This weekend we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist (one of three that we celebrate in the Church - Jesus's on December 25th, of course, and Mary's on September 8). We have a vigil Mass in which we hear of the announcement of John's conception, while his father Zachariah, of the priestly division of Abijah, was serving in the temple. The time frame of his service is mid- to late- September. This puts John's birth in late June. In the Annunciation (which we celebrate March 25th), the Blessed Mother is told by the angel Gabriel that Elizabeth is pregnant 6 months (September to March is 6 months) and Mary goes to be with her the last 3 months before John's birth in June! But at the Annunciation, Mary conceived and gave birth to the Lord 9 months later - December! Interesting, right? Sometimes we forget that Tradition of the Church is trustworthy because it wasn't recorded in a way easy to understand. After all, the Evangelists simply could have written that John was born around the Summer Solstice, a day that is fairly immovable and understood across cultures and calendar systems. In the end, it does not matter 'when' these events occurred, but that they 'did' occur. John's birth is the beginning of the announcement of Christ's incarnation! Because of this, this feast is always celebrated, even when it falls on a Sunday as it does this year.
Like John, too, we are called to be heralds of Christ, though we are heralds of Christ's return. We tell others that He is going to return, and that we are called to continuing repentance and preparation. Let's ask John the Baptist's intercession this weekend to be bold heralds of Christ.
In Christ,
Fr. Todd
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