Reading: Is.49:1-6; Ps.139; Acts 13:22-26; Luke: 1:57-66.80
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia
WHAT ARE THE MYSTERIES AND CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING YOUR BIRTH AND YOUR NAME
One of the most significant days in our lives is our birthday, which often comes with joy and praise. And in the mood of joy that a life has been born, one of the things that comes to mind is giving a name to the baby as an identity based on the circumstances surrounding the birth.
This great and joyful event is what we are celebrating today. The Solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist, the only person whose birthday is celebrated in the Church’s liturgical calendar, besides that of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, because of his role in the history of the salvation of humanity.
This event is very important and necessary, because in it we talked about the name given to him. In fact, the naming of objects and persons is an important ritual found in scripture. We can recall in the book of Genesis (Gen.2:19-20), when God created Adam and gave him the responsibility of giving names to all creation. So the act of giving a name to people has been a traditional event not only in the scriptures but in every human culture.
On account of this, our Gospel passage today gives us the record of the events of the birth and naming of John the Baptist. From the passage, significant and surprising things happened at the birth and naming of John the Baptist, of which we can identify three unusual features: first, the old woman gave birth.
Secondly, the child has a strange name “John” derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan meaning " YAHWEH is gracious", a name which no one bears in the family and thirdly, Zechariah's dumbness is taken away on account of giving this name, which brought great joy to the people and they praised God.
However, such remarkable events caused the crowd to fear and perceive that something different and surprising was happening, things worth remembering. Showing us that, when God names a child, that child is significant in his universal plan for humanity.
Hence, John’s birth was prophesied by the prophets as we have in our first reading today, to be the last among the prophets, for his role was to prepare the people and to finally proclaim the coming of the Messiah, who will fulfil the long-awaited plan of God for the salvation of humanity.
This is clear in our second reading, where St. Paul gave us an account of how John, in humility, carried out his mission as he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. And before John ended his career, he said, “I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me, and I am not fit to undo his sandal.
No doubt, the mission of John the Baptist was quite challenging as he encountered many obstacles, just like other prophets before him. He faced strong opposition and rejection from the Pharisees, who doubted and challenged his teaching and works of baptism and repentance, in which many people believed in him.
But John fearlessly confronted some of the Pharisees, calling them wicked, a brood of vipers and hypocrites. He also courageously confronted King Herod with the truth on account of his illegal and sinful relationship with Herodias, his brother’s wife, and this led to his martyrdom and his mission decreased while Jesus's increased.
Dear friends, we all have a significant place in the plan of God. Our names are not just a common ceremony. It is a testimony of God’s plan for us. Why not take out time today to reflect on the meaning and circumstances surrounding our births and our names? For by God’s grace, we will understand better who we are and what our mission and purpose on earth are.
When we do this, we will faithfully stand for the truth of what we represent and fulfil our plans and purposes, just like John the Baptist, who stood for the truth of his mission and offered it to everyone, whenever and however it would best bring conversion to sinners, even at the cost of his head.
LET US PRAY: Lord God, you created each one of us to fulfil your plan on earth and in our names we bear the mystery of our mission and purpose. Grant us through the intercessions of St John the Baptist, the grace to faithfully and courageously fulfil our mission and purpose in this world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and joyful day.
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