Word to the Wise
Wednesday, June 24, 2015 - 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]The Lord called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name. He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. [Isaiah]
The birthdate of John the Baptist, like the feast of the Annunciation, was set by the date of Christmas! Since John the Baptist had to be six months older than Jesus, June 24th had to be the date! And since even Jesus had to wait nine months to be born, the date for the Annunciation had to be March 25! The early Christian community sought to find the meaning of Jesus' life, death and resurrection in the Old Testament, and the same was true for John the Baptist, The first scripture today from Isaiah is an example. Isaiah was considered to be a "type" who presaged John the Baptist. There may be some unintended irony here in the mention of the sharp-edged sword since John was beheaded!
The passage from Isaiah could be the job description of any truly prophetic figure. It makes clear that such a person must rely on God no matter how frustrating the task got. The prophet Jeremiah could supply many examples of this discouragement and frustration. These figures were remembered by the Jewish community as part of God's way of communicating with the Chosen People. The Christian community found in them precursors of Jesus and John the Baptist. Today is John's birthday. Only six months now until Christmas! AMEN