BORN FOR A PURPOSE.
June 23, 2022.
Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.
“What, then, will this child be?” Luke 1:66
A Spanish proverb says: “He that is born to be hanged shall
never be drowned. You can't escape your destiny.” And an Albanian proverb adds:
“What a man can be is born with him; what he becomes is a result of his
environment.”
God has a plan for each of us. In that sense, everyone in
this world is born for a purpose. The point is to know why God created us, and
pursue that purpose. For some people, the reason for their birth may be clear
and already revealed to them. Others have to search for it. We are celebrating
today one who is actually born for a greater purpose, to be Prophet and
Spokesman of the Lord.
Born six months before the Lord, John's vocation was already
revealed before his birth to his parents. He was to be the last and the
greatest of all the Prophets; the forerunner of the Savior; the spokesman who
through his words would preach the New Advent and prepare the people for this
coming. And then, later on, be the one to introduce the Messiah publicly
through his Baptism and to point him out: "Behold the Lamb of God..."
About John, the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, the
Catechism says: “John the Baptist is "more than a prophet." In him,
the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the
cycle of prophets begun by Elijah. He proclaims the imminence of the
consolation of Israel; he is the "voice" of the Consoler who is
coming. As the Spirit of truth will also do, John "came to bear witness to
the light." In John's sight, the Spirit thus brings to completion the
careful search of the prophets and fulfills the longing of the angels. "He
on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the
Holy Spirit. and I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of
God... Behold, the Lamb of God”.” CCC 719.
Today's readings point out who John is and what is the
purpose of his birth and life. In the first reading, the vocation of Isaiah
leads us to think of that of John as well. The Lord tells his Prophet: "It
is too little 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." The prophet himself was
quite aware that the mission for his birth was a divine project. "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..."
John, the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah incarnates well
what Isaiah says of himself. He was known by God and chosen since the womb. He
was given a name, "graced by God", and a mission, to work at the
conversion of the children of Israel and prepare the way for the Messiah. His
whole life was God's plan.
Paul, in the extract of the Acts, reveals that plan. God
chose John to herald the coming of the Messiah by proclaiming a baptism of
repentance to all the people of Israel. John was aware of his mission, so he
could answer the people: “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.”
He was chosen and born for a purpose.
In the Gospel, the story of the birth of John and the
name-giving raises questions among the people: “What, then, will this child
be?” To this, an answer could be found in the prologue of St. John’s gospel:
“He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe
through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true
light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” (Jn 1:7-9) John
the Baptist was the precursor of the Light, Jesus our Lord.
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