Leap with faith
Today the Church celebrates
the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist.
Saint John had a very special role to play in the story of our faith,
and it’s worth at least a moment to consider why.
John’s earthly birthday is the
only one the Church celebrates, other than that of Jesus. John and Jesus shared significant moments
even from the time they were in their mothers’ wombs. Remember that Mary visited with Elizabeth,
and that when her greeting reached Elizabeth’s ears, the child in her womb
leapt for joy. John and Jesus shared a
number of similarities in their lives, but there were also some significant
differences too. Saint Augustine once
wrote that John was born of a woman too
old for childbirth; Christ was born of a youthful virgin. The news of John’s birth was met with
incredulity, and his father was struck dumb because of his lack of belief. Christ’s birth was believed, and he was
conceived in faith.
Like Christmas day, today is
an occasion for great rejoicing because Saint John is the last of the prophets
who foretold the coming of Christ, and in a sense, he is also the first of the
disciples, yet the events of his birth allow us to see that the faith he
learned was a gift given him by his parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth. In their old age, they rejoiced at his birth,
and no doubt spent the rest of their earthly lives telling him the story of his
birth, and that his life and the life of the Saviour were intertwined.
This weekend, we will also
welcome some new members to our community.
Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, their parents rejoice at the birth of
their children and will present them to us by announcing their names to all who
are present. In this seemingly
insignificant act, parents will continue the tradition which was observed in the
synagogues of ancient Judaism. We know
the story of John the Baptist: how his father was struck dumb until the day his
name was announced in the gathered assembly, but we are still to discover the
story which will unfold in the lives of these young children. Beginning today, we pray for each of them,
that every day of their lives, they come to understand more and more profoundly
the truth that each of us is called from the day of baptism to be a light to the nations, and to announce
God’s salvation, even to the ends of the earth.
Who knows how God is calling to them even now, telling them of his
special plan for them to be light for the nations.
There’s another lesson that John
came to teach us: a very important
lesson that we in turn must teach our children.
Because we have been entrusted with the light of faith, we must all
strive every day to share this light with others by our deeds of love and acts
of faith. We must all seek occasions to
point the way toward Jesus, even though we may not think ourselves worthy even
to remove the sandals from his feet. Even
in the womb, John leapt for joy when he was in the presence of God. We too have the great privilege of gathering
here in God’s presence, of leaping with joy as we receive him, as we listen to
his word, and as we are then sent forth to announce His salvation, even to the
ends of the earth.
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