The Nativity of St. John the Baptist
“And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways.”
The Church celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, the prophet chosen to prepare Israel for the coming of Jesus Christ.
The story
The birth of St. John the Baptist is recorded in the first chapter of Luke. His parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were devout Israelites who had grown old without children. While Zechariah was serving as a priest in the Jerusalem Temple, the angel Gabriel announced that Elizabeth would bear a son named John. He would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would prepare a people for the Lord. Zechariah doubted the message and was unable to speak until its fulfillment.
Elizabeth conceived, and during her pregnancy Mary came to visit her. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the unborn John leaped in his mother's womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and recognized Mary as the mother of her Lord. This encounter shows that John's mission as the forerunner of Christ began before his birth. It also stands among the scriptural foundations for the Church's reverence for human life in the womb.
Eight days after the child was born, relatives expected him to receive his father's name. Elizabeth insisted that he be called John, as Gabriel had commanded. Zechariah confirmed the name in writing, and his speech returned. He then praised God in the canticle known as the Benedictus. Zechariah proclaimed that John would be called a prophet of the Most High and would prepare the Lord's way by teaching his people salvation through the forgiveness of sins.
John later lived in the wilderness, preached repentance, and baptized in the Jordan. He identified Jesus as the Lamb of God and directed his own disciples toward him. John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas after condemning the ruler's unlawful marriage. Herod eventually ordered his beheading. The Church has honored John since antiquity as a prophet, martyr, and immediate forerunner of Christ. His nativity is celebrated on June 24, six months before Christmas, as a solemnity in the General Roman Calendar. Apart from Jesus and Mary, John is the only saint whose earthly birth is observed with a universal liturgical celebration.
What Nativity teaches
John teaches that every vocation finds its meaning in pointing toward Christ rather than seeking personal glory. His witness also calls for repentance, moral courage, and protection of life before birth. As the Catechism teaches, John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah and prepares the people for the Messiah (CCC 719).
Patronage
baptism and conversion, preachers, French Canadians, Puerto Rico.
Prayer
O God, you raised up St. John the Baptist to prepare a people for Christ. Grant us courage to repent, defend the truth, and direct every heart toward your Son. Through John's intercession, make our lives faithful witnesses to the Lamb of God. Amen.