June 24th - Nativity of St. John the Baptist

[Stone]

Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

by Fr. Raphael Frassinetti, 1900

Gospel. Luke i. 57-68. Now Elizabeth's full time of being delivered was come, and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and kinsfolks heard that the Lord had showed his great mercy towards her, and they congratulated with her. And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him by his father's name, Zachary. And his mother answering, said: Not so, but he shall be called John. And they said to her: There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called: And demanding a writing-table, he wrote, saying: John is his name. And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came upon all their neighbors: and all these things were noised abroad over all the hillcountry of Judea. And all they that had heard them laid them up in their heart, saying: What an one, think ye, shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him. And Zachary his father was filled with the Holy Ghost; and he prophesied, saying: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people.


St. John The Baptist, the precursor of Our Lord, was a great saint. Such singular things happened at his birth that people said, "What think you is to become of this child?" The angel said he would be great before God, and Our Lord distinctly said that there was no one born of woman greater than he. In former times on the feast of St. John the Baptist, it is said the priest used to say three Masses just as at Christmas to distinguish this feast from others. Let us to-day review the life and death of this holy man.

The birth of St. John was singular; his father Zachary was old, and no longer expected a son, but the angel assured him that God wished to give him one who was to be great before God. This promise appeared impossible to Zachary, and for his want of faith Our Lord struck him with dumbness, which lasted until the day of the circumcision of St. John, when the child was to receive a name. Zachary took up a slate and wrote on it, "John is his name," and then he broke forth into that noble canticle, "Blessed be the God of Israel."

St. John, though he was a saint, and full of the Holy Ghost, resolved in his early age to go to the desert and spend his time there; he begged his parents to allow him to go away from the world. They consented and he went into a desert country beyond the Jordan. It must haye been a great sorrow to them to lose their son at such an early age, but they were assured that it was the will of God, and they were perfectly resigned. Not many people are so struck with the importance of a good life that they run into the desert to live, in order to be out of danger of the world.

St. John in the desert is a true picture of a penitential life; in fact his life was a long martyrdom, and he persevered in it until he was called forth to preach, and to prepare the way of the Lord. His food was locusts and wild honey, he slept on the bare earth, he did not, as St. Jerome says, even build for himself a hut to protect him from the severity of the weather. His occupation during these many years of solitude was uninterrupted prayer, and communion with God. Reflect a moment, my dear young people. St. John the Baptist, a saint you might say by birth, wished to do such severe penance, and we, who have committed terrible sins, are afraid of the least penance and mortification. If we do not wish to do penance, at least let us abstain from sin. From their very youth many commit great crimes, and instead of doing penance they multiply the number of their iniquities. How wicked are such young people, and how blind! For thirty years John was in the desert, and then he followed the call from God, to come forth and preach that penance which he had so long practiced. Along the banks of the Jordan he went, crying, " Do penance, bring forth good fruit of penance," for the kingdom of God is coming, and He who is to come is to point it out to you. The people were struck by these words, and willingly listened to him; many did what he asked, for they thought he was some great prophet, Eliseus or Elias, who had come to life again. His preaching was strong and decisive; he reproved people for their sins; even Herod was told it was wrong for him to live in open sin. Herod had him apprehended and thrown into prison for offending his majesty, and on a great feast his head was cut off, to satisfy the spiteful woman who had been the object of Herod's impurity.

St. John had a number of disciples who followed him as a master or teacher. When he was apprehended, he consoled them, and directed them to join Our Lord. From his prison he sent a committee to Jesus with the question, "Art Thou He who art to come, or look we for another?" Herod kept St. John several months in prison; here let me tell you the story of his death. Herod gave a feast to the impious Herodias, and invited many neighboring princes and men in high authority. The daughter of Herodias came in and danced before the guests; they were all so pleased that Herod promised he would give her anything she asked, even half his kingdom. When the dance was over she went to her mother to ask what her request should be. Her mother said, "Go thou, and ask for the head of John the Baptist, and bring it to me at once. I want to get that man out of the way, and now is the time when I can do it; perhaps never again will such an opportunity present itself." Though Herod saw now the wickedness and thoughtlessness of his oath and promise, still he gave orders that St. John should be beheaded and his head presented to the impious Herodias on a dish. The saint received the news of his death with joy; he needed very little time to prepare for the other world; he saw that the end of his usefulness had come, and he was satisfied to go to God. He was so holy that it was a consolation for him to die. When the guests saw the head, they were disgusted at this exhibition of cruelty on the part of Herod's family who had invited them to the feast. What consternation must have come over those half-drunken men and women! In this way, too, in horror and fright we also may end our life of sin and our sinful festivals, and eternally bewail our wickedness. Be steadfast in good, and so firm in the practice of your duties that you would allow yourself to be beheaded rather than to yield. You may gain this fidelity by praying to St. John, as many graces and favors have been obtained through his intercession, especially on his feast-day.