5 Aux jours d'Hérode, roi de Judée, il y avait un prêtre nommé Zacharie, de la classe d'Abia; et sa femme, qui était des filles d'Aaron, se nommait Elisabeth.
6 Tous deux étaient justes devant Dieu, marchant dans tous les commandements et ordonnances du Seigneur d'une manière irréprochable.
7 Et ils n'avaient point d'enfants, parce qu'Elisabeth était stérile, et ils étaient l'un et l'autre avancés en âge.
8 Or, comme il était de service devant Dieu au tour de sa classe,
9 il lui échut par le sort, selon la coutume du service divin, d'avoir à entrer dans le sanctuaire du Seigneur pour offrir l'encens.
10 Et toute la multitude du peuple était au dehors en prière, à l'heure de l'encens.
11 Un ange du Seigneur lui apparut, debout à droite de l'autel de l'encens.
12 Zacharie, en le voyant, fut troublé, et la crainte le saisit.
13 Mais l'ange lui dit : " Ne crains point, Zacharie, car ta prière a été exaucée : ta femme Elisabeth t'enfantera un fils que tu appelleras Jean.
14 Et ce sera pour toi joie et allégresse, et beaucoup se réjouiront de sa naissance;
15 car il sera grand devant le Seigneur, il ne boira ni vin ni rien qui enivre, et il sera rempli de l'Esprit-Saint dès le sein de sa mère;
16 il ramènera beaucoup des enfants d'Israël au Seigneur leur Dieu;
17 et lui-même marchera devant lui, avec l'esprit et la puissance d'Elie, pour ramener les cœurs des pères vers les enfants et les indociles à la sagesse des justes, afin de préparer au Seigneur un peuple bien disposé. "
18 Zacharie dit à l'ange : " A quoi le reconnaîtrai-je? Car je suis vieux, et ma femme est avancée en âge. "
19 L'ange lui répondit : " Je suis Gabriel, qui me tiens devant Dieu; j'ai été envoyé pour te parler et t'annoncer cette heureuse nouvelle.
20 Et voici : tu seras muet et ne pourras parler jusqu'au jour où ces choses arriveront, parce que tu n'as pas cru à mes paroles, qui s'accompliront en leur temps. "
21 Cependant le peuple attendait Zacharie et on s'étonnait qu'il s'attardât dans le sanctuaire.
22 Or, étant sorti, il ne pouvait leur parler, et ils comprirent qu'il avait eu une vision dans le sanctuaire; et lui leur faisait des signes, et il resta muet.
23 Quand les jours de son service furent accomplis, il s'en alla en sa maison.
24 Après ces jours, Elisabeth, sa femme, conçut, et elle se tint cachée pendant cinq mois, disant :
25 " Ainsi a fait pour moi le Seigneur, au jour où il lui a plu d'ôter mon opprobre parmi les hommes. "
(...)
39 En ces jours-là Marie partit et s'en alla en hâte vers la montagne, en une ville de Juda.
40 Et elle entra dans la maison de Zacharie, et salua Elisabeth.
41 Or, quand Elisabeth entendit la salutation de Marie, l'enfant tressaillit dans son sein, et elle fut remplie du Saint-Esprit.
42 Et elle s'écria à haute voix, disant: " Vous êtes bénie entre les femmes, et le fruit de vos entrailles est béni.
43 Et d'où m'est-il donné que la mère de mon Seigneur vienne à moi?
44 Car votre voix, lorsque vous m'avez saluée, n'a pas plus tôt frappé mes oreilles, que l'enfant a tressailli de joie dans mon sein.
45 Heureuse celle qui a cru ! Car elles seront accomplies les choses qui lui ont été dites de la part du Seigneur ! "
(...)
56 Et Marie demeura avec elle environ trois mois, et elle s'en retourna chez elle.
57 Cependant le temps s'accomplit où Elisabeth devait enfanter, et elle mit au monde un fils.
58 Ses voisins et ses parents, ayant appris que le Seigneur avait manifesté sa miséricorde envers elle, se réjouissaient avec elle.
59 Or, le huitième jour, ils vinrent pour circoncire l'enfant, et ils le nommaient Zacharie d'après le nom de son père.
60 Alors sa mère, prenant la parole : " Non, dit-elle, mais il s'appellera Jean. "
61 Ils lui dirent : " Il n'y a personne de votre parenté qui soit appelé de ce nom. "
62 Et ils demandaient par signes à son père comment il voulait qu'on le nommât.
63 S'étant fait donner une tablette, il écrivit : " Jean est son nom; " et tous furent dans l'étonnement.
64 A l'instant sa bouche s'ouvrit et sa langue (se délia); et il parlait, bénissant Dieu.
65 La crainte s'empara de tous les habitants d'alentour, et partout dans la montagne de Judée on racontait toutes ces choses.
Le second témoignage de sainteté lui fut rendis par les anges et les esprits célestes. Au premier chapitre de saint Luc, l’ange témoigne pour lui une grande considération quand il montre : 1° sa dignité par rapport à Dieu : « Il sera, dit-il, grand devant le Seigneur. » 2° Sa sainteté propre, lorsqu'il ajoute : « Il ne boira pas de vin ni de liqueur enivrante, et il sera rempli de l’Esprit-Saint. dès le ventre de sa mère. » 3° Les grands services qu'il rendra au prochain : « Et il convertira beaucoup des enfants d'Israël. »
Le troisième témoignage de sainteté lui fut rendu par ceux qui sont au-dessous du ciel, c'est-à-dire, les hommes, témoin son père, ses voisins, et ceux qui disaient : « Que pensez-vous que sera cet enfant? »
Ventura Salimbeni (1568–1613). La
Naissance de saint Jean-Baptiste Plume, encre brune et lavis, craie noire
- 24,1 x 27,4
Jean-Baptiste, le seul saint dont on célèbre la naissance
Marzena
Devoud - Publié le 23/06/21
Le 24 juin, l'Église célèbre la Nativité de saint
Jean-Baptiste. Une fête unique en soi. Car si on fête bien la nativité de Jésus
et de la Vierge Marie, Jean-Baptiste est le seul saint dont on célèbre la
naissance.
Les catholiques fêtent les saints à la date
anniversaire de leur mort… jour de leur naissance dans la vie éternelle. Tous,
sauf un, Jean-Baptiste ! Il est le seul dont on fête l’anniversaire de la
naissance, la Nativité de Jean-Baptiste. Quelle est la raison de ce
« traitement si spécial » ? La réponse se trouve dans l’évangile
de saint Luc. En réalité, Jean-Baptiste a été sanctifié dans le sein de sa mère
par la seule présence de Jésus-Christ lorsque la Vierge Marie a rendu visite à
sa cousine, Élisabeth : il était « rempli du Saint-Esprit dès le sein de sa
mère » (Luc 1:15).
La naissance de saint Jean-Baptiste comporte de
nombreux autres signes. D’abord, c’est un ange qui annonce sa naissance à
Zacharie, son père. Ce dernier doute, car sa femme, Elisabeth, et lui-même sont
avancés en âge. En plus, cette dernière est stérile : elle n’a pas d’enfants.
Il est alors « réduit au silence » pour n’avoir pas cru à la parole
de l’ange. L’annonce de ce dernier s’accomplit cinq mois plus tard : Elisabeth
est enceinte. Lorsque la Vierge Marie vient lui rendre visite pour lui annoncer
qu’elle aussi, à son tour, est enceinte, l’enfant que porte Elisabeth
« tressaille d’allégresse ».
Lire aussi :Saint Jean Baptiste, le premier des hipsters ?
Lire aussi :De très anciennes fresques de saint Jean Baptiste retrouvées en
Bavière
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/nativite_de_saint_jean-baptiste.html
SAINT JEAN-BAPTISTE.
En général l’Écriture est très sobre de paroles, mais
surtout très sobre de jugements. L’Évangile contient fort peu d’appréciations
sur les personnages même les plus importants. Marie et Joseph sont tous deux
sous un voile. L’Évangile est vis-à-vis de saint Pierre d’une singulière
sévérité. Je me rappelle à ce sujet une importante observation d’un grand
hébraïsant. Il me disait un jour que saint Pierre avait veillé lui-même à ce
que toutes ses fautes fussent soigneusement écrites et détaillées dans les Évangiles.
C’est surtout saint Marc, ajoutait-il, qui est l’historien rigoureux des
faiblesses de saint Pierre. Or, saint Marc était le disciple particulier, l’ami
intime et le confident de saint Pierre. L’Évangile de saint Marc a été écrit
sous les yeux de saint Pierre, et l’étude approfondie que j’ai faite des évangélistes
m’autorise á affirmer que plus un homme était voisin de saint Pierre, plus il
était sévère pour saint Pierre, par la volonté expresse du chef des Apôtres.
C’est pourquoi saint Marc, qui écrivait presque sous sa dictée, n’omet rien de
ce qui peut nous avertir des faiblesses du Père commun. — La malveillance
pouvait facilement tirer parti contre saint Pierre des sévérités de l’Évangile,
et l’observation de ce savant fait tourner ces sévérités mêmes á la gloire de
saint Pierre, et leur récit détaillé devient une des pierres précieuses de la
couronne du grand apôtre,
Cette sobriété et cette sévérité des récits évangéliques
donnent á saint Jean-Baptiste un caractère singulier et tout à fait
exceptionnel. Dès qu’il s’agit de lui, la louange éclate. Il a pour
panégyristes l’Ange et l’Homme-Dieu, Gabriel et Jésus. « Il viendra dans l’Esprit
et dans la Vertu d’Elie », dit l’Ange, et Elie est précisément un de ceux qui font
éclater le Saint-Esprit en louanges. Elie et saint Jean-Baptiste, les deux précurseurs
des deux avènements, ont été célébrés par les lèvres de Dieu.
« Bienheureux, dit l’Esprit-Saint parlant á Elie,
bienheureux ceux qui l’ont vu! Bienheureux ceux qui ont eu la gloire de ton
amitié ! »
Et Jésus-Christ, parlant de Jean-Baptiste : « Qui
êtes-vous allé voir ? Un prophète. Je vous le dis en vérité, plus qu’un
prophète. »
Parmi les enfants des hommes, aucun ne s’est élevé
plus grand que Jean-Baptiste.
Elie et Jean-Baptiste semblent donc avoir reçu ce
singulier privilège ; ils font, jusqu’á un certain point, sortir l’Écriture
sainte de son extrême réserve. Leur gloire semble faire violence á cette parole
divine si sobre et si sévère.
Puisque la fête de saint Pierre est si près de celle de
saint Jean, rappelons ici quelques-unes des mystérieuses harmonies que ces deux
fêtes nous présentent. Un saint nous guidera á travers les splendeurs des deux
autres saints. Saint François de Sales nous aidera à parler de saint Pierre et de
saint Jean.
L’Église célèbre le 24 juin la naissance de saint Jean,
et le 29 juin la naissance de saint Pierre. Dans le langage des hommes, la
naissance de saint Jean est encore une naissance ; mais la naissance de Pierre,
célébrée le 29 juin, s’appellerait une mort dans le langage des hommes. L’Église
célèbre la mort de saint Pierre, sous le nom de sa naissance, parce qu’il mourut
saint, et naquit á la vie éternelle. Elle célèbre la naissance de saint Jean,
parce qu’il naquit saint, ayant été sanctifié dans le sein de sa mère.
Mais écoutons saint François de Sales lui-même :
« Certes, quand j’ai lu à la Genèse, dit-il, que Dieu fit
deux grands luminaires au ciel, l’un pour présider et éclairer le jour, et l’autre
pour présider á la nuit, incontinent j’ai pensé que c’étaient ces deux grands
saints, saint Jean et saint Pierre ; car ne vous semble-t-il pas que saint Jean
soit le grand luminaire de la loi mosaïque, laquelle n’était qu’une ombre et
comme une nuit au regard de la clarté de la loi de grâce, puisqu’il était plus
que prophète, encore qu’il ne fût pas lumière... Et vous semble-t-il pas que
saint Pierre soit le grand luminaire de l’Évangile, puisque c’est luí qui
préside au jour de la loi évangélique ? »
Saint François de Sales, qui donne un tour gracieux
aux vérités les plus austères, poursuit de son regard naïf les analogies
profondes et cachées qui échapperaient á un regard moins simple.
