Date: June 24, 2020 ()

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I have a nephew named Hans equivalent to John in English. I named him John because he was born in January, very close to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord by John. He is the second grandchild who came ten years after the first. It was a little bit of a long wait. But having this new darling in the house was wonderful. True to his name, he really is a presence of God’s graciousness. My childhood best friend as well, John and I are blest with new friends here in Irwin whose names are John. To mention some: I have Fr. John, John de Paulo, and John Javor who are my co-workers on the altar. With the presence of these Johns in my life, I really can attest to the gospel truth that God is indeed gracious.

Today is the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist. We wonder why this feast is raised to the level of a solemnity. John was also special. Like Mary, John the Baptist also had a significant and unique role in God’s plan of salvation. Even by way of their birth, we can find special parallels and similarities as to the birth of Jesus and John. They bring us wonder and amazement. Like Jesus, John’s birth was announced by the angel. Both were conceived in circumstances beyond possibility - John was conceived when his parents were already old; while Jesus was conceived to a Virgin who never knew any man. Both were named not according to their family’s wish, but according to the instruction of the Lord. To Mary, the angel said: You shall name him Jesus, for He will be the Savior; to Zechariah, the angel said: his name is John which means God is gracious.

One of the joyful mysteries of the holy rosary is the visitation of the Blessed Mother to her cousin. In a loud voice, Elizabeth exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! …For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” How amazing it is for John to recognize Jesus while they were still inside their mothers’ womb. Already this particular episode manifests to us John’s significant role to the messiah. John is one who shall help us recognize Jesus. He will say: There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

The life of John the Baptist models to us what should be our role as a church, the community of disciples. We are heralds of faith. We are missionaries to the world to proclaim and witness the gospel. John was a figure of a bold call to conversion and transformation characterized by a baptism of repentance. I especially feel this role when I baptize children to the faith, but I know it’s not only I who bring the children to faith…it’s also the work of the church, mainly - the parents and grandparents, the catechists, the pastor, the godparents, and the whole faith community. Through us, we lead their eyes and feet to Jesus.