When the Church celebrates the feast day of a saint, we are usually celebrating the day of the saint’s death. For example the feast of Aloysius Ganzaga earlier this week was on June 21, because June 21 is the anniversary of the saint’s death: June 21, 1591.
But the Church also celebrates the birthdays of three people: Jesus, of course, on the feast we call Christmas; the Blessed Virgin Mary, on September 8th, and today, June 24, the birthday of Saint John the Baptist.
3 months ago, on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25, as the Christ child became incarnate in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the Archangel Gabriel announced that Elizabeth, who had been barren throughout her long life, had through the grace of God become pregnant, six months prior. After the annunciation, Mary would travel in haste to the hill country to assist Elizabeth in her pregnancy, and we know the story well, of John the Baptist leaping for joy in his mother’s womb as Mary approached.
In some traditions, John’s conception is celebrated nine months prior to today. Just as Mary’s conception, the Immaculate Conception is celebrated nine months prior to her birthday and Jesus’ conception, March 25, is celebrated nine months prior to his birthday on Christmas.
The Church’s commemoration of John’s birth is ancient--today’s solemnity going all the way back to the 4th century. But the exaltation of the birth of John goes back even farther, to the lips of Jesus himself, who says “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John.” We exalt John’s birth because Our Lord exalted John’s birth.
The Virgin Mary too, must have rejoiced over John’s birth. We know that Mary was present for the delivery of John. She was there to care for Elizabeth, to help her, in her old age, to safely deliver John, and she no doubt rejoiced with Elizabeth and Zechariah over the baptist’s birth.
So it’s good for us to celebrate as well, so good, in fact, that as you’ve noticed, if this feast day falls on a Sunday, it replaces our normally scheduled Ordinary Time Sunday mass—Ordinary Time Green is replaced by Festive White (and gold, perhaps).
St. Augustine wrote to the Church about this feast in the 5th century. He wrote: “The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed event. We have no such commemoration (for anyone else besides Mary and Jesus)…so, it’s significant that we celebrate the birthday…of John. This day cannot be passed by. And even if my explanation does not match the dignity of the feast, you may still meditate on it with great depth and profit.” So even if my homily today is less than exceptional, each of us should still meditate on its lessons.
John’s great vocation was to point to Jesus, to proclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Augustine, saw John pointing to Jesus even in the events surrounding his birth. Listen to how Augustine holds the birth of John and the birth of Jesus side-by-side: “John is 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. Christ’s birth was believed (by Mary, by shepherds, by the magi…and was heralded by angels.)…John was a voice that lasted only for a time; Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.”
Christians have a special devotion to John, as I mentioned because Jesus himself exalted John, but also because John reminds us of our Christian vocation to point to Jesus with our lives. So I’d like to draw out a few short lessons for us to ponder.
Elizabeth conceived John after a long period, a lifetime, of barrenness. Most everyone thought, as Augustine mentioned, she was “too old” for childbirth. But this miraculous event reminds us we are never too old for God to bring new life in us. Biological age is not a hindrance to the work of God. God is not limited by our old age, only by our refusal to allow Him to work, our failure to cooperate with His grace. Places of barrenness, spiritual barrenness, creative barrenness, even physical barrenness can be brought to life when they are brought to God. So today’s feast reminds us that God always wants to work in the barren parts, to bring about new life for his purposes.
Secondly, as we heard in today’s Gospel there was some incredulity concerning John’s birth, even John’s father, Zechariah was slow to believe. But John the Baptist was proof that God was still at work, his plan, his promises were coming to fulfillment.
We live in a time of incredulity. Our culture treats the Holy Scriptures, the commandments, our Catholic faith as irrelevant, outdated, and therefore valueless.
But just as John was proof that God was at work, so we need to be proof. John was bridge who helped people cross from unbelief to belief. So, too, we must become bridges to help people cross from unbelief in God to communion with Him. We do this by sharing our faith generously and clearly.
We do well to share the stories and lessons of our faith with children and grandchildren, share with them what being Catholic means, why it’s important. Don’t be afraid to share with them the stories of the scriptures and the saints. Tell them about Padre Pio, tell them about Francis of Assisi, tell them about Mother Theresa and Theresa of the Child Jesus. Teach them about the foolishness of Adam and Eve in the garden and to be weary of the cunning serpent who makes false and empty promises. Don’t be struck dumb and silent like Zechariah, but loosen your tongues.
John, we know grows up to be the great herald of Christ, crowds were coming to him to be baptized. But he didn’t start surrounded by crowds of people all flocking to listen to him. He started off in the wilderness. A solitary voice crying out in the wilderness. So we too mustn’t be afraid to proclaim Christ when it seems like no one is listening. If John can proclaim Christ in the wilderness, then so can we.
Finally, John’s personal motto must become our own. He says, I must decrease, that Christ may increase. Each of us have a lot of decreasing to do, and I’m not simply talking about waistlines. Our egos need to decrease, our notions of self-importance and entitlement, our ambitions for doing our own will over doing the will of God. Lot’s of decreasing to do.
Today let us renew our faith in the ability of God to bring new life to barren places and barren souls, let us commit to being bridges for the incredulous to come to believe in Christ even when it seems like we are proclaiming Christ in a wilderness or to a brick wall, and let us commit to the penance and prayer that will enable our egos to decrease that the goodness of Christ and the presence of Christ may increase in us and in the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
