There are certain people who like all the attention they can get. These are mostly all kinds of celebrities who, by gaining more and more attention, at the same time gain more popularity. They become richer; they like it when people talk about them. They are using all the attention for their own purposes. There are also people like that in our church - some very popular bishops, priests, deacons, preachers, writers whom we like to listen to and follow. Nothing wrong with that. We need them to teach us more about Christ and His Church. However, there are some who, just like those celebrities, are hungry for people’s attention and their own popularity. It must be very difficult for those people who are popular to remain humble. Even for those in our Church. And today in the gospel reading once again we hear about a man who got all the attention he could - from ordinary people, from the leaders of the church, from the scribes and Pharisees, i.e., John the Baptist. However, John the Baptist used all that attention to point out Jesus Christ to those around him. Even though John was so popular and so many talked about him, he remained very humble and was able to say: “I baptize with water;but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” Are you able to humbly repeat after John the Baptist: it is not me - it is God?
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