John as Herald. Luke’s Gospel this weekend gives us the story of the birth--and the naming--of John the Baptist. First we hear that eight days after his birth, the circumcision is to take place and the child is to be named. The crowds who gathered after hearing of the mercy God bestowed on John’s parents, Elizabeth and Zachariah who we advanced in years, expected that they would follow Jewish tradition and name their child after his father or someone else of importance in the family.

When his mother, Elizabeth, told the gathered crowd his name was “John,” the crowd questioned this and asked Zachariah what his name was to be. He, being mute, wrote on a tablet: “John”. In amaze-ment, the crowd began to discuss this among them-selves and came to the conclusion that God’s hand was involved in this child’s birth, and wondered among themselves what this meant--and what would the child come to be?

With 2000 years of hindsight, we know the answer: John was to herald the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was to prepare the way of the Lord with the Good News. Luke’s Gospel also illustrates John’s birth and life as a parallel to the birth and life of Jesus Christ, in certain ways.
John’s birth to his parents in their later years as well as his fathers sudden ability to speak brought both fear and amazement to those around him. The freeing of Zachariah’s tongue, like the appearance of the angels at Jesus’ birth, was awe inspiring and fear provoking. While Jesus is to be the Savior of the World, the Christ; John transformed his world and leads others to prepare the way of the Lord.

While we, as Christ’s Disciples, may not be called to be identical to John the Baptist in our faith proclamations--we are called to prepare the way of the Lord. Certainly we are called to make straight the path and proclaim the Good News of Christ in both word and deed. Full and Active Catholics