We celebrate only three birthdays in the liturgical year, Jesus' on December 25, Mary's on September 8 and today, St. John the Baptist's. It is understandable why we celebrate Jesus' and Mary's births, but why St. John the Baptist's? St. John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus, son of Elizabeth and Zechariah. His birth was similar to amazing births in the Old Testament, namely to women who were considered barren: Sarah, the mother of Isaac, Rebekah, the mother of Jacob, Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, the mother of Samson and, Hannah, the mother of Samuel. John the Baptist was also to be set apart for a special calling by God which was similar to Samson and Samuel. Further, John was prophesied to be the messenger sent before God, like Elijah.
In other words, we celebrate his birth because it points us to Jesus. Even the date of the birth points to Jesus. We celebrate his birth on June 24th, six months before Jesus' birth and after the summer solstice when the days start getting shorter. This symbolically demonstrates John's own role once the Messiah has come: "He must increase; I must decrease" (Jn. 3:30).
All of us are called to point to Jesus. The proclamation of the Gospel is not about us or our abilities. It is not about our holiness. It is not about our service. It is about Jesus. John's humility is in knowing his role and fulfilling it: "I am 'the voice of one crying out in the desert, Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said" (Jn. 1:23). We have our roles as well. We are called to fulfill them.
No comments:
Post a Comment