JUNE 24, 2012 : SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Lectionary: 587

Reading 1 Is 49:1-6

Hear me, O coastlands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother's womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15

R. (14) I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
O LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.

Reading 2 Acts 13:22-26

In those days, Paul said:
"God raised up David as king;
of him God testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man's descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
'What do you suppose that I am' I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet."

"My brothers, sons of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent."

Gospel Lk 1:57-66, 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
"No. He will be called John."
But they answered her,
"There is no one among your relatives who has this name."
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name,"
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
"What, then, will this child be?"
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.

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Scripture Study

June 24, 2012 The Birth of John the Baptist

Because June 24 is always celebrated as the Birth of John the Baptist, this Sunday we will celebrate the Birth of John rather than the normal Sunday of Ordinary Time. The readings call us to consider how carefully we attend to our own growing "strong in spirit"? How is this reflected in our daily living? How might we be John the Baptist for others and help point them toward Jesus?

NOTES on First Reading:

* 49:3 Here the Suffering Servant seems to be identified with the people of Israel as their ideal representative. However, since Isaiah 49:5, and 6 seem to distinguish the Servant from Israel as a whole, some scholars regard the word Israel here to be a gloss that was added later. Some have suggested that it represents the faithful Israelites.

* 49:4 This appears to be a protest by the Servant in line with the protests of several prophets at their commissioning as in Isa 6:5;40:6; Jer 1:6. The Servant expresses dejection over what appears to be a wasted ministry and ultimately leaves the result of the ministry in the hands of God.

* 49:5 The text here seems a bit damaged. It repeats part of verse 1 and provides a new introduction. It seems to conflict with 40:1-11 and 45:2-3,113 where God Himself or Cyrus leads the new exodus.

* 49:6 The Servant's call is not only the restoration of Israel but the conversion of the world. Luke 2:32 refers to this verse.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 13:22 Here David is used with the Greek verb,"egeirein," which with verse 23 makes David a type (prefigure) of Jesus (30). God's testimony to David is a combination of Ps 89:21 and 1 Sam 13:14.

* 13:23 This verse reflects and is clearly influenced by 2 Sam 7:12. Although, some have suggested that this whole section starting with 13:17 is actually a midrashic commentary on the prophecy of Nathan in 2 Sam 7:8-16, the reference to "the fathers" would indicate that the writer has more than just the oracle to David by Nathan in mind. God's promises of a "savior" which are found in all of the Old Testament are fulfilled in the resurrection of the descendant of David.

* 13:24 This verse, in Greek, is an excellent example of Luke's "mimesis" or imitation of stylistic features of the language of the establish the atmosphere of a "sacred time."

* 13:25 John is at the very end of the time of the "Law and the Prophets." See 16:16.

* 13:26 This verse reiterates the identification of the audience of the Word. See 13:16-17.

NOTES on Gospel Reading:

1:57-58 Gabriel's promise from 1:14 has come to pass. The response to God's action in the face of human impossibility is joy.

* 1:59 There is a parallel drawn between the circumcision and naming of John and that of Jesus in 2:21. By circumcision both John and Jesus are incorporated into Israel. For Luke, Christianity is a logical outgrowth of Judaism therefore it is important that those upon whom it is founded are shown to be part of Judaism.

* 1:60-63 John means "Yahweh has shown favor." The people are amazed because both parents say that the child is to be called John even though Zechariah is deaf and can not hear Elizabeth say it.

* 1:64 In fulfillment of 1:20, Zechariah now speaks in praise of God.

* 1:65-66 The question about the future of the child is answered partly by 1:76-79 and then more fully in 3:1-20. See also 7:17-35.

* 1:80 Luke removes John from the scene by placing him in the desert and sets the readers up for a later act in the story when he will tell of John's prophecy to Israel.

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Meditation :  "For the hand of the Lord was with him"

Birthdays are a special time to remember and give thanks for the blessings that have come our way. Are you grateful for the ways that God has worked in your life, even from your birth? In many churches of the East and West the birth of John the Baptist is remembered on this day. The friends of Zechariah and Elizabeth marveled at the wonderful way in which God blessed them with a child. This child was destined by God for an important mission. The last verses in the last book of the Old Testament, taken from the prophet Malachi, speak of the Lord’s messenger, the prophet Elijah who will return to “turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:6). We see the beginning of the fulfillment of this word when the Angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah the marvelous birth and mission of John the Baptist (Luke 1:17). When this newly born child was about to be named, as customary on the eighth day, his relatives quibbled over what name to give him. (Don’t relatives today often do the same when the time comes for naming a newborn?) This child, however has been named from above! And Elizabeth is firm in her faith and determined to see that God be glorified through this child. The name John means "the Lord is gracious". In the birth of John and in the birth of Jesus the Messiah we see the grace of God breaking forth into a world broken by sin and without hope. John’s miraculous birth shows the mercy and favor of God in preparing his people for the coming of its Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist's life was fueled by one burning passion – to point others to Jesus Christ and to the coming of God's kingdom. Scripture tells us that John was filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb (Luke 1:15, 41) by Christ himself, whom Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, John lept in the womb of Elizabeth as they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41). The fire of the Spirit dwelt in John and made him the forerunner of the coming Messiah. John was led by the Spirit into the wilderness prior to his ministry where he was tested and grew in the word of God. John's clothing was reminiscent of the prophet Elijah (see Kings 1:8). John broke the prophetic silence of the previous centuries when he began to speak the word of God to the people of Israel. His message was similar to the message of the Old Testament prophets who chided the people of God for their unfaithfulness and who tried to awaken true repentance in them. Among a people unconcerned with the things of God, it was his work to awaken their interest, unsettle them from their complacency, and arouse in them enough good will to recognize and receive Christ when he came.

