TUESDAY OF THE 12TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (I)
Mystery of the day: Sorrowful
Celebration: The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Born six months before our Lord, St. John the Baptist was the son of Zachary and Elizabeth, cousin of our Lady. He was the last and greatest of the prophets. As the forerunner of the Savior, his mission was to prepare the Jews for the coming of Christ. When Jesus had come, St. John bore witness to Him before his own followers and encouraged them to follow Him.
Liturgical Colour: white
📚 Table of the Word
First Reading: Isaiah 49:1–6
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 139:1b–3, 13–14ab, 14c–15
Second Reading: Acts 13:22–26
Gospel: Luke 1:57–66, 80
Theme: The voice in the desert crying for repentance.
Reflection
The place of St. John the Baptist in the salvation history of man cannot be overemphasized. It goes beyond being the forerunner or precursor of our Lord. John the Baptist was indeed a voice in the crowd, from the scorching heat of the desert to the prison and ended on a platter for the sake of tye Gospel. This Testament of faith was beautifully captures in Pope Benedict XVI's remark:
“John the Baptist is the great prophet who bridges the Old and the New Covenants, who points not to himself but entirely to Christ, the Lamb of God” (Angelus, June 24, 2012).
Beloved in Christ Jesus, today as a family of God we gather to celebrate with solemnity the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, a rare liturgical honour shared only by Jesus and Mary. This feast underscores not only the uniqueness of John’s mission, but also the prophetic role he played in salvation history.
The first reading from the prophecy of Isaiah opens with a profound prophetic declaration: “The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.” (Isaiah 49:1).These words apply fittingly to John the Baptist, whose name and mission were divinely ordained.
Even before his birth, John leapt in the womb of Elizabeth at the presence of the unborn Jesus (cf. Luke 1:41), signifying his prophetic recognition of the Messiah. The Church Fathers, like St. Augustine, saw in this moment a sanctification in utero, the first acknowledgment of Christ by a human being.
Moreover, Prophet Isaiah continues, “I will make you a light to the nations.” While this ultimately points to Christ, John’s role was to prepare the people for this Light. He is, as St. John’s Gospel says, “a witness to the Light” (John 1:7–8).
However, John's whole life was an act of kenosis, self-emptying, which captured in his words: “He must increase, I must decrease” (John 3:30). This utmost humility invites us to a life of accepting the fact that, there is absolutely nothing we have that was not given to us, or the space we are currently occupying that is not borne out of God's gratuitousnes. The life and times of St. John the Baptist was symbolic in nature: he was a voice in desert and a precursor figure for the salvation of man.
In the second reading St. Paul connects John’s mission to God’s unfolding plan: “Before the coming of Jesus, John had preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel” (see Acts 13:22–26).
John was the last and greatest of the prophets (cf. Matt 11:11), the forerunner, and a bridge between the Law and the Gospel. The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes this beautifully: “John surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is the last… His coming immediately before that of the Messiah, and his role as a forerunner and herald, make him the greatest of those born of woman.”
Finally, dear friend(s) in Christ, the celebration of John’s birth invites us to reflect on our own calling. Each of us is called, like John, to be a voice not for ourselves, but for Christ. In a world clouded by confusion and moral darkness, the Church needs modern-day “John the Baptists”; that is those who prepare the hearts of others for an encounter with Jesus.
+ Peace be with you.
© ARCHIVE 24062025
No comments:
Post a Comment