Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 06-24-12, Solemnity, Nativity, St John the Baptist, Vigil

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 06-24-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

Interactive Saints for Kids

The Birth of John the Baptist

Feast Day: June 24
Born: (a few months before Jesus) :: Died: (around) 30

John's parents were Elizabeth the cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Zachary a temple priest whose job was to burn incense. Zachary and Elizabeth were quite old when one day an angel of God appeared to Zachary in the temple. The angel told him that his wife would bear a son who would be filled with the Holy Spirit at his birth. The child should be named John.

Zachary found this difficult to believe and God punished him by taking away his voice. He remained dumb until after John’s birth. Eight days after John was born his parents took him to the temple where he would be named Zachary, after his father. But both Elizabeth and Zachary asked for the child to be named John. Immediately, Zachary’s tongue was loosened and got back his voice.

John had a special job to do for God. He was going to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. So when he was still young, about twenty-seven, he went into the desert to prepare himself with silence, prayer and penance. He wore a tunic of camel hair with a leather belt and lived on wild honey and locusts (the locust tree is an evergreen that has edible bean like pods).

Soon crowds started to come to him. They realized he was a holy man. He warned them to be sorry for their sins and asked them to change their lives. He baptized them with water and gave them the baptism of repentance.

One day, Jesus himself came to John. He wanted to be baptized with John's baptism to begin making up for our sins. On that day, John told the crowds that Jesus was the Messiah, the one they had been waiting for. He told them and everyone else to follow him.

Later on, St. John learned that King Herod had married Herodias a woman who already had a husband and a daughter. This king was the son of the King Herod who had murdered all those little boys in Bethlehem. St. John told him that it was wrong for him to live with that woman.

King Herod was angry and humiliated. He locked John up in prison and John remained in a dark, damp dungeon for a long time. Then on Herod’s birthday Herodias’s daughter danced beautifully at his banquet. The delighted Herod said he would grant her any she wished. At her mother’s request, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

The shocked Herod had not choice and sent his executioner to kill John and bring back his head. When his disciples heard about it, they immediately came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. Jesus said, “I am the Truth” and John died for the truth.

St. John's motto was, "Jesus must become more and more. I must become less and less." He said that he was not even worthy to loosen the strap of Jesus' sandal.

[Salvation]

 

Catholic

Almanac:

Sunday, June 24

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. When an angel foretold John's birth to his father Zechariah, he doubted the angel. For doubting the power of God, Zechariah was unable to speak until after his son's birth.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: June 24, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that your family may walk in the way of salvation and, attentive to what Saint John the Precursor urged, may come safely to the One he foretold, our Lord Jesus Christ. Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

RECIPES

• Chiresaye (Cherry Pudding Decorated with Flowers)
• Empanadas de Orno
• Finnish Pancakes
• Tacos
• Tortillas de Harina
• Welsh Rarebit

ACTIVITIES

• Bonfire for the Feast of the Birth of St. John the Baptist
• Door Decoration for the Eve of the Birth of St. John the Baptist
• Family and Friends of Jesus Scrapbook Album
• Feast of St. John the Baptist
• Feasts of Saint John the Baptist
• Hymn: Ut queant laxis (text)
• Johannesfeuer
• Namedays
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: June
• St. John the Baptist
• St. John the Baptist's Day
• St. John's Eve
• St. John's Eve Bonfire
• The Story of St. John the Baptist
• Ut queant laxis hymn description
• What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

• June Devotion: The Sacred Heart
• Blessing of a Bonfire on the Vigil of the Birthday of St. John the Baptist
• Litany of St. John the Baptist

Ordinary Time: June 24th

Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Old Calendar: Nativity of St. John the Baptist

This feast, a segment of Advent in the season of Ordinary Time, makes us aware of the wonderful inner relationship between the sacred mysteries; for we are still in the midst of one Church year and already a bridge is being erected to the coming year of grace.

Ordinarily the Church observes the day of a saint's death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of Blessed Mary and of St. John the Baptist. All other persons were stained with original sin at birth, hence, were displeasing to God. But Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin (for which reason even her very conception is commemorated by a special feast), and John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother. This is the dogmatic justification for today's feast. In the breviary St. Augustine explains the reason for today's observance in the following words:

"Apart from the most holy solemnity commemorating our Savior's birth, the Church keeps the birthday of no other person except that of John the Baptist. (The feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin had not yet been introduced.) In the case of other saints or of God's chosen ones, the Church, as you know, solemnizes the day on which they were reborn to everlasting beatitude after ending the trials of this life and gloriously triumphing over the world.

"For all these the final day of their lives, the day on which they completed their earthly service is honored. But for John the day of his birth, the day on which he began this mortal life is likewise sacred. The reason for this is, of course, that the Lord willed to announce to men His own coming through the Baptist, lest if He appeared suddenly, they would fail to recognize Him. John represented the Old Covenant and the Law. Therefore he preceded the Redeemer, even as the Law preceded and heralded the new dispensation of grace."

In other words, today's feast anticipates the feast of Christmas. Taking an overall view, we keep during the course of the year only two mysteries, that of Christ's Incarnation and that of His Redemption. The Redemption mystery is the greater of the two; the Incarnation touches the human heart more directly. To the Redemption mystery the entire Easter season is devoted, from Septuagesima until Pentecost; and likewise every Sunday of the year, because Sunday is Easter in miniature.

