asking, what will this child be - feast of john the baptist 2014

In our Christian calendar there are four feasts to mark and therefore welcome the change of seasons.  March 25 welcomes spring with the feast of the Annunciation.  June 24 welcomes summer with the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.  The dangers of the cold of winter with its possible disease and dangers is welcomed on September 29 with the feast of the archangels, specially of St. Michael.  Then when the world is about to be enveloped by darkness December 25 is welcomed with hope with the celebration of the birth of the messiah, the light of the world.  It is the church’s way of asking for God’s blessing at every change of seasons knowing that without God human effort and activity, is bound to fail.  Human effort alone cannot suffice whether in planting, harvesting, and storing, and even in the waiting and surviving of winter.  This is to remind us that in God we move and have our being – this is St. Paul.  This is also to remind us unless the Lord builds the house, in vain do its builders labor - this is from the book of psalms.  And there is this beautiful prayer in the prayer of one of the masses in Ordinary Time which says, “Lord, may everything we do begin with your inspiration, continue with your help, and reach perfection under your guidance.” 

Sometimes we forget these realities in our life when we have become too sure of ourselves.  But in reality we are nothing without God, we can do nothing, that we cannot finish what we have begun without God.  And we remember him only when we are powerless and even blame him when things go beyond our control especially during calamities and accidents.  But our church calendar reminds us of ours reality.  Every time there is a change of seasons, every time we start something, at the start of every human endeavor and activity, the church reminds us to ask for God’s blessing, to allow God to intervene and to guide our every step.

Today we read from our gospel the birth of John the Baptist. There was confusion as to how the child should be named.  Then there was the question as to what this child will be?  The strange circumstances surrounding his birth from the time it was announced at the temple occasioned the question – what will this child be? We do that only when the circumstances are strange, probably when there are angels announcing births.  But we don’t do that often, do we, especially in ordinary and much less in dire circumstances?  When Cardinal Sin gave his blessings to the adopting mother and father of a child left at the cathedral grounds, they never thought that she would turn out to be senator in the future.  Siguro kon nabal-an lang nila nga masenador to, siguro damo ang nag-agaw.  My point is, have we ever asked this question even just silently to ourselves, in the presence of our children?  Have we ever asked God or at least considered God’s opinion, as to his plans for our children?  In the presence of a child, gwapo man ukon rismo ukon tap-ingon ukon bunga sang aksidente – have we ever asked God’s plan for this child?  It might be good to do so, after all just like the seasons, the changing of the times and seasons, at the start of every human labor and aspiration, we are made aware that everything is in God’s hands, isn’t it?  Everything is in the hands of God.  And so do we care also to know what God intends for the life that he willed.