Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
June 24, 2021
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Isaiah 49:1-6
Audio file
The Lord is describing his spokesman. He is one who has been called to the service of God from before his birth to make known the glory of God.
Originally this passage was intended to describe the ideal servant of the Lord. It’s the second of the four “Servant of the Lord” oracles, and it’s used to refer to Jesus in the liturgy of Holy Week. Here the oracle is used to describe John the Baptist, whose birth we commemorate today.
But in some way the passage refers to all of us. We are all messengers of the Lord. We are all precursors of the Messiah. We all have responsibilities for announcing God’s word. How do I carry out those responsibilities in my life?