The Christmas season has for its object the mystery of God-become-Man, to which there is reference only now and then during the remaining part of the year, e.g., on Marian feasts, especially that of the Annunciation (March 25) and today's feast in honor of the Baptist. In a sense, then, we are celebrating Christ's incarnation today. The birth of Jesus is observed on December 25 at the time of the winter solstice, while the birth of His forerunner is observed six months earlier at the time of the summer solstice. Christmas is a "light" feast; the same is true today. The popular custom centering about "St. John's Fire" stems from soundest Christian dogma and could well be given renewed attention. St. John's Fire symbolizes Christ the Light; John was a lamp that burned and shone. We Christians should be the light of the world.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Patron: Baptism; bird dealers; converts; convulsions; convulsive children; cutters; epilepsy; epileptics; farriers; hail; hailstorms; Knights Hospitaller; Knights of Malta; lambs; Maltese Knights; lovers; monastic life; motorways; printers, spasms; tailors; Genoa, Italy; Quebec; Sassano, Italy; Diocese of Savannah, Georgia; Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina; Diocese of Dodge City, Kansas; Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey; Diocese of Portland, Maine.

Symbols: Lamb; lamb on a book of seven seals; locust; camel's hair tunic; girdle; his head on a charger; scroll with words Ecce Agnus Dei or with Vox Clamantis in deserto; long, slender cross-tipped staff; open Bible; banner of victory.

Things to Do:

• Read about the traditions connected with this feast, particularly the connection with bonfires.

• The Liturgy of the Hours for the Evening Prayer (Vespers) of the Birth of St. John the Baptist has traditionally included the Gregorian chant Ut Queant Laxis. Tradition has ascribed the hymn to a Paul Warnefried (Paul the Deacon, 730-799). While preparing to sing the Exsultet at the Holy Saturday vigil, he found himself hoarse, and so prayed to St. John the Baptist, since his father lost his voice before John was born. Paul's voice was restored and he wrote this hymn in honor of the saint. True or not, what makes this song memorable is that the Benedictine monk used this hymn as a pivotal reference for our musical scale. See Catholic Encyclopedia's entry Ut Queant Laxis, more information on the hymn from Catholic Culture, a Beginner's Guide to Modal Harmony, and Gregorian Chant Notation.

• The Church year has two cycles. The more important cycle is the Temporal cycle (from the Latin tempus which means time or season). The life of Christ is relived in liturgical time, in both real time and Church's memory. Throughout the year the Paschal Mystery (Christ's work of redemption through His birth, life, passion, death, and resurrection and ascension) is relived, and broken down into the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Ordinary Time. Sundays are the usual means by which this cycle unfolds.

  At the same time with the temporal cycle, the Sanctoral cycle (from the Latin sanctus which means saint) progresses. The Church honors Mary, Mother of God "with a special love. She is inseparably linked with the saving work of her son" (CCC 1172). Then the memorials of martyrs and other saints are kept by the Church. They are held up to us as examples "who draw all men to the Father through Christ, and through their merits she begs for God's favors" (CCC 1173).

  This is one of the few saint feast days that is connected with the temporal calendar, not the sanctoral calendar, because John the Baptist was intimately involved in Christ's work of redemption. Charting or making your own liturgical calendar would be a great family project.

• Read the excerpt from the Directory on Popular Piety on the cult of St. John the Baptist.

• In Brazil, this day is known as Diário de Sáo Joáo (Saint John's Day). The festivities are set off in the villages and countryside by the Fogueira de Sáo Joáo (bonfire) on St. John's eve. Families and friends eat traditional foods around the fire while younger folks jump over the fire and firecrackers are exploded. The day is primarily a festival for children, who save up months in advance to purchase fireworks to set off for the day. In cities this is a day for parties and dances, with the urban dwellers dressing up in rural costumes.

  St. John is the protector of lovers, so for fun, young country girls in Brazil will roll up scraps of paper, each bearing a name of a single girl and place them into a bowl of water. The first one which unfolds indicates the girl who will marry first.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Isaiah 49:1-6

Subscriber? Login to view archives.

Article Tools

• Text Size
• Email this article

The Birth of St. John the Baptist

The Lord called me from birth. (Isaiah 49:1)

What do you think is the most amazing thing about John the Bap­tist? His zeal for the Lord? His pas­sionate preaching? Maybe his gift of self-denial or the humility he dis­played despite his fame?

How about this instead: Even as a fetus, John leapt for joy in the pres­ence of the Virgin Mary because she was carrying the Son of God. John was still an unborn baby, barely aware of life outside of the womb, and yet the muffled, quiet sound of Mary’s greeting filled him with joy.

John’s leap may remind us of Rebecca, who also felt an unusual amount of activity from the twins in her womb. She asked God why this was happening, and he told her that something spiritual and prophetic was going on inside of her (Genesis 25:20-23). King David also leapt before the Ark of the Covenant. He loved God so much he couldn’t con­tain himself (2 Samuel 6:14-15). The prophet Isaiah wrote that in the age to come, when the glory of the Lord is made manifest, the lame will leap for joy (Isaiah 35:4-6).

John’s joy shows us that there is a part of us that can recognize God, something encoded deep in the way he made us. It’s in all of us, not just the great saints and the unborn. It’s also something that the Holy Spirit wants to bring to life in each of us. He wants to fill us all with joy as we sense the presence of the Lord.

So let’s honor John the Baptist today. As a bridge between the Old and New Testaments, John truly is one of the greatest saints of the church. But let’s never forget that his relationship with Jesus—especially his ability to recognize the Lord and rejoice in him—is something we all can experience. Every one of us can leap for joy as we prepare this world for the coming of Christ the King!

