Rev.
Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi
The celebration of the
birthday of St. John the Baptist is an ancient feast in Christianity and
occupies a very important place in the liturgical calendar of the Church.
However, anyone very conversant with the liturgical calendar cannot allow this
feast to pass by without asking about the reason for the celebration. Of
course, some persons could be inclined to neglect this reason and would simply
celebrate the feast without asking any question; after all the church has
mandated that we celebrate it, and that’s it. And so, this is simply the
purpose of this reflection which most probably strives to answer the questions:
why
must we celebrate the birthday of John the Baptist? And why must it be now?
Now, these questions are pertinent because there are issues and causes which
prompted it.
The first issue is
this. In Christianity, the celebrations and commemorations of saints are usually
done on the day of the death, which is a day which marks the saint’s birth into
eternal life in heaven. One notable, but quiet recent exception to this rule is
the feast of St. Pope John Paul II on October 22, which is the anniversary of
his election as Pope. Now, if this is
sort of a rule, why is John’s case an exception?
Nevertheless, we must
also know that John alone is not the only exception to this rule. The birthdays
of our Blessed Mother Mary (September 8) and our Lord Jesus Christ (December
25, Christmas) are also popularly celebrated. Surely, we know the importance of
these great figures in the economy of salvation. As Jesus replaced the person
of Adam, Mary replaced the person of Eve. Who
did John the Baptist replace?
Indeed, the birth of
Jesus obviously is a central feast for Christians for it marks the day the world
came to see the face of God-made-man. It complements, as it were, March 25, the
day of the annunciation which was the moment of conception. The birth of Mary
too is treasured by Christians, for it marks the beginning of the definite plan
and preparation for the coming of the Christ, just as one who wants to build a
house would begin with the foundation. It complements December 8, the day of
the Immaculate Conception. These are clearly important to be celebrated. Thus,
we understand it when Jesus and Mary are celebrated. Why then must we celebrate John?
We may also wish to
widen our quest when we notice the difference in the case of John. We celebrate
the conception and birth of Jesus and Mary, and that we have quiet understood, but
we do not celebrate the conception of John, even when we celebrate his birth. Why should we not also celebrate it? Why is
he also an exception in the three whose feast days includes their birthdays?
Of course, one might jokingly answer, which may not be out of place that this
is so to show John that he is not in the same level with Jesus and Mary. But
that’s by the way. In all and amidst many ways of tackling these issues, we
remain sure that the birthday of John is worth celebrating, and it is rich with
symbolism. Let us tackle these in three ways.
1.
SPIRITUAL POINT OF VIEW
In the Gospel (Luke
1:5-17), there is a sentence from the calming words of the angel to the
troubled Zechariah: he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
This message refers to John. He was a direct beneficiary (alongside his mother)
of Mary’s care, as Jesus was right there in Mary. In that initial meeting and
greeting between Elizabeth and Mary, Tradition holds that John was filled with
the Holy Spirit. Therefore, John was delivered from the mother’s womb without
original sin since he had already been cleansed in the womb by the Holy Spirit.
Hence, John fits properly into the words in the call of Jeremiah (First Reading;
Jeremiah 1:4-10): before you were born, I
dedicated you. And so, John becomes another person born of a woman without
original sin. He shares this with Jesus and Mary. And so, we celebrate their
birth which proved the power of God over sin and death. This birthday
celebration then ought to be a great encouragement for all of us who promote
life, especially in its earliest beginnings of conception and birth. It empowers
us then not to give up in celebrating both our birthdays (biological birth as
children of Adam) and our spiritual rebirth days (as adopted sons of God).
2.
BIOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW
It was in the sixth
month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy that Mary conceived (Luke 1:26). This implies
that John was six months older than Jesus. And what does this tell us? The 25th
day of December is the traditional day for the birthday celebration of Christ.
Six months before this date is the 25th day of June. And so, John
has great connection to Christmas, the celebration of the mystery of the
incarnation. Today’s feast anticipates Christmas. And in this, it gains its
importance. This celebration becomes then a pointer to Christmas as John was a
pointer to the Christ. We are then called to remain Christians who show Christ to
the world.
3.
MISSIONARY POINT OF VIEW
John’s mission is
messianic. He was the forerunner of Jesus. And as already seen, his mission is
to show the World the Christ, after which he retires. He is the one who must
decrease so that the Christ would increase (John 3:30). And this period which
we celebrate it is very symbolic. Now, between the months of March and
September, Earth’s Northern Hemisphere gets more exposure to direct sunlight
over the course of a day. The rest of the year, the southern Hemisphere gets
more. That is probably why we have seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere, peak
sunlight occurs on June 20, 21 or 22 of any given year. That is the summer
solstice. By contrast, the southern Hemisphere reaches its peak sunlight on
December 21, 22 or 23. Hence, Christmas is a feast of the “Light” for the
Southerners (and as such, for all), as John’s baptism is a feast of the
forerunner of the “Light” for the Northerners (and as such, for all). What
connects them is the light. Christ is the Lumen
Gentium (Light of the world).
More interesting is
that after the peak sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere, the light begins to
decrease with the days that follow –the 24th or 25th of
June– which coincides with the birthday of John. Little wonder the midsummer as
it is called is also called St. John’s day. And so, as the sunshine reduces in
intensity, John decreases in importance. This must happen that the Christ will
increase and shine forth to the world. This feast therefore is a great reminder
to all of the need of humility in service, and warns us against the
over-exaggeration of our importance. We must decrease so that others must
increase. We must be humble so as not to crumble.
In talking about the
sacred of the birthday of John the Baptist, St. Augustine said: the reason for this is, of course, that the
Lord willed to announce to men His own coming through the Baptist, lest if he
appeared suddenly, they would fail to recognize him. John represented the Old
Covenant and the Law. Therefore, he preceded the Redeemer, even as the Law
preceded and heralded the new dispensation of grace. Think about how you
will feel if you become very important to Jesus as John was. May God continue
to help us. Amen. God bless you.
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