Il y avait autour du propitiatoire deux chérubins qui
se regardaient. On ferait un volume superbe en étalant les splendeurs qui ont
été inspirées aux Pères de l’Église par ces deux chérubins. Le symbolisme de
l’ancienne loi leur a livré des secrets superbes, autrefois célébrés, savourés,
goûtés par l’âme humaine, maintenant oubliés et méprisés.
Le propitiatoire représentait celui qui est la
propitiation elle-même : il représentait Jésus-Christ. Les deux chérubins
s’entre-regardaient, l’un à droite, l’autre à gauche. Est-ce que saint Jean et
saint Pierre ne se regardent pas? Leurs regards se rencontrent, puisqu’ils sont
dirigés, de deux points différents, sur Jésus-Christ.
Écoulez saint Jean :
« Voici, dit-il, l’Agneau de Dieu. »
Écoutez saint Pierre :
« Tu es le Christ, fils du Dieu vivant. »
Voilà les deux confessions. Ne partent-elles pas de
deux grands luminaires ? Et ne restent-elles pas fidèles aux harmonies
signalées par saint François de Sales ? Ainsi, quand saint Jean dit : « Voici l’Agneau
de Dieu », il parle encore en figure. Il reste dans le symbolisme; il célèbre l’Agneau.
Mais quand saint Pierre s’écrie : « Tu es le Christ, fils du Dieu vivant », il
déchire le voile. Il parle ouvertement.
Au commencement du monde, l’Esprit de Dieu était porté
sur les eaux, et il les fécondait.
Et quand il s’agit de la Rédemption, Jésus-Christ
féconda les eaux quand il marcha sur les bords de la mer de Galilée. Ce fut là
qu’il dit à André et à Pierre : « Suivez-moi ! » et ce fut aussi sur le bord de
l’eau que saint Jean vit pour la première fois, de son regard ardent, l’Agneau de
Dieu.
Moïse fut sauvé des eaux par la fille de Pharaon, et
il devint le chef du peuple de Dieu. Saint Pierre fut tiré des eaux de la mer,
auprès de Césarée, et il devint le chef du peuple de Dieu. Le pécheur de poissons
fut fait pécheur d’hommes.
La naissance humaine de saint Jean et la naissance
céleste de saint Pierre ont encore cette ressemblance remarquable : elles ont
été prédites toutes les deux. C’est l’Ange qui prédit la naissance humaine de saint
Jean : Plusieurs se réjouiront en sa
nativité. La naissance céleste de saint Pierre fut prédite par Jésus-Christ
lui-même, et l’instrument même qui devait le conduire k la gloire fut indiqué.
Zacharie, qui reçut la promesse relative à saint Jean,
était celui qui offrait l’encens.
Celui qui reçut la promesse relative à saint Pierre,
ce fut saint Pierre lui-même ; ce fut celui qui disait : « Seigneur, vous savez
que je vous aime ».
C’était sa manière d’offrir l’encens.
Saint Jean fut sanctifié dans le sein de sa mère, et
en présence de la sainte Vierge ; saint Pierre fut sanctifié dans le sein de l’Église
militante, au cénacle, en présence de la sainte Vierge.
Saint Jean tressaillit de joie á l’arrivée de la
Vierge ; l’enfant tressaillit. Enfant se
dit en latin: infans, celui qui ne
parle pas. Et ne peut-on pas dire de saint Pierre, au cénacle, que l’enfant
tressaillit, que celui qui ne parlait pas tressaillit, puisqu’il n’avait pas osé
confesser Jésus-Christ devant une servante, et puisque tout á coup, après le cénacle,
il ouvrit la bouche !
Avec saint Jean-Baptiste se termina, dit un grand
saint, la prédication mosaïque. Avec saint Pierre commença la prédication
évangélique.
Quand l’ange fit á Zacharie la promesse solennelle,
quand il dit au père de Jean, parlant de Jean : « Celui-ci marchera dans l’esprit et la vertu d’Elie, »
Zacharie avait douté et Zacharie était devenu muet.
Ceci est rempli d’enseignement. J’ai cru, c’est pourquoi
j’ai parlé, dit le Psalmiste. La foi est mère de la parole. Le doute produit le
silence, non pas le silence profond qui est au-delà de la parole, mais le silence
morne et terne, le silence du tombeau, le silence du désespoir. C’est le doute
qui fait mourir la parole, parce que la parole est la lumière. La parole est
une explosion de croyance ; tout verbe est une affirmation. La parole meurt
dans la mesure où meurt la croyance. L’homme qui ne croirait plus absolument à rien se trouverait, vis-à-vis du langage humain, comme un souverain qui a perdu
son royaume.
La Vierge, en présence de l’ange, prononce aussi le
mot : Comment ? Comment cela se fera-t-il ? — Mais ce comment n’est pas un
doute. Ce comment procède de la foi. Il est prononcé dans l’esprit d’adhésion.
II précède et prépare le fíat qui va
venir.
Zacharie avait été intimidé parce que l’esprit d’Elie
était promis á son fils. Pourquoi donc ? Ah ! pourquoi donc ! Parce que nul
n'est prophète en son pays. Il est très diíficile à l’homme de croire un autre
homme qui est son voisin, son contemporain, aussi grand que les hommes du passé.
Et si ce contemporain est son fils, la difficulté va en augmentant. Plus l’homme
extraordinaire est notre voisin, plus il nous est difficile de le croire extraordinaire.
Comment ? cet homme que nous coudoyons dans la rue, qui est jeune, inconnu,
sans autorité et sans histoire écrite, qui ne figure pas encore dans les
annales du genre humain, serait l’égal de ceux qui remplissent toutes les
mémoires ! L’homme répugne à le croire. Et pourquoi donc ? Est-ce que Dieu, qui
donnait aux anciens, ne peut pas donner aux modernes ?Sans doute. Mais cette
timidité humaine tient à l’orgueil humain. Nous ne voulons pas croire à la
grandeur d’un contemporain, parce que nous ne voulons pas reconnaître et sentir
que, dans le passé comme dans le présent, tout don vient de Dieu.
Et plus tard on alla demander á Jean lui-même s’il
était Elie. Et on alla lui demander le baptême comme on était allé demander la
pluie à Elie.
Jean-Baptiste fut l’homme du désert. Par là il prépara
la grande réunion de l’avenir. Qu’est-ce que le désert, sinon le vide ? Ceux-là
sont remplis par la plénitude qui font le vide en eux, et qui deviennent eux-mêmes des déserts.
Dans le monde visible aussi, c’est le vide qui attire les masses. Le désert mène á Jérusalem.
Saint Jean-Baptiste est allé au désert extérieur comme
au désert intérieur. Il s'est absenté de lui-même et du monde pour entendre la
parole et pour devenir la voix. Pour nous indiquer l’endroit où retentit la
parole de vérité, il s’est appelé la voix de Celui qui crie dans le désert.
Jean, l’homme du désert, prépara la route á Celui qui devait tirer à lui toutes
les choses.
La Croix, placée hors de la ville, entre le ciel et la
terre, est le désert par excellence. C’est pourquoi le crucifix est devenu la
proie universelle, la pâture divine des aigles, race royale qui dévore, et
aussi leur rendez-vous.
Êtes-vous le Christ? Êtes-vous Elie? Saint Jean répond
toujours : Non, non, je ne le suis pas. Enfin, obligé de dire son nom, d’une façon
quelconque, ií déclare être une voix. Il ne déclare pas même être la voix qui
crie, mais la voix de Celui qui crie. Il est la voix d’un autre. Il est la voix
de celui qui est la parole. Jean et Jésus sont dans des relations singulières.
Leurs conceptions et leurs nativités coupent l’année de trois mois en trois
mois, aux solstices et aux équinoxes,
Jean passe son enfance au désert, Jésus chez saint
Joseph. N’est-ce pas un autre désert?
Dans l’ordre physique, le son de la voix est entendu
avant que la parole n’ait pleinement pénétré l’âme.
Saint Jean parle avant Jésus Christ.
Le précurseur déclare qu’il doit diminuer, et que Jésus
doit grandir. Puis il disparaît,
Ainsi, quand la vérité a éclairé l’esprit, le son de la voix se dissipe dans l’air.
Ernest HELLO. Physionomies de saints.
SOURCE : https://archive.org/stream/PhysionomiesDeSaintsParErnestHello/physionomies%20de%20saints_djvu.txt
Niccolò da Bologna. Nativité de Saint Jean le Baptiste, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, miniature sur vélin
Que fête-t-on à la Saint-Jean ?
Les textes des évangiles rapportent la place importante du Baptiste : il prépare la venue de celui qui doit venir. Mais en même temps, ils prennent toujours de la distance avec lui car il n'est pas le Messie.
"L'Église considère la naissance de Jean-Baptiste comme particulièrement sacrée : on ne trouve aucun des saints qui nous ont précédés dont nous célébrions solennellement la naissance. Nous ne célébrons que celle de Jean et celle du Christ. Ce ne peut être sans motif." Saint Augustin
Jean-Baptiste, fils d'Elisabeth et de Zacharie, est le précurseur du Messie. L'Evangile nous dit qu'avant sa naissance, et alors que Marie, enceinte de Jésus, rend visite à Elisabeth, il tressaille d'allégresse dans le ventre de sa mère. Signe qu'il reconnaît le Christ. Il naît trois mois après l'annonce de l'ange Gabriel à Marie : "Voici qu'Elisabeth, ta parente, en est à son sixième mois". Elisabeth est âgée, et Zacharie ne croit pas à cette fécondité soudaine : pour avoir douté de la parole de l'ange, il perd la parole et ne la retrouve qu'à la naissance de son fils. Il l'appelle Jean, ce qui signifie "Dieu fait grâce".
Au temps de Jésus, Jean est un grand personnage religieux. Il prêche la venue des temps neufs de Dieu et demande à ses auditeurs de plonger dans l'eau vive pour manifester leur volonté de s'y préparer. Les évangélistes racontent que Jésus lui-même vint l'écouter et se faire baptiser. Jean, ayant provoqué la colère d'Hérode Antipas, gouverneur de Judée, aurait été exécuté.
A Jean, Jésus rendra ce témoignage : "Parmi les enfants des femmes, il n'en est pas un de plus grand que Jean-Baptiste." Jean-Baptiste baptisera Jésus et guidera vers lui ses meilleurs disciples. Il s'effacera pour lui laisser la place.
Le 29 août, l'Eglise fait mémoire de son martyre.
"Dieu fait grâce"
La tradition liturgique propose de s'arrêter sur l'épisode de la naissance de Jean le Baptiste. Cet épisode, avec beaucoup de fabuleux ou de miraculeux, est centré sur le nom qui doit être donné au fils d'Elisabeth. Le choix suscite des polémiques dans la famille, mais rien n'y fait : ce n'est pas la tradition qui importe, mais la convergence du cheminement dans la foi d'Elisabeth et de Zacharie, la fidélité dans l'accueil de l'inattendu de Dieu - fidélité qui fait que Zacharie retrouve la voix pour bénir Dieu.
Jean signifie "Dieu fait grâce". Comme si c'était le cri du coeur d'Elisabeth, comblée de la grâce de Dieu dans sa vieillesse, comme si Zacharie, en indiquant ce nom sur une tablette, disait le cheminement de foi qui s'était fait en lui, dans le silence, après le doute qu'il avait exprimé à l'annonce de cette naissance. Dieu fait grâce à Zacharie et à Elisabeth au-delà de leurs espérances. Une fois de plus, ce nom est indicateur d'une mission : Jean-Baptiste va inviter le peuple à découvrir que Dieu fait grâce.
