Reflection
Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
“John is his name.” Today, we remember the birth of Saint John the Baptist. Admittedly, the Scriptures present him as rather threatening, but his name in Hebrew means Yahweh (God) is gracious! The word gracious in Hebrew is ḥānan which means kindness with compassion! In fact God is Self described in Exodus 34:4 “a merciful racham(compassionate) and very generous (ḥānan)! The phrase rhymes in Hebrew, racham and ḥānan
John the Baptist had to be forceful in waking up his generation to the incredible act of love and kindness from the Father! John’s mission was to prepare the people for the greatest event ever to happen in the cosmos “the Word was made Flesh”!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
-John 3:16
Another St John wrote passionately: “He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God” John 1:11
The greatest tragedy of our lives is not to receive and appreciate this enormous gift of Jesus from our Father in Heaven. We must prayerfully encourage young parents to be faithful in example and instruction to their children. I never saw my parents miss Mass on Sunday except for illness.
Children are a beautiful gift and, for many, parenthood is a profound way to share in God’s creative love by nurturing a life destined for eternity. We also hold close those who long for children and face the pain of infertility or other challenges. In every vocation, through parenthood, adoption, foster care, mentorship or loving service, we are called to share God’s life, love and hope with others.
