The Nativity of St.

John the Baptist 06-24-07

Scripture Readings
First Isaiah 49:1-6
Second Acts 13:22-26
Gospel Luke 1:57-66, 80

Prepared by: Rev. James Cuddy

1. Subject Matter

• Preparation for the coming of Christ, Repentance (cf. Opening Prayer)

• Rejoicing over the Lord’s mercy and favor to Israel (cf. Preface)
• The commissioning by the Lord (1st Reading)
• John the Baptist as the exemplar of vocations

2. Exegetical Notes

• From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior,
Jesus. “The OT background for this promise is found in 2 Sam 7:12, 16, the oracle of Nathan,
which mentions the offspring that God would raise up to succeed David” (Fitzmyer, Anchor
Bible).
• From my mother’s womb, he gave me my name. God sets his chosen ones on the way of
their vocation even before their birth. Cf. Psa 139:13-15 (Stuhlmueller, NJBC).
• Her relatives and neighbors . . . rejoiced with her. “The response to God’s merciful action in
the face of human impossibility is one of joy” (Karris, NJBC).
• The first thing that Zechariah does upon having his tongue loosened is to bless God.
• This event manifests the favor of God in two ways: the mercy that He shows in removing
from Elizabeth the stigma of barrenness (a special burden for her as the wife of a Jerusalem
priest), and the manifestation of God’s mercy in playing on the name of John (Yehohanan),
which means “God has shown favor” (Fitzmyer, Anchor Bible).
• In the narrative of John’s birth, almost every sentence contains words, phrases or ideas that
echo Old Testament passages. The nativities of Isaac (Gen 17:15-21), Samson (Judges
 13:2-24), and Samuel (1 Sam 1:1-23) are evident influences on Luke. The text also
demonstrates a clear knowledge of Jewish customs such as rite of circumcision, the duties of
priests, the layout of the Temple, etc. (See Scobie, John the Baptist).

3. References to the Catechism of the Catholic Church

• CCC 523 St. John the Baptist is the Lord's immediate precursor or forerunner, sent to
prepare his way. "Prophet of the Most High", John surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is
the last. He inaugurates the Gospel, already from his mother's womb welcomes the coming
of Christ, and rejoices in being "the friend of the bridegroom", whom he points out as "the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world". Going before Jesus "in the spirit and
power of Elijah", John bears witness to Christ in his preaching, by his Baptism of conversion,
and through his martyrdom.
• CCC 717 "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." John was "filled with
the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb" by Christ himself, whom the Virgin Mary had
just conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary's visitation to Elizabeth thus became a visit from God
to his people.
• CCC 718 John is "Elijah [who] must come." The fire of the Spirit dwells in him and makes him
the forerunner of the coming Lord. In John, the precursor, the Holy Spirit completes the work
of "[making] ready a people prepared for the Lord."
• CCC 719 John the Baptist is "more than a prophet." In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his
speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah. He
proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is the "voice" of the Consoler who is
coming. As the Spirit of truth will also do, John "came to bear witness to the light." In John's
sight, the Spirit thus brings to completion the careful search of the prophets and fulfills the
longing of the angels. "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who
baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of
God. . . . Behold, the Lamb of God."
• CCC 720 Finally, with John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit begins the restoration to man of "the
divine likeness," prefiguring what he would achieve with and in Christ. John's baptism was for
repentance; baptism in water and the Spirit will be a new birth.
• CCC 2684 In the communion of saints, many and varied spiritualities have been developed
throughout the history of the churches. The personal charism of some witnesses to God's
love for men has been handed on, like "the spirit" of Elijah to Elisha and John the Baptist, so
that their followers may have a share in this spirit. A distinct spirituality can also arise at the
point of convergence of liturgical and theological currents, bearing witness to the integration
of the faith into a particular human environment and its history. The different schools of
Christian spirituality share in the living tradition of prayer and are essential guides for the
faithful. In their rich diversity they are refractions of the one pure light of the Holy Spirit.
• CCC 535 Jesus' public life begins with his baptism by John in the Jordan. John preaches "a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins". A crowd of sinners - tax collectors and
soldiers, Pharisees and Sadducees, and prostitutes- come to be baptized by him. "Then
Jesus appears." The Baptist hesitates, but Jesus insists and receives baptism. Then the Holy
 Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes upon Jesus and a voice from heaven proclaims, "This is
my beloved Son." This is the manifestation ("Epiphany") of Jesus as Messiah of Israel and
Son of God.
• CCC 536 The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission
as God's suffering Servant. He allows himself to be numbered among sinners; he is already
"the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world". Already he is anticipating the
"baptism" of his bloody death. Already he is coming to "fulfill all righteousness", that is, he is
submitting himself entirely to his Father's will: out of love he consents to this baptism of death
for the remission of our sins. The Father's voice responds to the Son's acceptance,
proclaiming his entire delight in his Son. The Spirit whom Jesus possessed in fullness from
his conception comes to "rest on him". Jesus will be the source of the Spirit for all mankind.
At his baptism "the heavens were opened" - the heavens that Adam's sin had closed - and
the waters were sanctified by the descent of Jesus and the Spirit, a prelude to the new
creation.

