Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Today's Mass Readings

 

Today we celebrate the Nativity of John the Baptist. John is my father’s name and it’s my baptismal name. So today is a very special celebration in my family. John Baptist had one sole purpose in life, to prepare people—to prepare people to meet their salvation, the Christ. He’s a guy that works in the background away from all the fame, so that all the attention may be put on Christ. And he made every part of his life that way, focusing on Christ… it’s about Christ…not about me.

John Baptist teaches us a couple of things. The first is that every day we should commit ourselves to having Christ at the center of our day. Not just when we go to Mass on Sunday for 50 minutes, but every day, every minute. The second is this: we are all persons working in the background. Christ is the real worker in all things. Who Christ is, was given to us at our baptism. His light was given to us, we became new persons, the old persons scarred with original sin gone. We are persons with His light.

Glow with His light, and allow others to learn and see who Christ is by your Christian living. St. John the Baptist, pray for us.

Reflection by Fr. Macario Martinez, OSB