Texts taken from the Missal “On Your Word” May-June 2023
Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (feast)
proper
At the evening Mass of 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 were born I consecrated you; I appointed you prophet to the nations.” I replied: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am too young.” But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You shall go to all to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you.” Oracle of the Lord. Then the Lord stretched out his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I place my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” – The word of God.
Commentary on the first reading
God entrusts the prophet Jeremiah with a great mission: to have authority and be a “prophet to the nations.” Carrying it out will bring him many troubles, but precisely to strengthen him, the Lord reveals something to Jeremiah that he neither knows nor could imagine: that he had been consecrated to him while still in his mother’s womb, when he had no thought other than to eat and grow in peace. This reassurance is of great importance and will also help the prophet later, precisely in times of persecution and discouragement. When we seem to be succumbing under the weight of trial, the thought that we were consecrated from the beginning, that we have God on our side, and that we received directly from him the command to do what we are doing gives us great strength. We can say the same regarding the Baptism we have received: we are never alone, and God always assures us of his presence. “When we are with God, even if we are in the minority, we are always in the majority,” Cardinal Angelo Comastri once said.
SECOND READING
From the first letter of Saint Peter the Apostle (1 Pt 1:8-12)
Beloved, although you have not seen Jesus Christ, you love him; even though you do not see him now, yet you believe in him. Therefore you rejoice with unspeakable and glorious joy as you attain the goal of your faith: the salvation of souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets searched and investigated, who foretold the grace intended for you; they sought to know what time or circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when he predicted the sufferings destined for Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in regard to the things now announced to you through those who brought you the Gospel by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven: things into which angels long to look. – The word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
Peter consoles Christians living far from home, who are enduring trials and persecutions, telling them that all the ancient prophecies are being fulfilled for them precisely at that moment. The ancient prophets had indeed announced the sufferings of the future Messiah, clearly saying that through Christ’s trials and his fidelity to the Father, all believers would be justified and saved. This salvation is always present in the Holy Mass, because Jesus assured us: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Therefore, there is no persecution that cannot be faced with courage and fortitude, precisely because Jesus is present. And the glory that comes from fidelity is so radiant that the angels themselves marvel at it. The center of the first Pope’s proclamation is therefore a source of great consolation: the moment Christians are living, even amid persecutions, is glorious, because they are the Body of Christ, and Christ himself lives his own death and resurrection in them. Commenting on this passage, Kierkegaard writes: “The essence of Christianity is, from beginning to end, the scandal of the divine.”
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:5-17)
In the time of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the priestly division of Abijah, who had a wife from the daughters 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. Once, while Zechariah was serving as priest before the Lord during his division’s turn, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of priestly service, to enter the temple of the Lord to burn incense. The whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side 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 shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers toward their children and the rebellious to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare for the Lord a people fit for him.” – The Gospel of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel of the day
At the beginning of the Gospel there are two angelic appearances: one announcing the birth of John the Baptist and the other the birth of Jesus. The Gospel closes with other appearances: those of the angels who announce the Lord’s resurrection to the women who had gone to the tomb. The Gospel unfolds between two angelic appearances; we can say this to those who categorically deny every apparition of angels or the Virgin Mary, saying that the Gospel is enough for us. There are apparitions in the Gospel itself! Thus, the angel reveals to the priest Zechariah the arrival of the heir and the greatness of his future mission. In this way Zechariah and Elizabeth can not only prepare themselves personally, but also in turn reveal the great event about to take place in history to the world. In a sense, having received the announcement, Zechariah must himself become an announcer. We know how things went: he doubted, and as a consequence became mute. A certain purification was necessary for him; then, as soon as he regained the use of speech, he revealed to everyone, like a river in full flood, what had happened to him and who that child who had just been born to him was.
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 nations. The Lord called me from the womb; from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me. He made me a sharpened arrow; in his quiver he concealed me. He said to me: “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my glory.” But I said: “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity. Yet surely my right is with the Lord, my reward is with my God.” And now the Lord has spoken, who formed me as his servant from the womb, 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 become my strength - and he said: “It is too little for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel. I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” – The word of God.
Commentary on the first reading
The Church applies this passage about the “Servant of Yahweh” to John the Baptist, because the precursor was “formed from the womb to gather Israel.” The Baptist’s mission is to announce to everyone, unequivocally, that the Messiah has arrived, that he is Jesus of Nazareth, and that he is the one who takes away the sins of the world. John’s role did not end in the past but continues today; certainly, in the time of Israel, once Jesus had been baptized, John withdrew, because “he must increase; I must decrease,” but his task continues in Christians. We are the ones who must tell everyone that the Savior is Jesus, that he is the one who takes away the sins of the world, and that there is salvation in no one else. In a sense, we are John the Baptists called to live out the welcoming of the Savior through repentance (the Baptist’s calls to a sober life are still valid today!) and to tell the people around us, pointing to Jesus: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.” Yes, the Baptist’s mission will continue in us until the end of time.
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 his descendants, according to the promise, God brought forth Jesus as Savior for Israel. John heralded his coming by proclaiming 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 behold, one is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ Brothers, children of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us this word of salvation has been sent.” – The word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
Through the penitential life he led, John gained great prestige among Israel. Everyone considered him a great prophet, respected him, and indeed some thought that the long-awaited Messiah was precisely him. In fact, there was quite a difference between his ascetic life, at the limits of human endurance, and that of Jesus, who in the eyes of men was a peaceful carpenter living quietly at home. This can happen today as well: we are fascinated by the lives of great penitents who eat only locusts or by those who live in extraordinary ways, while the life of an elderly woman who goes to Mass every morning, prays all day, and attracts no attention from anyone may say little to us. Yet in God’s eyes, things are different. God enters our everyday lives to be our life, without changing external circumstances. The conversion preached by John is only preparatory, to welcome the grace that comes from Jesus. Christian life is entirely inward, and from there it expands into outward acts of charity, patience, and forgiveness, the only things that change the world.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:57-66, 80)
When the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name him after his father, Zechariah. But his mother spoke up: “No. He will be called John.” They said to her: “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” Then they made signs to his father, asking what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote: “John is his name.” And all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was freed, and he spoke, blessing God. Fear came upon all their neighbors, and throughout the hill country of Judea all these things were being discussed. All who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying: “What, then, will this child be?” 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
Christian life is no joke: it is not a matter of believing in something and remaining as one is, but of being totally involved in a project of love that shapes all our actions and makes us like God, because we are his children. People need a strong sign to awaken them, to understand that it is not only a matter of believing but of changing their lives. Someone is needed to show us the way, which above all consists in sweeping away from our souls everything that obstructs God’s presence, making ourselves empty and available to be filled with divine grace. Sin and grace do not coexist: where one is present, the other is not. This is why John goes into the wilderness, which symbolically is the place where there is nothing, the empty place, suitable for being filled with something else. It is easy to think that he went into the wilderness when he came of age, which at that time was twelve. What a strong impression a boy must have made when he left home so early to live amid hardship and danger! Thus, we too understand that living through Christ is impossible unless we leave the world, with its allurements and propositions.
