Tag: the nativity of st john the baptist

Posted in "Follow Me", CATHOLIC Quotes, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, OUR Cross, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on REPENTANCE

Thought for the Day – 24 June – The Forerunner’s Office

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 June – Meditations with Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Forerunner’s Office .

+1. St John was something more than a Herald.
He had to prepare the way for the King, to make the crooked ways straight and the rough places smooth. His office was that which is entrusted to us all in our own sphere – to try and make the way in which the followers of Christ have to tread straight and easy.
What a privilege, if we can, by our charity and our edifying life, make the path of life easier for those whose lot it is to tread the way of the Cross and to walk over rough or stormy paths!
Is this your endeavour in your daily life, or do you place obstacles in the path of others by your bad example, want of charity and consideration, impatience, etc?

+2. St John , as the Herald or Forerunner of Christ, had to proclaim the coming of the King.
He, himself expresses this by his description of himself as the voice of one who cries in the desert; that is , Christ spoke through his mouth.
So He speaks through the mouths of all His servants in proportion to their devotion and singleness of purpose.
How poor an echo are my words of the whispers of Christ to the faithful soul! How mixed with the discordant notes
of self-will and worldliness!

+3. St John’s estimate of himself in comparison with Him, Whom he announced, was that he was not worthy to stoop down and untie the latchet of His sandal. This was the duty of the lowest slaves. It meant that he was unworthy to serve Christ, even in the capacity of a slave and, by doing the work many slaves would consider beneath them .
Am I willing to undertake the humblest and most menial duties in the service of Christ. Do I consider it a privilege to do so?

Posted in HYMNS, POETRY, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 24 June – St John the Baptist

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 24 June – The Nativity of St John the Baptist

“Amen I say to you.
there hath not risen
among them that are
born of women,
a greater than
John the Baptist.”

Matthew 11:11

God Called Great Prophets to Foretell
By the Benedictine Nuns
of Stanbrook Abbey, UK

God called great Prophets to foretell
the coming of His Only Son;
the greatest, called before His Birth,
the Baptist, John, the chosen one.

John searched in solitude for Christ
and recognised Him when He came.
He showed the world the Lamb of God
and, trusting, hailed Him in our name.

That lonely voice cried out the Truth
by men derided and denied.
As witness to the law of God
in faithful Martyrdom he died.

We praise Thee, Trinity in One,
the glorious Light of unknown ways,
the hope of all who search for Thee,
Whose generous Love fills all our days.

In the Divine Office, God Called Great Prophets to Foretell, is used for Morning Prayer on the Memorial of the Beheading of St John the Baptist, as well as with Evening Prayer I on Solemnity of the Birth of St John the Baptist.

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the LIGHT, CONFESSION/PENANCE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 June – What … shall this child be?

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 24 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus”– Within the Corpus Christi Octave – The Nativity of St John the Baptist – Isaias 49:1-3, 5-7 – Luke 1:57-68 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ What … shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.” – Luke 1:66

REFLECTION – “Rightly then, did the birth of this child make many rejoice then and does make many rejoice today – born in the old age of his parents, he was to preach the grace of rebirth to an aging world. Rightly does the Church solemnly venerate this birth which is wonderfully brought about by grace and, at which nature wonders.

To me certainly, the birth of the world’s Lamp (Jn 5:35) brings fresh joy, for it enabled me to recognise the true Light shining in the darkness but not mastered by the darkness, (Jn1:5.9). His birth brings me a joy utterly unspeakable, for so many outstanding benefits accrue to the world through it.
He is the first to give the Church instruction, to initiate it by penance, to prepare it by Baptism. When it is prepared, he delivers it to Christ and unites it with Him, (Jn 3:29). He both trains it to live temperately and, by his own death, gives it the strength to die with fortitude. In all these ways, he prepares a perfect people for the Lord. (Lk 1:17).” – Bl Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (Sermon 1 for Saint John the Baptist).

PRAYER – O God, Who made this a day most worthy of our celebration because of blessed John; grant Thy people the grace of spiritual joys and direct the minds of all the faithful into the path of eternal salvation. T hrough Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more!
INDULGENCE – 300 Days. i. Partial, Every time ii. Plenary, once a month. Pope Pius IX, 26 November 1876 Raccolta 162

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, St JOHN the BAPTIST

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, Madonna della Navicella / Our Lady of the Ship , Italy (1508) and the Saints celebrated on 24 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Within the Corpus Christi Octave

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist “The precursor of Jesus”
The Great St John!:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/24/the-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-st-john-the-baptist-24-june/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/06/24/saint-of-the-day-24-june-the-nativity-of-st-john-the-baptist/

Madonna della Navicella / Our Lady of the Ship , Chioggia, Venezia, Veneto, Italy (1508) – 24 June:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/24/solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-saint-john-the-baptist-feast-of-the-madonna-della-navicella-our-lady-of-the-ship-chioggia-venezia-veneto-italy-1508-and-memorials-of-the-saints-24-june/

St Aglibert of Créteil
St Agoard of Créteil
St Amphibalus of Verulam

St Bartholomew OSB (Died 1193) Priest, Monk, Hermit of Farne
His Life of Love:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/24/saint-of-the-day-24-june-saint-bartholomew-of-farne-osb-died-1193/

St Erembert I of Kremsmünster
St Faustus of Rome and Companions
St Festus of Rome
St Germoc

St Gohardus (Died 843) Bishop of Nantes, Martyr, a Cephalophore (from the Greek for “head-carrier”), Lord of Blain. Born in 8th Century Angers, Neustria (in modern France) died on 24 June 843 in the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Nantes, Marche de Bretagne.
His Holy Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/06/24/saint-of-the-day-24-june-saint-gohardus-of-nantes-died-843-and-his-companions-bishop-martyr/

St Henry of Auxerre/the Hagiographer
St Ivan of Bohemia
St John of Rome

St John Theristus (c1049-1129) Italian Basilian Monk and Hermit, called Theristus or “Harvester,” Miracle-worker.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/24/saint-of-the-day-23-june-st-john-theristus-c-1049-1129/

St John of Tuy
St Joseph Yuan Zaide
St Rumold
St Simplicius (Died c375) Bishop and Confessor of Autun
St Theodulphus of Lobbes

The First Martyrs of the Church of Rome: Countless numbers were Christians Martyred in the City of Rome during Nero’s persecution in 64. The event is recorded by both Tacitus and Pope Clement I, among others. They are celebrated today.

Martyrs of Satala: Seven Christian brothers who were soldiers in the imperial Roman army. They were expelled from the military, exiled and eventually martyred in the persecutions of Maximian. We know little more about them than their names – Cyriacus, Firminus, Firmus, Longinus, Pharnacius, Heros and Orentius. The martyrdoms occurred in c 311 at assorted locations around the Black Sea.

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN Aspirations and Ejaculations, MARIAN TITLES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 June – What will He be Who comes as the Way (Jn 14:6), if such is the one, who prepares the way?

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One Minute Reflection –27 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Mother of Perpetual Succour – Within the Octave of St John the Baptist – Isaias 49:1-3, 5-7, Luke 1:57-68 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“What then will this child be?” – Luke 1:66

REFLECTION – “What will the glory of the Judge be, if the glory of the hero is so great? What will He be Who comes as the Way (Jn 14:6), if such is the one, who prepares the way? . . . We are celebrating John’s birthday, we also celebrate the birthday of Christ . . . John was born of a woman who was too old for childbearing; Christ was born of a young virgin. John’s birth occurred in spite of the age of his parents; Christ’s birth occurred without the union of sexes. One was predicted by an Angel, the other was conceived by the voice of the Angel…The news of John’s birth was met with incredulity and his father was struck dumb; Mary believes in Christ’s birth and conceives Him through faith…

