Catholic Culture
Collect: O God, strength of those who hope in you, graciously hear our pleas, and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing, grant us always the help of your grace, that in following your commands we may please you by our resolve and our deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
o Chiresaye (Cherry Pudding Decorated with Flowers)
o Finnish Pancakes
o Winster Wake Cakes
o Bonfire for the Feast of the Birth of St. John the Baptist
o Customs of the Vigil and Birth of St. John the Baptist
o Door Decoration for the Eve of the Birth of St. John the Baptist
o Feasts of Saint John the Baptist
o Hymn: Ut queant laxis (text)
o Ideas for the Feast of the Birth St. John the Baptist
o Johannesfeuer
o Religion in the Home for Preschool: June
o St. John the Baptist's Day
o St. John's Eve
o St. John's Eve Bonfire
o The Birth of Saint John the Baptist
o The Story of St. John the Baptist
o Ut queant laxis hymn description
o June Devotion: The Sacred Heart
o Blessing of a Bonfire on the Vigil of the Birthday of St. John the Baptist from Roman Ritual
o Litany of St. John the Baptist
· Ordinary Time: June 23rd
· Monday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: Vigil of St. John the Baptist; St. Ethelreda, virgin (Hist) ; Other Titles: Johannisnacht
According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the Vigil of St. John the Baptist. The Birth of St. John the Baptist is a solemnity, and so observance still begins with Evening Prayer I in the Liturgy of the Hours of the preceding day. The liturgical day is from midnight to midnight in the Church's observance, except for Sunday and solemnities which begin with the evening of the preceding day.
Historically today is also the feast of St. Ethelreda the most popular of Anglo-Saxon women saints. She lived in the early era of the Germanic invasion of Britain.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John
Whom, my brethren, can we conceive to have such majestic and severe sanctity as the Holy Baptist? He had a privilege which reached near upon the prerogative of the Most Blessed Mother of God; for, if she was conceived without sin, at least without sin he was born. She was all-pure, all-holy, and sin had no part in her: but St. John was in the beginning of his existence a partaker of Adam's curse: he lay under God's wrath, deprived of that grace which Adam had received, and which is the life and strength of human nature. Yet as soon as Christ, his Lord and Savior, came to him, and Mary saluted his own mother, Elizabeth, forthwith the grace of God was given to him, and the original guilt was wiped away from his soul. And therefore it is that we celebrate the nativity of St. John; nothing unholy does the Church celebrate; not St. Peter's nor St. Paul's, nor St. Augustine's, nor St. Gregory's, nor St. Bernard's, nor St. Aloysius's, nor the nativity of any other Saint, however glorious, because they were all born in sin. She celebrates their conversions, their prerogatives, their martyrdoms, their deaths, their translations, but not their birth, because in no case was it holy.
Three nativities alone does she commemorate, our Lord's, His Mother's, and lastly, St. John's. What a special gift was this, my brethren, separating the Baptist off, and distinguishing him from all prophets and preachers, who ever lived, however holy, except perhaps the prophet Jeremiah. And such as was his commencement, was the course of his life. He was carried away by the Spirit into the desert, and there he lived on the simplest fare, in the rudest clothing, in the caves of wild beasts, apart from men, for thirty years, leading a life of mortification and of meditation, till he was called to preach penance, to proclaim the Christ, and to baptize Him; and then having done his work, and having left no act of sin on record, he was laid aside as an instrument which had lost its use, and languished in prison, till he was suddenly cut off by the sword of the executioner. Sanctity is the one idea of him impressed upon us from first to last; a most marvelous Saint, a hermit from his childhood, then a preacher to a fallen people, and then a Martyr. Surely such a life fulfills the expectation, which the salutation of Mary raised concerning him before his birth.
John Henry Newman
Things to Do:
- St. John's Birth marks the summer solstice. On the eve of this feast many countries have celebrated with bonfires. This is especially true in Ireland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. See the list of suggested activities to read more about this tradition.
- Read about St. John's Eve particularly in Ireland (note the link is a secular website).
- From the Germanic countries, here is some information on the Summer Solstice.