“Lord, I want to see you. Come show yourself to me, and fill my heart with joy.”

---

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

(Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 139:1-3,13-15; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66,80)

1. The first reading is the second of seven “Servant of the Lord” oracles in Isaiah, which speaks prophetically of the passion and glorification of Christ. In this oracle, we hear these powerful words: “The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name,” “my reward is with the Lord., my recompense is with my God,” and “my God is now my strength.” In what ways do these words also apply to you?

2. In the responsorial psalm, the psalmist speaks of how the Lord “formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.” He goes on to say that he has been “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Similar to the first reading and the responsorial psalm, there are many other Scriptures that speak of how God has formed and called each of us beginning with conception in our mother’s womb. For example, Jeremiah 1:5 says these words: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you.” How would you describe how these Scriptures are related to the strong pro-life teachings of the Church against abortion? How can you use these and other Scriptures in your own pro-life witness?

3. In the second reading, David is called “a man after God’s heart; he will carry out my every wish.” These words could also be easily applied to John the Baptist. What about you? What are the obstacles in your life that keep you from being the same kind of person? What steps can you take to overcome them?

4. In the Gospel reading, which describes the birth of John the Baptist, all the people who witnessed it “were amazed” and his birth “was discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.” Why do you think John’s birth caused such a stir among the people? Does it have the same affect on you? Why or why not?

5. The meditation reminds us that the joy that John the Baptist experienced in the womb of Elizabeth “shows us that there is a part of us that can recognize God, something encoded deep in the way he made us.” It goes on to say that John’s “relationship with Jesus—especially his ability to recognize the Lord and rejoice in him—is something we all can experience.” In what ways has this been true in your own life? Can you give specific examples? What steps can you take to open yourself to experience more deeply the “joy of the Lord”?

6. Take some time now to pray for a greater openness to the “joy of the Lord” in your life. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

YOU ARE MY SERVANT, …… IN WHOM I WILL BE GLORIFIED

23 Jun

YOU ARE MY SERVANT, …… IN WHOM I WILL BE GLORIFIED

(A biblical reflection on the Solemnity of THE BIRTHDAY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST – Sunday, 24 June 2012)

First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-6 

Psalms: Ps 139:-3,13-15, Second Reading: Acts 13:22-26;Gospel Reading: Lk 1:57-66,80

The Scripture Text

Listen to me. O coastlands, and hearken, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother He named my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of His hand He hid me; He made me a polished arrow, in His quiver He hid me away. And He said to me, “You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God.”

And now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength – He says: “It is too light a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Is 49:1-6 RSV)  

The God who made heaven and earth has a glorious plan that includes every person who will ever live. It is not hard to believe this about special individuals like John the Baptist. But the truth is that God has a specific plan for everyone. Each and every one of us has been called and given a part to play. To each an every one of us, God says the same words He said to John the Baptist, and to all the great saints: “You are My servant, …… in whom I will be glorified” (Is 49:3).

John the Baptist understood this truth. He came to it by spending much time in prayer, through which he began to take on the heart of God. As a result, when John the Baptist looked around at the crowds who were coming to hear him preach, he did not see them just as sinners who needed to be corrected, but as people who were called by God for a specific purpose.

John the Baptist spoke strong words of judgment, but they came out of his passion that no one missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime. He treated every person he saw as divinely created and therefore having great dignity, regardless of their social standing or natural gifts.

What about us, my dear Sisters and Brothers? Do we have something of John the Baptist’s passion to see everyone embrace God’s plan, or do we limit ourselves? How often do we reach beyond our comfort zones and circles of acquaintance?  Do we see some people as worth our time and others not? If we spend time with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to search our hearts, as John the Baptist did, we too will be filled with God’s vision for everyone we meet. Then we will be motivated to set aside our fears or judgments and cooperate with God in lifting up other people’s vision about who they are and what they can do in this world.

Short Prayer: Holy Spirit, God, You set John the Baptist’s heart on fire to bring all men and women to know the Father. I know You have a plain for my life, just as You did for John the Baptist. Come, Holy Spirit, reveal Your plan and empower me to fulfill it. Amen.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for June 24, 2012:

When the time for the Baptist’s naming came, Elizabeth said firmly, “He will be called John.” (Lk 1:60). Standing for one’s faith and marriage is sometimes countercultural. Recall a time when you followed your conscience despite opposition.

[Salvation]

Sunday Scripture Study

Nativity of John the Baptist  -  Cycles A, B & C

   (Mass During the Day)

June 24, 2012

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer  

First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-6

Psalm: 139:1b-3, 13-15

Second Reading: Acts 13:22-26

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:57-66, 80

• The beginning of the story of John the Baptist (whose birth we celebrate today) goes back to the first verses of Luke’s Gospel (Luke 1:5-25). The angel Gabriel appears to the aged priest Zechariah and announces to him that his wife Elizabeth will have a son in their old age who will be the one to herald the coming of the long awaited Messiah.

• That the Messiah would have a forerunner that would prepare God’s people to receive their Messiah was also prophesied in the Old Testament, most notably in Malachi 3, verses 1 and 23. (NAB).

• The angel tells Zechariah that the child will “be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah and to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” (Luke 1:15-17).  Because Zechariah greets this good news with doubt, he is stricken speechless until the time the promised son will be born.

• This Sunday’s Gospel picks up the story (after the events of the Annunciation and Visitation, Luke 1:26-56) when the time for the birth of John had arrived.

