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Gospel: Luke 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born…and the day you know why.”
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In today’s Gospel, we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. From the moment of his birth, people were wondering, “Why was he born? What will this child become?”
They suspected John had a divine purpose. But they’d have to wait another thirty years to find out what it was.
Eventually, John built up the kingdom of God by leading thousands of people to Jesus.
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John reminds us that we all have a “why,” a reason for our lives. Part of life is spent discovering that purpose, which may change over time.
The rest of life is spent living it out.
In my own case, I know I was born to be a priest. Thirty-nine years ago, while the Lord was knitting me together in my mother’s womb, he was also planting the seed of a vocation – a call to love and serve his people.
How grateful I am to have found my purpose, and to share that with all of you.
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Have you found your “why?” Has it changed over time? Are you still searching?
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“I know well the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “Plans for your benefit, not for woe… You will find me when you seek me, when you seek me with all of your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
There is a purpose for each day of our lives. While the particulars may vary, ultimately every purpose is connected with that of John the Baptist: to draw others closer to Jesus.
How might we do that today?
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Image credits: (1) Happify.com (2) Saint John the Baptist as a Child, William Bouguereau (3) Proverbs Mama, WordPress