Today we celebrate the nativity of John the Baptist, and I confess that I like his style. The first recorded words of his that we have: “You brood of vipers!” He announced the coming of the Savior and told the people to prepare for what was to come. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
For some, this message of John’s only made them angry, but for others, it was what they had been waiting for, so instead of fighting him, they asked, “What should we do?” In other words, if being the children of Abraham—the recipients of the First Covenant with God—won’t save us, then what must we do to be saved?
How did John respond?: “Self-flagellation all around. Minimum of 50 lashes each!” “Walk in the desert like me, eating only wild honey and locusts.” “Sit in the scorching sun and read all the Psalms every day.” Was this how John responded? No. Was anything John said for them to do really all that difficult? Not even close.
If you have extra clothes and see someone in need, give them some of yours. If you see someone who is hungry and you can help them, then do so. Let me ask you this: at what age did you learn you were supposed to share? Two? Three? That is all John asked the people to do. To share. To love and care for one another. To the tax collectors, he said, “Do your job fairly. The government needs taxes to provide services, so collect the taxes that are called for, but don’t abuse your position and steal extra from the people.” To the soldiers, he said, “Be the ones who protect the people and not the ones who exploit them.” It sounds like something Jesus said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” John the Baptist said to those children of Abraham, “Act like decent human beings.”
Through Christ and the New Covenant that he established, we now have been grafted into the family. We are also the children of Abraham. So the question comes to us: Would John the Baptist stand before us and, in a loud and angry voice, address us as a brood of vipers? Children of snakes, instead of children of Abraham? Are we making the same mistakes that the people made then?
We are children of Abraham, not of snakes. We are sons and daughters of God Most High, made perfect through the everlasting Covenant established by Jesus. But we must never lose sight of the fact that we are also called to live like Jesus. St. Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” In imitation of Christ, we are called to sacrifice ourselves through radical generosity, not for our benefit but for the benefit of others. In this, we will “Bear fruits worthy of repentance.”
Candle in a Cave 