You will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST -

Lectionary: 587

It-Twelid ta’ San Ġwann Battista

Solennità

Reading 1      ISAIAH 49:1-6

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.

Qari I        mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 49:1-6

 Isimgħuni, gżejjer, agħtuni widen, popli mbiegħda! Il-Mulej mill-ġuf sejjaħli, minn ħdan ommi ftakar f’ismi. Għamilli fommi xabla msinna, taħt id-dell ta’ idu ħbieni. Għamel minni vleġġa maħtura, fil-barżakka tiegħu ħbieni. U qalli: “Israel, inti l-qaddej tiegħi, bik jiena nkun imfaħħar.” U jien għedt: “Għalxejn inkeddejt, u fix-xejn ħlejt saħħti.” Imma l-ġustizzja tiegħi fil-Mulej u l-ħlas tiegħi għand Alla tiegħi. U issa tkellem il-Mulej, li minn ħdan ommi għamilni qaddej tiegħu, biex għandu rreġġa’ lura ’l Ġakobb u biex Israel jinġabar miegħu mill-ġdid, għax jien kont imfaħħar f’għajnejn il-Mulej, u Alla tiegħi kien il-qawwa tiegħi. Hu qalli: “Tkun ħaġa żgħira wisq għalik li inti tkun il-qaddej tiegħi biex tqajjem biss it-tribù ta’ Ġakobb u treġġa’ lura l-fdal ta’ Israel. Jien nagħmel minnek dawl għall-ġnus, biex is-salvazzjoni tiegħi sa truf l-art tinfirex.”  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm      PSALM 139:1B-3, 13-14AB, 14C-15

O LORD, you have probed me, you know me:

you know when I sit and when I stand;

you understand my thoughts from afar.

My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,

with all my ways you are familiar.

R. I praise you for I am wonderfully made.

Truly you have formed my inmost being;

you knit me in my mother's womb.

I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;

wonderful are your works.

R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.

My soul also you knew full well;

nor was my frame unknown to you

When I was made in secret,

when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.

R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.

Salm Responsorjali    Salm 138

Mulej, int tgħarbilni u tagħrafni;

int taf meta noqgħod u meta nqum,

int tagħraf mill-bogħod ħsibijieti.

Int tagħraf il-mixi u l-waqfien tiegħi;

triqati kollha inti tafhom sewwa. R/.

 R/. Irroddlok ħajr, għax tal-għaġeb għamiltni!

Int sawwart il-ġewwieni tiegħi,

u f’ġuf ommi inti nsiġtni.

Irroddlok ħajr, għax tal-għaġeb għamiltni:

tal-għaġeb huma l-għemejjel tiegħek. R/.

R/. Irroddlok ħajr, għax tal-għaġeb għamiltni!

U ’l ruħi inti tafha tajjeb.

Ma kienx moħbi għadmi minnek,

meta kont qiegħed insir fis-satra

u nintiseġ fil-qigħan tal-art. R/.

R/. Irroddlok ħajr, għax tal-għaġeb għamiltni!

Reading 2          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."

Qari II   mill-Ktieb tal-Atti tal-Appostli 13:22-26

F’dak iż-żmien: Pawlu qal: “Alla, lil missirijietna, qiegħed ’il David bħala sultan tagħhom, li għalih ta din ix-xhieda: ‘Sibt ’il David, bin Ġesse, raġel skont qalbi li jagħmel dak kollu li rrid jien.’ Hu minn nislu li Alla, skont il-wegħda tiegħu, ġieb għal Israel salvatur, li hu Ġesù. Qabel il-miġja tiegħu, Ġwanni deher ixandar magħmudija ta’ ndiema lill-poplu kollu ta’ Israel. U meta kien wasal fi tmiem il-ħidma tiegħu, Ġwanni qal: ‘Jien miniex dak li intom taħsbu li jien. Dan ġej warajja, u jien anqas jistħoqqli nħoll il-qorq ta’ riġlejh.’ Ħuti, ulied in-nisel ta’ Abraham, u intom li tibżgħu minn Alla, lilna ġiet mibgħuta l-bxara ta’ din is-salvazzjoni.” Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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.

Evanġelju     Qari skont San Luqa 1:57-66.80

Eliżabetta għalqilha ż-żmien li teħles, u kellha tifel. Il-ġirien u qrabatha semgħu li l-Mulej wera ħniena kbira magħha, u marru jifirħu magħha. Meta mbagħad fit-tmien jum ġew biex jagħmlu ċ-ċirkonċiżjoni lit-tifel, riedu jsemmuh Żakkarija, għal missieru; imma qabżet ommu u qalet: “Le, imma Ġwanni jkun jismu.” Qalulha: “Ma hemm ħadd li jismu hekk fost qrabatek!” Imbagħad bdew jistaqsu bis-sinjali lil missieru x’ried isemmih, u hu talabhom xi ħaġa fuqiex jikteb, u kiteb hekk: “Ismu huwa Ġwanni.” U kulħadd baqa’ mistagħġeb. Dak il-ħin stess Żakkarija nfetaħlu fommu, ilsienu nħall, u beda jitkellem u jfaħħar ’l Alla. U l-ġirien tagħhom ilkoll qabadhom il-biza’, u bdew ixerrdu dawn il-ġrajjiet kollha mal-għoljiet kollha tal-Lhudija, u kull min kien jismagħhom kien iżommhom f’qalbu u jgħid: “Mela x’għad ikun dan it-tifel?” U tassew, id il-Mulej kienet miegħu. It-tifel kiber u ssaħħaħ f’ruħu, u baqa’ jgħix fid-deżert sa dakinhar li ħareġ quddiem Israel. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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"I am not He, I prepare His way"

