NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST 24 June 2023 (Reflection 2) 1.     On 24 June we celebrate the birthday of John the Baptist. In fact, besides the birthdays of our Lord and Mother Mary, it is only the birthday of John the Baptist that is specially celebrated, and that shows his singularity. Rightly Jesus has declared of him in Luke 7:28 to be the greatest man to have ever lived: "I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John ..." 2.     In the recent times, there is a tendency among some to claim themselves to be prophets, like John the Baptist. They make this claim mainly to defend and justify their uncontrolled sickness of uncharitable criticism and negative judgments about others. Their simple comparison is: See, John the Baptist too was very fearless and ferocious; he was boldly rebuking the Pharisees and scribes, and even accusing Herod and Herodias. But these are false prophets and are never on par with the Baptist. They are so much devoid of his features and are miles apart from his life of witness. This necessitates having a quick look at the person of John the Baptist. 3.     His birth is very unique because it was with a definitive purpose in the plan of salvation. He had a key role to play in the divine design of Messiah. He was destined to be “the precursor of the Saviour” - that voice crying in the wilderness preparing the way for the coming Messiah (Is 40. 3; Mt 3. 3; Mk 1. 2-3; Lk 3. 3-6). He was sent to proclaim a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Lk 3. 3; Mk 1. 4), as a preparation for baptism by fire and Holy Spirit (Lk 3. 16). He was profoundly conscious of this purpose of his birth, and the thrust of his mission, and he was totally committed to fulfill this. 4.     He was an epitome of humility. Even at the height of his fame and popularity, he never clung to self-glory or self-promotion. He made no false promises. He categorically denied that he is the expected Messiah (Jn 1. 20; 3. 28). He humbly declared: “I am only the friend of the bridegroom (Jn 3. 29); I am not the Light but only a little lamp, witness and pointer to the Light (Jn 1. 6-8); I am not worthy even to untie the strap of his sandal (Lk 3. 16; Jn 1. 23); he must increase and I must decrease (Jn 3. 30). 5.     John's lifestyle was as austere as his message (Mt 3. 4; Mk 1. 6).  John was no "crowd pleaser." He confronted the hypocrisy of the religious establishment (Mt 3. 7; Lk 3. 7 ). Even at the cost of his life, he stood for truth. He did not hesitate to expose the immorality of Herod and chose to die a martyr's death rather than compromise his convictions (Mt 14. 3-12; Mk 6. 17-29 ). 6.     Where are we in comparison to John the Baptist? It is not enough to simply claim that like him, we too are prophets, standing for truth and fearlessly denouncing the unjust structures or authorities. How much we are conscious of the purpose of our birth and the destiny of our call? How much we are loyal to accomplish our mission as disciples and consecrated persons? How much we are humble, resisting self-promotion, shunning self-glory and cheap popularity and false dignity? How much are we honest and authentic, that is, standing in truth, before standing for truth? Is our concern for justice and authenticity, or for judging and condemning others, so that others are shown in a bad light, and we can bask in shallow light?