St. Ethelreda
Etheldreda was the daughter of Anna, King of East Anglia and the sister of Erconwald, Ethelburga, Sexburga and Withburga, all saints. Etheldreda was born in Exining, Suffolk, and was married at an early age to Tonbert, Prince of the Gyrwe, but they agreed to live in perfect chastity. As part of the marriage settlement she received from her husband an estate called Ely.
Three years after her marriage, the Prince died, and Etheldreda retired from court and went to live in seclusion on the island of Ely, practicing penance and prayer. For reasons of State she was married again to Egfried, the young son of King Oswiu of Northumbria, who was only 15-years-old. He agreed she should remain a virgin, but 12 years later, demanded his conjugal rights. She refused, saying that she had dedicated herself to God.
She asked the advice of St. Wilfrid, Bishop of Northumbria, who supported her claim and told her to go to a convent. With the consent of Egfried, she became a nun at Codingham Convent. Later, she returned to Ely and built a large double monastery there. She was Abbess of the convent for the rest of her life, and died there on June 23, 695.
Excerpted from Tradition in Action
Things to Do:
- Read this account of the life of St. Ethelreda.
1. Judge not, that you be not judged
2. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.
AUG. Since when these temporal things are provided beforehand against the future, it is uncertain with what purpose it is done, as it may he with a single or double mind, He opportunely subjoins, Judge not.
PSEUD-CHRYS. Otherwise; He has drawn out thus far the consequences or his injunctions of almsgiving; He now takes up those respecting prayer. And this doctrine is in a sort a continuation of that of the prayer; as though it should run, Forgive us our debts, and then should follow, Judge not, that you be not judged.
JEROME; But if He forbids us to judge, how then does Paul judge the Corinthian who had committed uncleanness? Or Peter convict Ananias and Sapphira of falsehood?
PSEUD-CHRYS. But some explain this place after a sense, as though the Lord did not herein forbid Christians to reprove others out of good will, but only intended that Christians should not despise Christians by making a show of their own righteousness, hating others often on Suspicion alone, condemning them, and pursuing private grudges under the show of piety.
CHRYS. Wherefore He does not say, 'Do not cause a sinner to cease,' but do not judge; that is, be not a bitter judge; correct him indeed, but not as an enemy seeking revenge, but as a physician applying a remedy.
PSEUD-CHRYS. But that not even this should Christians correct Christians is shown by that expression, Judge not. But if they do not thus correct, shall they therefore obtain forgiveness of their sins, because it is said, and you shall not be judged? For who obtains forgiveness of a former sin, by not adding another thereto? This we have said, desiring to show that this is not here spoken concerning not judging our neighbor who shall sin against God, but who may sin against ourselves. For who so does not judge his neighbor who has sinned against him, him shall not God judge for his sin, but will forgive him his debt even as He forgave.
CHRYS. Otherwise; He does not forbid us to judge all sin absolutely, but lays this prohibition on such as are themselves full of great evils, and judge others for very small evils. In like manner Paul does not absolutely forbid to judge those that sin, but finds fault with disciples that judged their teacher, and instructs us not to judge these that are above us.
HILARY; Otherwise; He forbids us to judge God touching His promises; for as judgments among men are founded on things uncertain, so this judgment against God is drawn from somewhat that is doubtful. And He therefore would have us put away the custom from us altogether; for it is not here as in other cases where it is sin to have given a false judgment; but here we have begun to sin if we have pronounced any judgment at all.
AUG. I suppose the command here to be no other than that we should always put the best interpretation on such actions as seem doubtful with what mind they were done. But concerning such as cannot be done with good purpose, as adulteries, blasphemies, and the like, He permits us to judge; but of indifferent actions which admit of being done with either good or bad purpose, it is rash to judge, but especially so to condemn. There are two cases in which we should be particularly on our guard against hasty judgments, when it does not appear with what mind the action was done; and when it does not yet appear, what sort of man any one may turn out, who now seems either good or bad. Wherefore we should neither blame those things of which we know with what mind they are done, nor so blame those things which are manifest, as though we despaired of recovery. Here one may think there is difficulty in what follows, with what judgment you judge you shall be judged. If we judge a hasty judgment, will God also judge us with the like? Or if we have measured with a false measure, is there with God a false measure whence it may be measured to us again? For by measure I suppose is here meant judgment. Surely this is only said, that the haste in which you punish another shall be itself your punishment. For injustice often does no harm to him who suffers the wrong; but must always hurt him who does the wrong.
