NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.

Isaiah 49:1-6; Acts13:22-26;Luke 1:57-66, 80

Today is known as “Little Christmas”. It is the birth of the sixth-month older cousin of Jesus. The Church must consider the Birthday of John the Baptist to be extra special, since it takes precedence even over the Sunday liturgy. According to the Vatican Council that’s only supposed to happen on very important occasions. Today is one those rare times that the feast of a saint replaces the usual Sunday readings (the other three are St. Joseph, Sts. Peter and Paul, and All Saints).  And there’s something else that’s extraordinary about today’s feast. Every other saint’s feast day celebrates his or her death, when the saint entered heaven. The Church only celebrates the birthdays of Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist. John gets preferential treatment in the Liturgy; it gives him two feast-days a year. He’s certainly in the most distinguished and illustrious company!

Jesus told his followers that His cousin, John the Baptist, was the greatest man born of woman. This feast clearly shows his "claim to fame," for John spent his whole life preparing the people of Israel for the mission of Jesus. The world would never be the same again.

There are no greater birthdays in all of history to compare with those of John in today's feast and the birth of Jesus which we celebrate six months from now. Two cousins, bound together in the great rescue mission of redemption!

So what’s so exceptional about John the Baptist’s birth? Sometimes in the Old Testament, when God had a special task for someone, there was something unusual about his birth –a problem which God alone could solve. This was usually a question of the parents being unable to have children. We have the examples of Abraham and Sarah, through whose descendants God would fulfill His covenant. Then there are the mothers of Samuel and Samson; then there are the elderly parents of John the Baptist, and finally the Virgin Mary, the mother of our saviour. In each of these examples God specially intervened in the conception of those He had chosen for a very unique task.

So what was John the Baptist’s distinctive God-given role? Quite simply God chose him to go ahead to ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.’ His vocation was to prepare people for God’s coming in judgment, and to call them to repentance. Only then would they be ready to receive the forgiveness which Christ alone could give. While John preached a baptism of repentance Jesus would preach a baptism of forgiveness.

And when Jesus did come John had two tasks to perform. Firstly, and surprisingly he baptized Jesus Himself, as the Lord identified with sinful humanity and took upon Himself the burden of all our guilt –a burden which He would remove by His death on the cross. Next, while all the other prophets had foretold the coming of the Messiah, John the Baptist proclaimed, ‘There He is. Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.’

Luke’s Gospel tells us that John leapt for joy in his mother’s womb, at the presence of our unborn saviour. Even then John witnessed to Jesus. John witnessed to Christ not only by his preaching, but also, and especially by his martyrdom, which foreshadowed Christ’s crucifixion.

His humility has deeply impressed Christians through the ages.  Before anyone had heard of Jesus of Nazareth, people were coming distances to see John the Baptist.  Yet he pointed to Jesus and away from himself.  “He must increase, I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).  According to John’s gospel John the Baptist actually encouraged his disciples to leave him and follow the Lamb of God.

John marked the transition between the Old and New Testament. Like John the Baptist the Church and each of us, must prepare the way for the Lord to come into today’s world. As our words and deeds witness to Him, He must increase and we must decrease. Like John, we’re called to promote Jesus, not ourselves.

As confirmed followers of Jesus, we, too, are commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the Good News. In order that society may pay better attention to what we say and do, it is very necessary for us to be seen as people of prayer, reflection, and faith, courageous in speaking about and living our faith. The interests of Jesus Christ must come before our own.

These days from 21^st June till 4^th of July the Church in the United State is observing the Fortnight for Freedom, a national campaign designated by the U.S. Catholic bishops for teaching and witness in support of religious liberty. Through HHS mandate the US government is trying to prevent religious freedom which is our birthright as children of God.

Religious liberty isn’t a privilege granted by the state.  The social nature of man itself requires that he should give external expression to his internal acts of religion; that he should participate with others in matters religious; that he should profess his religion in community. Injury, therefore, is done to the human person and to the very order established by God for human life, if the free exercise of religion is denied in society

when the just requirements of public order do not do require it to prevent.

Religious liberty is understood to be both private and public. It cannot be limited to what takes places in houses of worship. Rather, since religion is by its nature a social phenomenon, its

presence within the broader society and culture should not be hindered or forbidden.

The Catholic Church provides the compassion of Christ in countless ways in the United States, including through health care institutions, schools and universities, charities and social service agencies and the work of individuals, parish communities and diocesan entities. The government unjustly trying to force the church to do things for which we have conscientious objection may not be permitted. So let us earnestly pray and act that the government may retract the HHS mandate and let the Church present Christ to the people with out restrictions.