 

QUESTIONS:

• The 1^st Reading is most often applied to the Messiah; however, the Church applies it in today’s liturgy to John the Baptist. Considering the Gospel reading and what you know of John the Baptist, in what ways can you say it can also apply to the precursor of Jesus?

• How did John’s birth fulfill the words of the angel in Luke 1:13-17?

• How did the neighbors and relatives respond to these events? How does this all begin to promote the Gospel?

• Toward the end of the Gospel reading, the people ask the question, “What, then, will this child be?” (verse 65). As Zechariah’s neighbor, what would you think about his son? What would be your answer to this question?

• Time permitting, read Zechariah’s Canticle found in verses 67-79. What, according to this canticle, is the purpose of salvation? How does it show God’s unfolding plan from Old Testament days to the coming of the Messiah? Of the promises listed in this song, which one means the most to you? Why?

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 523, 535, 717-720

 

Rightly also, from that moment was his [Zechariah’s] tongue loosed for that which unbelief had bound, faith set free. Let us then also believe, in order that our tongue, which has been bound by the chains of unbelief, may be loosed by the voice of reason. Let us write mysteries by the Spirit if we wish to speak. Let us write the forerunner of Christ, not on tables of stone, but on the fleshly tablets of the heart. For he who names John [the Baptist], prophesies Christ.  --St. Ambrose

[Salvation]

Zechariah Loses His Voice

Pastor’s Column

Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

June 24, 2012

 

“Immediately his power of speech returned, and he spoke blessing God.”

                                        Luke 1:64

 

          Have you ever received a vision of an angel? When Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, saw the Archangel Gabriel, it literally left him speechless! It is interesting to note the differences between what happened when the Virgin Mary received this same angel, and when Zechariah did: Mary expressed faith and said “yes,” to God, while Zechariah expressed doubt that Elizabeth and he could still have a child as an elderly couple. He didn’t say, “No,” but expressed doubt, even when he saw.

 

          Zechariah must have been having a good day up to that point. He was a priest, chosen by lot to be the one priest that day (out of thousands) to offer the incense in what was called the “Holy” of the Temple (the inside of the building). Outside, all the people waited and prayed. It was precisely at this moment Gabriel appeared to announce the “good news” of God’s will. John the Baptist was on his way, no matter how impossible it might seem.

 

          It is interesting to note the reaction of Gabriel to Zechariah’s lack of faith, for the scriptures call him “a righteous man.” Yet God seems to have asked him to go beyond his comfort zone, beyond where his faith would permit.  The archangel seems genuinely put off by Zechariah’s lack of faith! To paraphrase: “Do you realize what a grace you have received in hearing an angel who is in the presence of God? How can you have a reaction like this?” And Zechariah loses the power of speech until the child is born.

 

          God has a mission for each of us in life. Most of us do not receive our instructions directly from the hands of an angel, but our role in the immediate world around us is no less important to God. Because we are not so privileged as to see and hear angels telling us God’s will, he expects us to obey the scriptures, the church, and our conscience. We are to discern the Will of God in the present moment as is dictated by the persons and circumstances we encounter on a daily basis. If God delivers his will in such a way that there is no room for doubt (like a visible angel), we are really on the hook. But because we normally must discern his will in faith, without seeing clearly all the implications of it, we are given a whole lifetime to make our choices in life – for or against God.

 

          Zechariah used his time of silence well. He was speechless for nine months, but far from resenting it, he profited by reflecting on God’s will, especially after his wife conceived. We know this because the first words out of his mouth were to praise God and his will! When we break our silence to praise God, we are, like Zechariah, saying “yes’ to God, even though we may have had our doubts at the beginning.

 

                                                                          Father Gary

[Salvation]

Birth of John the Forerunner and Religious Liberty

Leonardo da Vinci: Jesus and John

Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/062412-mass-during-the-day.cfm

Is 49: 1-6
Acts 13:  22-26
Lk 1: 57-66,80

Well, a very Merry “little Christmas” to everyone!  This Sunday we mark the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist. Note the date – the 24^th of the month – and in just six months we will be in the darkness of winter and proclaiming, “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

Tradition states that by the time Mary met Elizabeth, Elizabeth was already farther along in her pregnancy.  As Luke tells us, “Mary remained with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.” (Lk 1: 56).  By custom, Mary had gone to assist her cousin in her pregnancy and the delivery of her child.  Thus, we believe that John was about six months older than Jesus.  And so, June 24, six months before Christmas Eve, is the birthday of John the Baptist.  Now, that may be more liturgical trivia than you were looking for but I sometimes find such things interesting.

Even more compelling, though, is certainly the position of this last and greatest of all Old Testament prophets.  All the hopes and dreams of parents for their children are sometimes disappointed or often increased as they discover their child to have certain talents or abilities they never imagined. Hopes and dreams are ideals that keep us alive.

For Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah, those hopes and dreams must have been particularly unique.  In the Gospel of Luke 1: 5-25 we read of the announcement of John’s birth.  A very different venue than Mary in Nazareth.  But in the end, both converge in the great truth we hear in the first reading for today’s Solemnity: “. . .For now the Lord has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb . . .” (Is 49). In other words in the case of both John and Jesus, God intervened directly in a way that he had never before or since. 

The strange events surrounding the birth of John in today’s Gospel (Lk 11: 57-66,80) reinforce the fact of God’s intervention and a call to allow our eyes and hearts to see through John to the one he would point to.  As his time approached, John proclaimed, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 3: 30).  This in a sense summarizes our lifestyle as disciples of Jesus.  In all things of our life, he must increase and we decrease.