Ce message ne sera accueilli que par ceux et celles qui acceptent de se convertir, de se déplacer, d'aller au désert écouter la Parole. Et nous, comment découvrons-nous que Dieu fait grâce à son peuple aujourd'hui encore ?
Prière de saint Anselme de Cantorbéry
O bienheureux Jean
toi qui as baptisé le Fils de Dieu,
tu étais rempli de l'Esprit Saint
avant même d'être enfanté.
Et tu reconnaissais Dieu
avant que le monde ne l'ait connu.
Tu as reconnu la Mère de ton Dieu
avant que ta mère l'ait saluée.
Ami de Dieu, intercède pour nous.
Juin 2007
SOURCE : http://www.croire.com/Definitions/Fetes-religieuses/Nativite-de-Jean-Baptiste/Que-fete-t-on-a-la-Saint-Jean
Jean, un nom de la nouvelle alliance
Une méditation de Saint Bède le Vénérable, docteur de l'Eglise : Tel est le sens de ce nom : grâce de Dieu, c'est-à-dire celui en qui est la grâce. Car ce nom annonce l'économie de l'Évangile...
"On voulait l'appeler Zacharie. Mais sa mère dit : Non, il s'appellera Jean" (Lc 1, 60).
Tel est le sens de ce nom : grâce de Dieu, c'est-à-dire celui en qui est la grâce. Car ce nom annonce l'économie de l'Évangile. Jean désigne le Seigneur Lui-même qui vient, Lui par qui la grâce est accordée au monde. Les gens tenaient, eux, à ce qu'on appelle cet enfant Zacharie, plutôt que Jean. Ils représentent bien ceux qui, face au Seigneur qui propose le don d'une économie nouvelle de grâce, désirent plutôt rappeler le sacerdoce de l'ancienne Loi.
Ils s'opposaient ainsi à ce que déclarait sa mère, de vive voix, et son père, par écrit : "Il s'appellera Jean" (Lc 1, 60). Ces gens-là n'étaient pas encore entrés dans l'économie nouvelle ; ils prétendaient qu'il fallait encore observer tous les rites de l'ancien sacerdoce, alors qu'éclatait soudain l'Évangile du Seigneur. À ces gens-là, c'est la Loi elle-même qui leur dit de s'ouvrir à la grâce du Christ : "Le Seigneur va susciter du milieu de vous un Prophète. Je mettrai mes paroles dans sa bouche. Il vous dira tout ce que moi, le Seigneur, je lui ordonnerai" (Dt 18, 18).
Non, désormais, on ne peut plus faire confiance aux observances de l'ancien sacerdoce, s'il n'annonce pas la grâce de l'Évangile.
Aussi, une fois reconnu et imposé le nom de Jean, Zacharie retrouve la parole. Il se met à bénir Dieu. C'est la grâce de l'Alliance Nouvelle que l'apôtre devait un jour proclamer publiquement. Alors de nombreux prêtres d'Israël se soumettront à la foi. Et ils seront tous libérés, comme Zacharie aujourd'hui, de leur mutisme ; ils pourront confesser, louer et annoncer à tous, avec ferveur, le don de la Rédemption.
C'est dès le jour de la circoncision de Jean, qu'à l'annonce de l'événement, la crainte du Seigneur envahit le peuple. Quant à Zacharie, il devient le témoin de l'Esprit. Il se met à prophétiser ; il annonce notre Rédempteur et son oeuvre de libération.
Une méditation de Saint Bède le Vénérable (Moine du 7e siècle, docteur de l'Eglise) ; paru sur Croire.com en juin 2007
SOURCE : http://www.croire.com/Definitions/Fetes-religieuses/Nativite-de-Jean-Baptiste/Jean-un-nom-de-la-nouvelle-alliance
Méditation pour la nativité de saint Jean-Baptiste
Le plus noble désir de Dieu est d'engendrer ; et il ne peut être satisfait avant d'avoir engendré son Fils en nous. Comment l'âme serait-elle satisfaite de son côté si le Fils de Dieu ne naît pas en elle...
"Le temps d’Élisabeth fut accompli, et elle mit au monde un fils. Jean est son nom. Et les gens disaient : Que sera cet enfant ? Car la main de Dieu est sur lui."
N'est-il pas écrit : "Le don le plus grand est que nous soyons enfants de Dieu, et qu'il engendre en nous son Fils."
L'âme qui veut être l'enfant de Dieu ne doit rien engendrer d'autre en elle que le Fils de Dieu lui-même.
Le plus noble désir de Dieu est d'engendrer ; et il ne peut être satisfait avant d'avoir engendré son Fils en nous. Comment l'âme serait-elle satisfaite de son côté si le Fils de Dieu ne naît pas en elle ?
C'est alors que jaillit la grâce, répandue par Dieu… Lors donc que le temps fut accompli, Jean, "don de Dieu", naquit.
Quand le temps est-il accompli ? Quand il n'y a plus de temps… pour celui qui, dans le temps, a mis son cœur dans ce qui est éternel, c'est la plénitude du temps. (Christ est formé en lui).
Celui-là ne peut se réjouir en tout temps (comme le recommande saint Paul) qui se réjouit seulement dans le temps. Celui-là seul qui se réjouit au-dessus du temps, peut se réjouir en tout temps. Trois choses font obstacle à l'homme pour qu'il reconnaisse Dieu : la sujétion intérieure au temps, au corps et à la multiplicité des choses. Tant que le cœur est esclave de ces trois choses, Dieu ne peut engendrer son Fils en toi… C'est l'avidité du cœur qui fait qu'il veut saisir et posséder beaucoup de choses, mais il perd ainsi précisément ce qu'il cherche à posséder.
Tout le temps qu'il y a en toi, avec tout ce qui le remplit, fait donc que Dieu ne peut habiter ni engendrer son Fils en toi. Tout doit sans cesse sortir de toi pour que Dieu puisse entrer, (et y engendrer son Fils) Quand en effet nous dépassons le temps et tout ce qui le remplit, alors nous sommes libres, toujours joyeux : c'est alors pour nous la plénitude du temps, le Fils de Dieu naît en nous.
Maître Eckhart, Sermon 11. (Lc 1,57s) Seuil 1974 ; paru sur Croire.com en mai 2007
SOURCE : http://www.croire.com/Definitions/Fetes-religieuses/Nativite-de-Jean-Baptiste/Meditation-pour-la-nativite-de-saint-Jean-Baptiste
D. Cunego, Nativité de Saint Jean le Baptiste, 1769,
Also known as
Iohannes Baptista
Joannes Baptista
John the Baptizer
John the Forerunner
John, son of Zachary
Juan Bautista
Yochanan ben Zecharyah
24 June (birth)
24
February (discovery of his relics)
Profile
Cousin of Jesus Christ. Son of Zachary,
a priest of the order of Abia whose job in the temple was to burn incense;
and of Elizabeth,
a descendent of Aaron. As Zachary was ministering in the Temple, an angel brought
him news that Elizabeth would
bear a child filled
with the Holy
Spirit from the moment of his birth. Zachary doubted and was struck
dumb until John’s birth.
Prophet.
John began his ministry around age 27, wearing a leather belt and a tunic of
camel hair, living off locusts and wild honey, and preaching a
message of repentance to the people of Jerusalem.
He converted many,
and prepared the way for the coming of Jesus. He Baptized Christ,
after which he stepped away and told his disciples to follow Jesus.
Imprisoned by King Herod.
He died a
victim of the vengeance of a jealous woman;
he was beheaded, and his head brought to her on a platter. Saint Jerome says
Herodias kept the head for a long time after, occasionally stabbing the tongue
with his dagger because of what John had said in life.
beheaded c.30 at
Machaerus
buried at
Sebaste, Samaria
relics in Saint Sylvester’s
church, Rome, Italy,
and at Amiens, France
–
–
Aquino-Pontecorvo, Italy, diocese of
Belley-Ars, France, diocese of
Charleston, South
Carolina, diocese of
Dodge
City, Kansas, diocese of
Genoa, Italy, archdiocese of
Ndalatando, Angola, diocese of
Paterson, New
Jersey, diocese of
Saint
John’s, Newfoundland, diocese of
Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo, Italy, diocese of
–
in Belgium
in Brazil
in Germany
in Italy
in Mexico
San
Juan Chamula, Chiapas
in the Philippines
Igbaras,
Iloilo
Kalibo,
Aklan
in Spain
Saint-Jean-le-Blanc,
Loiret, France
–
Worshipful
Company of Tallow Chandlers
skin of an animal
slender cross
tall, thin cross
Storefront
Additional Information
A
Garner of Saints, by Allen Banks Hinds, M.A.
Bethlehem,
by Father Frederick
William Faber
Book
of Saints, by Father Lawrence
George Lovasik, S.V.D.
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Catholic
Encyclopedia, by Charles L. Souvay
Golden
Legend: Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Golden
Legend: Decollation of Saint John the Baptist
Handbook
of Christian Feasts and Customs, by Father Francis
Xavier Weiser, S.J.
Light
From the Altar, edited by Father James
J McGovern
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler: Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler: Decollation of Saint John the
Baptist
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Francis
Xavier Weninger
Meditations
on the Gospels for Every Day in the Year, by Father Médaille
Pictorial
Lives of the Saints: Saint John the Baptist
Pictorial
Lives of the Saints: The Beheading of
Saint John the Baptist
Roman
Martyrology, 1914 edition
Saints
of the Canon, by Monsignor John
T McMahon
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein: Birth of John the Baptist
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein: Beheading of
John the Baptist
Short
Lives of the Saints: Saint John the Baptist, by Eleanor Cecilia Donnelly
Short
Lives of the Saints: The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, by Eleanor
Cecilia Donnelly
The
Man the Saviour Praised, by Father Daniel Aloysius Lord
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Sacred
and Legendary Art, by Anna Jameson
other sites in english
1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian
Catholic Truth Society
Bollandists: Martyrdom of John the Baptist
Catholic Exchange: Forerunner of Christ
Catholic Exchange: The Enigmatic and Essential John the
Baptist
Catholic Exchange: Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John
the Baptist
Catholic Ireland: Birth
Catholic Ireland: Beheading
Catholic News Agency: Beheading
Franciscan Media: Nativity
Franciscan Media: Martyrdom
Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America
John Dillon: Finding His Head
John Dillon: Nativity
Philippines Events and Culture
uCatholic: Nativity
uCatholic: Beheading
Wikipedia: Nativity
Wikipedia: Beheading
Wikipedia: Saint John’s Eve
images
audio
The Road to Emmaus Podcast: Saint John the Baptist and the
Dead Sea Scrolls
video
sitios en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
sites en français
Abbé Christian-Philippe Chanut
Abbé Christian-Philippe Chanut
fonti in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
Santi e Beati: Nativity
Santi e Beati: Beheading
Santo del Giorno: Martirio
Readings
The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed
event. We have no such commemoration for any other fathers; but it is
significant that we celebrate the birthdays of John and of Jesus. This day
cannot be passed by. And even if my explanation does not match the dignity of
the feast, you may still meditate on it with great depth and profit. John
appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That
he is a sort of boundary the Lord himself bears witness, when he speaks of “the
law and the prophets up until John the Baptist.” Thus he represents times past
and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he
is born of aged parents; as a herald of the new era, he is declared to be a
prophet while still in his mother’s womb. For when yet unborn, he leapt in his
mother’s womb at the arrival of blessed Mary. In that womb he had already been
designated a prophet, even before he was born; it was revealed that he was to
be Christ’s precursor, before they ever saw one another. These are divine
happenings, going beyond the limits of our human frailty. When John was
preaching the Lord’s coming he was asked, “Who are you?” And he replied: “I am
the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” The voice is John, but the Lord “in
the beginning was the Word.” John was a voice that lasted only for a time;
Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal. – from a sermon by Saint Augustine on
the birth of John the Baptist
So they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, the one
who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing
and everyone is coming to him.’ John answered and said, ‘No one can receive
anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify
that I said that I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one
who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for
him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made
complete. He must increase; I must decrease’ – John 3:26-30
There is no doubt that blessed John suffered
imprisonment and chains as
a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life for him.
