+ Today we preempt the regular Sunday Celebration in Ordinary
Time, with the celebration of the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the
Baptist. Why do we do this? Because John the Baptist is
one of the major figures in salvation history, along with Jesus, Mary and
Joseph, and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
John, of course, was a second cousin
of Jesus, the son of Zechariah, a priest of the temple in Jerusalem whose task
it was to burn incense; and of Elizabeth, a first cousin of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. As we see in the gospel passage Zechariah’s tongue was released from
silence only after the birth of his son, whom he communicated would be named
John – because he doubted the angel’s word that his wife would bear a son in
her old age, and that the child would be filled with the Holy Spirit from the
moment of his birth.
John
was the greatest of all the Old Testament Prophets
because he was the last one of them: who had the exalted privilege and honor of
literally pointing to Jesus, as he
walked along the banks of the Jordan when he began his public life, and
saying: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the
world! Behold the Lamb of God, indeed – these, of course, are the very
words that are now restored to the celebration of Mass as the priest holds the
Body of Christ before you to look at and behold just before receiving him in
Holy Communion.
But, John’s main duty in the
history of salvation was not just to
point: but to prepare for the one
who would be pointed to: to prepare the
way of the Lord – by preaching a message of repentance for sin: only when the heart is clean, and the
spiritual path clear, can a person be open enough to receive all that God has
to offer through his beloved Son – for salvation!
John converted many to this
stage of salvation, and then later encouraged them to follow the Lamb, Jesus,
who is the true Messiah – the one they had been waiting for these many
centuries – who would take them the rest of the way!
When Jesus finally did come on
the scene he came to John at the Jordan to give credence to what John was
doing, but also to be baptized himself, but not for himself (as he had no sin),
but rather for us – to show us that one day baptism and
confirmation would be needed by his disciples to bring them into his new and
mystical body of His – the Church!
Later, John was imprisoned by
King Herod because he told him that it was unlawful for him to marry his sister
in law, Herodias. Herod knew that John was right, but when the opportunity
presented itself the Baptist literally lost
his head so that the King could save
face at a dinner party in front of his guests. It was only fitting though –
that the very last Old Testament Prophet would give his life as a martyr for
Christ – whom he knew to be the Way, the Truth and the Life eternal that he and
everyone else was seeking for!
At this critical stage in the history
of our nation, is in imperative that we allow ourselves to be a channel of the
Holy Spirit to renew the face of this country, to reestablish it among others
nations as a beacon of hope and hospitality – as it has always been. We must be
voices crying out in our neighborhoods, parishes and workplaces: “There is
objective truth, there is objective justice, there is objective and independent
Law Giver and Judge, and the one criteria that everyone of us will be judged on
one day is LOVE: did you love from the heart, were you honest in your dealings
with your fellow men, women and children, were to compassionate, forgiving and
bold to proclaim wrong when you see it, and to do all you could in your
situation to make it right! The time for judgment may be closer that we might
want to admit.
Are you ready own up to your
deeds?
Jesus,
you came to save the lost, you came to save the frightened, the lonely and the
poor, especially the children – in our day – you want desperately to use us –
because time may be running out – the next chapter in salvation history will
begin to unfold – swiftly!
1. "If anyone causes one of these little
ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have
a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the
sea.