Christ the Cornerstone

John the Baptist prepares us to encounter Jesus

“A man was sent from God, whose name was John. He came to testify to the light, to prepare a people fit for the Lord” (Jn 1:6-7; Lk 1:13, 17).

Tomorrow, June 24, our Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. This is a day for rejoicing because while every birthday is a special occasion, a reminder of the great gift from God that each newborn person is, the nativity of John the Baptist was a sign from God that something truly wonderful was about to happen because the long-awaited Messiah was near at hand.

We are told by St. Luke’s Gospel that Mary’s cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah were expecting their first child after many years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive. John’s birth was a miracle of God’s grace, and his destiny was to be the last great prophet sent by God. And his particular mission was to prepare God’s people for an even more miraculous nativity—the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord, the Son of God and Son of Mary.

The first reading for the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is from an earlier prophet, Isaiah:

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 (Is 49:1-3).

Isaiah gives witness to the fact that God knows and loves us even before we are born. He calls us by name while we are still unborn in our mother’s womb. And God has something special in mind for each of us—to “show forth his glory” in our own unique and individual ways.

John’s way was distinctive. He was chosen by God well before his birth to proclaim “a baptism of ­repentance to all the people of Israel” (Acts 13:24). John’s life was one of austerity and radical simplicity. He lived the life of a desert monk, cultivating humility and fidelity to God’s will. “What do you suppose that I am?” he asked the crowds who came to be baptized by him in the Jordan River. “I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet” (Acts 13:25). John did not preach himself. He preached “the one who is coming after me” (Acts 13:25) and, in so doing, he prepared us for Jesus.

St. Luke’s Gospel tells the fascinating story of John’s miraculous birth. His father, Zechariah, was a priest, but he doubted that what the angel revealed to him about Elizabeth’s pregnancy was true and, so, he was denied the power of speech until after his son was born. On the one hand, who can blame him for his skepticism? On the other hand, as a priest, a man of God, he should have been more trusting.

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.” (Lk 1:57-60)

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. (Lk 1:61-63)

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. (Lk 1:64-66)

The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel. (Lk 1:80)

We rejoice in the birth of this child because, like every child born and unborn, he is a miraculous gift from God. From his mother’s womb, he was given a name that would be remembered for all eternity—not for his own sake, but because of the one who came after him.

Let’s celebrate the nativity of this great prophet, John the Baptist, by renewing our baptismal promises and by being “born again” by the grace of the Holy Spirit. †