"There was a man sent from God whose name was John". While Luke's Gospel recounts the earthly birth of John, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the brief affirmation from John's Gospel, used in the Opening Antiphon, reminds us that the birth of this child was part of a greater event: he was "sent from God": his whole life would be part of God's work of redemption. The child's name, "John" is derived from the phrase "Yahweh gives" and so may be conveniently interpreted as "gift of God". We normally celebrate the feast day of saints on the day commemorating their death, their "birth" into eternal life. Only in the case of Jesus, Mary and John do we celebrate their birth on earth, for the earthly birth of each one was a further step in God's work of redeeming and restoring the human race.

Enlightened by faith, we can also affirm of every child: "Here is a child sent from God", for each child, each one of us, is sent into the world. Particularly when we are named in Christian baptism, each one of us is sent into the world by God and so each one is part of the mission of Jesus who came to redeem humanity.