Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”

Gospel Reading: 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.”

Today we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. John is the crazy guy who ate locus and wore animal skins and had untamed hair. He was probably a rather frightening person and didn’t smell very good either. Yet this lowliest of people was the first to recognize Christ. He leapt in the womb of Elizabeth when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came to visit. John was blessed with an abundance of grace from the very moment of his conception. He was first a gift to Elizabeth who thought herself unable to have a child. He stood his ground and did not cower when others challenged him. He was the one who proclaimed the coming of Christ. He made ready the path for Christ and baptized him. He was the first to recognize that Jesus was the messiah. And he was the first to sacrifice his life for the kingdom of heaven. John the Baptist had one mission in life and it started when he was in the womb. His mission was to lead others to Christ and the kingdom of heaven. So what fueled John’s passion. John was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. His body was completely consumed by the Holy Spirit. He had surrendered himself and gave up all his earthly possessions to live in Christ. This made his faith come alive. We know that people flocked to see John the Baptist and he had a very large following even though he didn’t dress very well. People could see the Holy Spirit in him and the power God’s mercy upon him.

When we sacrifice our lives for Christ, we too are filled with the Holy Spirit. When you are doing something good for someone else, when you make an unselfish sacrifice for someone else, do you not feel the power of the Holy Spirit within you. The joy of Christ fills your soul when we do good for others. Our reward for our sacrifice is to experience the joy of the kingdom of heaven today. Every day we make a sacrifice for Christ, we experience the kingdom of heaven. Each and every day we commit our lives to Christ, we are renewed in the Holy Spirit. We are renewed with the faith, hope and love of God’s unending grace. John was willing to make that sacrifice every day of his life. We are called to live the life of John the Baptist. We are called to make an unconditional commitment to God no matter what the consequences. We are called to lead others to the banquet table.

A Simple Prayer

My God in Heaven, you have sent so many before me as an example of your love.

May I learn to live with the faith and hope exemplified by John the Baptist.

May I be willing to give it all for the kingdom of God which is before us.

May your outpouring of grace give me the strength to be your witness to others.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon