Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 24, 2024
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.
Typically, our church only commemorates a person’s death or birth into heaven. Yet, on this day, we celebrate John the Baptist’s birth on earth. John joins the exceptional company of Jesus and Mary, the two other exceptions whose dual life events are both observed in our liturgical calendar. But what is it about the Baptizer that deems him worthy of being honored in this way?
“Surely the hand of the Lord was with him,” guiding him to accept and accomplish his role of preparing the way for Jesus. John’s laser focus was to spread the news about Christ. He risked his reputation, status, and freedom in the process and literally sacrificed his life to do so.
This begs the question, to what extent do we follow John’s example and live our lives deflecting the light away from ourselves and reflecting it towards Jesus? Having grown from childhood to adulthood, how have we become “strong in spirit”? In what ways have we shared the gospel message with others through our acts of acceptance, compassion, and reconciliation?
We could be tempted to dismiss this calling for ourselves since, ultimately, John was a saint. Yet people up and down the ages, from Saint Paul to Dorothy Day to Pope Francis, have encouraged and challenged believers by stating, “We are all called to be saints.”
Thus, let us be inspired by John the Baptist. May we make a purposeful and persistent effort to proclaim the goodness of Jesus. May we consciously choose to embrace our humility and vulnerability by making sacrifices so that others might come to know of and know more about our Savior. This is the birthday gift we can offer John the Baptist today, to emulate him in the manner he deserves.
Prayer
Lord, we hear in today’s Gospel about the birth of John the Baptist. He was to go before you, clearing the way and lighting up the path you were to follow. Now it is our turn to prepare the way for others to find you by the way we lead our lives. Give us the courage and zeal of John to do so. Amen.