St. John the Baptist
John the Baptist spent his adult life preparing the way for Jesus,
and proclaiming that “the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.”. He was
born to Zachary and Elizabeth, an elderly married couple. The Angel
Gabriel had visited Zachary and told him that his wife would bear a
child, even though she was already past the child-bearing age.
Elizabeth
was Mary’s cousin and Zachary was a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem.
As a baby in the womb, John recognized Jesus’ presence in Mary’s womb
when Mary visited Elizabeth soon after the Annunciation. Both women were
pregnant at the same time.
John was probably born at Ain-Karim,
which is southwest of Jerusalem. As a young adult, he lived as a hermit
in the desert of Judea until about A.D. 27. When he was 30, he began to
preach on the banks of the Jordan, calling for repentance and baptizing
people in the river waters. When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John
recognized Jesus as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying: “It is I who
need baptism from you.”
John continued to preach after Jesus was
baptized, but was imprisoned not long after by Herod Antipas, after he
denounced the king’s adulterous marriage with Herodias, wife of his
half-brother Philip.
John was beheaded at the request of Salome,
daughter of Herodias. Many came to know Jesus through John, namely the
Apostles Andrew and John.
Isaiah 49:1-6
1 Listen to me, O coastlands, and hearken, you peoples
from afar. The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother
he named my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow
of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid
me away.
3 And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
4 But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my
strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD,
and my recompense with my God."
5 And now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb
to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be
gathered to him, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God
has become my strength --
6 he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be
my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved
of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation
may reach to the end of the earth."
Luke 1:57-66, 80
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son.
58 And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechari'ah after his father,
60 but his mother said, "Not so; he shall be called John."
61 And they said to her, "None of your kindred is called by this name."
62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they all marveled.
64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea;
66 and all who heard them laid them up in their
hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord
was with him.
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.
Psalms 139(138):1-3, 13-15
1 O LORD, thou hast searched me and known me!
2 Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up; thou discernest my thoughts from afar.
3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
13 For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well;
15 my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.
Second Reading
Acts 13:22-26
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to
be their king; of whom he testified and said, `I have found in David the
son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'
23 Of this man's posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.
24 Before his coming John had preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And as John was finishing his course, he said,
`What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but after me one is
coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'
26 "Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those
among you that fear God, to us has been sent the message of this
salvation.
Lord, may I always seek and do Your will
Nativity of St John the Baptist
Is. 49:1-6; Ps. 139(138):1-3,13-14ab,14c-15; Acts 13:22-26; Lk. 1:57-66,80 (Ps Wk IV)
We all enter this life with many opportunities and paths we can take, and most of them are good. God will bless us in whatever we do that is honourable and positive. God has some expectations of each and every one of us, but they are expressed in different ways. A few individuals, however, have been marked out from the moment of their creation for something very important. Isaiah speaks of a prophetic figure that will guide not only Israel but the nations too. The early Christians saw Christ in this way. But no mission is unimportant, and we all have something important to give.
As great as John the Baptist was, his role was to prepare the way for Jesus. His birth was announced by an angel, his conception was miraculous, since his parents were aged and his mother barren. But his role was secondary; he was to prepare the way for one far greater — Jesus. That did not bother him at all — he was quite content to spend his life pointing to another and announcing his presence. His life was not about self-fulfillment but doing the will of God. This is a perfect example for our own time, when self-promotion seems to be ever more important.
Our mission is to do the will of God, nothing more, nothing less. The will of God is always that we serve the common good and be a source of hope and assistance to others.
Lord, may I always seek and do Your will.