Commentary b y Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

Sunday the Church celebrates the great feast of the birth of the one who was the “Precursor,” the “Friend of the Bridegroom,” “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness”: John the Baptizer. The first reading is the second of the four “Servant of the Lord” songs of the prophet Isaiah (49:1-6). It exquisitely portrays the role of the Baptist. He was truly the Servant made fit and ready for the preaching of God’s Word. John was identified with the people of Israel, and his vocation was ultimately not only the restoration of Israel but also the conversion of the world. John was the sharp-edged sword who pointed out the true light to the nations, the one whose salvation would reach to the ends of the earth.

St. Paul, in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles (13:22-26), spoke of this John who heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. Paul relates that as John was completing his discourse, 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” (13:25).

There is no Gospel that begins the story of Jesus’ public ministry without first telling the reader about the life and mission of John the Baptist. The fact of John preceding Jesus is clearly fixed in the Christian narrative. Both Mark and Luke introduce the Baptist before introducing Jesus. Indeed, Jesus is introduced by way of John. John’s role in salvation history and in announcing the coming of the Messiah is beautifully described in the Advent preface of the Roman liturgy: “John the Baptist was his herald and made him known when at last he came.”

John the Baptist was a man of the desert and began his preaching there, proclaiming: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his path” (Mark 1:3; Matthew 3:3). His long years in the desert before his appearance as a preacher and teacher of repentance (Luke 1:80) were the occasion for much growth and many experiences. It must be the same for all who follow Jesus. Each and every ministry and service in the Kingdom of God that involves communication with others first requires a period of preparation in the loneliness of the wilderness and our own human deserts. Only in those moments of solitude can we be attentive to God’s Word in our lives. When do we take time to listen to the Word of God? Where is that holy ground in our own lives where God’s Word is unbound and totally free to be heard, experienced, and lived? Do we allow our deserts to speak to us and form us?

When the time had come, John led his own disciples to Jesus and indicated to them the Messiah, the True Light, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus’ own testimony to John makes the Baptizer the greatest of all Israelite heroes (Matthew 11:7-19; Luke 7:24-35). Jesus testifies to John’s greatness in calling him a “witness to the truth, a burning and shining lamp” (John 5:33-56). John could not save, but he gave other people a profound experience of forgiveness, thus allowing them to experience God wherever they were on their life’s journey. He considered himself to be less than a slave to Jesus, “There is one among you whom you do not recognize – the one coming after me – the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten” (John 1:26-27). When John’s own disciples came to him and were troubled about the meaning of Jesus’ baptizing in the Jordan, he answered them confidently: “No one can receive anything except what is given them from heaven…” John says that he is only the friend of the Bridegroom, the one who must decrease while his Master increases (John 3:25-30). The Baptizer defined his humanity in terms of its limitations.

John the Baptist is finally imprisoned by Herod Antipas because of his public rebuke of the tetrarch for his adulterous and incestuous marriage with Herodias (Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14; Luke 3:19). John was executed as a result of the foolish pledge made by Herod during a drunken debauchery (Matthew 14:1-2; Mark 6:14-28; Luke 9:7-9). Just as the Baptist and the Messiah are closely linked in their births, so too are their fates closely intertwined.

The Spirit of God enabled the prophets to feel with God. They were able to share God’s attitudes, God’s values, God’s feelings, God’s emotions. This enabled them to see the events of their time as God saw them and to feel the same way about these events as God felt. They shared God’s anger, God’s compassion, God’s sorrow, God’s disappointment, God’s revulsion, God’s sensitivity for people, and God’s seriousness. They did not share these things in the abstract; they shared God’s feelings about the concrete events of their time.

John the Baptist’s image is often portrayed in the finger pointing to the one who was coming: Jesus Christ. If we are to take on John’s role of preparing the way in today’s world, our lives also will become the pointing fingers of living witnesses who demonstrate that Jesus can be found and that he is near. John gave the people of his time an experience of forgiveness and salvation, knowing full well that he himself was not the Messiah, the One who could save. Do we ourselves allow others to have experiences of God, of forgiveness, and of salvation?

John the Baptist came to teach us that there is a way out of the darkness and sadness of the world and the human condition and that this way is Jesus himself. The Messiah comes to save us from the powers of darkness and death and to put us back on the path of peace and reconciliation so that we might find our way back to God. The Baptizer is not he but prepares his way.

The late Jesuit theologian, Father Karl Rahner, once wrote:

We have to listen to the voice of the one calling in the wilderness, even when it confesses: I am not he. You cannot choose not to listen to this voice, “because it is only the voice of a man.” And, likewise, you cannot lay aside the message of the Church, because the Church is “not worthy to untie the shoelaces” of its Lord who goes on before it.

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