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 Thoughts on Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Scripture: (Luke 1:39-56)
The announcement of the holy Archangel Gabriel to Zachariah in the Temple begins the New Testament Gospel. The announcement of the same Archangel Gabriel six months later in Nazareth to the Virgin Mary concerning the birth from her of the Son of God, Who was to become incarnate, is a continuation of the revelation of the Pre-eternal Counsel concerning the salvation of the human race.
Three months after, St. John the Baptist was born "in a city of Judah," and six months after Christ Himself was born in Bethlehem. These events are closely bound together. "The glorious conception of John proclaims beforehand the King Who is to be born of a Virgin" (Panqeetho). The announcement of the Archangel Gabriel in the Temple, announced later to all living nearby by Zachariah, in the magnificent hymn, which he sang after the birth of the child, is the forerunner of the angelic hymn: "Glory to God in the highest;" which was sung in Bethlehem by the angels when they announced to the shepherds the Nativity of Christ.
The Nativity of John the Baptist is the first joy sent down by God to the human race, the beginning of its deliverance from the power of the devil, sin and eternal death. The Nativity of John is one of the most ancient and most venerated of Christian feasts. Sermons on this feast have been preserved from the first centuries.
From the day of the Nativity of John, the preparation of the human race begins for meeting the Son of God on earth. And Zachariah prophesied: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He has visited and redeemed His people . . . And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways (Luke 1:68,76). These God-inspired words of the priest Zachariah, after he had regained the gift of speech, were made known in all the land of Judea, causing disturbance to all living there, who asked each other in astonishment: What kind of child will this be? (Luke 1:66).
Involuntarily the thought arose: Is this not the Messiah Himself? Judea was in an especially tense state of expectation of the Savior. Thus, the child John prepared the way for the Lord by his very birth; and even while he was still in the womb of His mother, by his leaping for joy (Luke 1:41) he announced the coming birth of the Child Jesus, as if crying out: "Christ is born, glorify Him. Christ comes from heaven, come and meet Him".
Being born exactly half a year before Christ, John the Baptist by the exact time of his birth depicted his mission of preparing the way for the Lord. He was born at the time of the year (June 21-24) when the day begins to grow shorter after the summer solstice, whereas the Nativity of Christ occurs (December 21-25) when the day begins to grow longer after the winter solstice. These facts are an example of the words spoken later, by the John the Baptist, after the beginning of Christ's preaching, when he said: He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).
Today as we celebrate the birth of Saint John the Baptist, let us learn from this story and have some examples in our life.
In his prophecy, the prophet Isaiah said: “The Lord has called Me from the womb; from the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.” (Isaiah 49:1)
The words of the Prophet Isaiah are well-suited to describe John, the great biblical figure who stands between the Old and the New Testaments. In the long line of Israel’s prophets and just men and women, John "the Baptist" was placed by God’s providence immediately before the Messiah, in order to prepare the way before Him by his preaching and by the witness of His life.
Of all the Saints, John is the only one whose birth is celebrated by the Liturgy. We heard in the first Reading that the Lord called his Servant "from his mother’s womb". This statement refers in its fullest sense to Christ, but in a derivative way it can also be applied to His forerunner (John). Both are born as the result of a special intervention by God: the first, Jesus, is born of the Virgin, the second, John, of an elderly and barren woman. Even from his mother’s womb John indicates the One who will reveal to the world the loving plan of God.
Each one has a divine name: the name by which God the Father knows and loves him from eternity and for eternity "From my mother’s womb you called me" (Psalm)
Today we can make our own these words of the Psalmist. God knew and loved us even before our eyes could ponder the marvels of creation. At birth all men and women receive a human name. But even before that, each one has a divine name: the name by which God the Father knows and loves them from eternity and for eternity. This is true for everyone, with the exception of none. No one is nameless in God’s sight! All have equal value in His eyes: all are different, yet all are equal, and all are called to be sons and daughters in Christ His Son.
"His name is John" (Luke 1:63). Before his astonished kinsmen, Zechariah confirms that this is the name of his son, writing it on a tablet. God himself, through his angel, had given that name, which in Hebrew means "God is gracious, merciful". God is gracious and merciful to human beings: he wants them to live; he wants them to be saved. God is gracious and benevolent to His people: he wants to make of them a blessing for all the nations of the earth. God is gracious and benevolent to humanity: he guides its pilgrim way towards the land where peace and justice reign. All this is contained in that name: John!
John the Baptist is the model for witness to Christ along with modern martyrs
Dear faithful, you who believe, hope and love in the church, the house of God, joyfully savor (taste) once more the gift of the Gospel which you received over two thousand years ago! Look today to John the Baptist, an enduring model of fidelity to God and His Law. John prepared the way for Christ by the testimony of his word and his life. Imitate him with obedient and trusting generosity.
Saint John the Baptist is above all a model of faith. Following the example of the great Prophet Elijah, in order to listen more attentively to the word of the one Lord of his life, he leaves everything and withdraws to the desert, from which he would issue the resounding call to prepare the way of the Lord (Mt 3:3 and parallels).
He is a model of humility, because to those who saw in him not only a Prophet, but the Messiah himself, he replied: "Who do you suppose that I am? I am not He. No, but after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie" (Acts 13:25).
He is a model of uprightness and courage in defending the truth, for which he was prepared to pay in his person, even to the point of imprisonment and death.
Give priority to the values of the spirit as John the Baptist did.
In the school of Christ, in the footsteps of Saint John the Baptist and of the saints and martyrs of the church, may we too, dear faithful, be brave enough always to give priority to the values of the spirit.
Do not let ourselves be taken in by the deceptive delusions of an easy happiness of this world. But follow the way of Christ: He is demanding, certainly, but He alone can help us to delight in the full meaning of life and enjoy peace of heart.
Dear parents, prepare the way of the Lord before your children. Bring them up with love, and set a good example by living the principles you teach. And you, teachers of Sunday school, Scout and Youth leaders, and other organization leaders, deepen your commitment to promoting the complete development of the human person, fostering in the young a deep sense of justice and of solidarity with the less fortunate. | 
