Time to talk of other things ...

Solemnity of John the Baptist In the Catholic calendar, the feast days of saints are normally celebrated when they die and go to heaven - except in these three cases: Jesus, Mother Mary and John the Baptist - this is no ordinary distinction. All three were pre-ordained for a very powerful mission at their conception. The feast date June 24th is derived from the message given by Archangel Gabriel to Mother Mary at the Annunciation (March 25th), " And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren " (Luke 1:36).  True to his mission, John did exactly what he had to do and refused to steal the spotlight from the Messiah, as we hear on the Gospel of John " [The next day] he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world " (John 1:29) St Augustine of Hippo, has a very interesting take on John's testimony, *He must increase; I mus...

  August 29 - Martyrdom of St John the Baptist The Church celebrates the birthday of St. John the Baptist on June 24 and also honours the anniversary of his martyrdom on August 29.   Besides our Lord and the most Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist is the only one whose birth and death are thus celebrated . All three submitted themselves totally to the will of the Father in Heaven. Let's take a closer look at what makes St John the Baptist so special. St. John the Baptist is a very pivotal figure in the New Testament renowned for his role in heralding the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ and for his martyrdom.  Born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, John was divinely chosen to prepare the way for the Messiah. His birth was announced by the Archangel Gabriel, marking him as a turnkey prophetic figure. Not much is known of John's childhood though the overwhelming consensus among scholars is that John the Baptist was neither an Essene nor a member of the Qumran community....