The Divine Opportunity!

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist

Jer 1:4-10; 1 Pet 1:8-12; Lk 1:5-17

The birth of John the Baptist helps us understand his pivotal role in bringing God’s people back to Him. 

It is because of what he achieved as Jesus’ forerunner, unlike other saints whose martyrdom we remember and celebrate for their inspiration, we celebrate the nativity of John the Baptist just as we only celebrate the births of Jesus and Mary. 

If we hold John the Baptist’s mission as leading to repentance and reconciliation, we also need to reflect on how he could achieve the massive feat. Hence, his ministerial approach calls for emulation. 

John the Baptist reconciled people with God in at least three ways. It is no exaggeration to claim that his very nature contributed to the success of his mission. 

His Forthrightness: John the Baptist earned his credibility as a prophet among people both by his ascetic lifestyle and by his forthright delivery of God’s message. When John exposed people’s hypocrisy and called them to repentance, people saw him as a ‘divine opportunity’ to course correct their relationship with God. One can witness his forthrightness in his admonition to the crowd, tax collectors, and soldiers in Lk 3:7-14. John’s exposition showed his audience how far they strayed from God’s Truth. John became the mirror for people to have a realistic picture of themselves and return to God seeking forgiveness and reunion. 

His Prophecy: In a way, the forthrightness of John found its fusion in his prophetic mission. The earnestness of John’s proclamation was better seen in the urgency of his message. Hence, people who listened to him could not stifle their gaze that they were compelled to descend the waters of baptism. It is apt to say that his prophecy moved people to action. His prophecy inspired even a person like Herod to consider repentance, though he never acted on it. Thus, John’s mission was challenging in the way it demanded a response from people in terms of repentance and reconciliation. 

His Witness: John’s witness to Jesus the Messiah revealed his humble approach to the God-given mission. John ensured that his mission would never overshadow Christ. Instead, John repeatedly testified to the greatness of Christ and acknowledged his unworthiness in front of his Lord. It was thanks to John’s sincerity that Jesus chose to be baptized by him. It was for the same reason that Jesus heaped praise on John as the greatest of those born of women (Mt 11:11). Though John was Jesus’ forerunner, Jesus fulfilled John’s ministry of repentance and reconciliation in the most sublime manner on the cross. 

The faithfulness of John in bringing God’s people back to Him makes him the worthy forerunner of Christ. 

Let us pray that we may be inspired by John’s life and testimony to remain faithful to the Lord always. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar