Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the joyful occasion of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, which takes place on the twenty-fourth day of June, which is about six months before that of Christmas, based on the Scriptural evidence that Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah, conceived a child in her old age, a truly miraculous occasion before Mary, the Mother of the Messiah and God herself conceived the Holy Child, and it was such that at the time when the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary the good news of the miraculous event, Elizabeth was already pregnant for about six months. As such, the Church tradition dictated that this occasion of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist to take place about three months after the Annunciation of the Lord and six months before Christmas.
And St. John the Baptist is one of the only three figures in the entire liturgical calendar, whose Nativity or birth into this world are celebrated, together with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, as well as with Mary, the Mother of God, whose birthdays we celebrate respectively in Christmas, the Nativity of the Lord on the twenty-fifth day of December, and that of Mary’s Nativity on the eighth of September every year. And why is it that St. John the Baptist was so honoured in our faith and the Church’s celebrations, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because St. John the Baptist was truly a very important figure in the history of the salvation of all mankind, almost as much involved in the history of salvation as Mary herself, who being the Mother of God is the one closest and most honoured among all of us mankind.
St. John the Baptist was the Herald of the Messiah, the one whom God had sent into this world to proclaim the salvation and the fulfilment of the many promises which God Himself had constantly reassured all of us His people, from time to time through His many prophets and messengers. Through what the Lord shared through the Angel, traditionally associated with the Archangel Gabriel, to Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist, it was the very first clue of the fulfilment of God’s long awaited promises to His people, as it happened before the Good News itself came to Mary in Nazareth at the Annunciation of the Lord. That the Lord was sending His servant and messenger into this world to prepare the path for His Saviour and Son, it was indeed a great news and great joy awaiting the people of God, as prophesied through the prophets.
In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we have indeed heard of the prophecy which the Lord Himself has spoken through Isaiah regarding the servant that He would send to prepare the way for the coming of His salvation and grace, speaking of the coming of the one whom God had prepared since from within his mother’s womb, who has been pronounced by name before he was even born, as St. John the Baptist himself experienced, as the Angel of God told his father the name that the Lord had wanted him to name the yet to be conceived and born child of his, as John. Something similar also would happen to the Messiah Himself, whom the Archangel Gabriel told Mary the Name of Jesus at the moment of His conception at the Annunciation.
Therefore, the prophecy of Isaiah spoke of the coming of both St. John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Himself, and particularly our attention today is brought towards St. John the Baptist himself, whom the Lord had sent to prepare the path for the coming of His Son, the long awaited Saviour of the world. From the time of his miraculous conception in the womb of Elizabeth, his mother, St. John the Baptist has been meant to serve the Lord all his life, dedicated to God from the time of his birth and set aside for the purpose of the glory of God. And today as we celebrate his Nativity, his appearance and entry into this world, let us all recall everything that he had done for the greater glory of God, in his lifelong commitment to the Lord, and in all the great works that God had done through him.
As St. Paul told the faithful people of God about St. John the Baptist in our second reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, this great and dedicated servant of God had done all he could to prepare and smoothen the path for the coming of the Lord’s Saviour, by calling on all the people to repent and turn away from their many sins and evils. He has called on them to embrace God’s grace and mercy, His forgiveness and love, calling on all of them to show their sincerity in repentance and in following God through their acceptance of baptism which St. John the Baptist was well-known for, in his works of baptism in the Jordan River, which he did for many years while preparing the way for the Lord, and which he continued on even after he had encountered and baptised the Lord Jesus Himself.
The same St. John the Baptist also spoke courageously against all those crooked and wicked leaders and elders of the people, the members of the Pharisees who had questioned him for his authority and the authenticity of his works, not mincing his words, calling them all ‘brood of vipers’ for their lack of genuine faith in God and for their failure in doing what they had been entrusted to do, in guiding God’s people to Himself. He also sternly criticised Herod, the King of Galilee for his improper and adulterious relationship with Herodias, the wife of his own brother that he took as his own wife even when his brother was still alive. And for this courage, he was imprisoned and later martyred by beheading on the instigation of the same Herodias, who held a great grudge against the man of God. But St. John the Baptist was faithful to the very end, and he is indeed an inspiration to all of us.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all recall the great examples and faith, the dedication and courage which St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah and our role model has shown us, let us all therefore do our best to follow in his good examples, faith and commitment, such that in everything that we do, we will always be ready to commit ourselves to the Lord, be righteous in all of our deeds and works, and be exemplary in all of our way of living our Christian faith through real action and commitment to God. May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith in us, and give us the same courage and faith which He has given to St. John the Baptist, His Herald and courageous servant, that all of us may also dedicate ourselves in serving God in the same way as well, now and always. Amen.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 