John, then, appears as the boundary between two covenants, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord Himself bears witness, when He speaks of the law and prophets lasting until John the Baptist: “The law and the prophets lasted until John” (Lk 16:16). Thus John represents the time that is past and, at the same time, he is the herald of the new era to come. Because he represents the past, he is born of aged parents; as herald of the new era, he is declared to be the prophet while still in his mother’s womb (Lk 1:41) . . . It was revealed that he was to be Christ’s precursor even before they had ever seen one another. These are Divine happenings surpassing the limits of our human frailty.

In due course he is born, he receives his name, his father’s tongue is loosened. One must read these events in the light of their deeper symbolic meaning.” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (6th Sermon for the Nativity of John the Baptist, No 293:1)

PRAYER – God our Father, Thou opens the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven to those who are born again of water and the Holy Ghost. Increase the grace Thou hast given, so that the people who have been purified from all sin, may not forfeit the promised blessing of Thy love. Grant that we may ever keep Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, before our eyes and do all in Him and through Him and for Him and may the prayers of our Mother of Perpetual Succour ever guide and bear us in her care! We make our pray through Christ, our Lord,who livest and reignest with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God forever, amen. (Collect).

Ejaculation: My Lady and my Mother, remember, I am thine;
protect and defend me as thy property and possession.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The HEART

Quote of the Day – 24 June – St John the Baptist

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Quote of the Day – 24 June – The Nativity of St John the Baptist

Like St John the Baptist did –
“Prepare a path for God
so that He can enter your heart.”

St John Baptiste de la Salle FSC (1651-1719)

Posted in BAPTISM, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 June – “And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he spoke, blessing God.”- Luke 1:64

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One Minute Reflection – 24 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Nativity of St John the Baptist – Isaias 49:1-3, 5-7, Luke 1:57-68 – – – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he spoke, blessing God.”- Luke 1:64

REFLECTION – “Speaking of John, we read in Luke: “He shall be great in the sight of the Lord and many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Lk 1:15-17). For Whom, then, did he prepare a people and in the sight of what Lord was he made great? Truly of Him, Who said that John was something “even more than a prophet” and that “among those born of women, none is greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:9.11). For he made ready a people for the Lord’s advent, warning his fellow-servants and preaching repentance to them, so that they might receive forgiveness from the Lord when He should arrive, after being converted to Him from Whom they had been alienated because of their sins and transgressions …

Yes, “in his mercy” God, “the Day-spring from on high, has looked upon us and appeared to those who sat in darkness and the shadow of death and has guided our feet into the way of peace” (Lk 1:78-79) just as Zacharias, recovering from the state of dumbness he had suffered because of his unbelief, blessed God in a new way, when he had been filled with a new spirit. For all things have entered upon a new phase by the fact that the Word, after a new manner, has accomplished the purpose of His coming in the flesh, that He might return to friendship with God, the human flesh which had departed from God. And this is why men were taught to worship God after a new fashion.” – St Irenaeus (130-202) Bishop, Martyr, Theologian, Father of the Church (Against the Heresies III).

PRAYER – O God, Who made this a day most worthy of our celebration because of blessed John; grant Thy people the grace of spiritual joys and direct the minds of all the faithful into the path of eternal salvation. T hrough Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more!
INDULGENCE – 300 Days. i. Partial, Every time ii. Plenary, once a month. Pope Pius IX, 26 November 1876 Raccolta 162

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, St JOHN the BAPTIST

Our Morning Offering – 24 June – Antra Deserti – Thou, in thy Childhood

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Our Morning Offering – 24 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Pentecost V

Antra Deserti
Thou, in thy Childhood
By Paul the Deacon (c720s-c799)
“Cassinensis (of Monte Cassino)”
Monk, Spiritual Author, Historian, Poet

Thou, in thy childhood, to the desert caverns
Fleddest for refuge from the cities’ turmoil,
Where the world’s slander might not dim thy luster,
Lonely abiding.

Camel’s hair raiment clothed thy saintly members;
Leathern the girdle which thy loins encircled;
Locusts and honey, with the fountain-water,
Daily sustained thee.

Oft in past ages, seers with hearts expectant
Sang the far-distant advent of the Day-Star;
Thine was the glory, as the world’s Redeemer
First to proclaim Him.

Far as the wide world reacheth, born of woman,
Holier was there none than John the Baptist;
Meetly in water laving Him who cleanseth
Man from pollution.

Praise to the Father, to the Son begotton,
And to the Spirit, equal power possessing,
One God whose glory, through the lapse of ages,
Ever resoundeth.

This Hymn, “Ut queant laxis resonare fibris”, is in three parts.
The Breviary and Roman Missal list the above for Matins today, on the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, St JOHN the BAPTIST

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, Madonna della Navicella / Our Lady of the Ship , Italy (1508) and the Saints celebrated on 24 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist “The precursor of Jesus”
The Great St John!:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/24/the-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-st-john-the-baptist-24-june/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/06/24/saint-of-the-day-24-june-the-nativity-of-st-john-the-baptist/

Madonna della Navicella / Our Lady of the Ship , Chioggia, Venezia, Veneto, Italy (1508) – 24 June:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/24/solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-saint-john-the-baptist-feast-of-the-madonna-della-navicella-our-lady-of-the-ship-chioggia-venezia-veneto-italy-1508-and-memorials-of-the-saints-24-june/

St Aglibert of Créteil
St Agoard of Créteil
St Amphibalus of Verulam

St Bartholomew of Farne OSB (Died 1193) Priest, Monk, Hermit
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/24/saint-of-the-day-24-june-saint-bartholomew-of-farne-osb-died-1193/

St Erembert I of Kremsmünster
St Faustus of Rome and Companions
St Festus of Rome
St Germoc
St Gohardus of Nantes (Died 843) Bishop Martyr
St Henry of Auxerre/the Hagiographer
St Ivan of Bohemia
St John of Rome

St John Theristus (c1049-1129) Italian Basilian Monk and Hermit, called Theristus or “Harvester,” Miracle-worker.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/24/saint-of-the-day-23-june-st-john-theristus-c-1049-1129/

St John of Tuy
St Joseph Yuan Zaide
St Rumold
St Simplicio of Autun
St Theodulphus of Lobbes

The First Martyrs of the Church of Rome: Countless numbers were Christians Martyred in the City of Rome during Nero’s persecution in 64. The event is recorded by both Tacitus and Pope Clement I, among others. They are celebrated today.

Martyrs of Satala: Seven Christian brothers who were soldiers in the imperial Roman army. They were expelled from the military, exiled and eventually martyred in the persecutions of Maximian. We know little more about them than their names – Cyriacus, Firminus, Firmus, Longinus, Pharnacius, Heros and Orentius. The martyrdoms occurred in c 311 at assorted locations around the Black Sea.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, St JOHN the BAPTIST

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, Madonna della Navicella / Our Lady of the Ship , Italy (1508) and Memorials of the Saints – 24 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist “The precursor of Jesus”
https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/24/the-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-st-john-the-baptist-24-june/

Madonna della Navicella / Our Lady of the Ship , Chioggia, Venezia, Veneto, Italy (1508) – 24 June:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/24/solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-saint-john-the-baptist-feast-of-the-madonna-della-navicella-our-lady-of-the-ship-chioggia-venezia-veneto-italy-1508-and-memorials-of-the-saints-24-june/

St Aglibert of Créteil
St Agoard of Créteil
St Alena of Brussels
St Amphibalus of Verulam

St Bartholomew of Farne OSB (Died 1193) Priest, Monk, Hermit
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/24/saint-of-the-day-24-june-saint-bartholomew-of-farne-osb-died-1193/

