On Aug. 29, we celebrate the Passion of St. John the Baptist. This celebration complements the celebration of his birth, which occurred on June 24. It is unique to celebrate both the birth and passing of a saint in the life of the Church since the saint’s feast is usually the day of his or her death. The other one for whom we do this is Mary, celebrating her birth, soon to come on Sept. 8, and her leaving of this world and her Assumption into heaven, which we just recently celebrated on Aug. 15. The role of Mary and St. John the Baptist are unique in the life of the Church as they were the first to encounter Christ and point to Him at all times during their lives.
We first encounter Mary in the Gospel of St. Luke as the angel Gabriel appears to her and announces that she is to be the mother of the Messiah. This encounter took Mary completely by surprise and was the last thing she was expecting, as expressed by her lack of comprehension. However, it was at this very moment that Mary stands as the model of what it means to be a follower of Christ by fully acceding to the will of God and trusting in His goodness. As she accepted the annunciation of the angel by her words, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38), the Son of God became incarnate in her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit.
After Mary’s encounter with the angel, she rushed to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was also pregnant with John the Baptist as her child. John was miraculously conceived through the elderly couple of Zechariah and Elizabeth and foretold to be the one who would announce the birth of the long-awaited Messiah. As Elizabeth greeted Mary, John the Baptist leapt in her womb with joy as he also encountered Mary. Elizabeth cried out, “At the moment that the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leapt for joy” (Lk 1:44). It was this encounter of John with Mary that would shape his faith in following the person of Christ as Mary did in her life. Mary became a model for John without his even realizing it.
John the Baptist was a very well-known person in his time who lived an extremely ascetic life in the desert. His words were well-known as he proclaimed the arrival of the Messiah in a manner calling for repentance due to the judgment of the Messiah. His message was a fierce one. He performed a baptism for the forgiveness of sins to prepare the people to meet the Messiah as well as for his critical judgment. Because of his influence, some considered John to be the Messiah. He vehemently dismissed this identification and made clear that he had come to announce the Messiah of whom John considered himself unworthy. To discourage his own popularity, John would insist, “He must increase; I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). Again, without realizing it, John was following the wisdom and example of Mary’s life.
Unlike John the Baptist, Mary was not well-known at all. She lived a quiet life of trust and confidence in God. While John the Baptist spoke many words, Mary spoke very few words. However, it was not her words but the example of her life which preached far beyond the words of John the Baptist in proclaiming the message of Christ. It is interesting that, in the Gospels, Jesus referred always to Mary’s preeminence, not as His physical mother, but as the one who perfectly listened to and followed the word of God. Mary knew the love and mercy of God, as revealed in Christ, and proclaimed that mercy by how she lived each day of her life in the most simple manner.
True to his high moral character, John the Baptist publicly rebuked King Herod’s unlawful marriage. Because of this, Herod had him put in prison. John did not hesitate to undergo the suffering and isolation of his confinement. However, it was in prison that John began to have some doubt about the mission that Jesus was carrying out. It was not the mission of the Messiah as John had envisioned it. John had expected from the Messiah fierce judgment and even political revolution, while Jesus was proclaiming mercy and forgiveness. It is at this point that John sent his messengers to Jesus with the question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (Mt 11:3). Jesus does not send back a fierce correction of John but a message of understanding and explanation of His mission as well as one that realized John would change. John did indeed change his outlook as he willingly went to his death at the hands of Herod as a faithful witness to Christ, whose mission John had misunderstood.
What is so essential about the example of John is that he was true to his preaching. John proclaimed the need for conversion of heart and a change from a way of life which was not in keeping with God’s plans. What John expected and hoped the Messiah to be, Christ was not. John changed his understanding and conformed his interior life to that of Christ. On the other hand, Mary never had need for any conversion in regard to her attitude toward the mission of Jesus. She trusted from the very beginning in God’s will and never saw herself as superior to anyone because of that trust. Mary always considered herself to be last, as she so beautifully proclaimed in her Magnificat before Elizabeth and John the Baptist in her womb. It was this proclamation of her lowliness before the Baptist that was the seed of his recognizing the message of Christ and how it was to be lived.
While Jesus never spoke very high words of praise publicly for his mother, he did so of John the Baptist. In fact, the Lord proclaimed, “Amen I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:11). However, without specific reference, Jesus pointed to Mary as the crowning example of living as His follower. After praising John the Baptist, the Lord explained, “Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Mt 11:11). I believe that these words referred to Mary as the one who completely gave herself over to God without any preconceived expectation and was completely open to His will. She set the example of the perfect disciple. By her own words in the Magnificat, she proclaimed herself lowly and the least, and this is what caused her to be the first.
As we look to Mary and St. John the Baptist at this time, we listen to their message, which will help us to open our lives more to the presence of the Lord. John the Baptist is a wonderful example of perseverance, proclaiming the person of Jesus and of conversion as well. We will always be more like John the Baptist, by clinging to our own expectations, but ultimately let Jesus be the savior in our lives. Mary is the perfect example of fidelity and holiness, who lived in humility and joy, always trusting in the Lord. When John the Baptist first encounters Mary while he was in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, he leapt for joy at the sound of her voice. I have no doubt that John’s conversion to Jesus’ true mission, which he did not expect, was influenced by Mary’s humble example.
May our days in this world, from our birth to our passing, know the joy of God’s presence, which will lead us into eternity and the fullness of joy.
Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito
