On the night of June 23, the eve of the feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (la Noche de San Juan), many people in Puerto Rico head for the beaches for an evening of feasting and fun to celebrate their patron saint and the namesake of the capital of the island.
When the clock strikes midnight, the party-goers head for the sea and plunge themselves backward into the water three times. This is meant to recall the many baptisms performed by John in the Jordan River as a symbol for the forgiveness of sins and conversion of life. The ritual has strong secular underpinnings, too, and is performed to ward off all evil and to hope for a prosperous year ahead. Bonfires also are lit on the beach to honor the strength of the sun during this time of the summer solstice.
It is noteworthy that when John saw Jesus approaching him at the river, he did not say, “Behold the Savior, the Messiah, the Son of God,” or something similar, but rather, “Behold the Lamb of God.” For the Jews, that meant only one thing, the Passover lamb, the one whose blood saved them from the angel of death and set them free from slavery in Egypt. Now, a person, Jesus of Nazareth, would take on the saving role of the lamb, and by his Death on the Cross, would free humanity from bondage to sin. The lamb then became the ultimate symbol of true freedom. It is, therefore, appropriate to name John the Baptist the Prophet of Freedom.
A prophet is one who speaks in place of another. John the Baptist spoke on behalf of God the Father. The apostle and evangelist of the same name clearly attested to that. “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him.” (Jn 1: 6-7) As John was the prophet who prepared the way for Jesus, Jesus was himself the prophet par excellence of the Father.
As part of the rite of Baptism, we are anointed on the head with sacred chrism to share in the prophetic ministry of Christ. This means we all have the vocation and the duty to be the mouthpiece of the Lord in some way in our own place and time according to our own individual ability and state in life. It is indeed an awesome responsibility.
If ever our Church, our world and our country were in need of prophets, it is surely today. To our dismay, many seek to stifle, smother and silence prophetic voices of truth and goodness. Such prophets of Christ are often called intolerant bigots and hate mongers. These disparaging labels are ascribed simply for objecting to such perversions as the sexualization and loss of innocence of young children in public schools and other public forums, as well as public displays of immorality.
As Catholics, we acknowledge the inherent dignity of every human being. Thus, we support the right of all adults to believe and live as they wish according to their conscience and desire. In all fairness, however, we must draw the line when such rights impinge upon the rights of others to do the same, and especially when they fail to protect the well-being of minors.
In 1634, English Catholics first arrived in the colony of Maryland at the invitation of Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore. He envisaged a free, peaceful and tolerant society where all could worship according to their conscience. It was the first colony where Catholics were accorded that right. His vision was codified in 1649 in the Act Concerning Religion, known as the Toleration Act. The Founding Fathers of the United States remembered it 140 years later at the Constitutional Convention and included freedom of conscience and religion in the Bill of Rights. If that freedom is severely curtailed, then all other freedoms are at risk, too.
As we seek to fulfill our prophetic mission today, we realize that we must already be doing something right because we know that Christianity shows its greatness when it is hated by the world. We also take great consolation in the words of encouragement of Jesus himself: “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” (Mt 5:11-12)
Saint John the Baptist, pray for us!
Father Edward Kolla is a retired priest of the Diocese.
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