Bl Christopher de Albarran
St Erembert I of Kremsmünster
St Faustus of Rome and Companions
St Festus of Rome
St Germoc
St Gohardus of Nantes
Bl Henry of Auxerre/the Hagiographer
St Ivan of Bohemia
St John of Rome

St John Theristus (c1049-1129) Italian Basilian Monk and Hermit, called Theristus or “Harvester,” Miracle-worker.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/24/saint-of-the-day-23-june-st-john-theristus-c-1049-1129/

St John of Tuy
St Joseph Yuan Zaide
St Rumold
St Simplicio of Autun
Bl Theodgar of Vestervig
St Theodulphus of Lobbes

The First Martyrs of the Church of Rome: Countless numbers were Christians Martyred in the City of Rome during Nero’s persecution in 64. The event is recorded by both Tacitus and Pope Clement I, among others. They are celebrated today.

Martyrs of Satala: Seven Christian brothers who were soldiers in the imperial Roman army. They were expelled from the military, exiled and eventually martyred in the persecutions of Maximian. We know little more about them than their names – Cyriacus, Firminus, Firmus, Longinus, Pharnacius, Heros and Orentius. The martyrdoms occurred in c 311 at assorted locations around the Black Sea.

Posted in St JOHN the BAPTIST, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 25 June – ‘A Voice is born” – The Nativity of St John the Baptist

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 June – The Nativity of St John the Baptist

“ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,
the baby leaped in her womb.
And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit …
“For behold, when the sound
of your greeting came to my ears,
the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”

Luke 1:41,44

“I tell you, among those born of women,
no-one is greater than John;
yet the least in the kingdom of God
is greater than he.”

Luke 7:28

“At my birth,
I took away my mother’s barrenness
and while still an infant,
I healed my father’s dumbness,
for You gave me in childhood,
the gift of working miracles.”

St Gregory the Illuminator (c 213-270)
Bishop

“As a representative of the past,
he is born of aged parents,
as herald of the new,
he is declared to be a prophet,
while still in his mother’s womb.”

“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.

“John is a voice for a time
but Christ is the eternal Word,
from the beginning.”

St Augustine (354-430)
Bishop, Father, Doctor of Grace

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, St JOHN the BAPTIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 June – ‘ … Consider, then, the merit of the holy Baptist …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 25 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Nativity of St John the Baptist – Isaias 49:1-3, 5-7, Luke 1:57-68

“Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed and he spoke blessing God.” – Luke 1:64

“When John, his son was born, among his neighbours there was concern about what name he should be given. Writing tablets were offered to his father, so that he himself could put down the name that he had decided upon, so that he might express, in writing, what he could not, in speech. Then, in a wonderful manner, when he had taken the tablets in order to begin writing, his tongue was loosened, the written word gave way to speech and he did not write “John” but spoke it. Consider, then, the merit of the holy Baptist: he gave his father back his voice, he restored the faculty of speech to the priest. Consider, I say, his merit – John unloosed the mouth that the angel had bound. What Gabriel had closed, the little child unlocked. When John is born, the father suddenly becomes a prophet or priest, speech attains its use, love receives an offspring, the office recognises the priest.” – – St Maximus of Turin (Died c 420) Bishop of Turin, Father (Sermon 6) St Maximus’ Feast Day today.

PRAYER – O God, Who made this a day most worthy of our celebration because of blessed John; grant Thy people the grace of spiritual joys and direct the minds of all the faithfu, into the path of eternal salvation. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
OUR Lady of the Sacred Heart, Pray for Us! – Indulgence 100 Days. Everytime – Raccolta 174 St Pius X, 9 July 1904.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, St JOHN the BAPTIST

Our Morning Offering – 25 June – John, the Chosen One

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 25 June – The Nativity of St John the Baptist

John, the Chosen One
Lauds Hymn
for the Nativity of St John the Baptist
Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal

God called great prophets to foretell
the coming of His Son.
The greatest, called before His birth,
was John, the chosen one.