So often these days we take the separation of church and state in this country to mean that I live a schizophrenic life; a kind of split personality that I am one way in my Church and another in the public marketplace. 

Yet, the life of us Catholics rooted so deeply in tradition, scripture and the lived teachings of our faith, calls us to let the voice of Christ be heard beyond the walls of our Churches.   If we are serious about our faith, it forms us in matters of conscience and morals. This formation influences the way we think, what and who we choose as friends, spouse, leadership and by what guide we will live.

Not in a way that is arrogant or self-righteous but in a way that allows us to be taken seriously and in particular allows us to freely exercise our religious beliefs without coercion by the government which may, as it did John the Baptist himself, challenge our fundamental beliefs of conscience and morality.  

John the Baptist died because his voice was too unbearable for the king to hear. His consistency and determination did not waver when he was threatened.   Our Catholic Bishops of the U.S. have recently declared a “Fortnight for Freedom” in which all Catholics across this Country are asked to engage in a “great hymn of prayer for our country” and “a national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty.”

Fortnight information: http://usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/fortnight-for-freedom/fortnight-for-freedom-opening-homily-archbishop-william-lori.cfm

During these days of June 21 – July 4 we have outstanding examples of martyrs who gave their lives in face of a hostile government:  Sts. John Fisher, Thomas More (6/21), John the Baptist (6/24), Peter and Paul (6/29). It’s a powerful week for those who cherish freedom and conscience. 

America is a bastion of religious liberty for the entire world to emulate. Though we have a multitude of religious expressions in this country we can live together harmoniously.  We can, as the earliest of Christians did, live as faithful citizens while at the same time enjoy all that our religious expression offers to us.  Society as a whole is far better off with this freedom intact. There is a fundamental reason that religious liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly is the first of our Amendments – because it is the most important for the health of human society.

But as John the Baptist shows us, as Sts. John Fisher, Thomas More, Peter and Paul witnessed, when our secular government commands us to do what God tells us not to do, the rest of our American freedoms are also at risk. Should we refuse to obey an unjust law? It becomes a John the Baptist question in a way – who will increase?  The gradual infringement of the government on religious rights or the Gospel by which we have been allowed to live and worship these more than two centuries of American liberty?

The recent Health and Human Services mandate that all employers, including Catholic agencies, provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, is a national attack on religious liberty that has no precedent. We have never before been compelled to pay for such things that fly against our teaching on the dignity of the human person so why now? Other measures on the state and federal level have forced Catholic Charities in some major cities of this Country to abandon their adoption service to deserving married couples.  That is a great tragedy which further silences the voice of a faith based organization.

Recently an enlightening opinion on this issue was offered by Sr. Carol Keehan, President of the Catholic Health Care Association. She states:

“We continue to believe that it is imperative for the Administration to abandon the narrow definition of “religious employer” and instead use an expanded definition to exempt from the contraceptive mandate not only churches, but also Catholic hospitals, health care organization and other ministries of the Church . . . the government should find a way to provide and pay for these services directly without requiring any direct or indirect involvement of “religious employers,” . . .”

The debate continues but time is short.  Like John the Baptist may we become a voice in the wilderness that does not tire of our obligation to go beyond the walls of our worship places.

Fr. Tim

[Salvation]

Insight Scoop

St. John the Baptist: Called by God and filled with the Spirit to proclaim the Son

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, June 24, 2012, The Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Is 49:1-6
• Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15
• Acts 13:22-26
• Lk 1:57-66, 80

The birth of a child is a momentous occasion, filled with joy, hope, and, yes, some apprehension. It is also a time of transition; it breaks time into “before” and “after,” and brings all sorts of changes into the lives of parents, family, and friends.

The Church, in the course of the liturgical year, celebrates the birth of three people, related by blood, bound together by the work of the Holy Spirit, and united in bringing about the greatest “before” and “after” in the history of the world.

The greatest of these solemnities is, of course, the Nativity of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The second is the Nativity of the Mother of God, the blessed Virgin Mary, who was conceived, born, and lived without sin. The third is John the Baptist, whose role in the mystery of God’s plan of salvation is difficult to exaggerate and yet is often taken for granted.

While Mary was chosen to bear and mother the Son of God, John the Baptist was chosen to prepare the way for the Lamb of God and to announce Him to the world. “John surpasses all the prophets,” remarks the Catechism, “of whom he is the last. He inaugurates the Gospel, already from his mother's womb welcomes the coming of Christ, and rejoices in being ‘the friend of the bridegroom’, whom he points out as ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’” (CCC 523).

But, the Catechism also points out, John was more than a prophet (CCC 719). He was the culmination of a long and illustrious line of prophets who spoke and suffered for the Lord. Today’s reading from Isaiah, in which that Old Testament prophet described how God named him while yet in the womb, finds perfect fulfillment in John. His father, the priest Zechariah, had been told by an angel—as he offering incense in the temple—that he would have a son whose name would be John. “He will be great in the sight of the Lord,” the frightened priest was told, “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (Lk 1:13-17).

The birth, life, and martyrdom of John the Baptist are intimately connected with the work of the Holy Spirit. Even before birth he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and from the womb he leapt in recognition of his Lord’s presence (Lk 1:41). He was the “voice of the Consoler” who was yet to come, bearing witness to the light of Christ, just as the Holy Spirit has done since Pentecost (CCC 719).

When the Triune nature of God was revealed at Jesus’ baptism in the river Jordan, it was John who, reluctantly, performed the baptism. That revelatory event marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and John’s declaration, as a self-described “best man” of the Bridegroom, “He must increase; I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).

