The Gospel proclamation speaks of the birth of John the Baptist. It made Elizabeth and Zechariah’s lives blessed as the Lord had been wonderfully good to them to bless the couple with a child in their old age. It was a cause of great rejoicing to the neighbours and relatives, and the speech impediment that was removed from Zechariah immediately after professing the name of the baby would have been astonishingly marvelous. As St. John the Baptist grew up he fed upon locusts and wild honey and preached a Baptism of repentance. He never drank wine or strong drink. His attire had distinctive characters, unusually made of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He was chosen by God to be the forerunner and to baptise Jesus in the river Jordan to fulfil all righteousness. He preached a baptism of repentance and he knew that he was set apart by God for a purpose. He knew he had to prepare people for the coming of Christ. Do we know our purpose and calling as we look forward for the second coming of our Lord?

Prayer: Abba Father, we pray that our spiritual eyes will be opened to grasp the gravity of our calling. Amen.