St. John the Baptist

How good it is for the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and Malta, one of the oldest institutions of Western and Christian civilization, to want to prayerfully reflect on its spiritual patron, St. John the Baptist, as the universal Church celebrates his birth on June 24. Knights and Dames of the Order of Malta annually celebrate this solemnity with special liturgies and prayer opportunities, as well activities to alleviate the distress of the sick and those who suffer locally and internationally as victims of malnutrition, disease and endemic poverty. With St. John the Baptist as a spiritual role model, the Order is to be commended for its commitment to reaching their spiritual perfection within the Church and to expending its energies serving the Lord's poor and the sick for over 900 years.

On the liturgical calendar, other than the birthday of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, the Church does not celebrate the birthday of the saints, except that of Jesus's mother.  Generally, saints are remembered on the calendar on the date of their death, their entry into eternal life.  But there is one notable exception. Since we celebrate the birthday of the Word, the Church also celebrates the birthday of the Voice.  I'm referring to Jesus's cousin, John the Baptist, the Voice crying out in the wilderness.

John plays a unique role in salvation history. Because he baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River we refer to him the Baptist. Eastern Christians call him the Forerunner. Even though only Luke's Gospel tells us of the marvelous circumstances surrounding John's birth (Luke 1: 5-25), each of the four evangelists tell of his essential work in preparing the way for Jesus. But they also tell us something further-that John was a model of the key virtue of humility extolled by the first Beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount -- blessed are the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3).

As we remember from the Gospel narrative about John's early ministry, we recall that crowds were coming from all over Israel to hear him preach before anyone even heard of Jesus.  Some who heard John's prophetic preaching received his ritual bath. In fact, John even baptized Jesus, which launched his cousin's public ministry and heralded the demise of John's career.

Because of his popularity and the power of his message, the Pharisees and Sadducees felt threatened by Jesus. John actually encouraged his disciples to leave him and follow the Lamb of God. When people came, ready to honor John as messiah, he set them straight. He was not the star of the show, only the best supporting actor. Jesus was the one to watch, the one to follow. John may have been center-stage for a while, but now that the star had shown up, the Baptist realized that it was time for him to slip quietly off center stage. John compares it to being like the best man at a wedding.  It certainly is an honor to be chosen as best man, but the best man does not get the bride. According to Jewish custom of that time, the best man's role was to bring the bride to the bridegroom, and then make a tactful exit. And John found joy in this. "He must increase and I must decrease," John states (John 3:30).

John the Baptist was joyful because he was humble. In fact, he shows us the true nature of this virtue.  Humility is not beating up on oneself, denying that you have any gifts, talents, or importance.  John knew he had an important role which he played aggressively, with authority and confidence -- being the voice of the one whose sandal strap he was not worthy to untie. The humble person of faith does not sheepishly look down on himself.  Actually, he does not look at himself at all.  He looks away from himself to the Lord.

Perhaps this might be the best reflection one could make as one participates in the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. How can the Members of the Order of Malta, as baptized members of the Body of Christ, become like the prophetic Baptist, keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, growing in the virtue of humility for the sole purpose of becoming a stronger voice for Jesus in your families, in society, and in the world?