Daily Reflection

Reflection for January 2, 2026

I Am the Voice

The Gospel of John, in its profound and theological opening chapter, places before us not the infant Jesus, but the stark, desert figure of John the Baptist. This passage (John 1:19-28) is not a sweet nativity scene; it is a courtroom drama of identity, set on the dusty banks of the Jordan. In it, we find a masterclass in humility and purpose that directly prepares the way for Christ—not only in history, but in our own hearts.

The Crisis of Mis-Identity
The priests and Levites come with a pressing question: “Who are you?” They have categories ready: the Messiah, Elijah, the Prophet. Each time, John definitively says, “I am not.” In a world obsessed with self-definition—through titles, roles, achievements, and social media profiles—John’s repeated “I am not” is radically counter-cultural. He refuses to be inflated into someone he is not, even when offered the most exalted of identities. He understands a fundamental spiritual truth: to confuse the role God has given you with your own self-importance is to block the way for the Messiah. How often do we cling to titles, seek recognition, or subtly allow our work for God to become a source of personal pride? John strips all that away.

The Humility of the Voice
Finally, pressed for an answer, John quotes the prophet Isaiah: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’”
Consider the profound humility of this. A voice is not the message itself. A voice is temporary; it sounds, it is heard, and then it fades, leaving only the truth it proclaimed. A voice exists entirely for the sake of another. John does not say, “I am a prophet with a new revelation,” or “I am a leader of a great movement.” He is a voice, pointing away from himself toward the Word, the eternal Logos, who is coming after him.

This is the heart of Christian ministry and discipleship. Whether we are parents, priests, teachers, friends, or volunteers, we are called to be “voices” that point to Christ. Our task is not to draw attention to our own eloquence or virtue, but to become transparent heralds of the One who is greater. As St. Augustine preached: “John was a voice, but the Lord in the beginning was the Word. John was a voice for a time; Christ, the Word in the beginning, is for eternity.”

The One You Do Not Recognize
The most poignant and challenging line comes next. Speaking of the Messiah, John says: “There is one among you whom you do not recognize.”
This is the spiritual crux of the passage. The long-awaited Messiah is already present, standing among the people, yet they do not recognize Him. This remains the great tragedy and invitation for us today. Christ is among us. He is present in the Eucharist, in the gathered assembly, in the poor and the marginalized, in the quiet of our prayer. Yet, often, we do not recognize Him. Our spiritual senses are dulled by noise, by preoccupation, by sin, by expecting God to appear only in dramatic ways. John’s cry is to “make straight the way”—to clear the internal clutter of our souls through repentance, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, through intentional prayer—so that we can recognize the Lord who is already here.

“I Am Not Worthy…”
John’s culminating statement of humility is his declaration that he is not worthy to untie the sandal strap of the coming One. To untie a sandal was the task of a slave. John places himself lower than the lowest servant in the household of the Messiah. This is not self-hatred; it is the clear-sighted recognition of the infinite gap between the Creator and the creature, between the Savior and the one being saved. From this place of truthful humility, not groveling but glorious, true service flows. It is only when we know we are not the Messiah that we can truly serve Him without distortion.