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Gospel: Luke 1:57-66
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 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 this child born? What will he become?”
They intuit John will do something great for God, simply because of the circumstances that surround his birth:
First, Zechariah was struck mute by the angel Gabriel in the Temple; then Elizabeth miraculously conceives this child in her old age; finally, the boy is not named after his father. Instead, his name is John.
In Hebrew, Jehohanan – or “John” – means, “God has been gracious.” After praying for their entire adult lives to have a child, God gives Elizabeth and Zechariah a son, whose mission will be to prepare the way of the Lord.
Certainly, God has been gracious.
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John reminds us that we all have a “why,” a reason for our lives given to us by God. My mother used to say, her “why” was simply becoming a mom, much like Elizabeth and Mary.
My “why” has been to serve God and his people as a priest.
What is your “why”?
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Perhaps the answer changes, even simplifies, over time.
But we can all be sure of this: the same Lord who breathed air into our lungs at birth also gives us a purpose – not only in the grand scheme of things – but also in the little tasks we are called to do each day.
May we discover his will – and do it joyfully, even today.
Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) David Wilbur (2) The Dominican Friars in Britain (3) Acuity Press Solutions