READ & ENJOY WITH ME: JUNE 24, 2013 SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST IS 49:1-6: PS 139:1B-3, 13-14AB, 14C-15; ACTS 13:22-26; LK 1:57-66, 80 JOHN IS HIS NAME Today, six months before Christmas, we celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist because of what we know from the Scriptures. Elizabeth, John’s mother, is in the sixth month of her pregnancy when an angel appears to Mary (Lk1:36). In the Northern Hemisphere, the natural cycles of the earth point to this moment. When people wondered if John was marketing himself as the Messiah, he pointed away from himself and said, “You yourselves can testify that I said I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before Him...He must increase; I must decrease” (Jn 3:28,30). John is born when daylight is the longest and then steadily decreases. Jesus is born during the darkest time of year, when daylight is the shortest and then increases. We remember John because he does what we are all called to do, which is to point to the Light of Jesus Christ. May the Light of Christ burn in our hearts and increase throughout our years! Let’s reflect more deeply on the life and mission of John the Baptist. We see the beginning of the fulfillment of this word when the Angel Gabriel announces to Zechariah the marvelous birth and mission of John. When this newborn child is about to be named, as customary on the eighth day, his relatives quibble over what name to give him. Don’t relatives, today, often do the same when the time comes for naming a newborn? This child, however, has been named from above. The name John means “the Lord is gracious”. In both the birth of John and the birth of Jesus, we see the grace of God breaking forth into a world broken by sin and death, and which wants to remove God from its earthly realm. John’s miraculous birth shows the mercy and favor of God in preparing His people for the coming of the Savior, the Christ. John the Baptist’s life is fueled by one burning passion, to point others to Jesus and to the coming of His Kingdom. Scripture tells us that Mary had already conceived Jesus in her womb when she visited her cousin Elizabeth. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb” (Lk 1:41) and John was filled with the Holy Spirit. The fire of the Spirit dwelt in John and made him the forerunner of the coming Messiah. What is the significance of John the Baptist and his message for our lives? When God acts in order to save us, He graciously fills us with His loving Spirit and makes our faith “alive” to His promises. Our lives are an offering to God, along with our family, and all that we posses. In the Responsorial Psalm we acclaim, “I praise You, for I am wonderfully made... Truly You have formed my inmost being; You knit me in my mother’s womb” (Ps 139:13-14). God wants to fill us with His glory all the days of our lives, from birth until death. Let us renew each day the offering of our lives to God. We are wonderfully made ps139:13-14; ______ is your name?
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 22:13:38 +0000
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