Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
In our tradition, there are only a few people whose births we celebrate. John the Baptist is one of those, and this feast is placed six months from the Nativity of Jesus on Christmas. In our cyclical calendar, these two nativities are equidistant, standing opposite from each other in the circular liturgical calendar. And indeed, the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist and the Nativity of Christ are purposely placed in the months of June and December. In the month of June, we begin to have less daylight and more darkness as our days grow shorter again. It is symbolic of John’s words that “I must decrease that he may increase” (John 3:30). Meanwhile, with Christmas, Jesus, the light of the world, enters, and the light in our days begins to increase until we are back to June, and this Nativity of John the Baptist, again.
So in the midst of this 12th Week of Ordinary Time, we have the opportunity to celebrate a special feast. Note that this is not John the Baptist’s only feast; on August 29 we honor his beheading, his death. But on today, when we celebrate his birth, our focus is turned toward the baby, the small infant who was destined to do God’s will in a special way, by preparing the path of Jesus. This special task was marked out for him, even before his birth. Hence our first reading from the prophet Zechariah is applied to John; John is called from his birth to be God’s servant. The beautiful Psalm 139 also reflects this message; knit together in his mother’s womb, God already knew John in an intimate way.
In the gospel passage from Luke we hear the story of his birth. John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest who, when his son’s birth was foretold was so skeptical that he was made unable to speak for the duration of the pregnancy. Zechariah’s skepticism was not unwarranted, however, as his wife Elizabeth was far beyond child-bearing years. But God’s time is not always our time, and John the Baptist needed to be born close to the time of Jesus because of his special duty of preparing the way for Jesus.
Can we believe it? Can we believe that one small babe, born to a priest and his barren wife, could be chosen as the forerunner for Christ? In some way, this is a feast that celebrates babies and the unborn. Each birth is miraculous, bringing into the world a person who will become an adult. Each child has the potential to do God’s will, and each child is known intimately and loved by God, even before his birth. When we celebrate this feast, we celebrate not only the miraculous circumstances of John’s birth, but also the life that was to come – a life of proclaiming repentance and of pointing others to the Messiah.
We too, have been called from our mother’s wombs, destined from our birth to live lives dedicated to Christ. Let us join with the mission that belonged to that infant born today; let us redouble our efforts to point others to Jesus. Knowing God’s love for us and the grace given us in our baptism, we are have the hope and confidence that we may let Christ’s light shine through us. St. John the Baptist, pray for us!
- Maria Morrow