His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he
should keep silent about the truth. Nevertheless, he died for Christ. Does
Christ not say: “I am the truth”? Therefore, because John shed his blood for
the truth, he surely died for Christ. Through his birth, preaching and
baptizing, he bore witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of
Christ, and by his own suffering he showed that Christ also would suffer. Such
was the quality and strength of the man who accepted the end of this present
life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment. He preached the freedom
of heavenly peace, yet was thrown into irons by ungodly men. He was locked away
in the darkness of prison, through he came bearing witness to the Light of life
and deserved to be called a bright and shining lamp by that Light itself, which
is Christ. To endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy
burden for such men as John; rather is was easily borne and even desirable, for
he knew eternal joy would be his reward. Since death was ever at hand, such men
considered it a blessing to embrace it and thus gain the reward of eternal life
by acknowledging Christ’s name. Hence the apostle Paul rightly says: “You have
been granted the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for
his sake.” He tells us why it is Christ’s gift that his chosen ones should
suffer for him: “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.” – from a homily
by Saint Bede the
Venerable on the death of John the Baptist
Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to
kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a
righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was
very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one
day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military
officers and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias’s own daughter came in and
performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the
girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” She went out
and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John
the Baptist.” The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her
request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the
Baptist.” The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the
guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an
executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in
the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn
gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a
tomb. – Mark 6:19-29
MLA Citation
“Saint John the Baptist“. CatholicSaints.Info. 30
May 2021. Web. 24 June 2021.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-the-baptist/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-the-baptist/
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today, 24 June, we are celebrating the Solemnity of St
John the Baptist. He is the only saint — with the exception of the Virgin Mary
— whose birth the liturgy celebrates and it does so because it is closely
connected with the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. In fact, from
the time when he was in his mother’s womb John was the precursor of Jesus: the
Angel announced to Mary his miraculous conception as a sign that “nothing is
impossible to God” (Lk 1:37), six months before the great miracle that brings
us salvation, God’s union with man brought about by the Holy Spirit. The four
Gospels place great emphasis on the figure of John the Baptist, the prophet who
concludes the Old Testament and inaugurates the New, by identifying Jesus of
Nazareth as the Messiah, the Anointed One of the Lord. In fact, Jesus himself
was to speak of John in these terms: “This is he of whom it is written ‘Behold
I send my messenger before your face, / who shall prepare your way before you.
Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater
than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater
than he!” (Mt 11:10-11).
John’s father, Zechariah — Elizabeth’s husband and a
relative of Mary — was a priest of Old Testament worship, he did not
immediately believe in the announcement of such an unexpected fatherhood. This
is why he was left mute until the day of the circumcision of the child to whom
he and his wife gave the name God had indicated to them, that is, John, which
means “graced by God”. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Zechariah spoke thus of his
son’s mission: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of
salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins” (Lk 1:76-77).
All this came to pass 30 years later when John began
baptizing people in the River Jordan, calling them to prepare themselves with
this act of penance for the imminent coming of the Messiah, which God had
revealed to them during their wanderings in the desert of Judaea. This is why
he was called the “Baptist”, the “Baptizer” (cf. Mt 3:1-6). When one day Jesus
himself came from Nazareth to be baptized, John at first refused but then
consented; he saw the Holy Spirit settle on Jesus and heard the voice of the
heavenly Father proclaiming him his Son (cf. Mt 3:13-17). However, the
Baptist’s mission was not yet complete. Shortly afterwards he was also asked to
precede Jesus in a violent death: John was beheaded in King Herod’s prison and
thus bore a full witness to the Lamb of God who had recognized him and publicly
pointed him out beforehand.
Dear friends, the Virgin Mary helped her elderly kinswoman Elizabeth when she was expecting John to bring her pregnancy to completion. May she help all people to follow Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, whom the Baptist proclaimed with deep humility and prophetic fervour.
After the Angelus:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Day for the Pope’s Charity is being celebrated
today in Italy. I thank all the parish communities, families and individual
members of the faithful for their constant and generous support which benefits
so many brothers and sisters in difficulty. In this regard, I recall that the
day after tomorrow, please God, I shall be making a brief visit to the areas
hit by the recent earthquake in North Italy. I would like this to be a sign of
the whole Church’s solidarity and I therefore invite everyone to accompany me
with prayers.
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors
present for today’s Angelus. This Sunday, we celebrate the birth of John the
Baptist, the great saint who prepared the way for our Lord. John was a voice,
crying in the wilderness, calling God’s people to repentance. Let us heed his
voice today, and make room for the Lord in our hearts. May God bless all of
you.
I wish you all a good Feast, a good Sunday and a good week. Thank you!
© Copyright 2012 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
SOURCE : https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/angelus/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20120624.html
Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist
Jesus called John the greatest of all those who had preceded him: “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John....” But John would have agreed completely with what Jesus added: “[Y]et the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28).
John spent his time in the desert, an ascetic. He began to announce the coming of the Kingdom, and to call everyone to a fundamental reformation of life.
His purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus. His Baptism, he said, was for repentance. But One would come who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John is not worthy even to carry his sandals. His attitude toward Jesus was: “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30).
John was humbled to find among the crowd of sinners who came to be baptized the one whom he already knew to be the Messiah. “I need to be baptized by you” (Matthew 3:14b). But Jesus insisted, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15b). Jesus, true and humble human as well as eternal God, was eager to do what was required of any good Jew. John thus publicly entered the community of those awaiting the Messiah. But making himself part of that community, he made it truly messianic.
The greatness of John, his pivotal place in the history of salvation, is seen in the great emphasis Luke gives to the announcement of his birth and the event itself—both made prominently parallel to the same occurrences in the life of Jesus. John attracted countless people (“all Judea”) to the banks of the Jordan, and it occurred to some people that he might be the Messiah. But he constantly deferred to Jesus, even to sending away some of his followers to become the first disciples of Jesus.
Perhaps John’s idea of the coming of the Kingdom of God was not being perfectly fulfilled in the public ministry of Jesus. For whatever reason, he sent his disciples (when he was in prison) to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah. Jesus’ answer showed that the Messiah was to be a figure like that of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah (chapters 49 through 53). John himself would share in the pattern of messianic suffering, losing his life to the revenge of Herodias.
Comment :
John challenges us Christians to the fundamental attitude of Christianity—total dependence on the Father, in Christ. Except for the Mother of God, no one had a higher function in the unfolding of salvation. Yet the least in the kingdom, Jesus said, is greater than he, for the pure gift that the Father gives. The attractiveness as well as the austerity of John, his fierce courage in denouncing evil—all stem from his fundamental and total placing of his life within the will of God.
Quote :
"And this is not something which was only true once, long ago in the past. It is always true, because the repentance which he preached always remains the way into the kingdom which he announced. He is not a figure that we can forget now that Jesus, the true light, has appeared. John is always relevant because he calls for a preparation which all men need to make. Hence every year there are four weeks in the life of the Church in which it listens to the voice of the Baptist. These are the weeks of Advent" (A New Catechism).
SOURCE : http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1424
Birth of John the Baptist; from the High Altar of St Kilian and John the Baptist in Schlüsselfeld (Steigerwald); Bamberg, c. 1475; hardwood, original polychromy; Museum: Liebieghaus, Frankfurt am Main; Inv. No. 355.
John the Baptist, The Birth of (RM)
1st century. John the Baptist, the last of the prophets and the forerunner of our Lord, was a man of the desert. The son of a priestly line, born of aged parents as if by a miracle, brought up as a Nazarite, that is, dedicated from birth to God's service with lifelong obligations never to shave, take wine, or indulge in human pleasures. He lived in the wilderness, a rugged and magnetic figure, clothed in the skin of a camel, living on locusts and wild honey.
He is the most startling figure in the Gospel narrative, a man of mystery, not as other men, bronzed by the desert sun, with piercing words of ominous malediction, uncompromising and aggressive. No greater contrast can be imagined than the appearance by the river of this prophet of fire and the figure of Jesus as 'the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world.'
Crowds followed him, held by his hypnotic power and rugged eloquence and lashed by his bitter invective. "You offspring of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth fruits meet for repentance. The axe is laid to the rotten trees." The wheat is being threshed and the stubble burnt in the empty fields. It was the voice of the old dispensation, the last echo of Moses and Elijah, the final challenge of the fire and thunder of the God of the ancient Jews.
But John also prepared the way for Jesus,and with all his fierceness exercised a vital and realistic ministry. With it went a surprising humility and tenderness, for he recognized his own limitations and that he was but a forerunner and a road-builder; and when the time came, he graciously made way for our Lord. He shrank even from the thought of baptizing Him, and spoke of Him with wonder and devotion. I am not the Christ, he said, I am but a voice. "He that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear."
His end was tragic, the result of a squalid intrigue. With characteristic boldness he had denounced the unlawful marriage of the infamous Herodias, and, as a result, had been thrown into the gloomy fortress of Machaerus on the shores of the Dead Sea. Then, to gratify the cruel and frivolous whim of a dancing girl, Salome, the daughter of Herodias, who had been prompted by her mother, Herod, to his own disgust, but unwilling to take back his word, put him to death, and there followed the shameful display of his head on a charger.
Thus ended the life of this sublime and extraordinary figure who blazed the trail for our Lord. The disciples gave his body decent burial and then broke the tragic news to Jesus, who, overcome by grief and unable to face the crowds that thronged Him, took a boat and retired for a while to a desert place apart (Gill).
BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
Feast: June 24
This feast, a segment of Advent in the season of Ordinary Time, makes us aware of the wonderful inner relationship between the sacred mysteries; for we are still in the midst of one Church year and already a bridge is being erected to the coming year of grace.
Ordinarily the Church observes the day of a saint's death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of Blessed Mary and of St. John the Baptist. All other persons were stained with original sin at birth, hence, were displeasing to God. But Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin (for which reason even her very conception is commemorated by a special feast), and John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother. This is the dogmatic justification for today's feast. In the breviary St. Augustine explains the reason for today's observance in the following words:
"Apart from the most holy solemnity commemorating our Savior's birth, the Church keeps the birthday of no other person except that of John the Baptist. (The feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin had not yet been introduced.) In the case of other saints or of God's chosen ones, the Church, as you know, solemnizes the day on which they were reborn to everlasting beatitude after ending the trials of this life and gloriously triumphing over the world.
"For all these the final day of their lives, the day on which they completed their earthly service is honored. But for John the day of his birth, the day on which he began this mortal life is likewise sacred. The reason for this is, of course, that the Lord willed to announce to men His own coming through the Baptist, lest if He appeared suddenly, they would fail to recognize Him. John represented the Old Covenant and the Law. Therefore he preceded the Redeemer, even as the Law preceded and heralded the new dispensation of grace."
In other words, today's feast anticipates the feast of Christmas. Taking an overall view, we keep during the course of the year only two mysteries, that of Christ's Incarnation and that of His Redemption. The Redemption mystery is the greater of the two; the Incarnation touches the human heart more directly. To the Redemption mystery the entire Easter season is devoted, from Septuagesima until Pentecost; and likewise every Sunday of the year, because Sunday is Easter in miniature.
The Christmas season has for its object the mystery of God-become-Man, to which there is reference only now and then during the remaining part of the year, e.g., on Marian feasts, especially that of the Annunciation (March 25) and today's feast in honor of the Baptist. In a sense, then, we are celebrating Christ's incarnation today. The birth of Jesus is observed on December 25 at the time of the winter solstice, while the birth of His forerunner is observed six months earlier at the time of the summer solstice. Christmas is a "light" feast; the same is true today. The popular custom centering about "St. John's Fire" stems from soundest Christian dogma and could well be given renewed attention. St. John's Fire symbolizes Christ the Light; John was a lamp that burned and shone. We Christians should be the light of the world.
--- Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.
Patron : Baptism; bird dealers; converts; convulsions; convulsive children; cutters; epilepsy; epileptics; farriers; hail; hailstorms; Knights Hospitaller; Knights of Malta; lambs; Maltese Knights; lovers; monastic life; motorways; printers, spasms; tailors; Genoa, Italy; Quebec; Sassano, Italy; Diocese of Savannah, Georgia; Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina; Diocese of Dodge City, Kansas; Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey; Diocese of Portland, Maine.
Symbols : Lamb; lamb on a book of seven seals; locust; camel's hair tunic; girdle; his head on a charger; scroll with words Ecce Agnus Dei or with Vox Clamantis in deserto; long, slender cross-tipped staff; open Bible; banner of victory.
Things to Do :
• Read about the traditions connected with this feast, particularly the connection with bonfires.
• The Liturgy of the Hours for the Evening Prayer (Vespers) of the Birth of St. John the Baptist has traditionally included the Gregorian chant Ut Queant Laxis. Tradition has ascribed the hymn to a Paul Warnefried (Paul the Deacon, 730-799). While preparing to sing the Exsultet at the Holy Saturday vigil, he found himself hoarse, and so prayed to St. John the Baptist, since his father lost his voice before John was born. Paul's voice was restored and he wrote this hymn in honor of the saint. True or not, what makes this song memorable is that the Benedictine monk used this hymn as a pivotal reference for our musical scale. See Catholic Encyclopedia's entry Ut Queant Laxis, more information on the hymn from Catholic Culture, a Beginner's Guide to Modal Harmony, and Gregorian Chant Notation.
• The Church year has two cycles. The more important cycle is the Temporal cycle (from the Latin tempus which means time or season). The life of Christ is relived in liturgical time, in both real time and Church's memory. Throughout the year the Paschal Mystery (Christ's work of redemption through His birth, life, passion, death, and resurrection and ascension) is relived, and broken down into the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Ordinary Time. Sundays are the usual means by which this cycle unfolds.
At the same time with the temporal cycle, the Sanctoral cycle (from the Latin sanctus which means saint) progresses. The Church honors Mary, Mother of God "with a special love. She is inseparably linked with the saving work of her son" (CCC 1172). Then the memorials of martyrs and other saints are kept by the Church. They are held up to us as examples "who draw all men to the Father through Christ, and through their merits she begs for God's favors" (CCC 1173).
This is one of the few saint feast days that is connected with the temporal calendar, not the sanctoral calendar, because John the Baptist was intimately involved in Christ's work of redemption. Charting or making your own liturgical calendar would be a great family project.
• Read the excerpt from the Directory on Popular Piety on the cult of St. John the Baptist.
• In Brazil, this day is known as Diário de Sáo Joáo (Saint John's Day). The festivities are set off in the villages and countryside by the Fogueira de Sáo Joáo (bonfire) on St. John's eve. Families and friends eat traditional foods around the fire while younger folks jump over the fire and firecrackers are exploded. The day is primarily a festival for children, who save up months in advance to purchase fireworks to set off for the day. In cities this is a day for parties and dances, with the urban dwellers dressing up in rural costumes.
St. John is the protector of lovers, so for fun, young country girls in Brazil will roll up scraps of paper, each bearing a name of a single girl and place them into a bowl of water. The first one which unfolds indicates the girl who will marry first.
SOURCE : http://www.passionistnuns.org/Saints/StJohnBaptist/BirthJohnBaptist/index.htm
Father Weiser explains the customs associated with June 23 and 24, the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist.
DIRECTIONS
John the Baptist (June 24) — This Saint was highly honored throughout the whole Church from the beginning. Proof of this is, among other things, the fact that fifteen churches were dedicated to him in the ancient imperial city of Constantinople. Being the precursor of our Lord, he was accorded the same honor as the first great saints of the Christian era, although he belonged to the Old Covenant. The fact that Christ praised him so highly (Matt. 11, 11) encouraged, of course, a special veneration. Accordingly, we find a regular cycle of feasts in his honor among the early Christian churches.
It was the firm belief among the faithful that John was freed from original sin at the moment when his mother met the Blessed Virgin (Luke 1, 45). Saint Augustine mentioned this belief as a general tradition in the ancient Church. In any case, it is certain that he was "filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1, 15) and, therefore, born without original sin. Accordingly, the Church celebrates his natural birth by a festival of his "nativity," assigned exactly six months before the Nativity of Christ, since John was six months older than the Lord. As soon as the feast of Christmas was established on December 25 (in the fifth century) the date of the Baptist's birth was assigned to June 24.
The question arises of why June 24, and not 25. It has often been claimed that the Church authorities wanted to "Christianize" the pagan solstice celebrations and for this reason advanced Saint John's feast as a substitute for the former pagan festival. This explanation is obviously erroneous because in those centuries the solstice took place around the middle of June due to the inaccuracy of the Julian calendar. It was only in 1582, through the Gregorian calendar reform, that the solstice fell on June 23.
The real reason why Saint John's Day falls on June 24 lies in the Roman way of counting, which proceeded backward from the Kalends (first day) of the succeeding month. Christmas was "the eighth day before the Kalends of January" (Octavo Kalendas Januarii). Consequently, Saint John's Nativity was put on the "eighth day before the Kalends of July." However, since June has only thirty days, in our present (Germanic) way of counting, the feast falls on June 24.69
The Council of Agde, in 506, listed the Nativity of Saint John among the highest feasts of the year, a day on which all faithful had to attend Mass and abstain from servile work. Indeed, so great was the rank of this festival that, just as on Christmas, three Masses were celebrated, one during the vigil service, the second at dawn, the third in the morning. In 1022, a synod at Seligenstadt, Germany, prescribed a fourteen-day fast and abstinence in preparation for the Feast of the Baptist. This, however, was never accepted into universal practice by the Roman authorities.
On August 29 the death of the Saint is honored by a Feast of the "Beheading." A third festival was celebrated in the Oriental Church in honor of "Saint John's Conception" (on September 24), commemorating the fact that an angel had announced his conception. This feast, however, was not adopted by the Latin Church. The Greek Rite (on the day after Epiphany), and recently also the Latin Church (on January 13), keep a feast in memory of Saint John baptizing the Lord.
The Baptist is patron of tailors (because he made his own garments in the desert), of shepherds (because he spoke of the "Lamb of God"), and of masons (including the Freemasons, who celebrate his day as one of their great annual feasts). This patronage over masons is traced to his words:
Make ready the way of the Lord, make straight all his paths. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, And the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth. (Luke 3, 4-6.)
All over Europe, from Scandinavia to Spain, and from Ireland to Russia, Saint John's Day festivities are closely associated with the ancient nature lore of the great summer festival of pre-Christian times. Fires are lighted on mountains and hilltops on the eve of his feast. These "Saint John's fires" burn brightly and quietly along the fiords of Norway, on the peaks of the Alps, on the slopes of the Pyrenees, and on the mountains of Spain (where they are called Hogsueras). They were an ancient symbol of the warmth and light of the sun which the forefathers greeted at the beginning of summer. In many places, great celebrations are held with dances, games, and outdoor meals.
Fishermen from Brittany keep this custom even while far out at sea in the Arctic Ocean. They hoist a barrel filled with castoff clothing to the tip of the mainsail yard and set the contents on fire. All ships of the fishing fleet light up at the same time, about eight o'clock in the evening. The men gather around the mast, pray and sing. Afterward they celebrate in their quarters, and the captain gives each crew member double pay.
Another custom is that of lighting many small fires in the valleys and plains. People gather around, jump through the flames, and sing traditional songs in praise of the Saint or of summer. This custom is based on the pre-Christian "need fires" (niedfyr, nodfyr) which were believed to cleanse, cure, and immunize people from all kinds of disease, curses, and dangers. In Spain these smaller fires (fogatas) are lighted in the streets of towns and cities, everybody contributing some old furniture or other wood, while children jump over the flames. In Brest, France, the bonfires are replaced by lighted torches which people throw in the air. In other districts of France they cover wagon wheels with straw, then set them on fire with a blessed candle and roll them down the hill slopes.
As the first day of summer, Saint John's Day is considered in ancient folklore one of the great "charmed" festivals of the year. Hidden treasures are said to lie open in lonely places, waiting for the lucky finder. Divining rods should be cut on this day. Herbs are given unusual powers of healing which they retain if they are plucked during the night of the feast. In Germany they call these herbs Johanneskraut (St. John's herbs), and people bring them to church for a special blessing.
In Scandinavia and in the Slavic countries it is an ancient superstition that on Saint John's Day witches and demons are allowed to roam the earth. As at Halloween, children go the rounds and demand "treats," straw figures are thrown into the flames, and much noise is made to drive the demons away.
It should be noted, however, that in the Catholic sections of Europe the combination of the ancient festival of nature lore with the Feast of the Baptist has resulted in a tradition of dignified celebration, which has come down to our day. People gather around the fireplace, dressed in their national or local costumes, and sing their beautiful ancient songs. When the fire is lighted, one of them recites a poem that expresses the thought of the feast. Then they pray together to Saint John for his intercession that the summer may be blessed in homes, fields, and country, and finally perform some of the traditional folk dances, usually accompanied by singing and music.
LITURGICAL PRAYER: O God who hast made this an honored day for us by the birth of Saint John: bestow upon Thy people the grace of spiritual joys, and guide the hearts of all Thy faithful into the way of eternal salvation.
Activity Source: Holyday Book, The by Francis X. Weiser, S.J., Harcourt, Brace and Company, Inc., New York, 1956
SOURCE : http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1125
Naissance de Saint Jean-Baptiste, Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Bazas. Détail du tympan du portail central,
Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist
Commemorated on June 24
Troparion & Kontakion
The Nativity of the Holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John: The Gospel (Luke. 1: 5) relates that the righteous parents of St John the Baptist, the Priest Zachariah and Elizabeth (September 5), lived in the ancient city of Hebron. They reached old age without having children, since Elizabeth was barren. Once, St Zachariah was serving in the Temple at Jerusalem and saw the Archangel Gabriel, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. He predicted that St Zachariah would father a son, who would announce the Savior, the Messiah, awaited by the Old Testament Church. Zachariah was troubled, and fear fell upon him. He had doubts that in old age it was possible to have a son, and he asked for a sign. It was given to him, and it was also a chastisement for his unbelief. Zachariah was struck speechless until the time of the fulfillment of the archangel’s words.
St Elizabeth came to be with child, and fearing derision at being pregnant so late in life, she kept it secret for five months. Then her relative, the Virgin Mary, came to share with her Her own joy. Elizabeth, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” was the first to greet the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. St John leaped in his mother’s womb at the visit of the Most Holy Virgin Mary and the Son of God incarnate within Her.
Soon St Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and all the relatives and acquaintances rejoiced together with her. On the eighth day, in accordance with the Law of Moses, he was circumcised and was called John. Everyone was amazed, since no one in the family had this name. When they asked St Zachariah about this, he motioned for a tablet and wrote on it: “His name is John.” Immediately his tongue was loosed, and St Zachariah glorified God. He also prophesied about the Coming into the world of the Messiah, and of his own son John, the Forerunner of the Lord (Luke. 1: 68-79).
After the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ and the worship of the shepherds and the Magi, wicked king Herod gave orders to kill all male infants. Hearing about this, St Elizabeth fled into the wilderness and hid in a cave. St Zachariah was at Jerusalem and was doing his priestly service in the Temple. Herod sent soldiers to him to find out the abode of the infant John and his mother. Zachariah answered that their whereabouts were unknown to him, and he was killed right there in the Temple. Righteous Elizabeth continued to live in the wilderness with her son and she died there. The child John, protected by an angel, dwelt in the wilderness until the time when he came preaching repentance, and was accounted worthy to baptize the Lord.
