Theme: The Identity of John the Baptist
As we celebrate the birthday of John the
Baptist today, we wish to reflect on three significant aspects of his identity:
his name, his personality and his mission.
In most families, the naming of a child has always been a
controversial issue because of the choice of name. In John’s case as we see in
the gospel (Lk. 1:57-66), it was not a controversy between his parents but
between Elizabeth and their relations. Zechariah had already been given a name
for the child by an angel (cf. Luke 1:13) but the relations wanted a name that
has existed in their lineage. At last, Zechariah confirmed the choice of the
name and at the pronunciation of the name “John”, his tongue was let loosed.
Perhaps most often we take names to be ordinary words
assigned to a person. It is the name that gives a thing its individual identity
and in John’s case, having a name given by the Divine is an indication that God
has a special purpose and plan for him. Thus, the first reading (Is. 49:1-6)
says “before my birth he had pronounced my name”
God has given each and every one of us a name like John the
Baptist. The difference is that in John’s case, God revealed his name directly
through an angel but in our case, through the wisdom of human instruments. Our
names give us a special and unique identity before God.
The personality of John the Baptist is one that is
target-oriented. Perhaps, he lived in a society so much distracted as ours. It
is an age where technological gadgets keep us away from finding time for God or
listening to His voice. John had to run away from this type of environment and
lifestyle into the desert where he had much time to listen to God. There he
prepared himself for his ministry.
You too can emulate John nit by running away into the desert
but by making out private and silent moments to commune with God, to listen to
Him and to take directions. Our age is too distracting and noisy that we have
less time for God. We need people who will listen to God before talking to men.
We are all invited to make room for silence and meditation for divine illumination
in all our life endeavours.
John developed this kind of personality because of his
mission. He had a divine mission to accomplish, he is the voice crying out in
the desert calling people to repentance, he has come to prepare the way for the
Lord. His personality was built with the virtue of humility which the second
reading (Acts 13:22-26) points out. This mission of calling people to
repentance still continues in our days. We hear the voice of John everyday on
the pulpit, television, radio and even on the internet. How do you respond to
this voice? Are you too busy to listen to it? Remember, “if you hear his voice
today harden not your heart”.
Beloved friends, may we learn from the
story of John. Like him, you have a name that reflects your identity. Your
identity should reflect in your personality and your personality should be
built to be compatible with your mission. John’s greatness began at birth but
was sustained through his efforts. Even if you were not born great, you can
achieve greatness if you follow after his examples.
***
Thanks for reading this reflection. You can ask questions, make your
comments and contributions. To receive my reflections in your e-mail,
subscribe at the subscription box below or follow me on facebook.
Feel free to come back here for your Sunday Reflections latest the
preceding friday and do not forget to share this site with your friends.
Learn more about me here
Interesting homily.
ReplyDelete