Liturgical Readings for : Monday, 24th June, 2024
24/6, The Nativity of St John the Baptist, Solemnity
FIRST READING
A reading from the first book of the Prophet Isaiah 49:1-6
I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
‘Islands, listen to me, pay attention, remotest peoples.
The Lord called me before I was born,
from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.
He made my mouth a sharp sword, and hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me into a sharpened arrow, and concealed me in his quiver.
He said to me, ‘You are my servant (Israel) in whom I shall be glorified.’
while I was thinking, ‘I have toiled in vain, I have exhausted myself for nothing.’
And all the while my cause was with the Lord, my reward was with my God.
I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord, my God was my strength.
And now the Lord has spoken, he who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to him:
‘It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel;
I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 138
Response I thank you for the wonder of my being.
1. O Lord, you search me and you know me, you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down, all my ways lie open to you. Response
2. For it was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I thank you for the wonder of my being, for the wonders of all your creation. Response
3. Already you knew my soul, my body held no secret from you
when I was being fashioned in secret and moulded in the depths of the earth. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 13:22-26
Jesus’ coming was heralded by John.
Paul said:
‘God made David their king, of whom he approved in these words,
“I have selected David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will carry out my whole purpose.“
To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. Before John ended his career he said,
“I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his sandal.”
‘My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you.’
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation Lk 1: 76
Alleluia, Alleluia!
As for you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the Most High.
You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare the way for him..
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 1:57-66. 80 Glory to you, O Lord.
His name is John.
The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy.
Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up.
‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.‘
They said to her,
‘But no one in your family has that name’, and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called.
The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.‘
And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts.
‘What will this child turn out to be?‘ they wondered.
And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.
Meanwhile the child grew up and his spirit matured.
And he lived out in the wilderness until the day he appeared openly to Israel.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
*********************
Gospel Reflection The Nativity of John the Baptist 24/6 Luke 1:57-66, 80
Who gets to name a new born child? Today we would presume it was the child’s parents who made that decision. In the time and place of Jesus, the naming of a child was more of a decision of the wider family and community, rather than a decision just for the parents. In today’s gospel reading, the neighbours and relations seem to have decided that Elizabeth’s child would be called Zechariah after his father. However, the child’s mother stood up against this consensus, declaring that he would be called John, after the name given to him by the angel Gabriel at the annunciation of the child’s birth to Zechariah. The wider family and community were stunned, ‘no one in your family has that name’. Zechariah, who had been rendered dumb for doubting the promise made by Gabriel, confirmed in writing that his child would be called John.
A new beginning in God’s dealings with his people called for a new name, a name that conveyed the nature of this new beginning. Many Hebrew names have a religious meaning and the name ‘John’ means ‘God is gracious’. The child of Elizabeth and Zechariah would announce the coming of someone who would reveal God’s gracious love in a powerfully new way. According to the gospel reading, people were asking, ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ He turned out to be the adult that God wanted him to be, the one who witnessed to the arrival of God’s special messenger to humanity and who prepared people to welcome this messenger by calling on them to be baptized. John would lead people to Jesus, God’s gracious gift to all. On this feast of his birthday, we might give thanks for all those people in our lives who have led us to Jesus and have helped us to see him more clearly.
________________________________
The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.
