JOHN IS HIS NAME
The name John means, "the Lord is gracious."
Today we celebrate
the birth of John the Baptist six months before Christmas because of what we
know from the biblical story. Elizabeth, John's mother, is in the sixth month
of her pregnancy when an angel appears to Mary. In the Northern Hemisphere, the
natural cycles of the earth point to this biblical story. When people wondered
if John was marketing himself as the Messiah, he pointed away from himself and
said, "I am not the Messiah but have been sent ahead of Him. Now that He
is here, He must increase, and I must decrease." John is born when
daylight is the longest and then steadily decreases. Jesus is born when
daylight is the shortest and then gradually increases. John said we must do the
same. We remember John because he does what we are all called to do: point to
the light of Jesus Christ. May the light of Christ burn in our hearts and
increase throughout our years!
Let's reflect more
deeply on the life and mission of John the Baptist. We see the beginning of the
fulfillment of this word when the Angel Gabriel announces to Zechariah the
marvelous birth and mission of John. When this newly born child is about to be
named, as customary on the eighth day, his relatives quibble over what to name
to give him. (Don't relatives today often do the same when time comes for
naming a newborn?) This child, however has been named from above. The name John
means, "the Lord is gracious." In the birth of John and in the birth
of Jesus we see the grace of God breaking forth into a world broken by sin and
death and wanting to take God out of the world. John's miraculous birth shows
the mercy and favor of God in preparing His people for the coming of its
Savior, the Christ.
John the Baptist's
life was fueled by one burning passion-to point others to Jesus and to the
coming of his kingdom. Scripture tells us that John was filled with the Holy
Spirit even from his mother's womb by Christ himself, whom Mary had just
conceived by the Holy Spirit (Lk 1.) When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth,
John leapt in her womb, as they were filled with the Holy Spirit (LK 1.) The
fire of the Spirit dwelt in John and made him the forerunner of the coming
Messiah.
What is the
significance of John the Baptist and his message for our lives? When God acts
to save us He graciously fills us with His loving Spirit and makes our faith
"alive" to His promises. Our lives are an offering to God, along with
our family, and all that we possess.
In the Responsorial
Psalm we acclaim: I praise you, for I am wonderfully made, truly You have
formed me; You knit me in my mother's womb (Ps 139:13.)
God wants to fill
each of us with his glory all the days of our lives, from birth through death.
Today renew your offering of your life to God. Then say to Him: I am
wonderfully made: ______ is my name!