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The Nativity of St. John the Baptist 06-24-07

Scripture ReadingsFirst Isaiah 49:1-6Second Acts 13:22-26Gospel Luke 1:57-66, 80

Prepared by: Rev. James Cuddy

1. Subject Matter

Preparation for the coming of Christ, Repentance (cf. Opening Prayer)

Rejoicing over the Lords mercy and favor to Israel (cf. Preface)

The commissioning by the Lord (1st Reading)

John the Baptist as the exemplar of vocations

2. Exegetical Notes

From this mans descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior,Jesus. The OT background for this promise is found in 2 Sam 7:12, 16, the oracle of Nathan,which mentions the offspring that God would raise up to succeed David (Fitzmyer, AnchorBible).

From my mothers womb, he gave me my name. God sets his chosen ones on the way oftheir vocation even before their birth. Cf. Psa 139:13-15 (Stuhlmueller, NJBC).

Her relatives and neighbors . . . rejoiced with her. The response to Gods merciful action inthe face of human impossibility is one of joy (Karris, NJBC).

The first thing that Zechariah does upon having his tongue loosened is to bless God.

This event manifests the favor of God in two ways: the mercy that He shows in removingfrom Elizabeth the stigma of barrenness (a special burden for her as the wife of a Jerusalempriest), and the manifestation of Gods mercy in playing on the name of John (Yehohanan),which means God has shown favor (Fitzmyer, Anchor Bible).

In the narrative of Johns birth, almost every sentence contains words, phrases or ideas thatecho Old Testament passages. The nativities of Isaac (Gen 17:15-21), Samson (Judges

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people, for at the price of his blood he set us free when we had become servants of sin andslaves of the ancient enemy . . .. Christ found us lying in darkness and in the shadow ofdeath', that is, oppressed by the long-lasting blindness of sin and ignorance . . .. He broughtto us the true light of his knowledge, and banishing the darkness of error, he has shown usthe sure way to the heavenly homeland. He has directed the steps of our actions to make us

walk on the path of truth, which he has pointed out to us, and to enable us to enter the homeof eternal peace, which he has promised us."

5. Examples from the Saints and Other Exemplars

Preparing the way of the Lord characterizes countless lives in the Churchs history. Theexample of John the Baptist, ever-striving to decrease so that the Lord might increase,typifies the saint. For example, St. Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary wrote of hispreparing the Lords way: Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians forone reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians. Again and again I have thought ofgoing around the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and crying out to the scholars:What a tragedy: how many souls are being shut out of heaven, thanks to you!

In the heart it is possible to prepare the way of the Lord, to lay out a straight path where theWord and the Wisdom of God may pass. With your honorable conduct and yourirreproachable deeds, prepare the Lord's way, smooth out his path so that the Word of Godmay act in you without hindrance and give you the knowledge of his mysteries and of hiscoming (St. Josemara Escriv).

6. Quotations from Pope Benedict XVI

Be converted: Change your thinking, your outlook, so that you can perceive Gods presencein the world. Change your thinking so that God may become present in you and through youin the world. John himself was not spared the hard task of changing his thinking, of beingconverted, of undergoing what De Lubac calls the alchemy of being. His change in thinkingbegan with his having to proclaim, as one crying in the wilderness, a man whom he himselfdid not know.

In the Exposition of the Gospel according to Luke, St. Ambrose of Milan expressed hiswonder at the gifts that God added to his forgiveness: "You see how good God is and readyto pardon sins: not only does he give back everything he had taken away, but he also grantsunhoped for gifts". Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, lost the ability to speak because hedid not believe the angel, but subsequently, in pardoning him, God granted him the gift ofprophecy in the hymn of the Benedictus: "The one who could not speak now prophesies", St

Ambrose said, adding that "it is one of the greatest graces of the Lord, that those who havedenied him should confess belief in him. Therefore, no one should lose trust; no one shoulddespair of the divine reward, even if previous sins cause him remorse. God can change hisopinion if you can make amends for your sin."

The liturgy enables us to celebrate the Birth of St John the Baptist, the only saint whose birthis commemorated because it marked the beginning of the fulfillment of the divine promises:John is that "prophet", identified with Elijah, who was destined to be the immediate precursor

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of the Messiah, to prepare the people of Israel for his coming. His Feast reminds us that ourlife is entirely and always "relative" to Christ and is fulfilled by accepting him, the Word, theLight and the Bridegroom, whose voices, lamps and friends we are. "He must increase, but Imust decrease": the Baptist's words are a program for every Christian.

"Rejoice, be glad". This is the first word that resounds in the New Testament as such,

because the Angel's announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John the Baptist is the wordthat still rings out on the threshold between the two Testaments. It is only with this dialoguewhich the Angel Gabriel has with Mary that the New Testament really begins. We cantherefore say that the first word of the New Testament is an invitation to joy: "rejoice, beglad!" The New Testament is truly "Gospel", the "Good News" that brings us joy. God is notremote from us, unknown, enigmatic or perhaps dangerous. God is close to us, so close thathe makes himself a child and we can informally address this God.

7. Other Considerations

Johns vocation stands out as a pattern for every vocation, insofar as every vocation is amission. It is also the pattern for every vocation insofar as every vocation is an election. Thismeans first of all that a vocation is an absolutely free gift of God. It is the expression of thehidden designs of his wisdom and love. This was eminently true in Johns case (Danilou).

Vocation represents a new form of intimacy with God. God does not make himself knownsimply as the source of all existence. He introduces the soul into the hidden depths of hisredemptive plan, and enables it to go out beyond itself to become involved in the salvation ofthe world. Thus God seeks free hearts who hand themselves over to him to learn of his plansand to share his decisions. This is eminently true of John. He is the one who is to preparethe ways of the Lord, to give knowledge of salvation to his people (Danilou).

Johns vocation is an example for us. It gives him a place in the community so that he canfulfill his unique role there. Now this is precisely the essence of a vocation: it makes a personrealize the necessity of his existence, that is, discover that he is necessary to others, andanswers a vital need. A truly miserable life is one that serves no purpose, which feels itselfcut off, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind, as St. Paul said. . . . Truehappiness of life, on the other hand, consists in having found ones rightful place, the placethat God wants, no matter what that place might be (Danilou).

Recommended Resources

Jean Bergeaud, Saint John the Baptist. New York: The Macmillan Cpmpany, 1962.

Jean Danilou, The Work of John the Baptist. Baltimore: Helicon Press, 1966.

Joseph Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke. The Anchor Bible, vol. 28. Garden City:Doubleday, 1981-85.

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Charles Scobie, John the Baptist. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1964.