This feast celebrating John the Baptist’s birth is also a celebration of the prophet’s role in paving the way for the new birth granted to all those baptized into Christ. “Finally, with John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit begins the restoration to man of ‘the divine likeness,’ prefiguring what he would achieve with and in Christ. John's baptism was for repentance; baptism in water and the Spirit will be a new birth” (CCC 720).

Called by God, John knew who he was because he always saw himself in relation to Jesus. Filled with the Holy Spirit, John poured out his life for the Kingdom, his own death foreshadowing the crucifixion of the King of Kings. Born in the midst of the greatest events of human history, John the Baptist continues to declare, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the June 24, 2007, issue of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Joy and Gladness Shall Be Thine

By

Father Mark

 on June 23, 2012 9:21 PM | 

 

John the Baptist and the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Today was the Vigil of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist: eight days after the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. John the Baptist, while yet an infant hidden in Saint Elizabeth's womb, was the first to experience the sweet mediation of the Virgin Mother's Immaculate Heart. It was the God-bearing Virgin's Heart, full of solicitude for her cousin Elizabeth, that moved her to "arise and go with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah" (cf. Lk 1:39). There the Mother of God bearing her Son beneath her Immaculate Heart, "entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth" (Lk 1:40).

The Light of the Real Presence Shining in Her Eyes

This was, in a sense, the first mission of the Immaculate Heart of Mary: to carry the hidden Christ to the "little child" (Lk 1:76) destined to be the Friend of the Bridegroom (Jn 3:29), the Prophet of the Most High (Lk 1:76). With the flame of love burning in her Immaculate Heart and the light of the real presence shining in her eyes, Mary "became in some way a tabernacle -- the first tabernacle in history" (John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, art. 55). With the arrival of the Virgin-Tabernacle enclosing within her the "Dayspring from on high" (Lk 1:78), John the Baptist was sanctified, washed clean of original sin, and quickened by the Holy Spirit.

Jubilation

The birth of John the Baptist was an occasion of jubilation. Having already been touched by the Heart of Mary, the Cause of our Joy, the Baptist comes into the world as the Herald of Joy. His prophetic ministry, even as he advances toward a cruel death, is illumined by a supernatural joy. "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn 3:29-30).

The Infallible Sign of the Presence of God

For what gift does the Church make us ask in the Collect of tomorrow's solemnity? For "the grace of spiritual joys." Already by his birth, Saint John the Baptist teaches us that the first of these spiritual joys is a living, personal contact with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. At every moment, the Mother of God is ready to grace us with her presence. She comes always to reveal the Face of her Son, hidden now in the Eucharist as He was hidden in the tabernacle of her womb when she visited Elizabeth. The fruit of that mysterious encounter between the Infant Christ and the Infant Forerunner had the unmistakable taste of divine joy, the joy that Blessed Abbot Marmion called "the infallible sign of the presence of God."

Blood and Roses

Look at this marvelous painting by Botticelli depicting the Mother of God, the Child Jesus and His little cousin, the Baptist. What I find most striking is that at the very center of the painting is the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Virgin is holding her Child; he appears heavy in her arms. She bows low to allow the little Baptist to give her Jesus a hug and a kiss. The small boys appear to be about two years old. The Baptist has to stretch to reach the Face of Jesus; he is already dressed in his desert garb and carrying his little wooden staff. The top of the staff has the form of the Cross; the Cross thus appears directly over the head of the Infant Christ, a portent of His sacrifice. The Mother of God wears a blood red gown; something about her posture suggests an outpouring of blood, an effusion of the heart. Just behind the Virgin is a rose bush in full bloom: a symbol -- yes, you guessed it -- of spiritual joys.

Let Me Give Thy Son a Kiss

More than my words ever could, Botticelli's painting suggests that the mission of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is to introduce all of us, as she did the little Baptist, into a reverent and tender intimacy with her Son. The Mother of God bends over each of us, her garments dyed red in the Blood that flowed on Calvary, the very Blood that won for us every spiritual joy. Where the Mother of God is present, there charity is poured out and there spiritual joys abound. Put yourself today in the position of the child John the Baptist. Ask the Blessed Virgin to let you embrace her Son and offer Him a kiss. Her Immaculate Heart will not refuse you this.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

What´s in a Name?

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist

Father Edward McIlmail, LC

Luke 1:57-66, 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, "No. He will be called John." But they answered her, "There is no one among your relatives who has this name." So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name," and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, "What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I make this effort at prayer for the sake of my soul and the souls of my loved ones. I believe that you died for us and want us to be with you forever in heaven.

Petition: Grant me new respect, Lord, for parents.

1. Bundle of Joy: The arrival of a new baby has been a source of joy throughout the ages. Babies are God´s way of saying the world should go on. Each new child reflects a facet of the infinite beauty and mystery of God. And by teaching us patience and selflessness, the little ones help us grow in holiness. In their childlike simplicity they teach us to remain simple. Their neediness can, and should, soften our hearts. They don´t even have to be our own children; we can feel an obligation to help all kids, since their lives enrich all of us. What have I done lately to help the little ones, born and unborn? Is there a crisis-pregnancy center that could use help? Have I spoken well of parents who are open to large families?

2. God´s Choice: For the ancient Jews a name captured, even defined, a person´s identity. So for Elizabeth to name her son "John" was significant. It showed her recognition of God´s great plan for the child. John was in the Almighty´s special care from the start. Even today, each and every child is loved by God and has a destiny in the heavenly Father´s plan. Each has a vocation, a calling, in the Church. Do I appreciate the role that little ones have in God´s plans? Do I respect their dignity? Or do I try to impose my prejudices on them? They are tomorrow´s adults. How will I want them to remember my example?


