Solemnity Of The Nativity Of Saint John The Baptist

Today marks the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. This is one of only three feast days that mark the birth of someone (the other two being the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, of course, Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus). Given the rarity of such a feast day and the company John finds himself in, we would do well to pause and reflect on why the Church celebrates the birth of John the Baptist as we read the Gospel for this Solemnity.

Solemnity Of The Nativity Of Saint John The Baptist

Gospel - Luke 1:57-66, 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child

she gave birth to a son.

Her neighbors and relatives heard

that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,

and they rejoiced with her.

When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,

they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,

but his mother said in reply,

“No. He will be called John.”

But they answered her,

“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”

So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.

He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”

and all were amazed.

Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,

and he spoke blessing God.

Then fear came upon all their neighbors,

and all these matters were discussed

throughout the hill country of Judea.

All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,

“What, then, will this child be?”

For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

The child grew and became strong in spirit,

and he was in the desert until the day

of his manifestation to Israel.

Scriptural Analysis

Luke now begins his infancy narratives with the story of John the Baptist’s birth. The time had arrived for Elizabeth to have her child just as the time had come for Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, to give birth, “When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.” (Genesis 25:24) Both of these women were at once considered to be barren. Elizabeth was among the first to experience the mercy of God spoken about in Mary’s Magnificat. Just as had been predicted by the angel Gabriel, Elizabeth’s neighbors and relatives rejoice at John’s birth, “and many will rejoice at his birth.” (Luke 1:14)

According to the Abrahamic covenant, on the 8th day, male children had to be circumcised: “He that is eight days old among you shall be circumcised.” (Genesis 17:12) The family engages in a dispute regarding the name of the child. Elizabeth desires to call him John, which was the name revealed to Zechariah by Gabriel, “and you shall call his name John.” (Luke 1:13)

Those gathered were not satisfied with Elizabeth’s response; thus, they made signs to Zechariah asking him to provide the name of the child. Zechariah grabs a wooden tablet and writes John is his name. This was an act of obedience to the word he received from the Angel. Immediately, his mouth was opened and he spoke, blessing God.

The neighbors are filled with fear in the presence of this sign from God. They can see that he was with John just as he had been with the great prophets like Elijah. They wonder what the future will hold for this child.

It is said that John grew and became strong in the spirit, which parallels what happened to the great judge, Samson: “And the boy grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him.” (Judges 13:24-25) John may have been in the desert, even though he was born in the hill country, because his parents, who were elderly when he was born, had since passed. He may have even spent some time at Qumran, among the Jewish community responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Daily Application

The Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist is one of those feast days where it can be hard for us to see how the Lord speaks to his people through this event in 2025. We celebrate birthdays throughout our daily lives. John is not the Messiah, nor is he the Blessed Mother, so what is so special about John’s birthday?

What we see in the birth of John the Baptist is the beginning of God fulfilling His promise, made when Adam and Eve fell, to redeem humanity. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God’” (Isaiah 40:3) God had promised that before the Messiah had come there would be another to prepare the hearts of the Jewish people to receive the Messiah. This is who John the Baptist is. Telling the story of Jesus and his salvific work without telling the story of the one who came before, the one whom God promised to send, would be incomplete.

Still, why does it matter? It matters because it reveals a crucial characteristic of God: the details matter. It was prophesied that one would come before the Messiah. Could Jesus have entered the world without John the Baptist? Of course, but then there would be a gap in the plan. There would be a detail that remained incomplete.

God also cares about the details of your life. We often think that the little things don’t matter, which is why many people only turn to God in prayer during times of incredible joy or great grief. However, God wants to be with us in every detail of our lives. When we’re at the drive-thru, deciding what to order, he wants to be there. When we are mowing the lawn on a hot afternoon, he wants to be there. When we are standing at the sink at midnight doing the dishes, he wants to be there. God wants us to share the entirety of our lives with him.

On the great Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, ask yourself if you are sharing the entirety of your life with God, including the details. If not, perhaps you can start today. When faced with a decision, take 5 seconds and invite God in. As you lay your head down tonight, recall where he has been with you throughout your day and thank him. The details matter to God, so share the details of the life he gave you with him.