Kid Next Door

Not underestimating the potential of family and friends

John 1:29-34 John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.' I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel." John testified further, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."

          Do you know who is sitting next to you, right now, in that creaking folding chair next to yours? You may think you know them – ah, it’s just Joey Franklin or Nayeli Sanchez – but we grossly underestimate other people. We rarely see the full and fabulous potential of our family and friends. Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said strikingly, “Jewelers get used to fine diamonds.”  So, too, we get used to seeing how amazing the people around us really are.

          Don’t worry, I did the same thing when I was in school. We all thought one classmate was really slow and not the brightest bulb in the box. After the teacher explained something, he always raised his hand and asked a question that was so obvious to everyone else. We all moaned and shook our heads in pity for the poor kid. But he actually was understanding the subject far better than anyone else. He graduated from high school near the top of the class, went on to college, and then medical school, and now works as a neurosurgeon. We think we know people, but we don’t.

          Did you know that Trinity graduates – and remember this school has only been around for thirty years – have already achieved amazing things? Kids who sat in those same creaky folding chairs have become the CEO of a bank, a doctor of psychiatry, earned a doctorate and become principal of Trinity, and yes, even a brain surgeon. So, let me ask you again: do you know who is sitting next to you?

          In the gospel today, we see that even St. John the Baptist had trouble seeing who Jesus was. He grossly underestimated him. Now, John is Jesus’ cousin, and virtually the same age – they were born only 6 months apart – so presumably they knew each other growing up, likely they were childhood friends. But John looked at Jesus like you look each other and thought: “Yeah, big deal, he’s just the kid next door.” So, John humbly acknowledges in the gospel, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world…I did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” And he says it again a little later, “I did not know him.” How remarkable that for thirty years, John had no idea that “the kid next door” was the real Superman, the Savior of the world! John’s one job in life was to point out the person of the Messiah, and he might have missed him. We all tend to grossly underestimate our family and friends; they are far greater than we think.

          Boys and girls, I want you to be very careful how you judge other people, especially your classmates who walk these halls with you every day. Look again at those whom you sit next to at lunch, those you play basketball with, those you like and those you don’t like, and even those you pity (just like I once did). Try not to judge them by how they look today, but rather try to see how they might look twenty, thirty years from now: CEOs, psychiatrists, brain surgeons, and principal of Trinity Junior High. Don’t get used to the fine diamonds sitting next to you.

          Last week, I received a surprise donation for Trinity from students who study at Catholic High School in Little Rock. The religion teacher offered her students a social justice project, and some chose to donate to Trinity. One student explained why he wanted to support Trinity, saying, “For my religion project, I chose to donate $10 to Trinity Junior High School in Fort Smith. I went to Christ the King School, so I am familiar with Trinity. In 8th grade my Quiz Bowl team got destroyed by them. That’s why I’m donating to them, they deserve it.”  I wrote back to them and said: “Thanks for the donation, and please don’t take the Quiz Bowl loss personally.  We destroy everyone.” Sometimes, it takes someone far away to see the greatness of the kid in the creaky, folding chair sitting right next to you.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!