Santhiya Philomone csc –
Readings: Is 49:1-6; Acts 13:22-26; Lk 1:57-66, 80
We celebrate the feast of the Birth of John the Baptist. John played a prominent role in the history of salvation as the forerunner of the Messiah. It was he who prepared Israel to receive their long-awaited Messiah by preaching repentance. Since John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus who prepared Israel for her Messiah, the “Servant” messianic prophecy of Isaiah is given as the first reading. The passage expresses important aspects of John’s career as a prophet to God’s people and as a light to the nations who were named and sanctified from his mother’s womb.
Today’s Gospel describes the birth of John the Baptist and his circumcision and naming ceremony on the eighth day. The name John means “God is gracious” The celebration of the nativity of John invites us to rejoice and proclaim that Jesus is the true Messiah. It calls us to preach the good news of the loving-kindness of God to people who live in darkness. It invites us also to understand that we share much with our brothers and sisters of other faiths, who obviously are children of the same God.
As John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, today we are invited to take Jesus to everyone through our witnessing presence. Loving everyone without prejudices and partialities is the way that we resemble Jesus to others. Today we pray for the grace of openness so that we may be able to see Jesus in others.