20220623 RECEIVING GOD’S GIFT PERFECTLY
23 June, 2022, Thursday, Nativity of St John the Baptist
irst reading | Isaiah 49:1-6 © |
I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth
Islands, listen to me,
pay attention, remotest peoples.
The Lord called me before I was born,
from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.
He made my mouth a sharp sword,
and hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me into a sharpened arrow,
and concealed me in his quiver.
He said to me, ‘You are my servant (Israel)
in whom I shall be glorified’;
while I was thinking, ‘I have toiled in vain,
I have exhausted myself for nothing’;
and all the while my cause was with the Lord,
my reward with my God.
I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord,
my God was my strength.
And now the Lord has spoken,
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
to gather Israel to him:
‘It is not enough for you to be my servant,
to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel;
I will make you the light of the nations
so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 138(139):1-3,13-15 © |
I thank you for the wonder of my being.
O Lord, you search me and you know me,
you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to you.
I thank you for the wonder of my being.
For it was you who created my being,
knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I thank you for the wonder of my being,
for the wonders of all your creation.
I thank you for the wonder of my being.
Already you knew my soul,
my body held no secret from you
when I was being fashioned in secret
and moulded in the depths of the earth.
I thank you for the wonder of my being.
Second reading | Acts 13:22-26 © |
Jesus, whose coming was heralded by John
Paul said: ‘God deposed Saul and made David their king, of whom he approved in these words, “I have selected David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will carry out my whole purpose.” To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. Before John ended his career he said, “I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his sandal.”
‘My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you.’
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk1:76 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
As for you, little child, you shall be called
a prophet of God, the Most High.
You shall go ahead of the Lord
to prepare his ways before him.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 1:57-66,80 © |
'His name is John'
The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy.
Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name’, and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.
Meanwhile the child grew up and his spirit matured. And he lived out in the wilderness until the day he appeared openly to Israel.
RECEIVING GOD’S GIFT PERFECTLY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Is 49:1-6; Ps 139:1-3,13-15; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66,80]
When John the Baptist was born, he was named “John” by the parents as instructed by the angel. The name “John” means ‘gift of God’. Indeed, every child is a gift of God. In the case of Zechariah and Elizabeth, it was a miraculous gift because they were already in their old age, and Elizabeth was barren and passed the child-bearing age. But God in His kindness and compassion for them, chose this couple to be the parent of John the Baptist. God could have chosen a younger set of parents, as in the case of Mary and Joseph but He did not. God has His plans that we do not understand except perhaps from hindsight. Regardless, it was truly an amazing gift for them, so much so Zechariah was struck dumb until the promise was fulfilled because of his disbelief.
But John the Baptist was not simply a gift to Zechariah and Elizabeth. God never gives us children to be kept for ourselves. Often, parents fail to realize this. They think the children are their property to be kept and used for themselves. They think children are an investment so that they will be able to look after them in their old age and make them do their will or fulfil their dreams. The truth is that a child, whilst surely is God’s gift to the parents, is destined for the community and humanity. We are only trustees of God’s gift. God is the owner of the gift. As the psalm says, “He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” (Ps 95:7) Consequently, the task of parents is to help our children to fulfil the plan of God for them, not our plans for them! The responsibility of parents is to co-discern with the child what the Lord is calling him or her to do for society and the community.
This was what Zechariah and Elizabeth did in the context of prayer and contemplation in silence. For the duration of the nine months when Zechariah was silent, and Elizabeth hid her pregnancy, they were contemplating the great gift of God, as the people would say when he was born, “What will this child turn out to be?” The angel already told them, “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Lk 1:15-17) But the message of the angel then did not strike their hearts yet as they could not comprehend the depth of the angel’s prophecy.
But after nine months of prayer and contemplation, Zechariah could delineate the plan of God for his son. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he sang this canticle, “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Lk 1:76-79) We, too, as parents and guardians should follow the example of Zechariah and Elizabeth to keep asking ourselves as we raise our children, the will and plan of God for them so that we can guide them properly to fulfil their vocation in life. Otherwise, left to themselves or us alone, we will end up choosing a career or a vocation that is not part of God’s plan.
Of course, John the Baptist was a gift to himself. It was God who gave him life and brought him to the world. God had a plan for him. In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, he said, “The Lord called me before I was born, from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name. He made my mouth a sharp sword, and hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me into a sharpened arrow, and concealed me in his quiver.” Indeed, the birth of John the Baptist was not a mistake or from hindsight in God’s mind, but it was always in God’s plan. He was destined, as the prophet said, “And now the Lord has spoken, he who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to him: It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
When God gives us life, He gives us a mission as well. There can be no life without a mission. Life is ours when we live for God and for others. A life is given to us not for ourselves to squander away in self-indulgence. This will not bring us life. If we were to be fully alive, then we need to give ourselves in service to others but always in accordance with what God wills for us, the charisms He has given to us, so that we can fulfil the purpose that He has created us. Regardless of our vocation, every vocation is a call to service, of self-giving and using our talents and resources to make this world a better place. John the Baptist could find fulfilment only when he gave himself to the mission the Lord has appointed him for.
Hence, the corollary means that we find life, as the Lord said, by giving our life away. “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 16:25) In other words, if life is a gift from God, then our gift to God is our life. Only that can we find fullness of life by giving back the gift we have received. St Paul speaks of his life as a libation. “As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come.” (2 Tim 4:6) The psalmist says, “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.” (Ps 116:12-14)
However, it is not just about giving our life away but giving it according to what the Lord wills of us in accordance with His plan. John the Baptist recognized his role in God’s plan of salvation. As St Paul said, “To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. Before John ended his career he said, ‘I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his sandal.'” St John the Baptist was conscious of his role as the precursor of our Lord. He did not aspire to be what he was not. He was not jealous of Jesus his cousin who was the Messiah. Even when Jesus became popular and his disciples were jealous, he said to them, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him. The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.'” (Jn 3:26-30)
Indeed, John the Baptist was happy where he was. He did not need to be the Messiah or have the limelight to be happy. He was full of joy just being the precursor of our Lord. Rightly, he would have prayed with the psalmist, “I thank you for the wonder of my being. O Lord, you search me and you know me, you know my resting and my rising, you discern my purpose from afar. You mark when I walk or lie down, all my ways lie open to you. For it was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank you for the wonder of my being, for the wonders of all your creation. Already you knew my soul, my body held no secret from you when I was being fashioned in secret and moulded in the depths of the earth.”
We too must surrender our lives to the Lord. We must allow the Lord to use us as He wishes. We should be contented where we are placed in life and not aspire to an ambition that is not in line with God’s plan. We must be discerning and grateful for the gift of our life, making the best of it according to the talents He has given us. We must not allow insecurity and jealousy to make us envious of others. The truth is that wherever we are, in whichever position we are in life, we can be truly happy. It is not a question of where we are or what we do but how we live our lives meaningfully, in service, in love, cultivating beautiful relationships with our loved ones, friends and community. When we spend our lives in loving and serving God and our community, we will find fulfilment, happiness and joy.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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