This was the question of the crowds to John the Baptist when they came to him to be baptized. He answered them to do the essential things about relationships. The answer was directed to their sharing of goods to others, to avoid all abusive practices, and to be satisfied with what they have. This is the best answer that St. John could give to those who were asking him because there is no better answer than what he has given. This is the best answer that we can also give to our persistent life questions.
After reflecting on this simple question, I realized that the answer John the Baptist gave to this question is centered on our materialistic tendencies. Sharing is our giving away of what we have for others. Avoidance of abusive practices such as extortion means doing away with our illegal ways of acquiring money and wealth. Being satisfied with our daily wage means being happy with what we have and not wanting more which we do not really need.
In our present situation, I am glad to note that there are still a lot of people who are ready to share their blessings to other people. After the recent super-typhoon, we can see a lot of people even from other parts of the globe who willingly shared their wealth for the poor and the needy here in our province. Yes, we heard some issues about unjust distribution of the relief goods and other negative things, but we can never discount the fact that there are still a lot of beautiful souls around us who are always willing to share what they have just to help alleviate the hunger and suffering of those who were badly affected by the typhoon.
The abusive practices are still rampant in our daily lives. Some of us have the propensity of acquiring more wealth even at the expense of abusing the rights and privileges of other people. We have noted this sad reality years before and it only shows that there are still a lot of people who are slaves of too much love for money. I really do not know their would-be answers to the question: “What must we do?” Anyway, hell is still burning with its eternal flames and those devils who are here with us in this world are destined to that fiery furnace unless they change their ways.
Being satisfied with what we only have and not wanting for anything more is a gift from God. It is a gift because we can practice how to be content and be happy with what we only have. I love to look at people who can still smile even amid the struggles and poverty. I saw some children playing in the rain after the typhoon, even knowing that they have no houses to go back home to. I felt so amused that there are still a lot of people who can still mingle with others normally even if they are already carrying the weight of the world on their tired shoulders. Those who were not so lucky to receive any kind of relief goods after the typhoon would simply say: “What can I do? My name was not included in the list of recipients. Life must go on anyway!”
These three aspects; the sharing of our goods, avoiding abuses, and being satisfied with what we have are intertwined and they suitably answer the question that was raised by the crowds to St. John the Baptist. It is the answer to every question in our lives and it is our surest way to attain inner peace and joy even if the world around us seem to go crazy because of too much desire for money, fame, and power.
My dear friends, as we are awaiting the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we can also ask ourselves this same question. What must we do to accept him more fully in our lives? We must realize that there are still a lot of things that we must do so that we can worthily welcome our Savior in our lives and make his presence in us felt by everyone around us. Our Lord came to share with us the Bread of Life for our sustenance, he came not to abuse and take with him what we have worked hard for. Rather, he came to give us more than what we can take, not in a material way of giving, but he gave us his unconditional love so we can also love others with no limits. He gave us an example through his very life, that we must be satisfied with all the graces that he has given us.
Let us do what must be done even in our own little ways of doing it. God does not expect for grandiose deeds from us. His simple wish is that we do things in the exact way that he does, meaning, we must do what must be done according to the heart of Christ. So, let us always ask ourselves every time we are about to do things: “If Christ would be the one to do this, what and how would he do these things?” Then, that is the answer to our question. We must do everything, big or small, according to the mind and heart of our Lord, Jesus Christ!