Nativity of John the Baptist – Jun 24 – Homily – Fr Terrance

 

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN on Jun 24, 2023, on how the best way to please the Lord, is to be like Christ as was St John the Baptist. Listen to Fr. Terrance as he counts the ways that John the Baptist was like Jesus.

Normally, saints' feast days align with their 'birthdays' into eternity, i.e., their death days. However, the church annually commemorates the actual birthdays of Jesus, Mary, and John the Baptist. John the Baptist pleased the Lord immensely, and the similarities between him and Jesus are enlightening. Both births were announced by Archangel Gabriel, were miraculous, and their names were God-given. Jesus translates to "Yahweh is salvation" and John to "the Lord is gracious" in meaning. Their births brought joy and wonder, but they both had to escape their hometowns due to King Herod's death threats.

They commenced their ministries when God willed. Living a humble and patient life until about 30 years old, they were both virgins, completely devoted to God, as highlighted in '1 Corinthians 7:32 - The unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/7?32'. Jesus also addressed renouncing marriage for heaven in 'Matthew 19:12 - Eunuchs who made themselves so for heaven’s sake - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/19?12'.

Their ministries focused on preaching repentance as stated in 'Mark 1:4 - John preached a baptism of repentance - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/1?4' and 'Mark 1:15 - Jesus preached that the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/1?15'.

Just as Jesus and John preached against sin and warned about the dangers of hell, mentioned in Matthew 3:10 - every tree not bearing good fruit is cut down - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/3?10 and Matthew 25:41 - depart into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25?41, we too should stand firm for truth without compromise, or face the possibility of being disowned by Jesus as mentioned in Luke 9:26 - Jesus disowns those who are ashamed of Him - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?26.

So, let's aspire to become like Jesus and John the Baptist, shining our light in the world [Matthew 5:14 - you are the light of the world - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?14] and living our lives according to God's timing and His commands [1 John 5:3 - loving God means keeping his commandments - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/5?3].

00:00 - Introduction and Feast Days
00:23 - Celebrated Birthdays in the Church and Significance of Names
01:52 - Miraculous Births and Patience in God's Timing
03:43 - The Choice of Virginity and Higher Calling
04:37 - The Message of Repentance and the Path of Spiritual Growth
08:51 – Anamnesis vs Amnesia: The Importance of Remembering
09:37 – Self-Reformation and Repentance
10:37 – Standing Up for Truth in a World of Lies
11:43 – Similarities Between Our Lord and John the Baptist: Inspiring Higher Ideals
12:48 – Persecution and Martyrdom: John the Baptist and Our Lord
13:28 – Being a Light to the World

Ave Maria!

Mass: Birth of St. John the Baptist - Solemnity
Readings:  - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/062423.cfm
1st: isa 49:1-6
Resp: psa 139:1-3, 13-15
2nd: act 13:22-26
Gsp: luk 1:57-66, 80

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1095

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