Midday Mass

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth’s sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This feast honors the miraculous birth of the prophet who prepared the way for the Lord. The son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, John was born to elderly parents through God’s promise and is described in Luke’s Gospel as a relative of Jesus, arriving six months before him. When Zechariah doubted the angel’s message announcing John’s conception, he was struck speechless until the child’s birth, when his voice returned in the canticle of praise known as the Benedictus. John grew up to live an austere life in the wilderness, clothed in camel’s hair and sustained by locusts and wild honey. His preaching called the people to repentance and renewal in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, and his baptism of Jesus in the Jordan marked the beginning of Christ’s public ministry. The Gospels remember him as both prophet and forerunner, who pointed beyond himself to the One who was to come, declaring, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John’s feast celebrates his courage, humility, and faithfulness, inviting the church to follow his example in proclaiming the truth and preparing hearts for Christ.