Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate the nativity of Saint John the Baptist, we are invited to reflect not only on the unique mission of this great prophet—the forerunner who prepared the way for Christ—but also on the profound mystery and dignity of every human life. From the very beginning, from the womb of Elizabeth, John was chosen, consecrated, and sent forth as a light to the nations. His very existence was a sign of God’s providence, and his birth was met with rejoicing by all who recognized the hand of the Lord upon him.
How fitting it is, then, that on this solemnity, we turn our hearts to the pressing need of our times: the defense and promotion of the sanctity of human life—from conception to natural death. The readings today resound with the truth that life is a gift from God. The prophet Isaiah proclaims: “The LORD called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name” (Is 49:1). And the Psalmist praises God: “Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made” (Ps 139). These words echo the Church’s unwavering teaching that human life is sacred at every stage and in every condition, because it is willed, created, and loved by God.
Saint John Paul II, in Evangelium Vitae, reminds us: “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end” (EV 53). And the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches clearly: “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person” (CCC 2270). Yet, we live in a time when these truths are obscured by euphemisms and polite terminology that hide grave injustices. Governments and societies increasingly sanction and even promote what they call “assisted end of life care”—a tragic distortion that denies the dignity of our elders and the vulnerable, offering death as a solution to suffering. The “pro-choice” movements proclaim liberty, but in doing so, trample on the most fundamental liberty: the right to life of the voiceless unborn child. How many precious lives—like that of Saint John the Baptist, whose vocation and dignity were known to God even before his birth—are denied the chance to see the light of day?
And let us not forget, brothers and sisters, that Saint John’s own life would also be terminated by the whims of earthly powers. Though he was the greatest of the prophets, John remained vulnerable, subject to the cruelty of those who governed not for justice, but for self-interest and ambition. Herod, driven by fear, pride, and the manipulation of others, ordered John’s beheading—silencing a voice that spoke the truth. John, who leapt for joy in his mother’s womb at the presence of the Saviour, would be cut down because of his faithfulness to God’s law. His martyrdom reminds us that from the beginning of life to its end, the innocent and the righteous are often at the mercy of those who value power and profit over truth and human dignity.
Let us not forget that the babe in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy at the presence of the Saviour in Mary’s womb. Even before birth, these two unborn children proclaimed the Gospel by their very being. What a powerful sign to us of the dignity of every child in the womb! Pope Francis had often spoken strongly against what he called the “throwaway culture” that discards the unborn, the elderly, the disabled—those whom society judges inconvenient or burdensome. He challenged us, as the people of God, to build instead a “culture of encounter” and of “accompaniment,” where every life is welcomed, protected, and cherished.
Dear friends, today’s feast urges us not to remain silent. Like John the Baptist, we are called to prepare the way for the Lord—to be voices crying out in our time, defending the dignity of life against the tide of indifference and false compassion that justifies killing under the guise of choice or mercy. Let us pray, then, through the intercession of Saint John the Baptist, for the courage to bear witness to the Gospel of life, to speak up for the unborn child, fearfully and wonderfully made, to stand with the sick, the elderly, and the disabled, affirming their dignity, and to accompany those in crisis with love and concrete help so that no one feels abandoned or without hope. May we, like John, be lights that point to Christ, the Lord of life. And may our words and actions proclaim with all those who witnessed the loosening of the tongue of Zacheriah: “What then will this child be?”—for surely, the hand of the Lord is with every child, every human life, created in His image and destined for His glory.
Amen.
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