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The prophetic vocation of Saint John the Baptist is a mystery that begins even before his birth. His life is surrounded by signs that show how God is preparing humanity for the arrival of Jesus Christ.
JERUSALEM. The Gospel of Luke, in its unparalleled first chapter, recounts that when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, both carry within them a divine promise: Mary carries Jesus, the Son of God, and Elizabeth carries John, the one who will be called to prepare the way for the Messiah. When Mary greets her, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps for joy. That movement, simple and mysterious, is already a prophecy: John recognizes the presence of Christ even before he is born. Elizabeth, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, proclaims Mary blessed for having believed in the word of the Lord. In this encounter, the expectation of the Old Covenant and the fulfillment of the New intertwine.
The birth of John is a sign of God’s power. Elizabeth was barren and advanced in years, but what seemed impossible to men becomes possible for the Lord. The archangel Gabriel announces to Zechariah, a priest of the temple, that his prayer has been heard: “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call him John.” That child will have a unique mission: to prepare hearts to welcome the Savior.
John lives his vocation in the desert, a biblical place of silence, trial, and encounter with God. His life is marked by radicality: he wears camel’s hair, feeds on locusts and wild honey, leads a life of penance, and calls the people to conversion. He does not seek the approval of men, but faithfulness to the mission received. His voice resounds powerfully: “A voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord.”
John does not build a movement around himself; he does not want to be followed as an earthly master. He is the messenger who points to Another. His greatness lies precisely in not placing himself at the center. He is completely relative, functional to the Other who is to come, to Jesus! John is the voice, not the word. The Word is Jesus, the Verb, the Word made flesh!
John is not the expected bridegroom; he is the friend of the bridegroom, as he splendidly defines himself! The bridegroom is Jesus, for it is He who possesses the bride, that bride who will be His Church, the holy people of the redeemed. John is the friend of the bridegroom, the friend who is close to the bridegroom, recognizes his voice, and introduces him to the wedding feast, where his joy, and the joy of all, will finally be complete because the bridegroom has arrived, the bridegroom is here!
On the Jordan River, the decisive encounter with Jesus takes place. John baptizes the people with a baptism of repentance, but he recognizes that before him is He who comes from above. For this reason, he says: “I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals.” With these words, he expresses his humility and his deep understanding of the mystery of Christ.
When Jesus is baptized, John understands that his mission has come to fulfillment. His brightest phrase is also his spiritual testament: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” It is one of the highest images of Christian holiness: to disappear so that Christ may manifest.
Giovanni is also the prophet of truth. He is not afraid to speak before power and denounces the sin of King Herod, reminding him that it is not lawful to live against the law of God. For this faithfulness, he is imprisoned and then condemned to be beheaded. His death shows the price of testimony: those who defend the truth may be rejected by the world, but remain faithful to God.
The figure of John the Baptist has had enormous importance in Christian history. His cult spread from the early centuries, and numerous cities have chosen him as their patron. He is venerated as the last of the prophets and the first witness of Christ.
In art, he is often depicted with a staff, the desert robe, and a finger pointing towards Jesus, because his entire existence can be summed up in that gesture: to point to the Lamb of God, He who takes away the sin of the world.
John the Baptist teaches that true greatness does not consist in dominating, but in preparing the way for the Lord Jesus; not in seeking one’s own glory, but in becoming the voice through which the Lord Jesus, the living Word of the Father, speaks to the world in the Spirit of love.