What is the significance of John the Baptist and his message for our lives? When God acts to save us he graciously fills us with his Holy Spirit and makes our faith come "alive" to his promises. Each and every day the Lord is ready to renew us in faith, hope, and love. Like John the Baptist, the Lord invites each of us to make our life a free-will offering to God. God wants to fill us with his glory all the days of our lives, from birth through death. Renew the offering of your life to God and give him thanks for his mercy and favor towards you.

"Lord Jesus, you bring hope and salvation to a world lost in sin, despair, and suffering. Let your grace refresh and restore your people today in the hope and joy of your great victory over sin and death."

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I praise you, for I am wonderfully made

Lord, you speak my name to me in the depth of my heart.

You were there when I was formed in the womb. You gave me my face, my eyes, my very self. Your hand is upon me always, encircling me with your strength. You have called me to be here now in this wonderful world, to grow closer to you, to help others to come to you. Yet, like Isaiah of old, I sit here thinking that I toil in vain.

But you, Lord, spoke. A man sang your praise and named his boy John. They wondered what would become of this boy. Who could have predicted? What is to become of me, Lord? Could I be one chosen to proclaim your name to others? But I am! ‘Let your light so shine that they may glorify your Father.’ Show me how to do it, Lord.

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MINUTE MEDITATIONS 

Road to Perfection
God willing, when all is said and done, and we’ve lived our last adventure, God will have led us through our hesitations, our imperfections, and our not-so-stellar days to be the perfect children he’s always meant for us to be.
— from The Catholics Next Door

June 24
Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

Jesus called John the greatest of all those who had preceded him: “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John....” But John would have agreed completely with what Jesus added: “[Y]et the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28).

John spent his time in the desert, an ascetic. He began to announce the coming of the Kingdom, and to call everyone to a fundamental reformation of life.
His purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus. His Baptism, he said, was for repentance. But One would come who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John is not worthy even to carry his sandals. His attitude toward Jesus was: “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30).
John was humbled to find among the crowd of sinners who came to be baptized the one whom he already knew to be the Messiah. “I need to be baptized by you” (Matthew 3:14b). But Jesus insisted, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15b). Jesus, true and humble human as well as eternal God, was eager to do what was required of any good Jew. John thus publicly entered the community of those awaiting the Messiah. But making himself part of that community, he made it truly messianic.
The greatness of John, his pivotal place in the history of salvation, is seen in the great emphasis Luke gives to the announcement of his birth and the event itself—both made prominently parallel to the same occurrences in the life of Jesus. John attracted countless people (“all Judea”) to the banks of the Jordan, and it occurred to some people that he might be the Messiah. But he constantly deferred to Jesus, even to sending away some of his followers to become the first disciples of Jesus.
Perhaps John’s idea of the coming of the Kingdom of God was not being perfectly fulfilled in the public ministry of Jesus. For whatever reason, he sent his disciples (when he was in prison) to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah. Jesus’ answer showed that the Messiah was to be a figure like that of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah (chapters 49 through 53). John himself would share in the pattern of messianic suffering, losing his life to the revenge of Herodias.

Comment:

John challenges us Christians to the fundamental attitude of Christianity—total dependence on the Father, in Christ. Except for the Mother of God, no one had a higher function in the unfolding of salvation. Yet the least in the kingdom, Jesus said, is greater than he, for the pure gift that the Father gives. The attractiveness as well as the austerity of John, his fierce courage in denouncing evil—all stem from his fundamental and total placing of his life within the will of God.

Quote:

"And this is not something which was only true once, long ago in the past. It is always true, because the repentance which he preached always remains the way into the kingdom which he announced. He is not a figure that we can forget now that Jesus, the true light, has appeared. John is always relevant because he calls for a preparation which all men need to make. Hence every year there are four weeks in the life of the Church in which it listens to the voice of the Baptist. These are the weeks of Advent" (A New Catechism).

