Many years ago I heard this information, presumably true, about a woman who was not in good health,

had given birth to three children who were deaf, two who were blind, and one who had Downs Syndrome. The subsequent moral question was, She is pregnant. Should she bring her next child to term or should she have an abortion? If the person suggested an abortion the response was, You have just killed Ludwig von Beethoven. I am sure that each parent, as they prepare for the birth of a child ponders the future of their child: What will she be like?, What will he do? There is always uncertainty, and even fear, yet there is also great hope and love that their child that will come into the world will live a full and grace-filled life, with not only success and happiness, but will seek out the will of God and follow Jesus faithfully. I thought of this story of Beethoven as I was preparing my homily for this Feast of the Birth of St. John the Baptist. In the gospel (Luke 1:57-66, 80) we hear about the birth of John the Baptist. His parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were already beyond childbearing years when God revealed to them through the Angel Gabriel that they would have a child who would be great in the sight of the Lord (Luke 1:15). Zechariah doubted this promise of God and he mysteriously lost his ability to speak. When, indeed, Elizabeth found herself to be pregnant they awaited the birth of their son, knowing that God would do great things through him. When it came to the ritualistic circumcision of the baby which included the giving of the name no one could understand why Zechariah insisted on the name John, which the Angel had ordered. Then, having fulfilled Gods will, Zechariah could once again speak, and the first thing he did was to praise God. As we hear in the gospel, the people asked themselves due to these mysterious circumstances What, then will this child be? Of course, we know that he was the voice crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths . He came preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins, preparing the way for the preaching and ministry of Jesus Christ the Lord. The First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah (49:1-6) tells us who John would become. What beautiful images God reveals through Isaiah: a sharp-edged sword, a polished arrow. His preaching would have a great effect on those who sought to do the will of God and be faithful to the covenant. Indeed, as Isaiah revealed, The Lord called me from birth, from my mothers womb he gave me my name. He was the servant of the Lord that Isaiah speaks of, destined to be the light to the nations. Here we have the plan of God revealed about the life and ministry of John the Baptist. This is the destiny of the child of Zechariah and Elizabeth, as decreed by God! The Psalmist (139) reflects this wonder of the life of John when he says, I am wonderfully made. In relation to the life of a servant of God, the Psalmist tells us that God knit (him) in (his) mothers womb, calling him to a special role in the salvation of the world. We are those servants of God here and now! The Second Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (13:22-26) speaks to us of the life and ministry of John the Baptist. God chose him to prepare the way for the

Lord. In humility John makes it clear that he is not the Christ, in fact he says, I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet. John knew his role and place in the history of salvation. When some of his followers began to follow Jesus after all he told them Behold is the Lamb of God (John 1:36) he was not sad or resentful, but rather rejoiced that he (John) was completing his mission and bringing the people to the source of their salvation, Jesus Christ the Lord. Tonight/Today we not only celebrate the Birth of John the Baptist, but we also look to these readings to learn what God is telling us about our life and mission. Without a reflection on our role in the history of salvation I dont believe we are really doing justice to the richness and depth of the Word of God revealed to us tonight/today. Just as John the Baptist grew and became strong in the spirit, so too we have grown and become strong in the Spirit. Like the gospel reading last weekend about the tiny mustard seed that becomes a great tree, we have grown and been nurtured by many significant people in our lives, but above all by the grace of God. Like God the Father had a plan for John the Baptist he has a plan for us. He expects great things of us too. Returning to the First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah, we too are called to make a difference in the lives of others as servants of the Lord by our faithfulness to God the Father, and our faithful following of Jesus. We too can be that sharp-edged sword and polished arrow if we unite ourselves profoundly to the Lord and HIS plan. We too can be light to the nations, beginning in our own family, and with our friends, our coworkers and our classmates. Although our conception was not as mysterious as that of John the Baptist, that same heavenly Father has called us and has a plan for us. We too, like the Psalmist proclaimed, are wonderfully made. We too are gifted and graced by God. With the same humility of John in the Second Reading, we proclaim that Jesus is our Saviour, and we are followers of Jesus. Echoing the words of the gospel, the hand of the Lord is with us. We are instruments of God to the extent that we unite ourselves to Jesus, and share in his life and ministry here and now. We not only celebrate John the Baptist today, we look with hope to our fulfilling of Gods will, our lives as light of the world where we are and with whom we are and that God awaits our response to his call. When John the Baptist was born they asked themselves, What, then, will this child be? We can ask ourselves, Who will we be?, Who will we become? Through the grace of God we will become ever more faithful followers of Jesus and be a presence in our time and our land as John the Baptist was in his time and his land. We can ask ourselves, Who do we want our spouse, child, grand-child, sibling or parent to be? Through our faithful response others in our lives spouses, children, grand-chiIdren, siblings and parents will also be touched by God and realize their mission and grow and become strong in the Spirit.