Texts taken from the “Sulla Tua Parola” Missal May-June 2024
Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (feast)
proper
At the Evening Mass on the Vigil
FIRST READING
From the book of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 1:4-10)
In the days of King Josiah, the word of the Lord came to me: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you came to birth I consecrated you; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” I replied: “Ah, Lord God! Look, I do not know how to speak, because I am young.” But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am young.’ You must go to all whom I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, because I am with you to protect you.” It is the Lord who speaks. Then the Lord stretched out his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “There! I am putting my words into your mouth. Look, today I am setting you over nations and kingdoms, to tear up and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” – The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the first reading
The figure of the prophet Jeremiah is very beautiful. A priest, though not among the most eminent, born in a country village on the outskirts of Jerusalem, called in his youth, torn away from himself by the “violence” of a divine love that chooses him “to tear up and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant,” without a family of his own, persecuted and hated, betrayed and handed over like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. Jeremiah’s life is an unending drama; his inner dialogues with God are scattered with cries of pain, but this suffering purified his soul and opened him to contact with the divine. Jeremiah is a prophet vitally involved in his proclamation, even in the celibacy he lived, unique among all the prophets of the Old Testament. The prophet’s life anticipates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, in whose blood the new and eternal covenant is sealed. The Lord also says to us: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you”: God loves us, loves us for no reason, loves us first; his love precedes every desire we have to be loved.
SECOND READING
From the first letter of Saint Peter the Apostle (1 Pt 1:8-12)
Beloved, you love Jesus Christ even though you have not seen him, and now, without seeing him, you believe in him. Therefore you are filled with an indescribable and glorious joy as you attain the goal of your faith: the salvation of souls. This salvation was the subject of the prophets’ search and investigation, as they foretold the grace destined for you; they sought to discover the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ within them was pointing when he foretold the sufferings destined for Christ and the glories that would follow them. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things now announced to you by those who brought you the Gospel through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven: things into which angels long to look. – The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the second reading
Faith does not have as its goal a particular kind of knowledge, but the attainment of salvation, that salvation awaited by the ancients, investigated by the prophets, and contemplated by the angels, finally manifested in Christ Jesus. Peter clearly says that the Old Testament did not provide the salvation that now works in believers in Christ, even though the ancients were, in a certain sense, within salvation by virtue of Christ’s future self-giving, without being able to experience the transforming power of the cross. The present generation - the one that comes after Easter - is therefore the most favored, because salvation is proclaimed to it as present and active. There is every reason to rejoice “with an indescribable and glorious joy,” and yet many times this joy is lacking in us. Why? The joy God offers us fades whenever we turn our gaze away from Christ and fix it on the difficulties of this life. Turning our backs on Christ, the difficulties appear immense and insurmountable, while the benefits in Christ seem distant and insignificant. Let us turn our gaze again to Christ Jesus.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:5-17)
In the time of Herod, king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah, who had a wife, a descendant of Aaron, named Elizabeth. Both were righteous before God and observed all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now it happened that while Zechariah was carrying out his priestly duties before the Lord during his division’s turn, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of priestly service, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Outside, the whole assembly of the people was praying at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was troubled and fear came upon him. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, because he will be great before the Lord; he must never drink wine or strong drink. Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will bring back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him, to turn the hearts of fathers toward their children and the disobedient back to the wisdom of the righteous, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.” - The Gospel of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel of the day
At the beginning of Luke’s Gospel we encounter a married couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, who “were righteous before God and observed all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly,” but their desire to have a child had not been fulfilled. In them we see the image of a people who scrupulously observe all the Lord’s commandments but have not yet reached fulfillment. The ancient promise seemed to have definitively set, along with the passing of the years, but behold, God surprises us once again, making his way into the lives of these two spouses, now tired of waiting, and giving them a word that seems unbelievable: “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.” Because he does not recognize the significance of what has happened to him, Zechariah is deprived of the power of communication; he remains mute and becomes immobilized, because by its very nature an extraordinary event sets you in motion. Although he is in the house of God, he is not ready to enter into God’s history; in him, expectation remains suffocated. God, however, does not stop in the face of our disbelief, but fulfills his promise with stubborn faithfulness. Praise be to God!