3. Loosened Lips: Zechariah had doubted God and was struck mute. He regains his speech only after publicly accepting God´s plan and allowing his newborn son to take the name John. We, too, might have a bit of Zechariah in us. We resist God, only to hit a dead end. Bad friendships, habits of serious sin, rising despair – all of these can eat away at us. Yet, repentance is slow to come. Why? "We think that evil is basically good," said Pope Benedict XVI (December 8, 2005). "We think that we need it, at least a little, in order to experience the fullness of being. … If we look, however, at the world that surrounds us we can see that this is not so; in other words, that evil is always poisonous, does not uplift human beings, but degrades and humiliates them." Am I resisting God´s plans?


Conversation with Christ: Lord, you have put family members and other loved ones in my life for a reason. I´m to help them get to heaven, and they are to help me do the same. Remind me of this truth, and help me in a special way not to interfere with the plans you have for the children in my life.

Resolution: I will pray a decade of the rosary that all my family members reach heaven.

[Salvation]

Nativity of St. John the Baptist

• Homily of the Day
• June 24th, 2012
• Food For Thought

First Reading: Is 49:1-6

Psalm: Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15

Second Reading: Acts 13:22-26

Gospel: Lk 1:57-66, 80

Today we celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist. He was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Luke tells us the angel Gabriel announced his birth to his father Zechariah and gave him the name John, which means “God is gracious.” (Luke 1:8-23) Even while still in his mother’s womb he recognized the presence of Jesus by leaping when Mary visited Elizabeth (Luke 1:41). It is the moment when John the Baptist was cleansed of original sin. The angel Gabriel had previously promised Zechariah that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit even while in the womb (Luke 1:15), and this promise was fulfilled when he was cleansed of original sin when Mary visited his mother Elizabeth.

John left his parents to live the life of a prophet in the desert. He preached in the desert dressed like an Old Testament prophet, wearing a garment of camel-skin and eating locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:6; Matt 3:4). He proclaimed the kingdom of God and a coming judgment, and invited people to accept baptism as a sign of their repentance. His ministry resembled that of the prophets in that he disturbed the comfortable and comforted the disturbed. We see him disturbing the comfortable when he said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, “Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming retribution? Produce fruit in keeping with your repentance and do not presume to tell yourselves we have Abraham as our father.” (Luke 3:7-8) His message obviously disturbed people so some of the powerful did repent, including tax-collectors and soldiers. Tax-collectors asked him what they must do and he replied, “Exact no more than the appointed rate.” (Luke 3:13) Soldiers also repented, and his advice to them was “No intimidation! No Extortion! Be content with your pay!” (Luke 3:14) His message spread far and wide. Mark says all Jerusalem and Judea made their way to him and as they were baptized in the Jordan they confessed their sins (Mark 1:5).

We see John’s humility when he did not want attention on himself but directed people to Jesus. People began to wonder if John was the Messiah so he reassured them that he was not. He declared that his ministry was preparing for the coming of the Messiah, “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8) When Jesus came to John asking for baptism, John recognized Jesus at once and said, “Look, there is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29) These words have found their way into the prayer of Mass; when the priest holds up the Sacred Host as we prepare for Holy Communion he says, “ This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world…” Jesus began his public ministry after he had been baptized by John. An expectation had developed among the Jews that the prophet Elijah would return to earth once again to prepare them for the coming of the Messiah and Jesus later declared that John was that Elijah type person they were expecting (Mark 9:13). After Jesus’ baptism once again we see John turning the attention to Jesus as he declared, “He must increase, I must decrease.” (John 3:30) We are reminded of this fact celebrating John’s birth just days after the summer solstice since the daylight will now decrease and we will celebrate the birth of Jesus just days after the winter solstice when the daylight will increase.

We see John’s great courage in condemning the marriage of Herod to Herod’s brother’s wife. This is a reminder to us that not everything that is allowed by law is morally right, e.g. divorce and abortion.  Herod had John arrested and put in prison. John stood up for the truth and unfortunately like many who stand up for the truth today he had to pay a price. John’s courage in upholding the dignity of marriage and condemning the adulterous relationship of Herod and Herodias was to result in his death by beheading in prison.

History repeats itself, and John the Baptist’s beheading was repeated in another saint, St. Thomas More. He was born in London in 1478. He studied law and entered Parliament in 1504. When no offspring resulted from the marriage of Henry VIII and his wife Katherine of Aragón, Henry divorced her and married Anne Boleyn so that there would be heirs to the throne. Parliament passed a law forcing clergy to acknowledge Henry as the supreme head of the Church. Shortly afterwards Thomas More resigned his post as Lord Chancellor. He was aware that just because something is lawful does not mean it is morally right. On April  14^th 1534 he was summoned to Lambeth and asked to take the oath which he refused and he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was tried for treason in Westminster Hall and found guilty. He was beheaded on July 6^th 1535. His final words were, “The King’s good servant, but God’s first.” He was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935.

John’s courage in upholding the truth about marriage, and his subsequent beheading as a result, challenges us in a time when it is not popular to speak the truth or live by the truth. Both he and St. Thomas More remind us that just because certain behavior is enshrined in the law of the land does not mean that is morally right. John turning attention away from himself towards Jesus reminds us to do the same also in our lives. In each of us, we ourselves are to decrease and Jesus is to increase. St. John the Baptist, pray for us.