4. Patristic Commentary and Other Authorities

• St. Ephrem the Syrian: “The barren one gave birth to him who remits sins, but the Virgin gave
birth to him who takes them away. Elizabeth gave birth to him who reconciled people through
repentance, but Mary gave birth to him who purified the lands of uncleanness.”
• Bede: “John’s circumcision clearly sets forth an image of the Lord’s resurrection because it
too occurred on the eighth day, that is, on the day after the Sabbath. And just as the former
was wont to release people from the punishable state of everlasting death, so the latter
displayed the perfect newness of eternal life in our Creator, and revealed that it is to be
hoped for in us.”
• Bede: “John means ‘the grace of God’ or ‘in whom there is grace.’ By this name are
expressed the entire extent of the grace of the of the Gospel dispensation which he was to
proclaim.”
• Maximus of Turin: “When [Zechariah] had taken the tablets in order to begin writing, his
tongue was loosened, the written word gave way to speech, and he did not write ‘John,’ but
spoke it. Consider, then, the merit of the holy Baptist: he gave his father back his voice; he
restored the faculty of speech to the priest. Consider, I say, his merit: John unloosed the
mouth that the angel had bound. What Gabriel had closed, the little child unlocked.”
• St. Augustine: “The lesson of the Holy Gospel has set before us a question touching John the
Baptist. John was commended, as you have heard, by the testimony of Christ, and in such
terms commended, as that there had not risen a greater among those who were born of
women. But a greater than he had been born of a Virgin. How much greater? Let the herald
himself declare, how great the difference is between himself and his Judge, whose herald he
is. For John went before Christ both in his birth and preaching; but it was in obedience that
he went before Him; not in preferring himself before Him. For so the whole train of attendants
walks before the judge; yet they who walk before are really after him.”
• Bede: "The Lord . . . has visited us as a doctor visits the sick, because to heal the deep-
rooted sickness of our pride, he gave us the new example of his humility; he redeemed his
 people, for at the price of his blood he set us free when we had become servants of sin and
slaves of the ancient enemy . . .. Christ found us lying ‘in darkness and in the shadow of
death', that is, oppressed by the long-lasting blindness of sin and ignorance . . .. He brought
to us the true light of his knowledge, and banishing the darkness of error, he has shown us
the sure way to the heavenly homeland. He has directed the steps of our actions to make us
walk on the path of truth, which he has pointed out to us, and to enable us to enter the home
of eternal peace, which he has promised us."

5. Examples from the Saints and Other Exemplars

• Preparing the way of the Lord characterizes countless lives in the Church’s history. The
example of John the Baptist, ever-striving to decrease so that the Lord might increase,
typifies the saint. For example, St. Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary wrote of his
preparing the Lord’s way: “Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for
one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians. Again and again I have thought of
going around the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and crying out to the scholars:
‘What a tragedy: how many souls are being shut out of heaven, thanks to you!’”
• “In the heart it is possible to prepare the way of the Lord, to lay out a straight path where the
Word and the Wisdom of God may pass. With your honorable conduct and your
irreproachable deeds, prepare the Lord's way, smooth out his path so that the Word of God
may act in you without hindrance and give you the knowledge of his mysteries and of his
coming” (St. Josemaría Escrivá).

