The Messenger of the Dawn

Voice over by Rose Khaing Mye Thu

Mal 3:1-4.23-24; Psalm: 24; Lk 1:57-66

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, on this coming of the Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Church presents us with the figure of the great Forerunner. His story, woven from prophecy and miracle, reveals a timeless truth: before the Lord’s coming, He sends a messenger to prepare our hearts, turning them toward the grace that is about to dawn.

The Prophet Malachi delivers God’s solemn promise: “I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me.” This messenger will be like a refiner’s fire, purifying the sons of Levi. But his mission is also one of healing and restoration, to “turn the hearts of fathers toward their sons,” lest the Lord come and strike the land with a curse. This is the twofold task of the forerunner: to purify and to reconcile, to awaken a people ready to receive their God.

This ancient prophecy finds its stunning fulfillment in the Gospel. In the quiet hill country of Judea, a child is born to the aged Zechariah and Elizabeth. Their neighbors and relatives want to name him after his father, following human custom. But Elizabeth, faithful to the angel’s command, insists, “He will be called John.” When Zechariah confirms this in writing, his tongue is freed, and he immediately blesses God. The people are filled with awe, asking, “What, then, will this child be?” They understand that “the hand of the Lord was with him.” The child’s very name, John, which means “God is gracious,” is a proclamation. His miraculous birth and naming signal that God’s promise is no longer a future hope, but a present reality taking flesh. He is the messenger, sent to prepare the way.

God, in His wisdom, does not come unannounced. He prepares us. John the Baptist stands as the pivotal figure between the Old and New Covenants, the final prophet who points directly to the Lamb of God. As the Catechism teaches, John is the Lord’s immediate precursor, the greatest of the prophets, who completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah (CCC 523, 719). His birth, celebrated as the summer solstice approaches, marks the moment when the light begins to wane, making way for the true Light of the World, whose birth at the winter solstice heralds the light’s return.

The comfort for us is this: God is always preparing our hearts to receive more of His grace. He sends His messengers—a word in prayer, a challenge from a friend, the teaching of the Church—to refine our intentions and turn our hearts toward our heavenly Father. The challenge is to listen for that voice and to cooperate with the work of preparation.

Let us take to heart the lesson of Zechariah, whose faithful obedience unlocked his voice to praise God. Let us ask for the intercession of Saint John the Baptist. May he, the fearless forerunner, help us to prepare a straight path for the Lord in our own hearts, that we may joyfully recognize and follow the One who comes after him, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Amen.