SOURCE : http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/06/24/101800-nativity-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-baptist
Jesus called John the greatest of all those who had preceded him: “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John….” But John would have agreed completely with what Jesus added: “[Y]et the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28).
John spent his time in the desert, an ascetic. He began to announce the coming of the Kingdom, and to call everyone to a fundamental reformation of life.
His purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus. His Baptism, he said, was for repentance. But One would come who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John is not worthy even to carry his sandals. His attitude toward Jesus was: “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30).
John was humbled to find among the crowd of sinners who came to be baptized the one whom he already knew to be the Messiah. “I need to be baptized by you” (Matthew 3:14b). But Jesus insisted, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15b). Jesus, true and humble human as well as eternal God, was eager to do what was required of any good Jew. John thus publicly entered the community of those awaiting the Messiah. But making himself part of that community, he made it truly messianic.
The greatness of John, his pivotal place in the history of salvation, is seen in the great emphasis Luke gives to the announcement of his birth and the event itself—both made prominently parallel to the same occurrences in the life of Jesus. John attracted countless people (“all Judea”) to the banks of the Jordan, and it occurred to some people that he might be the Messiah. But he constantly deferred to Jesus, even to sending away some of his followers to become the first disciples of Jesus.
Perhaps John’s idea of the coming of the Kingdom of God was not being perfectly fulfilled in the public ministry of Jesus. For whatever reason, he sent his disciples (when he was in prison) to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah. Jesus’ answer showed that the Messiah was to be a figure like that of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah (chapters 49 through 53). John himself would share in the pattern of messianic suffering, losing his life to the revenge of Herodias.
SOURCE : http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/nativity-of-john-the-baptist-2/
Turino di Sano e Giovanni di Turino, Nascita del Battista, 1427
Turino di Sano e Giovanni di Turino, Nascita del Battista, 1427
Turino di Sano e Giovanni di Turino, Nascita del Battista,
1427
Golden
Legend – Nativity of Saint John Baptist
Here followeth the
Nativity of Saint John Baptist.
Saint John Baptist is named in many manners. He was
named a prophet; friend of the spouse; lanterne; an angel voice; Elias; baptist
of the Saviour; messenger of the judge; and foregoer of the King. By prophet is
signified prerogative of knowledge; in the friend of the spouse, noblesse of
love; in the lantern burning, noblesse of holiness; in an angel, prerogative of
virginity; in voice, nobleness of meekness; in Elias, noblesse of burning love;
in baptist, prerogative of marvellous honour; in messenger, prerogative of
preaching; and in foregoing, prerogative of preparation or making ready. All
these virtuous things were in him.
Of Saint John Baptist
The nativity of Saint John Baptist was ancient, and
showed by the Archangel Gabriel in this manner. It is said in the History
Scholastic that David the king, willing to increase and make more the service
of God, instituted twenty-four bishops or high priests,
of whom one was overest and greatest, and was named prince of the priests,
and he ordained that each priest should
serve a week. Abias was one, and had the eighth week, of whose kindred
Zacharias was descended, father of Saint John Baptist. This Zacharias had to
wife one of the daughters of the kindred of Aaron, whose name was Elizabeth,
daughter of Esmeria, which was sister of Saint Anne, mother of our Lady. Then
this Elizabeth and our Lady were cousins-german, daughters of two sisters.
These two, Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth, were just tofore our Lord, living
in all the justifications, and holding all the commandments of the law without
murmur ne complaint, praising and thanking our Lord God.They had no children,
for the holy woman was barren. They had great desire to have a son that might
be bishop of the law by succession of lineage after Zacharias, and hereof had
they in their youth prayed much to our Lord, but when it pleased not unto our
Lord, they took it a worth and thanked God of all. They served the more
devoutly our Lord God, for they had no charge but only to serve and entend unto
him. Many there be that withdraw them from the service and love of our Lord for
the love of their children. They were both old, he and his wife Elizabeth. It
happed, at a solemnity that the Jews had after August, that the bishop did holy
sacrifice in doing the office that appertained to him and to his week; he went
for to incense, and entered into the temple, and the people abode without,
making their prayers and awaiting the coming again to them of the holy bishop.
Thus, as he was alone, and incensed the altar, the angel Gabriel appeared to
him standing on the right side of the altar, and when the holy bishop saw him
he was abashed and had great dread. The angel said to him: Be nothing afeard,
Zacharias, thy prayers be heard and thou hast found grace tofore of whom our
Lord. Elizabeth thy wife shall conceive and bear a son, whom thou shalt call
John, of whom thou shalt have great gladness, and much people shall make great
feast and joy of his nativity, for he shall be great, and of great merit tofore
our Lord. He shall not drink wine ne cider, ne thing whereof he might be
drunken, and in his mother’s womb he shall be sanctified and fulfilled with the
Holy Ghost. He shall convert many of the sons of Israel, that is to say, of the
Jews, to our Lord, and shall go tofore him in the spirit and virtue of Elias
the prophet for to convert father and sons, old and miscreants, to the sense of
righteousness and to the service of God. When the angel had thus said to
Zacharias, he answered: How may I believe and know that this is truth that thou
sayest? I am now all old and ancient, and my wife old and barren. The angel
answered and said: I am Gabriel, the angel and servant tofore God, which in his
name am sent to speak to thee and to show to thee these things aforesaid, and
because thou hast not believed me thou shalt lose thy speech, and shalt not
speak till the day that this which I have said shall be accomplished, each
thing in his time. The people were abiding and awaiting when Zacharias the bishop
should come out, and marvelled where he tarried so long. He came out of the
temple, but he might not speak, but the holy man made to them signs by which
they thought well that he had seen some vision of our Lord, but more knew they
not. He abode in the temple all that week, and after, went home to his house.
His wife conceived and waxed great, and when she perceived it she was
shamefaced and kept her in her house well five months. In the sixth month the
same angel Gabriel was sent from our Lord unto the blessed Virgin Mary, newly
espoused to Joseph, which shewed the conception of Jesu Christ, son of God our
Lord, and the angel told to her that she should conceive of the Holy Ghost
without knowledge of man. For our Lord may do all that it pleaseth him, like as
it appeareth, said he, of Elizabeth thy cousin, the which, she being old of
age, and barren by nature of her body, hath conceived by the pleasure of our
Lord, and hath now borne about six months. When our Lady heard that Saint
Elizabeth her cousin was great, she went to visit and accompany her in the
mountains where she dwelt, right far, hard, and evil way. When she came thither
she saluted her much courteously. Our Lady was then great with the blessed Son
of God, our Lord Jesu Christ, whom she had conceived when she said to the
angel: Ecce ancilla domini; and then she was replenished with the deity and
humanity of our Lord Jesu Christ. Then, when the salutation issued out of the
body of our Lady, the greeting entered into the ears of the body of Saint
Elizabeth, and into her child that she had within her, which child was anoint
of the blessed Holy Ghost, and, by the presence of our Lord, sanctified in the
womb of his mother and replenished with grace, whereof he removed him for joy
in his mother’s womb, in making to our Lord reverence such as he might make not
of himself, but by the grace that he had received of the Holy Ghost. Of which
by the merits and grace done to the blessed child, Saint Elizabeth was
replenished, and anon prophesied in saying and crying with a high voice: Thou
art blessed among and above all women, and blessed be the fruit of thy womb.
From whence cometh to me such grace, so great that the mother of my Lord cometh
to visit me? I know well that thou hast conceived the Son ot God, for as soon
as thy salutation entered into mine ears, the child that is in my belly made
joy and feast, and removed. Thou art well blessed and happy that thou hast
given faith and believed the words of the angel which he said to thee, for all
things shall be performed that he hath said to thee.
Of all these things Saint Elizabeth knew nothing when
our Lady came, ne yet our Lady had nothing said to her, but the Holy Ghost, by
the merits of her holy child that she bare, replenished her and made her to
prophesy. Then answered our Lady and made the holy psalm saying: Magnificat
anima mea dominum, and all the remnant. Our Lady abode with Saint Elizabeth
three months or thereabouts till she was delivered and laid abed, and it is
said that she did the office and service to receive Saint John Baptist when he
was born.
When then he was born, and the neighbours and cousins
and friends knew the grace that our Lord had done to these holy folk, noble of
lineage, rich of goods and of great dignity, to whom in the end of their age he
had given an heir male against double or treble nature, they made great joy and
feast with them. When the eighth day came, and the child should be circumcised,
they called him after his father’s name, Zacharias. The mother said that he
should named John. and not Zacharias. and they went unto the father and said
that there was none in that kindred that so was called. And then the father
demanded pen and ink, and wrote: Johannes est nomen ejus, John is his name, and
all they marvelled. Anon after, by the merit of Saint John, his father’s mouth
was opened, and had again his speech, and spake, glorifying our Lord God. And
these tidings of this holy child thus born, were anon spread all about the
country, and each man said in his heart, and without forth one to another: What
suppose ye shall be of this child? He shall be great and a man of our Lord, for
he is already now with him, and the hand, the work, and the virtue of our Lord
is with him. The father, holy Zacharias, replenished with the Holy Ghost, said
and prophesied, and made then the holy psalm: Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel,
which psalm is always sung in the end of matins.
It is said that holy Zacharias dwelled upon the
mountains two miles nigh to Jerusalem, and there Saint John Baptist was born,
and after that Saint John was circumcised, he was nourished as a child of a
noble and rich man and son of great dignity, but when he had understanding and
strength of body, God our Lord and the heart performed the work. He issued out
of his father’s house, and left riches, honours, dignities, noblesse, and all
the world, and went into desert on flom Jordan. Some say he went in the age of
fifteen years accomplished, and others say he departed at twelve years of age
for to serve our Lord without empeshment, by which he kept silence, and
bydwonge his life and his soul from idle words. This holy Saint John, dwelling
in desert, ware an hair made of the hair of camels. Some say that he ware the
skin of a camel, in which he had made an hole to put his head in and girded it
with a girdle of wool, or of leather, cut out of an hide or a beast’s skin. He
ate locusts, not such as we have here that we call honeysuckles; some say that
it is flesh of some beasts that abound in the desert of Judea where he
baptized; with wild honey he ate it. That it was flesh, the legend of Saint
Austin doth us to understand, which saith that Saint Austin ate flesh by the
example of Elias the prophet, which ate the flesh that a crow brought to him,
and so Saint John ate locusts, some say that there be roots so called. There
served he our Lord solitarily upon the flom Jordan till that he was about
twenty-nine years old. The angel of our Lord came to him and said that he
should show the coming of our Lord and preach penance, for to purge them that
were baptized, in accustoming the baptism of our Lord Jesu Christ. This angel
said to Saint John Baptist that, Jesu Christ, Saviour of the world, should come
to him for to be baptized, and it should be he on whom the Holy Ghost should
descend in semblance of a dove.
Saint John drew him towards Bethany, upon the river or
desert, not far from Jerusalem; there preached he, and taught and baptized them
that would amend their life, and said to them that the Saviour and health of
the world was nigh. Then came to him many, and he said to some religious men of
evil life: Ye children of serpents, who hath given to you counsel to eschew the
ire of our Lord? If ye will be baptized in sign of penance, do ye the works of
penitence. Leave the evil, humble you, do the work of mercy; ween ye, because
ye be circumcised and be the children of Abraham, that ye shall be saved? Our
Lord shall make of these stones if it please him the child of Abraham which
with Abraham shall be saved. Saint John preached about a year tofore that our
Lord came to him for to be baptized. When the Pharisees heard say that he
baptized, they sent to know what he was, and they demanded if he were Christ
the great prophet that was promised in their law, and he said: Nay. They
demanded him if he were Elias, and come from Paradise terrestrial, he said:
Nay. They demanded him if he was a prophet, he said: Nay. They demanded him
whereof he meddled then to baptize, since he was neither Christ, ne Elias, ne
prophet. Say to us, said they, who that thou art, that we may answer to them
that have sent us hither. He answered: I am he of whom Isaiah prophesied: I am
the voice of the crier in desert: Address ye and make ready the ways to God,
and make ye right the paths of our Lord. They said to him: Wherefore baptizest
thou then? I baptize and wash the body with water in sign of penance, but among
you is he that ye know not, which was tofore me, and came after me, of whom I
am not worthy to loose the latchet of his shoe. He shall give you baptism in
the virtue of the Holy Ghost, in water and fire of penance.