At the Mass of the Day
FIRST READING
From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 49:1-6)
Listen to me, O islands, pay attention, distant peoples. The Lord called me from the womb; from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, he hid me in the shadow of his hand, he made me a sharpened arrow, he stored me in his quiver. He said to me: “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my glory.” But I said: “I have toiled in vain, I have exhausted myself for nothing and for no purpose. Yet my cause is with the Lord, and my reward is with my God.” And now the Lord has spoken, he who formed me in the womb as his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to him - for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has been my strength - and he said: “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 a light to the nations, so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” – The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the first reading
This reading from the prophet Isaiah is proclaimed both on the solemnity of Saint John the Baptist and at the beginning of Holy Week. The servant of the Lord speaks in the first person and legitimizes his mission: like the Baptist and like Jesus, the suffering servant has a prophetic character. The words and actions of the Lord Jesus and, before him, those of John, follow precisely the direction prophesied by Isaiah: “He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, he hid me in the shadow of his hand, he made me a sharpened arrow, he stored me in his quiver.” What we want to do today, however, is focus on the power of God’s call addressed to each of us as well. Called by name long before we opened our eyes to life, we become aware of the dignity and greatness of our vocation.
SECOND READING
From the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 13:22-26)
In those days, [in the synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia,] Paul said: “God raised up David as king for our ancestors, of whom he testified: ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out all my wishes.’ From this man’s descendants, according to the promise, God brought Israel a savior, Jesus. Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. As John was completing his mission, he said: ‘I am not the one you think I am! But look, one is coming after me, and I am not worthy to undo the sandals on his feet.’ Brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all among you who fear God, this message of salvation has been sent to us.” – The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the second reading
In his speech, Paul retraces the entire sacred history of Israel. The Apostle’s message is always the proclamation of something great and unheard-of that was accomplished through the death on the cross of Jesus Christ. He now goes on to emphasize the role of John the Baptist as forerunner and witness; by preaching a baptism of repentance, he had prepared for the coming of Jesus. The forerunner’s great humility and inner freedom are striking; he is not afraid to say openly: “I am not the one you think I am!” He will also say that he is only the voice, so that he would not be mistaken for the Word, and that he is the bridegroom’s friend, who rejoices at the lamb’s wedding. In this way we are helped to free ourselves from all possible expectations and judgments of others, so that we may joyfully live the reality of who we are and what we will be by the grace of God. May John the Baptist help us free ourselves from all those possible influences that weigh, even painfully, on our human journey, so that we may regain the self-confidence necessary to pass peacefully through every season of life.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:57-66, 80)
The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mercy, and they rejoiced with her. Eight days later, they came to circumcise the child and wanted to name him after his father Zechariah. But his mother spoke up: “No, he shall be called John.” They said to her: “None of your relatives has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, asking what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote: “John is his name.” And they were all amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. All their neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea all these matters were discussed. All who heard them treasured them in their hearts, saying: “What, then, will this child be?” And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until the day of his manifestation to Israel. – The Gospel of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel of the day
There was no one in the family named John. An absolute novelty - God’s total gift - breaks into history, also documented by the name given to that child, born to a barren mother and an elderly father: truly, God shows grace to his people. With John’s birth begins the fulfillment of all the ancient prophecies referring to the Messiah. At the time of the circumcision, we witness a certain tension between those who want to name him after his father, Zechariah, and the mother who insists that he be called John. The difference is not so marginal, since Zechariah means “God remembers,” while John means “God shows mercy.” If the father’s name is like a finger pointing toward the past, that is, toward the history of salvation accomplished by God throughout history, John’s new name sheds light on the present, over which a new sun rises, illuminating those who are in darkness and the shadow of death. If many times we have thought that our life is drastically marked by its origins, today’s Gospel instead seems to tell us that every life springs from the Father’s love and is determined above all by his plan of love.
