The Solemnity of John the Baptist, the Precursor. A meditation preached in Lyncroft Centre, Toronto, by Fr. Eric Nicolai on June 24, 2023.

Lk 1, 57-66: The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy. (...) All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him."

Good thing Zechariah agreed with the name John. His tongue was loosened and he gave praise to God with the Benedictus. Joy rippled out throughout the region. It was the thanksgiving and joy at understanding the beauty and grandeur of the divine vocation. Each one of us has a divine vocation, a divine purpose. Have I too been filled with wonder at what God has designed for me?

Thumbnail: Piero della Francesca, The Baptism of Christ, 1450s, tempera on wood (National Gallery, London)

Music: Francisco Tárrega's "Lágrima" performed by Pepe Romero on an 1888 Antonio de Torres

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