Cycle C, Year I

24 June 2019: Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist
(Liturgical color: White) 

Luke 1:57-66, 80

John the Baptist: a man sent from God!
Filipinos are fun-loving people and so it is not unusual that we are fond of birthdays, too. Because birthday is a celebration of life itself!

Speaking of  birthdays, the Church likewise celebrates the birthdays of three biblical characters: the birth of Jesus on December 25, the birthday of the Virgin Mary on September 8, and the birth of John the Baptist on Monday, June 24.

In some places in the Philippines, the annual celebration of the birth of John the Baptist is usually done with playful dousing and sprinkling of water to anyone, symbolizing John's baptism of water in the river of Jordan.

John the Baptist is one of the most significant and well-known biblical characters. He was the son of Zechariah, a temple priest of the lineage of Abijah, while his mother Elizabeth was from the lineage of Aaron (Luke 1:5).  Elizabeth was the cousin of Virgin Mary, so that makes Jesus and John as relatives too.

John's role in the salvation history is so important that God Himself was the one who gave him the name of "John". Because God selected John to be his special ambassador to proclaim his own coming to the world.

From our catechism we learned that John is known as the precursor of Jesus Himself. That means he was the one who heralded the coming of the Messiah to the world.  He was the messenger sent by God to proclaim the Truth. John's message was simple and direct: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!" (Matthew 3:2). He gained many followers, and so confessing their sins, many people were baptized by him in the Jordan river.

What is the relevance of John the Baptist in our life today?

John the Baptist was a humble servant of the Lord. When Jesus started his public ministry, John readily gave up the spotlight to Jesus saying, "He must become greater' I must become less." (John 3:30) Thus, John's life is our role model in humility. When we share the Good News of the kingdom to others, we need to watch out that we remain focus on the message that is Christ Himself, and not unnecessarily draw attention to ourselves as messengers of the Good News, no matter how eloquent our preaching may be.

According to Church's writing, John's adult life was characterized by blind devotion and utter surrender to Jesus Christ and His kingdom. He was a "lone voice in the wilderness" (John 1:23) calling on all his listeners and followers to prepare the way for the Lord. John was a man filled with faith in Christ which he sealed with his martyrdom in the end. Thus, we can learn from John's steadfast faith in Jesus.

As Christians we all will have our faith put to the test at times, like when we are distracted by so many temptations with the promise of an easy life on earth. We will either falter in our faith or, like John the Baptist, cling to Christ and remain faithful to Him with our unconditional obedience to the teaching of the Church no matter the cost. Clearly, it is our choice to be with Christ or against Christ. There is no middle ground.

Patronal Feast:

John the Baptist is also the Patron of my hometown in Tabaco City, Albay Province, where I was born and raised until completion of my high school education.  Although I have no living relatives in the town proper (my remaining relatives are living in the nearby towns), Tabaco City is always in my heart because of memories of my childhood there.

So today is the Feast Day of Tabaco City.  Happy Fiesta!

Ad Jesum per Mariam!