Saint John the Baptist | Catholic Saints figurines

Saint John the Baptist | Catholic Saints figurines

The biography of Saint John the Baptist is full of practical teachings that do not expire with the passage of time. From his birth, six months before Our Lord Jesus Christ, on June 24, the day on which we continue to celebrate Saint John's Day, until his death, the story of Saint John the Baptist is exemplary. We have learned two fundamental lessons from the life and death of Saint John: his great courage and his profound humility.

The celebration of the feast of Saint John the Baptist is an exception in relation to the other Saints of the Christian Saints. The festivity of San Juan Bautista is celebrated on June 24, the day of his birth. All the other festivities of Saints and Female Saints are celebrated on the day of arrival to eternal life, the day of their death.

“It will be for you joy and gladness; and many will rejoice at his birth, because he will be great before the Lord; he will not drink wine or liquor, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; and he will go before Him with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, in order to prepare a perfect people for the Lord.”

Birth or Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Saint Luke is the one who narrates the birth and life of Saint John the Baptist at the beginning of his Gospel. The Gospel account summarizes the story of Saint John with great clarity. The promise that the Angel made to Zacharias, the father of Saint John the Baptist, was fully fulfilled:

“It will be for you joy and gladness; and many will rejoice at his birth, because he will be great before the Lord; he will not drink wine or liquor, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; and he will go before Him with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, in order to prepare a perfect people for the Lord.”

Zechariah was a Jewish priest who served in the temple. He was very devout and awaited the arrival of the Messiah as promised to Abraham. Zacharias had taken Saint Elizabeth, the cousin of the Virgin Mary, as his wife. After many years of marriage, already reaching old age, they were a marriage full of love and happiness. Their joy was only limited by one sad fact, they had not been able to have children. Zechariah and Saint Elizabeth had prayed throughout their lives for God to grant them offspring.

One day Zacharias went to the temple after saying goodbye to his wife, who was at home doing her chores. Once in the temple, suddenly, the Archangel Saint Gabriel appeared to Zacharias . The priest was confused and scared, all his life he had lived according to the will of God. The appearance of the Angel startled him.

The Angel told him that, after so much time, his prayers and those of his wife would be answered, that they would be parents. The birth of a child would fill her remaining years of life with joy. He also announced that the child would be very special, that he would be the precursor of the Messiah, that they should name him John and that he would convert many people to the true Faith. He would be a child filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb.

Zacarias was upset, the situation was beyond him, he didn't know how to react to such divided grace. The priest had doubts and asked the Angel how it would be possible for them to expect the birth of a child if he and his wife were already old, almost old.

The Angel guaranteed him that his words would be fulfilled because God had said so, and because he did not believe in the happiness that he had granted to Saint Elizabeth and to him, the priest would lose his voice and would not be able to utter a word until the day of his birth. de San Juan.

Six months later the Angel reappeared, this time he appeared to Saint Elizabeth's cousin, the Virgin Mary. The Angel, during the moment we know as the Annunciation , told Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah, that she, with the intervention of the Holy Spirit, would be the architect of the birth of the true son of God. In addition, the Angel also told him that his cousin, Saint Elizabeth, was also pregnant.

The Virgin Mary full of joy went to visit Saint Elizabeth. When she arrived at her home, Saint Elizabeth, a few months before the birth of her son, she noticed how in her womb the child jumped for joy when he came into contact with Jesus who rested in his mother's womb. In this contact, Saint John and his mother received the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Nine months after the first appearance of the Angel to Zacharias, Saint Elizabeth gave birth to Saint John. The birth of the child happened just as the Angel had announced.

Saint John the Baptist child

The day of the birth of Saint John the Baptist was a happy day for his parents, friends and relatives. In the town where San Isabel and Zacarías lived, they were very loved by everyone. They led a holy life and deeply respected the commandments of the Lord.

Shortly after birth, and following tradition, it was time to circumcise the child. At that time, many people gave their opinion about the name that the little one should have. Most of those present believed that the ideal would be to name him after his father, Zacarías. In this way the family tradition would be followed.

Saint Elizabeth, aware of the announcement that the Angel had made to her husband, did not consent to the name of her child being Zacharias, since it should be Juan. Zacarías, who had not yet recovered his speech, supported his wife's decision in writing. In this way the word of God that the Archangel Gabriel had transmitted to Zacharias had been fulfilled. And as announced, Zacharias regained his speech and said: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel."

The years after the birth of Saint John the Baptist are unclear. The boy's parents are believed to have died shortly thereafter. We do not know for sure if by natural death or by some other event. Some authors argue that Zacharias died at the hands of Herod the Great when he refused to hand over his son during what is known as the Slaughter of the Innocents. Other authors, however, believe that both Saint Elizabeth and Zacharias died of old age.

In any case, what does seem certain is that the boy, Juan, was orphaned at a very young age. At that moment, the one who would become Saint John the Baptist decided to live in the desert. The child was filled with the Holy Spirit. Juan, despite being a child, already believed that moving away from material possessions and living in the middle of nature would bring him closer to God.

During these years he subsisted on what God saw fit to provide him, as clothing he wore camel skins and ate fruits, honey, roots... Saint John only cared about being closer to God every day through prayer and penance.

The preaching and prayer of Saint John the Baptist, the Baptism of Jesus

After many years of prayer and penance in the desert , the name of John began to be known among the people of Jerusalem and Judea. It was said that there was a man who with his knowledge and his prayers managed to make people repent of their sins and change their way of life.

Saint John the Baptist lived near the Jordan River. He used the waters of this river to baptize all those who understood his prayers and were willing to follow his path, the path of God. Many were those who joined the prayers of Saint John the Baptist. More and more people came from all over the region to be baptized.

In his sermons and prayers he announced to all who listened to him that he could only baptize with water, but that someone greater than himself would come and baptize them with the Holy Spirit.

One day while preaching and teaching his prayers After many years of prayer and penance in the desert, his name began to be known among the people of Jerusalem and Judea. It was said that there was a man with his knowledge and his prayers that made people repent of their sins and change their way of life.

Saint John the Baptist lived near the Jordan River. He used the waters of this river to baptize all those who understood his prayers and were willing to follow his path, the path of God.

Many were those who joined the prayers of Saint John the Baptist. More and more people came from all over the region to have their own Baptism and have a new start. Saint John in his preaching and prayers announced to all who listened to him that he could only baptize with water, but that someone greater than him would come and baptize them with the Holy Spirit.

One day while he was preaching and teaching his prayers , the Holy Spirit appeared to him. He told him that he would meet Jesus, the Messiah, and that he would recognize him because a dove would perch on his shoulder when they met. Soon after, Jesus, coming from Galilee, arrived at the Jordan in search of Saint John so that he could be baptized . Saint John was able to recognize him because the Holy Spirit showed him the Messiah just as he had announced.

Jesus asked him to baptize him, but Saint John did not agree with that, how could he baptize the Messiah, the son of God. Jesus convinced him that it must be so. Saint John accepted the word of Jesus as he had always accepted that of the Lord. Saint John, following the prayer he had used on many other occasions, immersed Jesus in the water of the Jordan River. Once Jesus came out of the water, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended to stand directly above Jesus. At that moment a voice was heard from heaven saying:

"This is my beloved Son, in whom I have all my pleasures."

The next day Saint John said to all who were with him:

" Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one of whom I told you: A man will come after me, who has stood before me, because he was before me." "I have seen the Spirit in the form of a dove descend from heaven and rest on Him. I did not know Him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me: He on whom you see the Holy Spirit descend and rest on Him, that He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. I have seen him, and therefore I testify that he is the Son of God."

Martyrdom and death of Saint John the Baptist

If to know the life of Saint John the Baptist, the Precursor of Jesus, we look at the Gospel of Saint Luke, to know the story of his martyrdom and death we must look at the Gospel of Saint Mark (Saint Mark 6, 17-29).

After many years of preaching and prayers, San Juan had acquired notable recognition among all social strata in the region. One of the people who saw Saint John as a holy man was Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee . Herod respected and enjoyed the teachings of Saint John.

Herod was a powerful man who made decisions without taking into account, on many occasions, moral standards. In this way he decided to live with his brother Felipo's wife, Herodias, his sister-in-law. In this way he began an adulterous relationship.

