By Nirmala Carvalho
Mumbai: A Catholic bishop has urged lay people to follow John the Baptist’s example of bringing people to God by speaking the truth courageously.
John the Baptist was the bearer of good news. He wanted to give to the world the joy he had experienced while in the womb recognizing the presence of God, Auxiliary Bishop John Rodrigues of Bombay said.
“He was not afraid to speak the truth. He spoke the truth to the powerful of his time — Herod and Pharisees. He was uncompromising, although it led to his beheading,” the 50-year-old prelate said while presiding over a Mass in Mount Mary’s Basilica, Bandra, a suburb of Mumbai.
The famous Marian shrine in the Archdiocese of Bombay celebrated the feasts of John the Baptist, Saint Josemaria Escriva and Laity Sunday on June 24.
“The divine providence had interwoven the three celebrations. Though separate, the feasts are celebrated together as they all have the same mission – doing God’s work among ordinary daily life instances,” he explained.
The prelate also noted that the life of St John the Baptist was devoted to leading the way to Christ, much like Jose Maria who encouraged people to carry out their mission of Christ within their surroundings.
“Laity Sunday sets the background where the driving force of the Church is not the religious, but the laity,” he said and added the lay people have to find and follow the path to Jesus, and encourage others to do so.
“Unless we learn to find the Lord in ordinary, everyday life, we will never find him,” he asserted.
Referring to the naming of John the Baptist, Bishop Rodrigues said the Church gives much significance to naming a person. “The name you bear denotes your mission of Christ here on earth,” he told hundreds of people who filled the basilica at the 9:30 am Mass.
“We are called even before we were born. We are called to reflect on what we are doing. We are called to holiness, to become the salt to the earth and bring joy to others,” said Bishop Rodrigues.
St Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei (God’s work), preached the universal call to holiness. “This isn’t removing you from your environment or your way of life. But God wants you to be a saint. Serve him in the ordinary secular material of daily life. Seeking to find holiness where God has created each one of us,” he added.