The Church celebrates the Birth of Saint John the Baptist because there is something indispensable and timeless about his role. Cardinal Daniélou speaks of “a certain permanence in John’s ministry, the ministry of preparation.” He goes so far as to say: “We may be sure that the final coming will also be prepared by John.”
So what might
this “ministry of preparation” mean for us today? Perhaps above all, John
models for us and predisposes us to
experience the happiness found only in Jesus Christ. With good reason, this
began in the darkness of his mother’s womb. We all begin in darkness, and often
live moments plunged in darkness of one kind or another. The Good News is that
at Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, Jesus draws
close to John, who then leaps for joy in his mother’s womb. The Baptist
pierces earth’s darkness with his silent proclamation to us: Someone is coming for you! Keep your
attention fixed on what your heart was made for: Jesus Christ! For you will
recognize him when he comes—instantly, leaping with joy like David dancing
before the Ark of the Covenant.
The
Dominican Peter John Cameron wrote a reflection last year which personalizes
the meaning of today’s feast for me:
The
Nativity of St. John the Baptist is a sacred reminder of the fact that every
day I need born in my life:
·
someone who leaps with joy before
the presence of the Lord, who makes me want to live my own relationship with
Jesus with greater ardor;
·
someone to prepare the way of the
Lord and to give me knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of my sins;
·
someone who turns my attention
away from my distractions and preconceptions so that I will behold the Lamb of
God as the true desire of my heart;
·
someone who is a burning and
shining lamp whose radiance gives light to my path and courage to my heart,
making me want to live for others. . . .
Each of
us is called to prepare the way of the Lord to one another, in ways mostly
unknown to us, unintentionally, and yet no less prophetically. This unconscious
“ministry of preparation” engenders hope
in others. That, I believe, is its particular gift.
The Good
News today is that the Birth of John was a
birth of new hope. Something the whole world needs at this time of great
suffering and an unknown future. Cardinal Daniélou captured this “birth of new
hope” beautifully when describing John: “While he was still a baby in a cradle,
something was already shining on John’s face: the dawn of that sun which was
going to rise above the horizon and outshine the sun of the first creation.” I
think that is true of anyone, and everyone, who has been instrumental in
“preparing the way of the Lord” to us.
The Birth and Naming of Saint John the Baptist, Sano di Pietro, Italian, Siena 1405–1481 Siena, 1450–1460, Tempera and gold on wood, 9 5/8 x 18 7/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Used with permission. This morning's homily by Father Dominic.
The Birth and Naming of Saint John the Baptist, Sano di Pietro, Italian, Siena 1405–1481 Siena, 1450–1460, Tempera and gold on wood, 9 5/8 x 18 7/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Used with permission. This morning's homily by Father Dominic.