St. John The Baptist As a Guide

 Reflection on Today's Readings, the Solemnityof the Birth of St. John,   Year 1, June 24th, 2021
Texts: Is. 49:1-6; Ps. 139:1-3. 13- 15;  Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66.80
The Church celebrates today the birth of John the baptist. The birth of baptist is a preparation towards the birth of the son of God at the fulness of time. John the baptist was to guide us  into the new era in Jesus Christ. For the people of God, John the baptist was like the star who guided the Gentiles (the three wise men) to Jesus Christ. To meet Jesus Christ,  to know Him, one needs a guide. Even when He was to be killed, the people needed someone to identify Him, to help them meet Him and know Him. The need for guide to meet Jesus and to know Him is apparent in the scriptures. The Gentiles met Philip to guide them to Jesus (John 12:20-22) and in the Acts of the Apostles, the same Philip explained scripture to an Ethiopian Eunuch (8:26-35). St. Peter affirms the need of guide thus: "At the same time, we must recognise that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual. For no prophecy ever came from human initiative. When people spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them" (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Holy Spirit is the primary guide to Jesus Christ and He makes use of people to speak to us. Other prophets spoke about Jesus Christ, but John the baptist led us to Him.
The first reading was fulfilled in John the baptist. It is said, _"The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away."_ This word recalls the meeting of Elizabeth, the mother of John the baptist, with The Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord; John the baptist leaped for joy in the womb of Elizabeth. He leaped for joy for he received good news to be the herald of the Lord. From his mother's womb he was called by the Lord to be His herald; he was prepared and sanctified for the mission. His mission was to bring back Jacob to God and to light to all nations.  

O God, who raised up Saint John the Baptist to make ready a nation fit for Christ the Lord, give your people, we pray, the grace of spiritual joys and direct the hearts of all the faithful into the way of salvation and peace. Through our Lord. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke