Confraternity of Our Lady of Mercy

Women and Men Seeking Holiness as the Answer to Abortion

  • Welcome
  • Seeking Holiness
  • Membership
    • Directors
    • Special Prayer Partners
  • Sacraments
    • Holy Mass
    • Eucharistic Adoration
    • Frequent Confession
  • Prayer
    • Morning Offering
    • Devotion to Mary
    • The Holy Rosary
    • Lectio Divina
    • Chaplet of Divine Mercy
    • Examination of Conscience
    • Annual Retreat
  • Mercy
  • Patron Saints
    • Our Lady of Mercy
    • St. Augustine
    • St. Margaret of Cortona
  • Resources
    • Articles from other websites
      • Horror of Sin & the Mercy of God
    • Recommended Books
    • Brief Quotes from Saints
  • Contact
  • Prayer Requests
You are here: Home / Spiritual Teaching / Birth of St. John the Baptist

Birth of St. John the Baptist

June 24, 2016 by Fr. Ben Cameron Leave a Comment

John the BaptistToday the Church celebrates the ancient feast day in which we commemorate the birth of St. John the Baptist. Normally, the Church celebrates the day in which a saint left this world to enter our true and heavenly homeland. But today the Church celebrates the birth of St. John into this world of time.

Why would we celebrate his birthday? The only other birthdays that we celebrate are those of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother Mary. St. John is that saint of whom Our Lord Himself said that “there is no man born of women greater than John the Baptist.” What made him so great? First, that he was chosen by God to be the greatest of the prophets, to be the prophet who would be the Precursor of the Messiah. Second, John was sanctified in the womb of his mother, St. Elizabeth, when he leapt for joy at the voice of Mary, recognizing the presence of his Savior and Lord. Third, St. John was the Voice who announced the Eternal Word – as St. Augustine put it: “John was a voice that lasted only for a time; Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.” The Voice passes away, but the Word remains in our hearts. Finally, St. John the Baptist excelled in the virtue of humility. Here was a man who was so holy and dedicated to God, who most of the people thought might be the Messiah, and he testifies that he is not worthy to unfasten the sandals on Our Lord’s feet! St. John pointed Our Blessed Lord out to his disciples and told them that He, Jesus, was “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” and that “He must increase, and I must decrease.” He wanted his disciples to become the disciples of Jesus, the Messiah.

What lessons can we take from St. John the Baptist? Each of us has been chosen by God, we have a special place in God’s eternal plan of salvation – we may not fully understand it in this life, but we will see it clearly in the next. We are also called to be humble, to see our place and to take it – to embrace God’s call in our lives, and not to exalt ourselves but to humbly serve Jesus Christ our Lord. And we are also “voices” who are called to proclaim Our Lord Jesus and His Gospel (including the Gospel teaching on the sanctity of every human life) – we will pass away, but Jesus and His eternal message will remain! May each of us become more like St. John the Baptist, that Our Lord Jesus may be glorified in us!

Filed Under: Spiritual Teaching

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

Can God forgive our gravest sins?

Sometimes people ask if God can really forgive our most grievous sins — He not only can, but He actually does, if we ask for forgiveness. In this video, I share some stories of people who were notorious sinners — some would say “monsters” — who experienced the grace of forgiveness from the Infinite Mercy […]

One Soul at a Time

Over the past year, we have seen a several signs of hope regarding the sanctity of every human life, and suffered a few setbacks as well. On the positive side, the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the infamous Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey decisions, rejecting the notion that there is a federal […]

November – Month of the Poor Souls

One of the spiritual works of mercy is to “pray for the living and the dead.” We usually remember that we should pray for the living, because they are around us, seen by us, and their needs are often apparent to our eyes. But do we remember to pray for the dead, for the souls […]

Our Lady, Terror of Demons

We are in a war, a spiritual war. The Christian life is a constant war against the world, the flesh, and the devil. But what does that mean? We are at war with “the world” in its fallen state, in which the world around us, fallen and prone-to-evil human society, attempts to lead us away […]

Blogroll

  • Testimony from a Woman Healed from Abortion
  • The Power of God's Mercy to Heal even the Deepest Wounds
  • Women of Grace: Part one of interview with Fr. Ben Cameron

Devotional Links

  • Chaplet of Divine Mercy
  • How to Pray the Rosary
  • Miraculous Medal
  • The Green Scapular

Post-abortion healing

  • Entering Canaan Retreats
  • Hope After Abortion – Project Rachel
  • Rachel's Vineyard – International Site
  • Rachel's Vineyard Kentucky
  • Rachel's Vineyard Kentucky Facebook page

Religious

  • Fathers of Mercy

Posts: Listed by Topics

  • Art in Honor of the Unborn (2)
  • Latest News (30)
  • Liturgical Prayers (3)
  • Prayer requests (1)
  • Radio/TV interviews (3)
  • Reflections from Saints and Holy Persons (34)
  • Spiritual Teaching (82)
  • Testimonies (4)
  • Uncategorized (5)
  • Works of Mercy (18)

Post Archives: By Month

Copyright © 2023 Confraternity of Our Lady of Mercy · All Rights Reserved · Website built by Spears Marketing · Admin