His name is John…Gift of God!

FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD

24 JUNE 2024   MONDAY X11

BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

WORD of the DAY 

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.            (LUKE 1: 57-66/80)

How shall I live this Word?   

At the beginning of the summer this great feast is celebrated, an ancient anniversary: the solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. It is the only witness of which the New Testament recalls the birth, so intertwined with that of Jesus. The birth of the Baptist highlights God’s great mercy towards his elderly mother: “The Lord had exalted in her [Elizabeth] his mercy”. When it came to choosing the name for the child, Zechariah was thought of because God had remembered these old parents. The parents, however, agreed, opted for the name of John (= God gave grace: «Gift-of-God»). “John is his name. Everyone was amazed”. John is the one who bears an unexpected name with respect to the history of his family. With him begins the fulfillment of all those prophecies related to the Messiah, which will inexorably cross his life until his death occurred at the hands of Herod. The greatness of his parents lies in the fact that they have preserved this child, from birth, from homologation to tradition. This child must have the right to be himself to the extreme consequences of his vocation. Shouldn’t we all be? In fact, the wounds that very often we carry within us concern precisely the obstacles that we have found in our way to be able to have the right to be fully ourselves. In the path of knowledge, growth, and affirmation of our personal identity, if we have taken awareness of it, we can walk free. Those who truly love us defend our mystery, our uniqueness, our secret. It helps us discover a new name that does not come from what we see but from what has yet to happen.

Lord, help me to become more and more aware of my ONE being in your eyes; help me to be more and more myself and realize my vocation. 

The voice of Martin Buber, Philosopher  

With every person who comes into the world, comes something new that never existed before; something that is first and unique.

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