liars
"Tell us who you are." —John 1:22
God asks us two questions, "Who is the liar?" (1 Jn 2:22) and "Who are you?" (Jn 1:19) The two questions often go together. Sometimes the liars are us because we lie about who we are. We are tempted to give the impression we're the Messiah and the center of attraction. However, that's a false impression and a lie. We are also tempted to answer the question, "Who are you?" with "what we do." When someone asks, "Who are you?", we answer, "I worked there" or "I do this." These too are lies. We are people, not merely employees or workers.
We sometimes answer the question "Who are you?" by putting ourselves down, saying we're no good, failures who never made much money or got much recognition. Again, we lie because our identity does not depend on money or status.
Who are you? If baptized, you are a son or daughter of the Father, a brother or sister of Jesus, a temple of the Holy Spirit. You are a royal priesthood (1 Pt 2:9), purchased at the price of Jesus' blood (1 Cor 6:20). You are holy, chosen, and beloved (Col 3:12). You are destined for eternal life in heaven.
Prayer: Father, give me the Christmas gift of knowing and believing who I am.
Promise: "He Himself made us a promise and the promise is no less than this: eternal life." —1 Jn 2:25
Praise: St. Gregory wrote of St. Basil, "we seemed to be two bodies with a single spirit. Our single object and ambition was virtue and a life of hope in the blessings that are to come."
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our Who Am I In Christ? series starting with our tape Male and Female Identity on audio AV 7A-1 or video V-7A.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Daniel E. Pilarczyk, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 19, 2005
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