Is 49:1-6; Ps 139:1-3, 13-15; Acts 13:22-26; Lk 1:57-66, 80
For the Hebrews, the name of a person is important because it says something about the person, his life and his family. Sometimes, the name of the person tells us the circumstance attending his birth, as in the case of Esau and Jacob. Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, gave birth to twins. The first to be born was red and his whole body was hairy, so they called him Esau, which means “full of hairs”. The second child was found gripping Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob, which in Hebrew is ya’ăqōb (´āqēb means heel).
Commonly, the Hebrew child receives the name of his parents because he will perpetuate the name of the family. When Elizabeth gave birth to a child, the neighbors and relatives wanted to name the child after his father Zechariah. But Elizabeth insisted that the boy be named ‘John.’ In Hebrew the name John is Jehohanan, which means ‘God is gracious.’ It was the name that God wished to be given to the child because it described the joy and gratitude of Zechariah and Elizabeth for the child given to them in their old age.
The birth of John is celebrated by the Church as a solemnity. Aside from his, only two other births are given the same honor, that of Jesus and of Mary. This merely shows the special place of John in the life of the Church. St. Augustine said: “The birth of John is a hallowed event. John appears as the boundary between the Two Testaments, the Old and the New . . . Thus he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come.” The gospel of Mark shows John standing right from the beginning in the light of God’s plan of salvation. He was the person sent by God to lay straight the way of the Lord, to prepare the way of Jesus Christ (Mk. 1:1-5).
Among the many great things said about John, the one thing that awes and challenges people is his humility. John accepted his role as a herald of someone else. He has already attracted a good number of followers but he never sought the limelight. He could have taken all the attention, but he kept pointing people towards the One to come. And when the right moment came, he gladly yielded to Jesus in order to make true his words: “He must increase and I must decrease”. The date of John’s birth is near the summer solstice. St. Augustine said that this is very symbolic because after John’s birth, daylight begins to grow shorter, whereas after Jesus’ birth, it begins to increase.
John serves as a reminder for all of us of our calling to bring people to the light of Jesus our Lord. Today, we have famous people in politics, in sports, in music, in films and theaters – but unfortunately, many of them direct people toward other values.
May St. John inspire us not to seek our own glory but to direct others to Jesus and to the values of the Kingdom!
For the Hebrews, the name of a person is important because it says something about the person, his life and his family. Sometimes, the name of the person tells us the circumstance attending his birth, as in the case of Esau and Jacob. Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, gave birth to twins. The first to be born was red and his whole body was hairy, so they called him Esau, which means “full of hairs”. The second child was found gripping Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob, which in Hebrew is ya’ăqōb (´āqēb means heel).
Commonly, the Hebrew child receives the name of his parents because he will perpetuate the name of the family. When Elizabeth gave birth to a child, the neighbors and relatives wanted to name the child after his father Zechariah. But Elizabeth insisted that the boy be named ‘John.’ In Hebrew the name John is Jehohanan, which means ‘God is gracious.’ It was the name that God wished to be given to the child because it described the joy and gratitude of Zechariah and Elizabeth for the child given to them in their old age.
The birth of John is celebrated by the Church as a solemnity. Aside from his, only two other births are given the same honor, that of Jesus and of Mary. This merely shows the special place of John in the life of the Church. St. Augustine said: “The birth of John is a hallowed event. John appears as the boundary between the Two Testaments, the Old and the New . . . Thus he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come.” The gospel of Mark shows John standing right from the beginning in the light of God’s plan of salvation. He was the person sent by God to lay straight the way of the Lord, to prepare the way of Jesus Christ (Mk. 1:1-5).
Among the many great things said about John, the one thing that awes and challenges people is his humility. John accepted his role as a herald of someone else. He has already attracted a good number of followers but he never sought the limelight. He could have taken all the attention, but he kept pointing people towards the One to come. And when the right moment came, he gladly yielded to Jesus in order to make true his words: “He must increase and I must decrease”. The date of John’s birth is near the summer solstice. St. Augustine said that this is very symbolic because after John’s birth, daylight begins to grow shorter, whereas after Jesus’ birth, it begins to increase.
John serves as a reminder for all of us of our calling to bring people to the light of Jesus our Lord. Today, we have famous people in politics, in sports, in music, in films and theaters – but unfortunately, many of them direct people toward other values.
May St. John inspire us not to seek our own glory but to direct others to Jesus and to the values of the Kingdom!
1 comment:
Hi Fr. Abet Ok ra naka copya na ko imo homily last Sunday Fathers day pagama pod ug daily ha ha ha.. Dodong Buñao
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