From the responsorial psalm: “O LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar. I praise you for I am wonderfully made.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:57-66, 80)
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
On this Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, Luke tells us details about the birth of John. His parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, independently name him John. Unable to speak, Zechariah writes his name on a tablet. When he does, he is able to speak again, blessing God. Luke tells us that the witnesses of this were frightened. “All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, ‘What, then, will this child be?’ For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.” Zechariah, who had been struck mute by the angel Gabriel, praises God for fulfilling his promise in John’s unique role in preparing the way for Jesus.
God, you know me body and soul better than I know myself. Throughout the day, help me be grateful that you always fulfill your promises, and in your goodness I can depend. Just as you sent John to fulfill a special mission, knowing me as you do, you have something unique for me that only I can fulfill. Help me discern what that is, and grant me the fortitude to carry that mission out. Saint John the Baptist, pray for us!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.