Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist: Living Life to the Fullest
When we were doing mission on the island of Catanduanes, the Bishop gave us areas that will be turned into new parishes. So the Bishop gave us the simple instruction, prepare the area to become a parish. When we arrived at the area, we were asked by the people and the clergy what is the program of our mission, we simply replied: Our program is to be like John the Baptist. In many ways, that is still the role of the missionary today — to plant the church and then withdraw, leaving it in the hands of the new local community.
On this Sunday we celebrate the solemnity of the nativity of John the Baptist. His primary title is Precursor. His mission was to go ahead of the Messiah and proclaim his coming. As he said modestly himself, Jesus must increase while he himself must decrease. The success of his mission would eventually make him redundant.
In the gospel today, we heard of the birth of John. There was a bit of a wrangle between Elizabeth the mother and the neighbors and relatives about the name of the boy. The neighbors and relatives wanted the name Zechariah following tradition to name first born son after his father. But Elizabeth and Zechariah wanted him to name John. The name John did not come from the parents but from God. Like Jesus (Mt 1:21), the name of John was given to his parents by the angel Gabriel before he was born (Lk 1:13).
The name John, in Hebrew “Yehohanan” or “Yohanan” means “Yahweh is gracious.” God was gracious to both Elizabeth and Zechariah who gave them a child even in their advanced age. And so will this boy be when he grows up. John will become a symbol of the merciful kindness of God, preparing the people for the coming of plentiful salvation in Jesus Christ.
From birth until his martyr’s death at the hands of the tyrannical Herod, John’s life will be fully dependent on the grace of God. His calling is similarly reflected in the calling of Isaiah by God in the First Reading.
The Lord called me before I was born,
from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name (Isaiah 49: 1).
“He made my mouth a sharp sword… he made me into a sharpened arrow” (Isaiah 49: 2). foreshadows John’s zeal as a prophet and messenger. This will also foreshadow the ascetic life that John will live in the desert as well as his suffering and death at the hands of the tyrannical king. But his life was not in vain. He became, in the words of the reading, “the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49: 3).
John’s life shows us a life that is fully dependent on the graciousness of God. This is living life to the fullest. John showed us that living life to the fullest is fully giving our lives to others and to God. The more we decrease our attention and attachment on ourselves and increase our attention and focus on others and God, the more we live free and fulfilling lives.
Like John, our lives is a preparation to the plentiful redemption in Christ. Like John we are all precursors for the coming greater glory of Christ that will give life to others.
I am passionate about the intersection between new media and technology. I continue to research and apply new media in theology and vice-versa. I am also a fan of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and her continuing relevance in today's digital world.
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