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Friends of the Rosary,
Today, June 24, is the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the precursor and forerunner of the Lord.
Along with Jesus and Mary, John the Baptist’s nativity is one of the three birthdays on the Church’s calendar.
John had a special place in God’s salvific plan. His conception was a miracle; he was sanctified and cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, at the Visitation.
Elizabeth was Mary’s cousin and Zachary was a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem. As a baby in the womb, John recognized Jesus’ presence in Mary’s womb when Mary visited Elizabeth soon after the Annunciation. Both women were pregnant at the same time.
The Angel Gabriel had visited Zachary and told him that his wife would bear a child, even though she was already past the childbearing age.
John was probably born in Ain-Karim, located southwest of Jerusalem. As a young adult, he lived as a hermit in the Judean desert until approximately A.D. 27.
At the age of 30, he began preaching on the banks of the Jordan, calling for repentance and baptizing people in the river’s waters.
When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John recognized Jesus as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying, “It is I who needs baptism from you.”
John the Baptist spent his adult life preparing the way for Jesus, proclaiming that “the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.”
He preached the baptism of repentance that was necessary to prepare for Christ, the Lamb of God, as he identified Him. He preceded and heralded the Redeemer.
John continued to preach after Jesus was baptized, but was imprisoned by Herod Antipas after he denounced the king’s adulterous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half-brother Philip.
John was beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias, dying as a martyr and anticipating Christ Jesus’ saving death on the cross.
Many came to know Jesus through John, namely the Apostles Andrew and John.
Ave Maria!
Jesus, I Trust In You!
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!
Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!
+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York
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