The birth of John the Baptist

 

Good evening/morning everyone, I am so happy to see you all and my special welcome to all our parishioners, cottagers, visitors and every one who is here today. Dear friends every time we come to church we celebrate the love of God through Christ our Lord in the Holy Spirit; every time we come to church we become like John the Baptist who prepared the way of the Lord and every time we come to church, we become new in Christ our Lord.

Today the Church celebrates the birth of John the Baptist. John who prepared the way of the Lord and on the day of Jesus’ baptism, called everyone and pointing Christ said, ‘Behold the lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the Lord’.

Today on the day of John the Baptist’s birth, I invite you all to meditate upon the amazing act of God almighty.

Once I met with a man who shared a miracle that happened to him saying, “ Father, I never answer the phone at home. My wife looked after the communication department and that day, the phone rang and rang and my wife did not answer and I kind of had a strange feeling and got off the chair and answered. My son was on the phone saying, “ dad, for some reason I wanted to call and talk to you and I said and for some reason I wanted to answer too’ while we were talking, a huge tree from our front yard broke and fell on the chair where I was sitting. I think I witnessed a miracle happened to me.

The second one is about a man who used to go for a walk over ten year on a beach and that day though he felt so good and strong, he had a feeling and did not go. But by 8.00 o’clock, he heard the news that huge tsunami hit the Indian ocean and about thousand people died in that city alone and most of the people who died were who went for a walk that day and that man did not go for a walk that day and he said, “ a miracle happened to me’

And a third one is about a man who had a strange feeling one night and about two o’clock in the morning he got out of the bed and went to have a glass of water in the kitchen. While he was getting the water, a drunken man drove his truck into his bedroom and smashed the bed into million pieces. He said, ‘ a miracle happened to me”

And I had a chance to meet them all and when I asked why miracle happened to them. They all revealed one secret. Yes, they all kept one thing in common in their lives, a secret that saved them all.

In today’s gospel, we see a miracle happening to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Though they were in their advanced age, God blessed them with a child. Nothing is impossible with our loving God. When Blessed Virgin Mary doubted about the birth of Jesus, the Angel Gabriel said, ‘ look at your cousin Elizabeth, in her old age, almighty blessed her with the child. Then our Blessed Mary began to sing the Glory of God saying, ‘ My Soul glorifies the lord and my spirit

Rejoice in God Almighty…’

When people who were amazed at the marvel of God asked Elizabeth what name she was going to give him thinking about the family tradition. According to their culture, the first-born male child should be named about his father, Elizabeth said, ‘ John’. They were so shocked and were surprised saying to each other, why can we ask Zechariah his dad. Zechariah who used to tablet wrote the name John.

One after another many miracles happened that day. Every one began to praise and glorify God almighty. Miracles happened to Zechariah and Elizabeth because they too had some secret.

What Zechariah and Elizabeth had, those three people who experienced miracles in their lives had too. They all had a secret, a very simple one. We all know and some of you are practicing that secret at home.

The secret they all had is “Family prayer”. Though they practiced their faith in common place and were involved with many community activities, they never forget to pray together at home. They did their family prayer. They drew energy, spiritual strength from their family prayer. They read the bible together, they prayed and listened to God together.

Dear friends, when there is family prayers at home, miracles will happen, not one or two but millions and millions.

Where there is family prayer, nothing can separate parents from children or husband from wife or family from relatives or from friends. Family prayer becomes glue that unites family together and brings more miracles every day. So as we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, let us renew our baptismal promises asking Christ to help us to begin our family prayers at home every day. Amen.