When Saint John along the flom Jordan had preached and
baptized about a year, our Lord came unto him and would be baptized of him.
Saint John, enlumined of the Holy Ghost, knew him, and did to him reverence as
to his God, his Maker, and Lord. He was so espired that human nature which was
pure in him might not sustain so great knowledge, and he said right humbly:
Sir, thou comest to me, which art pure and clean, to be baptized and washed of
me that am foul and wasted, which ought to be baptized of thee and washed, how
dare I lay on thee my hands? Our Lord said to him: Do this that I say now, for
thus behoveth it to fulfil all justice and to humble and give ensample of
baptism to all people. And then in humility and patience he baptized our Lord,
and washed him where he had never filth, and all by holy mystery; on whom the
Holy Ghost descended visibly in likeness of a dove, and the voice of the Father
was heard saying: Here is my well-beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Then
our Lord was thirty years old from his nativity and thirteen days beginning of
the thirtyfirst year. On that same day our Lord changed water into wine in Cana
of Galilee. And this sufficeth for the nativity of Saint John Baptist, and the
residue of his life and of his death shall be said at the feast of his
decollation, by the grace of God, who bringeth us to his bliss. Amen.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/golden-legend-nativity-of-saint-john-baptist/
Orazio Samacchini, Nascita di Giovanni Battista
1552-1577, Collegiata di Santa Maria Maggiore (Pieve di Cento)
BENEDETTO XVI
ANGELUS
Cari fratelli e sorelle!
Oggi, 24 giugno, celebriamo la solennità della Nascita
di San Giovanni Battista. Se si eccettua la Vergine Maria, il Battista è
l’unico santo di cui la liturgia festeggia la nascita, e lo fa perché essa è
strettamente connessa al mistero dell’Incarnazione del Figlio di Dio. Fin dal
grembo materno, infatti, Giovanni è precursore di Gesù: il suo prodigioso
concepimento è annunciato dall’Angelo a Maria come segno che «nulla è impossibile
a Dio» (Lc 1,37), sei mesi prima del grande prodigio che ci dà salvezza,
l’unione di Dio con l’uomo per opera dello Spirito Santo. I quattro Vangeli
danno grande risalto alla figura di Giovanni il Battista, quale profeta che
conclude l’Antico Testamento e inaugura il Nuovo, indicando in Gesù di Nazaret
il Messia, il Consacrato del Signore. In effetti, sarà lo stesso Gesù a parlare
di Giovanni in questi termini: «Egli è colui del quale sta scritto: Ecco,
dinanzi a te io mando il mio messaggero, / davanti a te egli preparerà la via.
In verità io vi dico: fra i nati di donna non è sorto alcuno più grande di
Giovanni il Battista; ma il più piccolo nel regno dei cieli è più grande di
lui» (Mt 11,10-11).
Il padre di Giovanni, Zaccaria – marito di Elisabetta,
parente di Maria –, era sacerdote del culto dell’Antico Testamento. Egli non
credette subito all’annuncio di una paternità ormai insperata, e per questo
rimase muto fino al giorno della circoncisione del bambino, al quale lui e la
moglie dettero il nome indicato da Dio, cioè Giovanni, che significa «il
Signore fa grazia». Animato dallo Spirito Santo, Zaccaria così parlò della
missione del figlio: «E tu, bambino, sarai chiamato profeta dell’Altissimo /
perché andrai innanzi al Signore a preparargli le strade, / per dare al suo
popolo la conoscenza della salvezza / nella remissione dei suoi peccati»
(Lc 1,76-77). Tutto questo si manifestò trent’anni dopo, quando Giovanni
si mise a battezzare nel fiume Giordano, chiamando la gente a prepararsi, con
quel gesto di penitenza, all’imminente venuta del Messia, che Dio gli aveva
rivelato durante la sua permanenza nel deserto della Giudea. Per questo egli
venne chiamato «Battista», cioè «Battezzatore» (cfr Mt 3,1-6). Quando
un giorno, da Nazaret, venne Gesù stesso a farsi battezzare, Giovanni dapprima
rifiutò, ma poi acconsentì, e vide lo Spirito Santo posarsi su Gesù e udì la
voce del Padre celeste che lo proclamava suo Figlio (cfr Mt 3,13-17).
Ma la missione del Battista non era ancora compiuta: poco tempo dopo, gli fu
chiesto di precedere Gesù anche nella morte violenta: Giovanni fu decapitato
nel carcere del re Erode, e così rese piena testimonianza all’Agnello di Dio,
che per primo aveva riconosciuto e indicato pubblicamente.
Cari amici, la Vergine Maria aiutò l’anziana parente Elisabetta a portare a termine la gravidanza di Giovanni. Ella aiuti tutti a seguire Gesù, il Cristo, il Figlio di Dio, che il Battista annunciò con grande umiltà e ardore profetico.
Dopo l’Angelus
Cari fratelli e sorelle,
in Italia ricorre oggi la Giornata per la carità del
Papa. Ringrazio tutte le comunità parrocchiali, le famiglie e i singoli fedeli
per il loro sostegno costante e generoso, che va a vantaggio di tanti fratelli
in difficoltà. A questo proposito, ricordo che dopodomani, a Dio piacendo, farò
una breve visita nelle zone colpite dal recente terremoto nel Nord Italia.
Vorrei che fosse segno della solidarietà di tutta la Chiesa, e perciò invito
tutti ad accompagnarmi con la preghiera.
En ce jour de la fête de la nativité de saint Jean-Baptiste,
je suis heureux d’accueillir les pèlerins francophones présents pour la prière
de l’Angélus. Saint Jean-Baptiste, le plus grand des enfants des hommes, a su
reconnaître le Seigneur. Après avoir baptisé Jésus dans les eaux du Jourdain et
l’avoir désigné comme le Messie, il s’est effacé humblement devant lui. Son
exemple nous invite à nous convertir, à témoigner du Christ et à l’annoncer à
temps et à contre temps, en étant comme lui la voix qui crie dans le désert, et
cela jusqu’au don de notre vie. Avec la Vierge Marie sachons rendre grâce à
Dieu pour tous ses bienfaits! Bon dimanche!
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors
present for today’s Angelus. This Sunday, we celebrate the birth of John
the Baptist, the great saint who prepared the way for our Lord. John was a
voice, crying in the wilderness, calling God’s people to repentance. Let us
heed his voice today, and make room for the Lord in our hearts. May God bless
all of you.
Zum Hochfest der Geburt des heiligen Johannes des Täufers,
das am heutigen Sonntag gefeiert wird, grüße ich alle deutschsprachigen Pilger
und Besucher ganz herzlich, besonders die Schülerinnen und Schüler aus
Landstuhl. Johannes der Täufer ist der Wegbereiter des Herrn. Sein Name
bedeutet: „Gott ist gnädig.“ Seine Geburt ist für die Verwandten und Nachbarn
Grund zur Freude und ein Anlaß, Gott zu preisen. Bitten wir diesen Vorläufer
Jesu um seine Fürsprache, daß auch wir mitwirken können, den Herrn
anzukündigen, ihm den Weg zu bereiten und sein Erbarmen sichtbar zu machen. Der
Herr segne und behüte euch alle.
Saludo con afecto a los peregrinos de lengua española
que participan en esta oración mariana, en particular a los miembros de la
comunidad boliviana en Italia, aquí presentes. La Iglesia celebra hoy la Natividad
de San Juan Bautista, precursor del Señor, que en el seno materno exulta de
gozo al llegar el Salvador del género humano. Quien fue la voz que dio a
conocer a Cristo, Cordero que quita el pecado del mundo, nos sigue invitando
hoy a escuchar y a acoger la divina Palabra, de la que él mismo dio testimonio,
incluso con el derramamiento de su sangre. Confiemos estos propósitos a la
Santísima Virgen María, a la que hoy deseo invocar bajo los gloriosos títulos
de Copacabana y Urkupiña. Feliz domingo.
Pozdrawiam Polaków. Jednoczę się duchowo z
arcybiskupem poznańskim, ojcami filipinami i wszystkimi pielgrzymami, którzy w
Sanktuarium Matki Bożej w Gostyniu obchodzą 500-lecie jego istnienia.
Dziękujemy Bogu za łaski, jakimi w tym miejscu darzył kolejne pokolenia przez
przyczynę Maryi. Jej opieka niech stale Wam towarzyszy! Niech Bóg wam
błogosławi!
[Saluto i polacchi. Mi unisco spiritualmente
all’Arcivescovo di Poznań, ai Padri Oratoriani e a tutti i pellegrini che nel
Santuario della Madre di Dio a Gostyń festeggiano il 500° anniversario della
sua fondazione. Ringraziamo Dio per le grazie che in quel luogo ha sparso su
generazioni di fedeli per l’intercessione di Maria. La sua protezione vi
accompagni sempre. Dio vi benedica!]
Rivolgo un cordiale saluto ai pellegrini di lingua italiana, in particolare ai numerosi volontari delle Pro Loco d’Italia. Cari amici, mi rallegro con voi per i 50 anni della vostra Associazione ed auguro ogni bene per suo servizio al patrimonio culturale del Paese. Saluto i giovani di Zaccanopoli, Diocesi di Vibo Valentia, e i ragazzi dell’Oratorio Salesiano di Andria. A tutti auguro una buona festa, una buona domenica, una buona settimana. Grazie!
© Copyright 2012 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
SOURCE : https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/it/angelus/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20120624.html
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682).
Nacimiento de San Juan Bautista, circa 1655, Norton Simon Museum
San Giovanni Battista occupa quindi senz’altro una posizione eminente nella schiera dei Santi. Secondo la Tradizione è in Paradiso il più alto dopo la Madonna (certo, dobbiamo anche riservare il posto di San Giuseppe!), perché assomiglia di più a Nostro Signore, e perché, anche se non fu preservato come Maria Santissima dal peccato originale, fu purificato e consacrato nel grembo di sua madre Elisabetta nel giorno della Visitazione.
È difficile pronunciare il panegirico di San Giovanni Battista. Cosa possiamo aggiungere di più dopo che Nostro Signore stesso l’ha lodato, dicendo che: “Fra i nati da donna non vi è alcuno più grande di Giovanni”?
Mi accontenterò di tre sguardi, tre “istantanee” su Giovanni Battista: contempliamo l’austerità del Profeta nel deserto; la fortezza del Testimone della luce; l’umiltà del Precursore che si scansa davanti a Colui che annuncia.
Primo sguardo: il deserto, l’ascetismo
«Che cosa siete andati a vedere nel deserto?» chiedeva Gesù parlando del Battista. «Un uomo vestito con abiti di lusso? Ecco, quelli che portano vesti sontuose e vivono nel lusso stanno nei palazzi dei re» (Lc 7,24).
Ecco il primo aspetto della personalità di San Giovanni Battista, quello che ci fa maggiormente impressione: Giovanni nel deserto, l’aria scontrosa, vestito di pelle di cammello, cibandosi di cavallette e di miele selvatico come un orso (cf. Mc 1,6). Che personaggio strabiliante!
Quello che stupisce prima di tutto del più grande di tutti i Profeti è l’austerità della sua vita, il suo amore alla solitudine e il suo spirito di preghiera. A noi che siamo prigionieri della nostra comodità e che ci perdiamo nelle cose vane, San Giovanni Battista viene a ricordare il ruolo del silenzio, del distacco e della mortificazione per ogni anima che vuole darsi a Dio. San Giovanni Crisostomo, quando descrive la vita del Battista, si meraviglia dolorosamente: «Se un uomo di tale santità ha vissuto una vita così austera, come, noi, che crolliamo sotto il peccato, non faremmo la più piccola penitenza?». Che lezione per noi! Il primo predicatore del Vangelo, il più grande testimone della verità, quello che additò la Verità stessa, fu anzitutto un’anima solitaria, distaccata da tutto, che fuggiva i piaceri e le mondanità. Giovanni non frequentò i palazzi dei Re, non fu di quei “predicatori” che cercano prima di tutto di farsi valere, di risplendere nel loro apostolato, e che in realtà non fanno altro che predicare se stessi.