6. Quotations from Pope Benedict XVI

• “Be converted”: Change your thinking, your outlook, so that you can perceive God’s presence
in the world. Change your thinking so that God may become present in you and through you
in the world. John himself was not spared the hard task of changing his thinking, of being
converted, of undergoing what De Lubac calls “the alchemy of being.” His change in thinking
began with his having to proclaim, as one crying in the wilderness, a man whom he himself
did not know.
• In the Exposition of the Gospel according to Luke, St. Ambrose of Milan expressed his
wonder at the gifts that God added to his forgiveness: "You see how good God is and ready
to pardon sins: not only does he give back everything he had taken away, but he also grants
unhoped for gifts". Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, lost the ability to speak because he
did not believe the angel, but subsequently, in pardoning him, God granted him the gift of
prophecy in the hymn of the Benedictus: "The one who could not speak now prophesies", St
Ambrose said, adding that "it is one of the greatest graces of the Lord, that those who have
denied him should confess belief in him. Therefore, no one should lose trust; no one should
despair of the divine reward, even if previous sins cause him remorse. God can change his
opinion if you can make amends for your sin."
• The liturgy enables us to celebrate the Birth of St John the Baptist, the only saint whose birth
is commemorated because it marked the beginning of the fulfillment of the divine promises:
John is that "prophet", identified with Elijah, who was destined to be the immediate precursor
 of the Messiah, to prepare the people of Israel for his coming. His Feast reminds us that our
life is entirely and always "relative" to Christ and is fulfilled by accepting him, the Word, the
Light and the Bridegroom, whose voices, lamps and friends we are. "He must increase, but I
must decrease": the Baptist's words are a program for every Christian.
• "Rejoice, be glad". This is the first word that resounds in the New Testament as such,
because the Angel's announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John the Baptist is the word
that still rings out on the threshold between the two Testaments. It is only with this dialogue
which the Angel Gabriel has with Mary that the New Testament really begins. We can
therefore say that the first word of the New Testament is an invitation to joy: "rejoice, be
glad!" The New Testament is truly "Gospel", the "Good News" that brings us joy. God is not
remote from us, unknown, enigmatic or perhaps dangerous. God is close to us, so close that
he makes himself a child and we can informally address this God.

7. Other Considerations

• “John’s vocation stands out as a pattern for every vocation, insofar as every vocation is a
mission. It is also the pattern for every vocation insofar as every vocation is an election. This
means first of all that a vocation is an absolutely free gift of God. It is the expression of the
hidden designs of his wisdom and love. This was eminently true in John’s case” (Daniélou).
• “Vocation represents a new form of intimacy with God. God does not make himself known
simply as the source of all existence. He introduces the soul into the hidden depths of his
redemptive plan, and enables it to go out beyond itself to become involved in the salvation of
the world. Thus God seeks free hearts who hand themselves over to him to learn of his plans
and to share his decisions. This is eminently true of John. He is the one who is to ‘prepare
the ways of the Lord, to give knowledge of salvation to his people’” (Daniélou).
• “John’s vocation is an example for us. It gives him a place in the community so that he can
fulfill his unique role there. Now this is precisely the essence of a vocation: it makes a person
realize the necessity of his existence, that is, discover that he is necessary to others, and
answers a vital need. A truly miserable life is one that serves no purpose, which feels itself
cut off, ‘tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind,’ as St. Paul said. . . . True
happiness of life, on the other hand, consists in having found one’s rightful place, the place
that God wants, no matter what that place might be” (Daniélou).

Recommended Resources
Jean Bergeaud, Saint John the Baptist. New York: The Macmillan Cpmpany, 1962.

Jean Daniélou, The Work of John the Baptist. Baltimore: Helicon Press, 1966.

Joseph Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke. The Anchor Bible, vol. 28. Garden City:
Doubleday, 1981-85.
Charles Scobie, John the Baptist. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1964.