Nativity of St. John the Baptist - Weekday Homily Video

In Singapore, there is a school program designed to assist children hospitalized or homebound due to illness. Special teachers are assigned to visit these children and help them keep up with their studies and school assignments.

One day, a teacher in the program received a call asking her to visit a specific child who had been admitted to a hospital. She obtained the child's name and room number and had a brief conversation with the child's regular classroom teacher. "We're currently studying words in his class—specifically nouns and adverbs," the classroom teacher said. "I would appreciate it if you could help him understand them so he doesn't fall too far behind."

The program's teacher saw the boy that afternoon at the hospital. The boy had been in a bad accident, badly burnt, and was in great pain. Upon seeing the boy, she stammered, "Your school sent me to help with nouns and adverbs." After teaching him, she left, feeling like she hadn't accomplished much.

The next day, when the teacher returned to the hospital, a nurse asked her, "What did you do to that boy?” The teacher thought she must have done something wrong and began to apologize, but the nurse quickly reassured her, "No, no. You don't know what I mean. We've been worried about that little boy. But ever since yesterday, after you met him, his whole attitude has changed. He's fighting back and responding to treatment. It's as though he's decided to live!"

Two weeks later, the boy shared that he had lost hope until the teacher appeared. Everything changed when he had a simple realization, which he expressed as: "They wouldn't send a teacher to teach a dying boy about words and nouns, would they?" Teaching about "words" instilled hope and courage in the dying boy!

Message of Hope

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist brings the same powerful message of "hope." From Elizabeth's infertility came the predecessor of the One who is Life. From the barrenness of the world, God brought forth the Fountain of Hope.

The Gospel of Luke presents the incident of the birth and naming of St. John the Baptist. Elizabeth's declaration, "He is to be called John," disrupted the traditional expectations. The family and neighbors expected the child to be named after the father, following the patriarchal tradition of the time. However, Elizabeth's insistence and Zechariah's affirmation of naming the child against tradition are significant. This moment not only marks the beginning of John's distinct identity and mission, but it also highlights the immateriality of human constructs before the divine purpose.

The Importance of a Name

In the biblical world, a name represents, identifies, and describes a person. A name aims to convey what the bearer of the name stands for. For example, Abraham means "father of many nations;” Jacob means "he struggles with God;" and Simon's name was changed to Peter by Jesus, meaning "rock," signifying that Peter would be the foundation of Jesus' church. The name John means "Yahweh has shown favor," or "God is gracious," symbolizing the beginning of a new era of hope characterized by grace and not by law. John the Baptist's character reflects his name.

My baptismal name is John, which means "God is gracious." If you don't know the meaning of your name or of your baptismal name yet, try to discover it today. There must be a reason why you were named as such. If you are named after a saint, read more about their life story.

Just as the teacher's visit gave hope to a suffering boy, the birth of John the Baptist reminds us that each of us carries a divine purpose and message of hope. Embrace the significance of your name and let it inspire you to spread grace and hope to others.

• Today’s Readings

• Father Boby's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.) 

• To view the Rosary prayer and Mass streaming live, please visit our Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Please invite your loved ones to join us too! (If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)