Slaying Tens of Thousands

 

Appreciating the glory days and our golden years

01/18/2026

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 heaven 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."

Nothing makes a priest feel old than having a new deacon assigned to him who looks about 12 years old. I’m just kidding, he looks at least 14. But our baby deacon is wise beyond his years. Last weekend he delivered a stellar homily that kept everyone – including me – spell-bound. And the kicker (I had to say that because he was the kicker for the Razorbacks)?

He did not have any notes or any paper at all in front of him to aid his memory. This year I will celebrate 30 years as a priest, and not once did I ever preach to a Sunday congregation without my entire homily word-for-word sitting right in front of me. So, our baby deacon is making me feel kind of old.

But Dc. Christopher also reminds me of my own glory days as a newly minted minister. Early on I discovered I too had a gift for preaching. And my first pastor, Msgr. Gaston Hebert, recognized it. Now, Msgr. Hebert was not a preacher, he was an orator, cut from the same cloth as Msgr. John O’Donnell, who people flocked to hear from near and far. Many of you did, too.

One day while we were returning from lunch, I detected a note of jealousy in Msgr. Hebert’s voice when he complimented my preaching by quoting 1 Sm 18:7 and how King Saul felt about his young warrior David: “Saul has slain his thousands; David has slain his tens of thousands.” 30 years ago I felt like young David; today I feel more like old Saul.

In the gospel today maybe John the Baptist felt old too as he announced the arrival and ascendancy of Jesus, as the new King David. And by the way, John was technically older than Jesus. How so? Because John was born 6 months earlier on June 24, while Jesus was born the same year on December 24, at midnight.

And John must have felt his age and failing memory because he almost missed the Messiah. He confessed humbly: “I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” How amazing that the same unborn Baptist who leapt in his mother’s womb at the coming of the Christ almost missed meeting him in person 30 years later.

Like I looked back 30 years to my glory days so perhaps John occasionally reminisced and felt some pride in being a young prophet. He lived an austere existence in the desert eating locusts and honey. His popularity was so wide-spread that people flocked to hear him like they did with Msgr. Hebert and Msgr. O’Donnell in their hey day.

Indeed, they were convinced that John was himself the Messiah. But today standing face-to-face before Jesus, John felt more like old Saul before young David, and maybe remembered 1 Sm 18:7, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David has slain his tens of thousands.” Jesus was beginning his glory days, and John was in his golden years.

So, what’s the take-home message from today’s Scriptures? Well, there are many lessons, but here are three. First, we all have our glory days and we should feel gratitude we had our “moment in the sun” and the chance to slay tens of thousands. And we should pray fervently for the next generation, and not feel jealous if they shatter our records.

Second, some older folks are tempted to think that the next generation will mess everything up. In the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” remember that old bald curmudgeon sitting on his front porch watching the young Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed in love? He complained: “Ah, youth is wasted on the young!” But that’s not true. Youth was not wasted on me as a baby priest, and youth is not wasted on Dc. Christopher, our baby deacon.

And third, if we look at life through the eyes of faith, we discover that it was really and always Jesus doing everything in us and through us. That is, our glory days of youth – as well as our golden years – were not really ours, but filled with Jesus’ grace, gifts, and glory. We do not lift a finger without his permission and without his power to make it possible. To him be the glory.

In other words, we really cannot take any credit for anything. We never did personally slay thousands, nor did we single-handedly slay tens of thousands. It was always Jesus at work in us. And maybe we, too, throughout our lives almost missed him by thinking it was all us and not all him.

And like John humble confessed today, we too may admit one day at the end of our golden years: “I did not know him…but now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.” Like that bumper sticker said: “There is a God, and you are not him.” That can be hard to remember when we are busy “slaying tens of thousands.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!