San Juan had always been a sincere man, a lover of the truth. And even though he knew that Herod was a despotic leader, he publicly denounced that situation without fearing the consequences, "You are not allowed to have your brother's wife," Saint John told him.

Herod, despite the fact that he deeply respected Saint John, could not allow any of his subjects to speak to him in such a way. Herodias, who hated Saint John, wanted to convince Herod to kill the Forerunner. Herod chose to imprison the Saint rather than have him killed. He did not want to have the death of such a remarkable person on his conscience.

Saint John was imprisoned in the prison of Maqueron, on the shore of the Dead Sea. Prison known for the harsh conditions with which the prisoners were. Herodias was not satisfied with this punishment, she looked for the way that Herod ordered the death of San Juan.

The occasion arose on Herod's birthday. The tetrarch of Judea decided to throw a party in style to commemorate his anniversary. He celebrated a party in which he invited the most outstanding personalities of the region. At this festival Salome, the daughter of Herodias and Philip, presented Herod with a dance.

Salome danced with the grace of the Angels themselves. Herod was so impressed by Salome's dance that he told her that she could ask her for anything she wanted, any wish the girl had would be granted, "Ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you, even if it is half of my kingdom" . Salome turned to her mother, asked her what she should order. Herodias, being clear about the great opportunity that was presented to her, told her daughter to ask her for the head of Saint John on a platter.

Salome, following her mother's advice, told Herod that she wanted the head of Saint John on a platter. Herod was sad but he had to keep his word. He ordered one of his guards to go to the prison and cut off San Juan's head. The Forerunner's head was delivered to Salome on a platter as requested.

In this way, Herod, in addition to being an adulterer, was a murderer. He condemned San Juan to martyrdom and death for telling the truth.

The story of Saint John the Baptist in our days

Indeed, the voice that cries out in the desert prepared the coming of Christ with an intense apostolate from which we all must learn. With the courage of one who is known to be a son of God , Saint John was brave in the face of any ridicule and always defended the truth regardless of the consequences.

Truly strong and committed Christians are needed, who are not afraid to accept their condition as children of God anywhere. Society demands that full-time Catholics attend Sunday Mass just the same, that they bear witness to the love of God, that they do their work in the best possible way, that they respect the law and enforce it, that they do not take advantage of the circumstances in your own benefit...

This will only be possible with an intense interior life, with a constant rectitude of intention, which will give us the strength to always behave as true Christians. Works are love, that is why Saint John the Baptist gave an example of love for God until his unjust death in prison, for being a witness to the message of Christ .

Saint John the Baptist was a great lover of God. On the basis of that love was built all his vitality and overwhelming apostolate. The fruit of this attitude will be the true apostolate that we give with our example, a humble and effective apostolate like the one taught by the Baptist. "It is convenient that He increase and I decrease" . In this way, get closer to God and bring more souls to Him.

Saint John the Baptist was brave, and truly humble. He does not seek his own glory, but the glory of God .

Saint John the Baptist, prayer

"O Glorious Saint John the Baptist,

that throughout your life with humility and fidelity

you fulfilled the will of the Heavenly Father,

and as true Precursor of the Messiah

little by little, with the simplicity of a fulfilled duty,

you were disappearing so that Christ the Savior

inaugurate the Kingdom of God among men:

help us to get out of problems and adverse situations,

remove all danger and enemy from our side,

remove all evil, stumbling and darkness in our lives

so that our paths are clear

and be open to love, work and health

that we long for and need,

make luck, prosperity and fortune favor us

and peace, harmony and happiness

accompany us at all times.

Protect us, lighten our loads

and help us to achieve peace of mind,

happiness and well-being in our home,

especially reach us from the Lord:

(ask now what you want to get).

Blessed Saint John the Baptist,

purify us and turn our sorrows and misfortunes into joy,

ask the Lord for mercy and forgiveness for us,

and guide our steps along the path of peace,

so that one day we can sing with you

in the Heavenly Mansions

the glories and praises of our Creator.

For our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen."

Pray the Creed, Our Father and Gloria.