[Salvation]

John the Baptist: Pointing Away from Himself

John the Baptist: Pointing Away From Himself

• Faith
• June 22nd, 2012
• Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

On December the 25^th, we celebrate the big one—the birthday of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh.  The Church actually does not celebrate the birthday of the saints, except that of Jesus’ mother.  Generally, their special day in the calendar is the date of their death, their entry into eternal life.  But there is one notable exception.  Since we celebrate the birthday of the Word, we also celebrate the birthday of the Voice.  We’re referring to Jesus’ cousin of course, John the Baptist, the Voice crying out in the wilderness.

John plays a unique role in the history of salvation.  We call him the Baptist.  Eastern Christians call him the Forerunner.  Only Luke’s gospel tells us of the marvelous circumstances surrounding his birth.  But each of the four gospels tells us of his essential work in preparing the way for Jesus.  But they also tell us something further—that John was a model of  the key virtue of humility extolled by the first Beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount—Blessed are the Poor in Spirit.

Let’s examine the record.  Crowds were coming to hear John from all over Israel before anyone even heard a peep out of the carpenter fromNazareth.  In fact, John even baptized his cousin which launched Jesus’ public ministry, heralding the demise of John’s career.

Most of us would not appreciate the competition.  The Pharisees and Sadducees certainly did not. They felt threatened by Jesus popularity.  But John actually encouraged his disciples to leave him and follow the Lamb of God.  When people came, ready to honor John as messiah, he set them straight.  He was not the star of the show, only the best supporting actor.  Jesus, he said, was the one to watch.  John may have been center-stage for a while, but now that the star had shown up, the Baptist realized that it was time for him to slip quietly off to the dressing room.

Or to use John’s own example, he was like the best man at a wedding.  It certainly is an honor to be chosen as “best man.”  But the best man does not get the bride.  According to Jewish custom, the best man’s role was to bring the bride to the bridegroom, and then make a tactful exit.  And John found joy in this.  “My joy is now full.  He must increase and I must decrease.”

The Baptist was joyful because he was humble.  In fact, he shows us the true nature of this virtue.  Humility is not beating up on yourself, denying that you have any gifts, talents, or importance.  John knew he had an important role which he played aggressively, with authority and confidence.  The humble man does not sheepishly look down on himself.  Actually, he does not look at himself at all.  He looks away from himself to the Lord.

At one time or another, every human being battles a nagging sense inadequacy. Pride is sin’s approach to dealing with this.  Proud people are preoccupied with self, seeing all others as competitors.  The proud perpetually exalt themselves over others in hopes that this will provide a sense of worth and inner peace.  Of course, it doesn’t.  Human history has proven that time and time again.  Even the pagan Greek storytellers knew that hubris or pride was the precursor of tragedy.  Pride always comes before the fall, as it did in the Garden of Eden.

Humility brings freedom from this frantic bondage.  Trying at every turn to affirm, exalt, and protect oneself is an exhausting enterprise. Receiving one’s dignity and self-worth as a gift from God relieves us from this stressful burden.  Freed from the blinding compulsion to dominate, we can feel a sense of satisfaction when others recognize that God is God and honor him as such.  We can even be free to recognize God in someone else and rejoice when others notice and honor God’s goodness this person.

There is another aspect of John’s character to reflect upon as we celebrate his birthday.  Repeatedly, the gospels associate the Baptist with spiritual joy.  At the presence of Jesus and Mary, he leapt for joy in his mothers womb (Lk 1:44).  And it says that he rejoices to hear the bridegroom’s voice (Jn 3:29-30).

But how do we reconcile this joy with John’s stark call to repent? Because repentance is all about humility and humility is all about freedom.  And freedom leads to inner peace and joy, joy in the presence of the Bridegroom.

Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, writes from Texas.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Sunday, June 24, 2012 >>

Birth of St. John the Baptizer Saint of the Day

Isaiah 49:1-6
Acts 13:22-26
View Readings

Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15
Luke 1:57-66, 80

FREEDOM-FIGHTER

"Look for the One Who comes after me." —Acts 13:25

 

When John the Baptizer saw Jesus, he didn't say: "There's Jesus" or "There's the Savior" or "There's the Messiah." Rather, he said: "There is the Lamb of God" (Jn 1:29). The Church does the same thing right before Holy Communion. The priest holds up the Host, but he doesn't say: "This is Communion" or "This is Jesus." Instead, he proclaims: "This is the Lamb of God."

The Jewish people think of a lamb differently than we do. For them, a lamb is primarily the Passover lamb, the ultimate symbol of freedom (Ex 12:3). This lamb was used by the Lord to free the entire Israelite nation from hundreds of years of slavery.

Today we celebrate the birthday of John the Baptizer. John still points us to Jesus, the Lamb of God. When we believe in Jesus, we will be freed from discouragement (see Is 49:4ff) and spiritual paralysis (see Lk 1:64) by being freed from sin, the cause of these evils (Acts 13:24).

We don't have to wait till the Fourth of July for Independence Day. We can have Independence Day, that is "Freedom Day," today when we repent and believe in Jesus, the Lamb of God. "If the Son frees you, you will really be free" (Jn 8:36).

 

Prayer: Father, use me to free others from sin, Satan, and hell.

Promise: "At that moment his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God." —Lk 1:64

Praise: Praise You, Jesus, Lamb of God (Jn 1:29). All honor, glory, and blessings be to You forever.

[Salvation]

 

Pray for an end to abortion and a return to a culture of life in our nation.