MONDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist - Lk 1:57-66-80 - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

"What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of Lord was with him." (Lk 1:66)

READING OF THE DAY

First reading from the Book of Isaiah

Is 49:1-6

Hear me, O coastlands,

listen, O distant peoples.

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.

He made me a polished arrow,

in his quiver he hid me.

You are my servant, he said to me,

Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,

and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,

yet my reward is with the LORD,

my recompense is with my God.

For now the LORD has spoken

who formed me as his servant from the womb,

that Jacob may be brought back to him

and Israel gathered to him;

and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,

and my God is now my strength!

It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,

to raise up the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the survivors of Israel;

I will make you a light to the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Second reading from the Acts of the Apostles

13:22-26

In those days, Paul said:

“God raised up David as king;

of him God testified,

I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;

he will carry out my every wish.

From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,

has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.

John heralded his 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.’

“My brothers, sons of the family of Abraham,

and those others among you who are God-fearing,

to us this word of salvation has been sent.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke

Lk 1:57-66, 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child

she gave birth to a son.

Her neighbors and relatives heard

that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,

and they rejoiced with her.

When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,

they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,

but his mother said in reply,

“No. He will be called John.”

But they answered her,

“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”

So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.

He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”

and all were amazed.

Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,

and he spoke blessing God.

Then fear came upon all their neighbors,

and all these matters were discussed

throughout the hill country of Judea.

All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,

“What, then, will this child be?”

For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

The child grew and became strong in spirit,

and he was in the desert until the day

of his manifestation to Israel.

MONDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Lk 1:57-66-80

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today's Word of God, God shows that the mission and vocation of each person is in God’s hands. He created each person with a soul and a different mission. Every mission, soul, or vocation is partially important and good before God. It doesn't matter whether a big or small task is done, but what is important to God is the faithfulness to the mission and vocation that He has given and decided on each person before he or she was born.

The life of Saint John the Baptist is a demonstration that helps people to see the power and strength of God the Father as well as the mission that God gives each person. No one has the power and authority like God the Father! All things are in His hands. Without God’s gifts man could never do anything in this world. Like the image of Mr. Zechariah and Mrs. Elizabeth, though both old, she still gave birth, which shows that God's power surpassed human nature.

The authority and power of God was also manifested in Saint John the Baptist, who God chose and placed in His salvation work. John the Baptist was the forerunner to prepare the way for the Savior, which was a special vocation that God gave him. He had a mission to come to earth and preach the Word of God, to call people to repent, to be penitent, to return to God, and to prepare their hearts to receive the Savior coming into the world.

John was a person specially chosen by God, but that was not the reason for him not to try, not to sacrifice, and not to give up every day. As a human being, Saint John also needed to cooperate with the grace that God gave him by sacrificing his own life to preach the good news of God's salvation to all nations. Saint John humbled himself and considered himself to be the lowliest, saying, "I am not worthy to untie his sandals." It was because of his faithfulness and obedience to God the Father that John was always filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and he fulfilled the vocation and mission God the Father gave him.

   In the Word of God today, God calls all His children to look at the vocation and mission life of Saint John the Baptist and to follow his example with the life consecrated to God the Father and the life of self-sacrifice to serve God and others. The Saint showed loyalty and obedience to God the Father in every way, thereby, everyone could receive the Savior himself. Looking at that vocation, each person should put himself before God the Father: He gives each person different gifts, missions and vocations, and he calls all his children to:

- Carry out their missions faithfully and obey God the Father until their last breath.

- Consecrate their bodies and souls to the service of God's work by acknowledging the authority and the power of God the Father that is shown over all people.

- Each person is specially ordained and chosen by God in His grace. God requires nothing but fidelity and obedience to God, as the Son of God himself obeyed God the Father, and like John the Baptist, who brought the Word of God to all nations, calling everyone to repent, to be penitent, and to return to God the Father who always loves people.

Thanks be to God. Amen.