† Quote of the Day "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." — John The Baptist (John 1:29-31) Today's Meditation "Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a pale image and likeness of My love." —Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska, 1447
An excerpt from Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in My Soul Daily Verse "Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son. And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechari′ah after his father, but his mother said, 'Not so; he shall be called John.' And they said to her, 'None of your kindred is called by this name.' And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called. And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, 'His name is John.' And they all marveled. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, 'What then will this child be?' For the hand of the Lord was with him." — Luke 1:57-66 | Nativity Of John The Baptist
A family relation of Jesus, St. John the Baptist is called "the Forerunner" because he was sent by God to "prepare the way of the Lord" ahead of Jesus' public ministry. The birth of St. John the Baptist to his elderly and previously barren parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, is recorded in St. Luke's Gospel. His birth was announced to his father Zechariah by the Archangel Gabriel, who also brought the news of Christ's birth to the Blessed Virgin Mary. John the Baptist's nativity is one of only three birthdays celebrated by the Church, along with the nativities of Jesus and Mary. Though not an official dogma, according to ancient tradition St. John the Baptist was freed from original sin at the moment his mother heard the greeting of the Blessed Virgin at the Visitation, causing John to leap in his mother's womb through the action of the Holy Spirit. So, like Jesus and Mary, St. John would have been born without sin, and therefore his birthday is also worthy of special honor. Because Christ praised John the Baptist so highly by saying "Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist," he was one of the most highly venerated saints in the ancient and medieval Church. He has two feasts: his nativity on June 24th and his passion on August 29th. | Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Reading I Is 49:1-6 Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. Responsorial Psalm 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15 R. (14) I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
O LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar.
R. I praise you for I am wonderfully made.
Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
My soul also you knew full well; nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret, when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made. Reading II Acts 13:22-26 In those days, Paul said:
"God raised up David as king;
of him God testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man's descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.' "My brothers, sons of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent." Alleluia See Lk 1:76 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 1:57-66, 80 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
"No. He will be called John."
But they answered her,
"There is no one among your relatives who has this name."
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name,"
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
"What, then, will this child be?"
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.
| Daily Meditation: Luke 1:57-66, 80 He was in the desert. (Luke 1:80) God works powerfully in the desert. In the desert, God led his people out of slavery from Egypt. Stripped of food and shelter, the Israelites met their Lord, and he set them free (Exodus 14). In the desert, Jesus fasted and prayed as he contended with the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). He emerged victorious and began to work mighty deeds. The desert is a place of great difficulty, but one filled with deep encounters with God. On today's feast of the birth of John the Baptist, we remember that God led him to the desert to prepare him for his mission. Wearing uncomfortable camel's hair and living on "locusts and wild honey" (Matthew 3:4), he made a deliberate choice to turn away from the comforts of the material world to experience God's provision in the spiritual. John was known for seeking the Lord through fasting and prayer, and believers like us throughout the centuries have followed his lead. In these "deserts," we can retreat from the world, fast from temporary comforts, and seek the eternal God. So often, our daily lives are filled with noise, distractions, and temptations that clutter our minds and muddy our spiritual senses. But as St. Augustine says, "Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind . . . , [and] scatters the clouds" of our fallen desires. Sometimes God calls us to deliberately reject the pleasures of the world to seek him. Other times we experience a "desert" simply through the difficulties in our lives. These hardships separate us from our usual means of comfort or sources of strength, but they can also stir up our longing for God. They can help us discover that God remains close to us, even amid our hardships, and that we can always depend on his grace. Today, thank God for the witness of John the Baptist. And the next time you come face-to-face with hardship, follow his example. Embrace the desert! Seek the Lord and discover all he that he has for you. "John, herald of the Messiah, pray for me that I may find grace in the desert." Isaiah 49:1-6
Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15
Acts 13:22-26 |  HEAR it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name,"
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
"What, then, will this child be?"
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel...." end quote. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. From time immemorial, God has sent messengers, prophets, and spokespersons. Think of that whole line of prophets and the patriarchs of Israel.
John the Baptist sums up all of these figures. In the Gospel of John, the Baptist identifies himself as "the voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.'" The point John makes is that Jesus is not just one more biblical figure. He's something altogether different—not just a speaker of the Word but the Word himself.
We are destined for union with the Word of God, but we don't get it. Why do we run after everything but Christ? Because there's something seriously off-kilter in us. But here's the good news from John's Gospel: "To those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God."
We can't grasp this on our own. God must lift us up. The Word of God, with God from the beginning, does not remain in splendid isolation. It comes down, joins us, and lifts us up. That is the essence of the Christian message....." end quote Bishop Barron.
Everyone was worried about the child's name. What would it be? Surely it'd be the same as his father, to carry on "the name", right? That's what everyone supposed, especially since this would be their only child, to these elderly parents.
But, this isn't our world, it is God's world, isn't it? Our Lord would tell Zechariah in the temple, through an angel, that this child's name would be John. John is a masculine name of Hebrew origin, derived from "Yohannan," meaning "God is gracious". Indeed, God heard the prayers of a woman and a man that could not bear a child. John was born. And a visionary, I believe Sister Anne Emmerich, hinted that John lost his elderly parents as a young boy, but he was already doing God's will from the earliest of times, and was led out to the desert to do God's will of purifying the people of God for the coming of God's only Son.
His parents didn't get to see him grow up, but they already knew that God is true to His word, they had nothing to worry about.
Had they known John the Baptist would be imprisoned and beheaded, they may have been in for the greatest of sorrows like Mother Mary.
What does your name mean? And what does that mean for the Kingdom of God?
I was in Mass before writing to you, and I'm always feeling like I don't do enough for the Kingdom of God. I'm just caught up at work all the time. How can that be any good for the Kingdom? All the saints we read about daily are phenomenal people that are priests or nuns or some that gave their life somehow in a very powerful way to God. But our Lord said that right where we are, we can be doing His will.
St. John the Baptist was doing what He had to do, in his circumstances. He was probably raised with the Essene Jewish sect, those who were puritans and anticipating the coming of our Lord.
And you too, you can be anticipating His coming. A worker came in one day and gave me a gift, a decal that had our Lord peeping and it said "He is coming! Look Busy!".
Is He really coming back? Those that don't believe it act like they can do anything they please, turning the house upside down.
But, we are called to be like the wise virgins, waiting in faith, ready with the light, for the groom would come and they would go with Him for being ready as He desired. The Groom of Virgins, the Groom would be the virgin Himself, to lead a life unlike ours on earth.
And so was the purity of St. John the Baptist. He had oil ready. He had the faith of his father and mother and more. He was the virgin, pure. I always envision St. John as strong, but the scripture said he was strong in spirit. He grew ever stronger. Purity is power. This strength comes from the Lord. And we need that in our weak faith. It needs to be made stronger, not physically, but spiritually, with fasting, and prayer. Our giving of ourselves to God in the purest sense. Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning for love of us, Be our Love. May we love Thee more and more! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
John 6:27 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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