"I will make you a Light to the Nations" (Isaiah 49: 6) Today the Church celebrates with joy the Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist. In the figure of John, we can look at the parallel history of Jesus. In a way, celebrating John's birth is preparing us to celebrate the birth of Jesus six months later. Like Jesus, the story of John goes back even before his birth. Indeed, John was chosen before he was born to be the one who prepares the way of the Lord. As we celebrate the birth of John, let us remember our own baptism and the beginnings of our Christian faith. John, while he was in his mother's womb was called to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. In the first reading of the prophet Isaiah we find his vocation even before he was born. Although we have not been called by God so dramatically, by virtue of our baptism, we are each called to share Christ's saving mission. Today is a good day to reflect on the call of God in our lives. Today is the day to become aware that we are the image of the Incarnate God. Today we are called to witness the goodness of God in our lives. We can see that both the prophet Isaiah and Saint Paul devoted much of their lives to preaching the greatness of God. Isaiah prophesied about the one who would be sent by God who would come to save the Chosen People. Paul on the other hand spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Curiously, even though they preached 700 years apart, the two coincide in the message of salvation. For Isaiah the Lord "wants his salvation to reach to the ends of the earth." Paul says that "to us this word of salvation has been sent." In our Christian faith we proclaim the salvation that Jesus, the Messiah of God, gives to each one of us. Isaiah and Paul, like St. John the Baptist, proclaimed this message to all people. Our challenge is to proclaim in action the same message of salvation and mercy that only comes from God. As we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, we celebrate his vocation and testimony that began even before he was born. St. Luke tells us that John was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother's womb. We should not forget that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit from the moment we were baptized. Pope Francis wants us to revive our memory and pray for the parish where we were baptized and for the priest who baptized us. The Pope also wants our Christian vocation to "develop throughout life as it implies a personal and not a borrowed response." Fr. Hernán, SJ. When we celebrate Saint John the Baptist, we imitate his life and dedication to God throughout our lives: Let us pray that: we can be purified as He purified himself in the desert; we can carry a message of repentance, forgiveness and mercy to all those around us; and that just like John we should be honest and generous in order to prepare the way of the Lord here and now