LECTIO: NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

Lectio: 

 Sunday, June 24, 2012

Birth of the Precursor of the Lord
 

1. Let us recollect ourselves in Prayer – Statio

Prayer of Cardinal Mercier to the Holy Spirit

Oh God, who has instructed your faithful, enlightening their hearts with the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us that in the same Spirit we may have the desire to do good and to enjoy always his comfort.
May there be Glory, adoration, love, and blessing to You Eternal Divine Spirit, Who has brought to earth for us the Saviour of our souls. And may there be glory and honour to His most adorable Heart Who loves us with an infinite love.
Oh Holy Spirit, soul of my soul, I adore You: enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me, teach me what I should do, give me your orders.
I promise to submit myself to all that will happen to me, allowed by You: I ask only that I may know Your Will.

2. Prayerful Reading of the Word - Lectio

From the Gospel according to Luke (1, 57-66.80)

The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had lavished on her his faithful love, they shared her joy. Now it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. 'No,' she said, 'he is to be called John.' They said to her, 'But no one in your family has that name,' and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, 'His name is John.' And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. 'What will this child turn out to be?' they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.
Meanwhile the child grew up and his spirit grew strong. And he lived in the desert until the day he appeared openly to Israel.

3. Pondering the Word - Meditatio

3.1. Key to the Reading

This passage of the Gospel forms part of the so called accounts of the infancy of Jesus. In a particular way this text follows the scene of the Visitation of Mary “in the house of Zechariah” (Lk 1, 40) after the event of the Annunciation of the Angel, the messenger of the new creation.

In fact, the Annunciation inaugurates in a joyful way the fulfilment of God’s promise to His People (Lk 1, 26-38). The joy of the new times, which filled Mary, now inundates the heart of Elizabeth. She rejoices with the announcement brought by Mary (Lk 1, 41). Mary, on the other hand, “magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1, 46) because He has worked great things in her, just as He has worked great marvels for His people in need of salvation.

The expression “the time came” reminds us that this reality does not only strike Elizabeth about to give birth, but reveals also something of God’s project. In fact, Saint Paul tells us that when the completion of the time came, God sent His Only Begotten Son “born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law, so that we could receive adoption of sons” of God (Gal 4, 4).

In the Gospel Jesus in fact, speaks about the completion of times, especially in the Gospel of John. Two of these times are the wedding at Cana (Jn 2, 1-12) and the agony on the cross where Jesus exclaims that “all is fulfilled” (Jn 19, 30). In the fulfilment of the times Jesus inaugurates an era of salvation. The birth of John the Baptist inaugurates this time of salvation. In fact, at the arrival of the Messiah he exults and leaps in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth (Lk 1, 44). Later on, he will define himself as the friend of the bridegroom (Jesus) who exults and rejoices because of the event of the wedding with the bride, the Church (Jn 3, 29).

The son will not be named as his father Zechariah, but John. Zechariah reminds us that God does not forget His people. In fact, his name means “God remembers”. His son will now be called “God remembers”, because God’s promises were being fulfilled. The prophetic mission of John has to indicate God’s mercy. In fact, he will be called Johanan, that is “God is mercy”. This mercy is manifested in the visit to the People, precisely “as he had promised by the mouth of his holy prophets of ancient times” (Lk 1, 67-70). Thus, the name indicates the mission of the one about to be born. Zechariah will write the name of his son on a tablet so that all could see with admiration (Lk 1, 63). This tablet is the echo of another inscription, written by Pilate to be fixed on the cross of Jesus. This inscription revealed the identity of the mission of the Crucified: “Jesus, the Nazarene, King of the Jews” (Jn 19, 19). This writing also provoked the admiration of those who were in Jerusalem for the feast.

John is the precursor of Jesus in everything. Already since his birth and childhood he points out to Christ. “Who will this child be? He is “the voice which cries out in the desert” (Jn 1, 23), impelling all to prepare the way of the Lord. He is not the Messiah (Jn 1, 20), but he indicates this with his preaching and above all with his life style of asceticism in the desert. Meanwhile the child grew up and his spirit grew strong. He lived in the desert until the day he appeared openly to Israel”. (Lk 1, 80).

3.1.1. Questions to direct the meditation and the carrying out

- What has struck you in this passage and in the reflection?
- John identifies himself as the friend of the bridegroom. According to you, what is the meaning of this image?
- John the Baptist has always been seen by the Church as its type. He is the one who prepares the way for the Lord. Does this have some relevance for our daily life?

4. Oratio

Let us bless the Lord together with Zechariah (Lk 1, 68-79)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, 
for he has visited his people, he has set them free,
and he has established for us a saving power 
in the House of his servant David,
just as he proclaimed, 
by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times,
that he would save us from our enemies 
and from the hands of all those who hate us,
and show faithful love to our ancestors, 
and so keep in mind his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
that he would grant us, free from fear, 
to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,
to serve him in holiness and uprightness in his presence, 
all our days.
And you, little child, 
you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, 
for you will go before the Lord to prepare a way for him,
to give his people knowledge of salvation 
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the faithful love of our God 
in which the rising Sun has come from on high to visit us,
to give light to those who live in darkness 
and the shadow dark as death, 
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

5. Contemplatio

Let us all together adore the mercy and the goodness of God repeating in silence:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen

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