SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST VIGIL - Gospel (Luke 1:5-17)

“He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.” (Lk 1:15-16)

FIRST READING - 49:1-6

A reading from the Book of Isaiah

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 Book of the Acts of the Apostles - Acts 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 - 1:57-66, 80

From the Gospel according to Luke

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.

SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST VIGIL - Gospel (Luke 1:5-17)

Dear People of God,

The Word of God for today speaks about the birthday of Saint John the Baptist, a special prophet in God's plan of salvation.

From the beginning, God appointed Saint John to go before the Savior, announcing and preparing the way for His coming to save humanity. To carry out this prophetic mission, God prepared it from the beginning of time in His divine plan, through the appointment of Zechariah and Elizabeth, who were righteous and obedient to His command.

From the time he was in his mother’s womb, Saint John was filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, it was by God's power and authority that Zechariah and Elizabeth were able to conceive him in their old age. Saint John was a great prophet, the one who brought the Word of God to humanity, and, more importantly, the one who prepared the way for the Savior.

God revealed that Saint John the Baptist was noble and pleasing in His sight. He was always obedient and humble before God. Even though he was filled with the Holy Spirit, he was never arrogant or proud. He humbly admitted that he was not even worthy to untie the sandal straps of the Savior.

God wants all His children to look to Saint John the Baptist as an example and follow his righteous life and prophetic mission. The saint lived in deep humility, lowly and small before God, led a holy life, and joyfully went out to preach the Gospel. He called on everyone to repent and return to God. In order to fulfill his prophetic mission, he renounced all worldly attachments and completely obeyed the will of God.

God appointed him to a very high position—that is, to continue the mission of the Prophet Elijah, who came down from heaven. In this world, no one is greater than Saint John the Baptist. God chose him to serve as a prophet, marking the beginning of Jesus Christ’s mission. Although the people honored him and even called him the Messiah, the one who was to come into the world, he remained humble. He humbled himself before God and acknowledged his human condition: '“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert."' He was the one who prepared the way for the Savior to come into the world - the one who invited everyone to go to the Messiah, Jesus Christ Himself.

When the time came for Jesus to begin His public ministry, Saint John’s role faded into the background so that the name of God could be glorified. This is a powerful lesson for all prophets and priests: when working to save souls, they must not seek personal gain or glory but should humble themselves to glorify God's name.

When people succeed in their missions, they are often tempted by Satan to become arrogant, complacent, and self-satisfied, believing they can do everything themselves. This can cause God’s name to be diminished. Therefore, on this solemn feast of Saint John the Baptist, God calls all His prophets and priests to follow the example of Saint John’s humble, simple, and obedient life. They are called to go out, glorify God, save souls, and invite everyone to seek the Source of Salvation—Jesus Christ.

Thanks be to God. Amen.