Today we celebrate the Nativity (Birth) of Saint John the Baptist. In all four Gospels, the descriptions of St. John the Baptist are of a man who understands that his task is to prepare, and then to fade away from the scene, careful at all times not to distract from Jesus, whom he describes as the Lamb of God. When asked, John says that he is not the one whom many suppose him to be. There is a hidden quality about him that is hinted at in today’s First Reading (Isaiah 49:1-6). It says, “He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me.” As an arrow is hidden in the quiver, so the true identity of John was hidden from many. He took great pains to direct people’s attention not to himself, but to the one coming after him – Jesus.
This began when John was still within the womb of his mother, Elizabeth. We are told that in the Visitation Mary, herself pregnant with Jesus, came to visit Elizabeth. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child (John the Baptist) leaped in her womb (Luke 1:41).” Even prior to his birth, John the Baptist recognizes the presence of the long-awaited (and yet to be born) Messiah! It continued as he became an adult when John the Baptist sees Jesus walking past and declares: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).”
Our Second Reading (Acts 13:22-26) reminds us that John’s task was to call Israel to repentance, symbolized by his baptism for the forgiveness of sins in the Jordan River. As John grew strong in the Holy Spirit, he served as a sort of conscience for the people of Israel, reminding them of the need for repentance, as well as of God’s promise of salvation. Without hesitation, John challenged the people, boldly pointed out their sins, and courageously proclaimed the nearness of salvation – thus the need for immediate repentance.
Simply put, John the Baptist was called to be the herald of the Lord and proclaim his coming. John knew that he must decrease so that the role of Jesus would increase. Our task, like that of John, is to prepare the way for the Second Coming of Christ by repenting of our own sinfulness and turning away from anything that might separate us from God. John pointed the way to Christ and then quietly stepped back. Our lives, too, are to point to Christ and bear witness to salvation through Him!