ID. Some say, How is it true that Christ says, And with what measure you shall mete it shall be measured to you again, if temporal sin is to be punished by eternal suffering? They do not observe that it is not said the same measure, because of the equal space of time, but because of the equal retribution namely, that he who has done evil should suffer evil, though even in that sense it might be said of that of which the Lord spoke here, namely of judgments and condemnations. Accordingly, he that judges and condemns unjustly, if he is judged and condemned, justly receives in the same measure though not the same thing that He gave; by judgment he did what was unjust, by judgment he suffers what is just.
3. And why behold you the sliver that is in your brother's eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye?
4. Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull out the sliver out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye?
5. You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall you see clearly to cast out the sliver out of your brother's eye.
ID. The Lord having admonished us concerning hasty and unjust judgment; and because that they are most given to rash judgment, who judge concerning things uncertain; and they most readily find fault, who love rather to speak evil and to condemn than to cure and to correct; a fault that springs either from pride or jealousy - therefore He subjoins, Why see you the sliver in your brother's eye, and see not the beam in your own eye?
JEROME; He speaks of such as though themselves guilty of mortal sin, do not forgive a trivial fault in their brother.
AUG. As if He perhaps have sinned in anger, and you correct him with settled hate. For as great as is the difference between a beam and a mote, So great is the difference between anger and hatred. For hatred is anger become inveterate. It may be if you are angry with a man that you would have him amend, not so if you hate him.
CHRYS. Many do this, if they see a Monk having a superfluous garment, or a plentiful meal, they break out into bitter accusation, though themselves daily seize and devour, and suffer from excess of drinking.
PSEUD-CHRYS. Otherwise; This is spoken to the doctors. For every sin is either a great or a small sin according to the character of the sinner If he is a lay, it is small and a sliver in comparison of the sin of a priest, which is the beam.
HILARY; Otherwise; The sin against the Holy Spirit is to take from God power which has influences, and from Christ substance which is of eternity, through whom as God came to man, So shall man likewise come to God. As much greater then as is the beam than the sliver, so much greater is the sin against the Holy Spirit than all other sins. As when unbelievers object to others carnal sins, and secrete in themselves the burden of that sin, to wit, that they trust not the promises of God, their minds being blinded as their eye might be by a beam.
PSEUD-CHRYS. That is, with what face can you charge your brother with sin, when yourself are living in the same or a yet greater sin?
AUG. When then we are brought under the necessity of finding fault with any, let us first consider whether the sin be such as we have never had; secondly that we are yet men, and may fall into it; then, whether it be one that we have had, and are now without, and then let our common frailty come into our mind, that pity and not hate may go before correction. Should we find ourselves in the same fault, let us not reprove, but groan with the offender, and invite him to struggle with us. Seldom indeed and in cases of great necessity is reproof to be employed; and then only that the Lord may be served and not ourselves.
PSEUD-CHRYS. Otherwise; How say you to your brother; that is, with what purpose? From charity, that you may save your neighbor? Surely not, for you would first save yourself. You desire therefore not to heal others, but by good doctrine to cover bad life, and to gain praise of learning from men, not the reward of edifying from God, and you are a hypocrite; as it follows, You hypocrite, cast first the beam out of your own eye.
AUG. For to reprove sin is the duty of the good, which when the bad do, they act a part, dissembling their own character, and assuming one that does not belong to them.
CHRYS. And it is to be noted, that whenever He intends to denounce any great sin, He begins with an epithet of reproach, as below, You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt; and so here, You hypocrite, cast out first. For each one knows better the things of himself than the things of others, and sees more the things that be great, than the things that be lesser, and loves himself more than his neighbor Therefore He bids him who is chargeable with many sins, not to be a harsh judge of another's faults, especially if they be small. Herein not forbidding to arraign and correct but forbidding to make light of our own sins, and magnify those of others. For it is necessary that you first diligently to examine how great may be your own sins, and then try those of your neighbor; whence it follows, and then shall you see clearly, to cast the sliver out of your brother's eye.
AUG. For having removed from our own eve the beam of envy, of malice, or hypocrisy, we shall see clearly to cast the beam out of our brother's eye.
Catena Aurea Matthew 7
