.
In today’s gospel, John the Baptist relates that he did not know Jesus until God the Father revealed to John that Jesus was the Son of God. John was the cousin of Jesus, so perhaps John knew Jesus, or was aware of Jesus, but John did not fully know Jesus until God’s revelation. Before Jesus’ public ministry had even begun, John came to understand that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, that Jesus was the Son of God. What faith John must have had to be able to discern Jesus’ identity!
When my children came out to us, I worried about them. I worried that people wouldn’t like them because of their sexual identity. I knew they were kind, loving, generous people, but I worried that people would dismiss them or, even worse, dislike them without making any effort to get to know them.
It is too easy to categorize people by the color of their skin, their political identities, their immigration status, their gender, or their sexual identity. Do we take the time to listen to people and learn who they are as individuals? Or, is it easier to think of them as different or other and not worth our time? I think if we could take time with prayer and open hearts to understand others, as John must have done to truly know Jesus, we would very often find understanding and empathy for people, and we would have a more peaceful, loving world.
I pray that I, and all of us take the time to listen to others and not just those who agree with us.
Catherine Curran