Word to the Wise
Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - June 24 - The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Mass during the Day
[Isa 49:1-6; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66, 80]"What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel. [Luke]
The liturgical calendar is faithful to scripture and Mother Nature. The angel Gabriel told Mary in March (25) that Elizabeth was six months pregnant. So June 24 is as good a date as nature and scripture will permit! I'm sure a lot of Moms would appreciate such promptness in their gestation experiences! The calendar faithfulness continues with the celebration of the birth of the Lord on December 25!
All of this is part of the "infancy narrative" in the Gospel of Luke. The story of John the Baptist parallels the story of Jesus. Both stories begin with miraculous conceptions and end with a child growing strong, etc.. However, Luke sends John off to the desert until he reappears many years later to herald the Messiah. It is this latter role that Luke tries to make clear both in the gospel account as well as in the speech of Paul in today's second scripture from the Acts of the Apostles. John would be a prominent figure in the story of Jesus, but would ultimately be in second place! Even his death at the hands of corrupt leadership would be a prefiguring of the unjust death of Jesus.
The fact that the church celebrates the birth of John the Baptist with such solemnity is an indicator of his importance in the plan of salvation. Happy Birthday, John! AMEN