Birth of St. John the Baptist

Most of us upon thinking of St. John the Baptist have an image of a stern, austere prophet who harshly demanded repentance and conversion. That he was, and also uncompromising in his witness to the light (Jn 1:6-8), which led him to be "sacrificed by the authorities for speaking the truth without reticence" (Pope John Paul II). Yet there is another image of St. John the Baptist that we often forget. It is an image of joy, that unspeakable, unshakable joy of the Lord that caused the unborn John to leap with exultation in his mother's womb (Lk 1:44). Later, when his disciples asked him who he was, John described himself as the friend of the bridegroom: "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn 3:29-30). John's joy preceded his mission as well as formed and sustained it. With him, may we always rejoice to hear our bridegroom's voice -- and as a result, may we also rejoice to decrease so that Christ may increase in our hearts, our lives and our world.