Reflection for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Out of Season Fruit: The Nativity of John the Baptist

By Teresa R. Albright, Pastoral Associate

Today the church celebrates the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, which tradition tells us occurred in the ancient village of Ein Karem just outside Jerusalem a few months before Jesus was born. As the birthplace of John the Baptist, Ein Karem is also remembered as the place where a young woman named Mary once visited her kinswoman Elizabeth. A few months into that familial trip, with the Son of God already growing inside her, the Blessed Virgin would assist in the birth of John, a prophet and herald of the coming Messiah. 

The gospel according to Luke tells us that John was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, an older couple from the priestly class. Because they had no children of their own, Zechariah and Elizabeth worried about who would inherit the important duties they held at the Temple in Jerusalem after they were gone. God answered their prayers and John was conceived despite the advanced age of his parents. This son of a temple priest would eventually lead a movement of people into the desert where he preached purification from the corruption that had built up around temple worship during the reign of King Herod.

I visited Ein Karem four years ago while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. My home away from home was the Ecce Homo Convent in Jerusalem where I studied Scripture with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion. The convent, which opens onto the congested Via Delarosa, was built in 1862 by Fr. Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne. He would later build a second convent and orphanage at Ein Karem, which would become the perfect country escape for the religious sisters and their guests. Now a quaint, old neighborhood of modern-day Jerusalem, the setting is not unlike the Brookside-South Plaza neighborhood of our own Visitation parish. Ein Karem’s terraced gardens and idyllic hill-country continues to attract artists, laidback weekenders, and pilgrims alike.

It is not difficult for one to imagine the Ein Karem of two thousand years ago. Because the town claims relatively minor pilgrimage sites, residents still outnumber tourists and it maintains its village atmosphere. I find it helpful when I can use my imagination to pray with Scripture. I enjoy allowing my imagination to “fill in the gaps” of well-known Bible stories. For example, as I meditated on the Nativity of John the Baptist, I wondered what John’s father and mother thought about his message of repentance and purification? Was Zechariah disappointed that John rejected his priestly lineage? Or perhaps he and Elizabeth were some of John’s first followers to be baptized in the Jordan River? Or perhaps they did not live long enough to witness their son’s prophesies and subsequent martyrdom?

The story of the Visitation also has some particularly interesting gaps to fill with one’s imagination. A scene I like to imagine is of Elizabeth, Zechariah and baby John making their own journey to visit Mary in Nazareth after Jesus was born. The three of them must have grown very close during those final months of John’s gestation. Were Elizabeth and Zechariah nervous about the risk of advanced maternal age? Did they find comfort in Mary’s peaceful presence? What fears and excitement were shared between the young Mary and her older and wiser kinsfolk? I imagine that John’s parents would be eager to see Mary again, offer their support, and pay homage to their newborn Lord.

 

Portal to Prayer

Read the first chapter of Luke. Use your imagination to “fill in the gaps” of the Visitation story and John’s Nativity. Journal about your reflections.

 

Ministry Opportunity: Baptism Visitors

The hope exemplified by young parents who decide to bring their new babies to Visitation for baptism nearly every weekend is inspiring. Starting this week with the Nativity of John the Baptist I am beginning a new outreach ministry to our baptism parents. The ministry is simple but indicative of our community’s charism and the feast for which we are named.

I plan to visit the homes of parents who have recently baptized a baby at Visitation and will present a gift to them on behalf of the parish. During the visit I hope to reassure our young parents that the church is here to support them as they bring their child up in the faith.

If you would like to be part of this ministry team and visit baptism parents with a gift from the parish, please contact me at 753-5155 x1306 or teresa@church.visitation.org.

 

Interreligious Moment

Did you know that Zechariah  (Zakariya) is considered a prophet in Islam? In fact, the Quran tells a detailed story of the prophet Zakariya (pbuh). As in the Christian New Testament, Zakariya is the husband of Elisabeth and father of John. But before he and his wife were advanced in age and longing for an heir, Zakariya was the guardian of his young niece Mary. Mary had been given in service to the Temple after her father died while she was still a girl. As a temple priest, Zakariya agreed to look after little Mary. Each day he would visit her in the Temple area to make sure she was well fed and cared for. And each day when he arrived Mary would welcome him with a platter of out-of-season fruits and vegetables. In the winter, she always had summer crops to offer him. In the summer, she presented winter crops. Zakariya and Elisabeth knew that Mary was special, even at such a young age. They saw the way God took care of Mary and understood the daily miracle as a sign for the birth of John who arrived to them “out of season.”