His life was filled with joy and hope;
he knew he must decrease,
and that we must prepare a place
where Jesus may increase.

John searched in solitude for Christ
and knew Him when He came.
He showed the world the Lamb of God
and hailed Him in our name.

That lonely voice cried out the truth
Derided and denied.
As witness to the law of God
His mighty Martyr died.

We praise You, Trinity in One,
the light of unknown ways,
the hope of all who search for You
whose love fills all our days.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 June – “The Benedictus”

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One Minute Reflection – 24 June – The Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, Year C, Gospel:  Luke 1:57–66

“And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he spoke, blessing God.”…Luke 1:64

REFLECTION – “The Benedictus, is prayed every morning in the Breviary and so, the Church remembers this “forerunner of Jesus” at the beginning of every day.   The opening words of this Canticle are the source of its Latin title, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel”.
What does it mean for Catholics, that we sing this song about John the Baptists at the start of every new day?   After having been “silenced” by sleep throughout the night, God opens our mouths and one of the first things we do, is to sing this blessing of God, whose dawn breaks forth to shine on us and guide our way to peace.
In the Benedictus, we join ourselves to the mission of St John the Baptist, who came to prepare a way for the Lord by being a witness of God’s salvation, living a simple and penitential life and calling others to do the same.   Our work each day, then, is to use our voice – like Zechariah and his son – and the witness of our lives, to make God’s presence known wherever we go and to whom whomever we encounter.”the benedictus - 24 june 2019- the nativity of st john the baptist.jpg

PRAYER –
The Benedictus – Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and His forerunner

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
He has visited His people and redeemed them.

He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,
in the house of David, His servant,
as He promised by the lips of holy men,
those who were His prophets of old.

A Saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who us.
So His love for our fathers is fulfilled
and His holy covenant remembered.

He swore to Abraham, our father, to grant us,
that free from fear and saved from the hands of our foes.
we might worship Him in justice and holiness
all the days of our lives, in His Presence.

As for you, little child,
you shall be called the prophet of God, the Most High.
You shall go ahead of the Lord
to prepare His ways before Him,

to make known to His people their salvation,
through forgiveness of all their sins,
the loving kindness of the heart of our God,
who visits us like the dawn from on high.

He will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death
and to guide us into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever.
Amenthe benedictus 24 june 2019 NEW - 6.jpgthe benedictus 24 june 2019 NEW 2.jpg

St John the Baptist, Pray for Us!

st-john-the-baptist-pray-for-us-24-june-2018

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist and Memorials of the Saints – 24 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (Solemnity) 
Biography:   https://anastpaul.com/2018/06/24/the-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-st-john-the-baptist-24-june/

St Aglibert of Créteil
St Agoard of Créteil
St Alena of Brussels
St Amphibalus of Verulam
St Bartholomew of Farne
Bl Christopher de Albarran
St Erembert I of Kremsmünster
St Faustus of Rome and Companions
St Festus of Rome
St Germoc
St Gohardus of Nantes
Bl Henry of Auxerre/the Hagiographer
St Ivan of Bohemia
St John of Rome
St John of Tuy
St Joseph Yuan Zaide
Bl Maksymilian Binkiewicz
St Maria Guadalupe García Zavala (1878-1963)
St Rumold
St Simplicio of Autun
Bl Theodgar of Vestervig
St Theodulphus of Lobbes
—
Martyrs of Satala:  Seven Christian brothers who were soldiers in the imperial Roman army.   They were kicked out of the military, exiled and eventually martyred in the persecutions of Maximian.   We know little more about them than their names – Cyriacus, Firminus, Firmus, Longinus, Pharnacius, Heros and Orentius.   The martyrdoms occurred in c 311 at assorted locations around the Black Sea.