Catholic homily for the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Theme: God’s magnificent plan
By: Rev. Fr. Anthony O. Ezeaputa, MA.
Homily for Thursday June 24 2021
The day of a saint’s death is traditionally celebrated as his or her feast day by the Catholic Church because it marks the saint’s entrance into heaven. Nonetheless, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist are two notable exceptions to this rule. Their birthdays are observed by the Catholic Church.
All other people were born with the stain of original sin. The Blessed Virgin Mary, on the other hand, “was from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin”, and John the Baptist too was cleansed of the stain of original sin in his mother’s womb. They were granted this grace and privilege “in view” of their role in the history of our salvation.
As a result of Adam and Eve’s sin, we were born with a natural proclivity to be selfish and self-centered rather than selfless and God-centered. Because the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist were free of the stains of original sin, they were not self-centered and selfish. They were born with an innate desire to serve God, not the other way around.
Jesus Christ, by becoming a man, restored God’s magnificent plan for us. On the occasion of the circumcision and naming of his son, John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Savior, Zechariah, a Jewish priest of the Aaronic line, sang with great joy: “You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way” (Luke 1:76).
So, on the Solemnity of Saint John the Baptist, let us pause to consider how we have acted in accordance with God’s magnificent plan for us. God made us to be God-focused, God-centered, unselfish, and for his glory. May Saint John the Baptist pray for us.