Birth of St.John the Baptist

Domenico Ghirlandaio - Birth of John the Baptist

Today the church commemorates the birth of John the Baptist. Along with the birth of Jesus on December 25^th and the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8th, his is the only birth that is remembered with a special feast day. We also remember the baptism of Jesus at the Jordan River, which is celebrated at the end of the Christmas season, as well as John’s martyrdom on August 29 every year. But today we honor his mysterious birth, since his mother Elizabeth was very advanced in age, and her pregnancy was a miracle in itself. John and Jesus met when their mothers were still pregnant with them, when Mary visited Elizabeth, and they probably grew up together, as most paintings show them playing, at least as toddlers.

Nowadays, when a baby is born, the announcement is made in the papers, Godparents are chosen, the baptism is held and a party usually follows. In John’s time, his birth was announced in a very unusual way. Similar to what the Native Indians did when sending a message, his father Zechariah made a bon-fire and lit it in the evening, so that his relatives and friends would know that Elizabeth gave birth to her baby boy. This is actually a tradition that is still held in many countries, among them Malta. Many towns and villages collect wood, sticks and logs for a few weeks, pile them up and then light a bon-fire on the evening of June 23, in commemoration of the birth of John the Baptist. Certainly a much different way to share a news that the social media offers us today, when a picture of a newborn baby is spread throughout the globe through a cell-phone, Facebook, etc. We honor today this great underrated Saint, who set the stage for Jesus, then disappeared, getting hardly any credit, and even losing his life through the envy of Herod.