The Nativity of John the Baptist

We pray the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist and sit with Saint Augustine’s insight into why John’s birth is a hallowed sign that points straight to Christ. We reflect on John as the boundary between the Old and New Testaments and ask what it means to become a “voice” that makes room for the eternal Word. 
• opening prayers and a Morning Offering through the Immaculate Heart of Mary 
• why the Church commemorates the births of John and Jesus 
• John’s miraculous birth and Christ’s virginal birth as signs of promise and fulfilment 
• John as the boundary between the two testaments and herald of the new era 
• the unborn John leaping at Mary’s arrival as a mark of prophetic calling 
• Zechariah’s silence and restored speech as an image of hidden prophecy revealed 
• John as “the voice” and Christ as the eternal “Word” 
• a closing collect asking to walk in the way of salvation 
If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org.

Transcript

Opening Prayer And Offering\n

SPEAKER_00 0:02

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. World without end. Amen. O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

Augustine On John’s Birth\n

SPEAKER_00 0:44

From a sermon by Saint Augustine, Bishop. The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed event. We have no such commemoration for any other fathers, but it is significant that we celebrate the birthdays of John and Jesus. This day cannot be passed by, and even if my explanation does not match the dignity of the feast, you may still meditate on it with great depth and profit. John was born of a woman too old for childbirth. Christ was born of a youthful virgin. The news of John's birth was met with incredulity, and his father was struck dumb. Christ's birth was believed, and he was conceived through faith. Such is the topic as I have presented it for our inquiry and discussion. But as I said before, if I lack either the time or the ability to study the implications of so profound a mystery, he who speaks within you, even when I am not here, will teach you better. It is he whom you contemplate with devotion, whom you have welcomed into your hearts, whose temples you have

John As Bridge Of Testaments\n

SPEAKER_00 1:48

become. John then appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord Himself bears witness, when he speaks of the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist. Thus he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he is born of aged parents. As a herald of the new era, he is declared to be a prophet while still in his mother's womb. For, when yet unborn, he leapt in his mother's womb at the arrival of Blessed Mary. In that womb he had already been designated a prophet even before he was born. It was revealed that he was to be Christ's precursor before they saw one another.

Zechariah’s Silence And The Voice\n

SPEAKER_00 2:32

These are divine happenings, going beyond the limits of our human frailty. Eventually he is born. He receives his name, his father's tongue is loosened. See how these events reflect reality. Zechariah is silent and loses his voice until John, the precursor of the Lord, is born and restores his voice. The silence of Zechariah is nothing but the age of prophecy lying hidden, obscured as it were, and concealed before the preaching of Christ. At John's arrival, Zechariah's voice is released, and it becomes clear at the coming of the one who was foretold. The release of Zechariah's voice at the birth of John is a parallel to the rending of the veil at Christ's crucifixion. If John were announcing his own coming, Zechariah's lips would not have been opened. The tongue is loosened because a voice is born. For when John was preaching the Lord's coming, he was asked, Who are you? And he replied, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The voice is John, but the Lord in the beginning was the word. John was a voice that lasted only for a time. Christ, the word in the beginning, is eternal.

Prophecy Of Salvation And Closing Prayers\n

SPEAKER_00 3:44

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. For you will go before the Lord to prepare his way. 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 in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen. All that I have and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Join The Cristeros And Resources

SPEAKER_00 4:38

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org.