June 24: St. John the Baptist / San Juan el Bautista

The Church’s calendar includes two feastdays for St. John the Baptist: his birth and his death (martyrdom). His birth is celebrated today, the 24^th of June. This day was chosen because, just three months ago, on March 25th, we celebrated the feast of the Annunciation. That was the day on which Mary conceived the child Jesus in response to the word of God. That same day, she also heard about the pregnancy of her cousin Elizabeth, and quickly set out to visit her, so as to be of help to Elizabeth at that special time. Having stayed for about three months in the house of Elizabeth and Zechariah, that is, until John was safely born, Mary returned to her own home in Nazareth.

The joyful importance of St. John’s birthday can be linked to the meaning of his name in Hebrew: “Yeho-hanan,” which means “the Lord is gracious.” As St. Luke’s Gospel account underlines, in sending St. John, God had shown great favor, not just to the childless couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, but to the whole human family.

For further reflection: As the Baptist pointed out the right way for God's people, each of us, in countless ways, can do the same for the people in our time. We can tell our family members and  neighbors about the graciousness and the favor of God. In this way, we can share in the mission of Jesus, becoming like “other Christs” to the world.

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Hoy celebramos el nacimiento de San Juan el Bautista, precursor de Jesucristo. Tal como los artistas han representado a San Juan, hay dos símbolos que lo tipifican claramente.
 El primero es: la boca que grita. El Bautista es la voz del que clama en el desierto, llamando a la gente a conversión. Es una voz a la que no se le puede acallar. Increpa y reprende, tanto a los líderes religiosos como a la gente común y corriente, y les urge a cambiar sus vidas. Sin ningún miedo, se enfrenta incluso con el Rey Herodes y le conmina a acabar con su adulterio. Juan paga muy caro por ese enfrentamiento, ya que eso le va a costar su cabeza.
 El segundo símbolo es el dedo, que señala al Mesías que llega. Y por esto también paga caro, ya que muchos de sus mismos discípulos le abandonan para seguir a Jesús. A pesar de todo, él sigue adelante: Aquel a quien él anuncia tiene que crecer y ser mayor; él mismo, Juan, debe menguar, ser menor.
 Hoy, cada uno de nosotros es llamado para preparar el camino del Señor para los hermanos y hermanas que encontramos al caminar. Dios nos llama hoy para mostrar a Jesús presente en nuestro mundo por la forma cómo vivimos el Evangelio. San Juan Bautista, ruega por nosotros.