Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, "What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. Luke 1:66
My mother is an encourager. So much so that my sister tells a story about how she grew up believing she could sing because my mother always told her she was great at everything. She often recalls her embarrassment when she became old enough to learn that she couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. But she credits her greatest successes in life to our mother and the confidence she instilled in us all our lives.
Today the church celebrates the birth of Saint John the Baptist. Let's make sure we are all up to speed here, John was to be the voice that proclaimed the coming of the Messiah. The circumstances surrounding his conception and birth were miraculous and surely his parents were the talk of the town. I imagine everyone around John treated him his whole life like something amazing was going to happen any minute. What kind of world would we live in if every child were treated as if they were a miracle from God? Let's make a decision today to treat the people around us as if the "hand of the Lord is with them". Maybe we would see the people around us to live up to their greatest potential. Just like John the Baptist.
Lord, give us the grace to see your potential in those around us and ourselves.
