Word to the Wise
Thursday, June 23, 2022 - 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, 80,658]"John heralded his [Jesus'] coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.' [Acts]
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022 NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST [Mass during the day]
The feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptist ordinarily falls on June 24th, but in this calendar year, it would conflict with the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which falls on the Friday after the second Sunday after Pentecost. So, the liturgy does what John did, it puts John's feast just ahead of Jesus' feast! And, of course, it is set almost exactly six months before the celebration of Jesus' birth because John was six months older. [cf. Luke 1:36]
The liturgical maneuvering does remind us of John's great status as a prophetic voice announcing God's plan of salvation. Even years after Jesus' death and resurrection, John's "baptism of repentance" was being preached and practiced without knowledge of the baptism in the name of Jesus. [Acts 18:25] The evangelist Luke, author of the gospel that bears his name and the Acts of the Apostles, and is careful not only to praise John the Baptist, but also to place John in perspective as forerunner/herald and NOT the Messiah!
Spiritual directors know well the necessity to remind certain zealous directees that there is only ONE Messiah and he is Jesus and not the directee! By virtue of our baptism, we are all called to participate in the prophetic ministry of Jesus of which John is the singular model. We may not wear camel skins and eat wild honey and locusts, but our lives can be an "announcement" that the kingdom of heaven is in our midst. AMEN