REFLECTION:

In today's Gospel, after the birth of John the Baptist, the people who witnessed these extraordinary events began asking a simple but profound question: "What, then, will this child be?" It is a question that has echoed throughout history and one that every parent, grandparent, teacher, and mentor has probably asked at some point.

Time and again, I have heard parents express their hopes for their children. Alumni who send their children to Maryknoll often say, "I want my child to have the same experience I had when I was in school." Parents who are strict with their children do so because they do not want them to make poor choices or become bad people. Couples who have longed for a child often dream of showering that child with every opportunity and blessing they can provide. These are all good intentions. They are natural expressions of love.

Yet I would gently remind parents that your experience will not be the same as your child's experience. An alumnus who attended Maryknoll twenty years ago entered a different world, faced different challenges, and encountered different opportunities than a student does today. The same is true in every family. Parents may want their children to follow the path they walked, avoid the mistakes they made, and enjoy the blessings they received. While those desires come from love, God's plan for our children may not look exactly like our own story.

This is where today's Gospel offers an important lesson. Everyone expected Elizabeth and Zechariah's child to fit into their expectations. They assumed he would carry his father's name and follow the usual path. Instead, God had a different plan. "His name is John," they declared. Even before he was born, God had already given him an identity and a mission.

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges of parenting is finding the balance between guiding a child and allowing God to guide that child. Parents are called to teach values, provide discipline, pass on the faith, and create opportunities for growth. But they are also called to recognize that their child ultimately belongs to God. A parent's vocation is not to create a copy of themselves but to help their child discover who God created them to be.



The question, then, is not simply, "Will my child have the same experiences I had?" Nor is it, "Will my child fulfill the dreams I have for them?" Rather, the question becomes, "What is God's dream for this child?" What gifts has God placed within them? What mission has God entrusted to them? How is God calling them to make a difference in the world?

John the Baptist grew up very differently than anyone could have imagined. He did not seek wealth, status, or comfort. He went into the desert, listened to God's voice, and prepared the way for Christ. His parents likely never could have predicted exactly how his life would unfold. Yet because they were faithful and trusted God's plan, John became the person God created him to be.

The same is true for us. Whether we are parents, teachers, grandparents, pastors, or mentors, we are entrusted with helping young people grow. But we must remember that our role is not to write their story. Our role is to help them discover the story that God is already writing.

And perhaps that question from today's Gospel is not only for children. It is also for each of us. No matter our age, God continues to shape and form us. We may ask ourselves: What, then, will I be? What is God still calling me to become? How can I better fulfill the mission He has given me?

May we have the wisdom of Zechariah and Elizabeth—to trust God's plan even when it differs from our own—and may we help those entrusted to our care become not who we want them to be, but who God created them to be.