XII Sunday in OT:[2012]: Jer 1:4-10; 1Pet 1:8-12; Lk 1:5-17

XII Sunday in OT :2012: Jer 1:4-10; 1Pet 1:8-12; Lk 1:5-17

Introduction: We celebrate the feast of John the Baptist's birth (June 24), in place of the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time today because of his prominent role in the history of salvation as the forerunner of the Messiah.  It was he who prepared Israel to receive their long-awaited Messiah by preaching repentance.

Scripture lessons: Since John was the forerunner of Jesus who prepared Israel for their Messiah, the “Servant” Messianic prophecy of Isaiah is given as the first reading. The passage expresses important aspects of John’s career as a prophet to God’s people and a light to the nations who was named and sanctified from his mother’s womb. The second reading describes the mission of John the Baptist. It tells us how John the Baptist in all humility publicly acknowledged his role as being only the Messiah’s herald. His role was to prepare Israel to receive the Messiah by inviting the people to receive the baptism of repentance. Today’s gospel describes the birth of John the Baptist and his circumcision and naming ceremony on the eighth day. In the presence of friends and relatives, Zechariah miraculously regained his power speech after declaring in writing, “John is his name.” The name John means “God is gracious.” The remaining part of the chapter 1 in St. Luke’s gospel describes records Zechariah’s prophecy of the role his son is to take in the history of salvation.

Exegesis: 1)Two exceptional birthday celebrations: Ordinarily the Church observes the day of a saint's death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of St. John the Baptist. All other persons were stained with original sin at birth, and hence, were displeasing to God. But Mary, was, from the moment of her conception, free from original sin (for which reason even her very conception is commemorated by a special feast). John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother. When Mary visited Elizabeth , John recognized the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb and leaped for joy (Luke 1:41). This is the dogmatic justification for today's feast.

2)Parallels and contrast between John and Jesus in St. Luke’s infant narratives: Both births are miraculous. John was born of his aged parents and Jesus from a virgin. The births of both were announced by the angel: John’s in the Holy of Holies in the Temple and Jesus’ in a village house. The mission of John was to be the forerunner of the Messiah and the mission of Jesus was to be the saving Messiah. Luke highlights the greatness of Jesus and the subsidiary position of John as the precursor of the Messiah and the herald of God’s coming kingdom.

Joke:  Here is the story of two rival medieval French monasteries. Each claimed that it possessed the head of St. John the Baptist. The monks of the big monastery used to explain this uncomfortable fact to the critics saying that the big skull they had belonged to St. John as a man whereas the smaller skull kept by the other monastery belonged to St. John as a boy!

Anecdote: Be the finger of John the Baptist: Karl Barth the great 20^th century Calvinist theologian would wake up early in the morning, read the newspaper, and stare at a painting by Grunewald called Crucifixion. Jesus is hanging from the cross, apparently dead, while Mary and others morn. John the Baptist, holding the Scriptures and leaning away from Christ, is pointing to Jesus on the Cross. Before he would teach theology or write in his famous work Church Dogmatics, Karl Barth would meditate on this painting, particularly on John the Baptist. He said that, as a Christian (whether a theologian, pastor, teacher, mother, doctor, storekeeper, etc.), our job is to be the finger (and only the finger), of John the Baptist. The only thing we should do – indeed, the only thing we can do – is simply point to Jesus on the cross. This scene painted by Grunewald is the sum of all history, from Creation in the past to eternity. And we are that finger, and within that finger rest the weight of salvation.

Life messages:  1) We need to pray for our parents and be thankful to them for the gift of life, the training they have given us and the love and affection they have lavished on us.  Let us ask God’s pardon if we are, or were, ungrateful to them, do/did not take proper care of them in their illness or old age or ever inflicted pain on them.

2) We need to remember and pray for our godparents who, by baptism, brought us to the Church to be made children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, heirs of heaven and members of the Church. 

3) We need to have the courage of our Christian convictions as John the Baptist did, and we should become heralds of Christ as John was, by our transparent Christian lives.

Introduction : XII Sunday in Ordinary Time; The nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Message: Called from birth by the Lord, John matured in the Spirit and heralded the advent of the Messiah.

Saints in this week: 27 Wed: Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop, doctor of the church; 28 Thu: Saint Irenaeus, bishop, martyr; 29 Fri: Saints Peter and Paul; 30 Sat: First martyrs of the Holy Roman Church