Questo distacco, questa austerità del Battista si vede anche nella sua conversazione. Il primo predicatore del Vangelo non è un chiacchierone. Ciò è paradossale soltanto per coloro che hanno dimenticato che “il silenzio è il padre dei predicatori”. Quando i sacerdoti e i leviti gli chiedono: «Tu, chi sei?», risponde di punto in bianco: «Io non sono il Cristo». «Sei tu Elia?». «Non lo sono». «Sei tu il profeta?». «No». Non si potranno mai abbastanza ammirare la brevità e la semplicità di queste risposte. Sono quelle di un’anima silenziosa che cerca soltanto la verità e che dimentica il proprio interesse. «Est, est. Non, non». “Che il vostro sì sia sì, che il vostro no sia no” (cf. Mt 5,37). San Giovanni Battista è puro e trasparente come il diamante. E del diamante possiede anche la durezza.
Secondo sguardo: la fortezza
«Cosa siete andati a vedere nel deserto? Una canna sbattuta dal vento?». Sicuramente no. Giovanni Battista non fu un uomo che si piega sotto la spinta di qualsiasi vento. Viveva solo per Dio, completamente staccato dall’opinione degli uomini, non dava retta alle dicerie... Non cercava di piacere; non accarezzava i suoi contemporanei, i “media” del suo tempo, dicendo loro soltanto quello che volevano sentire. Come si rivolgeva loro? «Razza di vipere!» (Lc 3,7). E cosa dice? Quale è il tema della sua predica? Anzitutto i Novissimi e l’urgenza che c’è di convertirsi. «Già la scure è posta alla radice degli alberi; perciò ogni albero che non dà buon frutto viene tagliato e gettato nel fuoco» (Mt 3,10). Certo, l’immagine che il Profeta infallibile ci dà del Salvatore del mondo non è sdolcinata: «Tiene in mano la pala e pulirà la sua aia e raccoglierà il suo frumento nel granaio; ma brucerà la paglia con un fuoco inestinguibile» (Mt 3,12). La predicazione di San Giovanni non è un raccolta di cose pie e sentimentali. Ma la preferiamo così. E tremiamo di essere anche noi della paglia...
Giovanni, qua, sembra terribile. Terribile perché parla in nome delle esigenze dell’Amore oltraggiato, terribile perché deve scuotere l’indifferenza del mondo. Attraverso i secoli, viene a sollevare anche noi dalla nostra torpidezza e dalla nostra tiepidezza. San Giovanni è un testimone della luce e ci ricorda che – oggi come nel suo tempo – non può esistere un compromesso tra la luce e le tenebre, tra Cristo e Belial.
E perché non cerca di piacere al mondo, ai potenti e ai “media” dell’epoca? Perché vuole anzitutto essere vero, la sua testimonianza ci tocca. Ci insegna cos’è la testimonianza. Come battezzati e soprattutto cresimati, tutti noi siamo chiamati a testimoniare. Cos’è un testimone? Il testimone è colui sulla cui parola riposa la nostra fede come su una roccia. Non crediamo alla parola di un uomo che cambia sempre, che si sottomette alla moda, che è tutto preoccupato di sentire da che parte tira il vento. «Io credo soltanto alle storie i cui i testimoni si farebbero sgozzare», diceva Pascal. Giovanni Battista fu uno di quelli. Storicamente fu il primo a confessare la Divinità di Cristo: «Io ho visto e ho testimoniato che questi è il Figlio di Dio» (Gv 1,34); «Colui che viene dopo di me è avanti a me, perché era prima di me» (Gv 1,16). Ed è anche il primo che confessa la sua azione redentrice: «Ecce Agnus Dei», «Ecco l’Agnello di Dio, colui che toglie il peccato del mondo» (Gv 1,29).
Tuttavia, San Giovanni non è morto per aver confessato la Divinità di Cristo, né per averlo designato come il Messia. Il suo martirio è per noi molto significativo. È morto per aver denunciato un adulterio, un matrimonio illegittimo. Il primo martire, quello che nella Santa Messa il Sacerdote cita prima di Santo Stefano (cf. Canone Romano), fu un martire della legge naturale! È morto, insomma, per aver detto di no a una legge civile che contradirebbe la legge morale. Per aver rimproverato un cosiddetto “divorziato-risposato”, peccatore pubblico, che voleva comportarsi davanti a tutti come se la sua seconda unione fosse legittima. Nei tempi che viviamo ciò dovrebbe farci riflettere.
Però, quest’anima forte e terribile contro il peccato e l’errore, fu anche un’anima dolce e umile.
Terzo sguardo: la dolcezza e l’umiltà del Precursore
Ciò non deve stupirci. La grande santità si caratterizza soprattutto dall’unione delle virtù le più diverse, che solo Dio può unire così intimamente. È l’unione della fortezza con la dolcezza, dell’amore per la verità o la giustizia, con la misericordia per i peccatori. Questa unione è sempre il frutto di una grande vicinanza con Dio, perché quello che è diviso nella natura, si unisce nel regno di Dio, specialmente in Dio stesso. La santità è un’immagine dell’unione misteriosa delle perfezioni le più diverse, dell’infinita giustizia e dell’infinita misericordia, nell’eminenza della Deità, nella vita intima di Dio.
San Giovanni Battista, il temibile profeta che annunciava la collera che viene, fu anche dolce e umile di cuore, come Colui del quale ha reso testimonianza. Guardiamolo. Fin dall’inizio del suo ministero si mostra pieno di bontà per i piccoli e gli umili. Ai pubblicani di buona volontà dice soltanto: «Non esigete nulla di più di quanto vi è stato fissato». Ai soldati: «Non maltrattate nessuno; accontentatevi delle vostre paghe».
Quest’alleanza di forza e di dolcezza spiega anche l’ammirazione che ha potuto suscitare nei suoi discepoli. Come Gesù, Giovanni Battista fu molto amato. I suoi discepoli non lo dimenticheranno mai. Per esserne convinti basti rileggere le righe che gli dedicherà, ormai molto anziano, il più puro e il più delicato di tutti i suoi discepoli. Comincerà così il suo Vangelo: «In principio era il Verbo», e poi, subito, si ricorderà del suo maestro: «Venne un uomo mandato da Dio: il suo nome era Giovanni». Però Giovanni l’Evangelista, anche lui, lascerà il Battista per Gesù.
E il Battista si è rallegrato di vedere partire i suoi migliori discepoli. Qua, anche, sta la sua grandezza: nella sua umiltà. Ha accettato di spogliarsi, cioè di essere un precursore e soltanto questo. Ha avuto questa abnegazione – così rara tra i precursori – di cedere il primo posto, quando la sua missione fu compiuta.
San Giovanni Battista ha accettato di essere un puro strumento, in totale dipendenza dall’azione del Padre. Dirà: «Nessuno può prendersi qualcosa se non gli è stata data dal cielo» (Gv 3,27). L’unica cosa importante per San Giovanni fu di essere fedele al dono che gli era fatto. Era la voce, e adesso risuona la Parola; era la lampada, che doveva abituare gli occhi alla luce, e adesso risplende il Sole. E Giovanni non se ne rattrista, bensì se ne rallegra: «Lo sposo è colui al quale appartiene la sposa; ma l’amico dello sposo, che è presente e l’ascolta, esulta di gioia alla voce dello sposo» (Gv 3,29). Al contrario di alcuni dei suoi discepoli, che si offendono perché le folle lo stanno lasciando per seguire Gesù, Giovanni sa vedere al di là delle apparenze. Con lo spirito di profezia, contempla la meraviglia che sta per compiersi: questa meraviglia è la presenza dello Sposo. Lo Sposo è il Verbo di Dio. La sposa, è la natura umana che si unisce a Lui. È anche la Chiesa che sta nascendo.
La stessa realtà, cioè che quelli che lo seguivano adesso seguono Gesù, butta i suoi discepoli nella tristezza, perché si fermano alle cose materiali, ma fa esultare Giovanni di gioia, perché ne penetra il contenuto spirituale: «Ora questa mia gioia è piena» (Gv 3,29). Alla tristezza carnale dei discepoli si oppone la gioia spirituale di Giovanni. Non per caso, nella colletta della sua Messa, chiediamo la gioia spirituale. Giovanni è l’uomo della gioia divina in mezzo ai distacchi umani.
Giovanni Battista è stato completamente distaccato. Non ha cercato altro che la verità, ha dimenticato se stesso, non ha voluto vedere niente altro che il Signore. Quando sarà venuto il momento non esiterà ad insorgere contro Erode, per difendere la verità. In questi tempi duri di dittatura del relativismo, che il suo esempio luminoso ci dia forza e coraggio per testimoniare anche noi la Verità!
Senza contare le tante opere pittoriche dei più grandi artisti come Raffaello, Leonardo, ecc. che lo raffigurano bambino, che gioca con il piccolo Gesù, sempre rivestito con la pelle ovina e chiamato affettuosamente “San Giovannino”.
Ciò testimonia il grande interesse, che in tutte le epoche ha suscitato questo austero profeta, così in alto nella stessa considerazione di Cristo, da essere da lui definito “Il più grande tra i nati da donna”.
Egli è l’ultimo profeta dell’Antico Testamento e il primo Apostolo di Gesù, perché gli rese testimonianza ancora in vita. È tale la considerazione che la Chiesa gli riserva, che è l’unico santo dopo Maria ad essere ricordato nella liturgia, oltre che nel giorno della sua morte (29 agosto), anche nel giorno della sua nascita terrena (24 giugno); ma quest’ultima data è la più usata per la sua venerazione, dalle innumerevoli chiese, diocesi, città e paesi di tutto il mondo, che lo tengono come loro santo patrono.
Inoltre fra i nomi maschili, ma anche usato nelle derivazioni femminili (Giovanna, Gianna) è il più diffuso nel mondo, tradotto nelle varie lingue; e tanti altri santi, beati, venerabili della Chiesa, hanno portato originariamente il suo nome; come del resto il quasi contemporaneo s. Giovanni l’Evangelista e apostolo, perché il nome Giovanni, al suo tempo era già conosciuto e nell’ebraico Iehóhanan, significava: “Dio è propizio”.
Nel Vangelo di s. Luca (1, 5) si dice che era nato in una famiglia sacerdotale, suo padre Zaccaria era della classe di Abia e la madre Elisabetta, discendeva da Aronne. Essi erano osservanti di tutte le leggi del Signore, ma non avevano avuto figli, perché Elisabetta era sterile e ormai anziana.
Un giorno, mentre Zaccaria offriva l’incenso nel Tempio, gli comparve l’arcangelo Gabriele che gli disse: “Non temere Zaccaria, la tua preghiera è stata esaudita e tua moglie Elisabetta ti darà un figlio che chiamerai Giovanni. Avrai gioia ed esultanza e molti si rallegreranno della sua nascita, poiché sarà grande davanti al Signore” e proseguendo nel descrivere le sue virtù, cioè pieno di Spirito Santo, operatore di conversioni in Israele, precursore del Signore con lo spirito e la forza di Elia.
Dopo quella visione, Elisabetta concepì un figlio fra la meraviglia dei parenti e conoscenti; al sesto mese della sua gravidanza, l’arcangelo Gabriele, il ‘messaggero celeste’, fu mandato da Dio a Nazareth ad annunciare a Maria la maternità del Cristo: “Lo Spirito Santo scenderà su di te, su te stenderà la sua ombra la potenza dell’Altissimo. Colui che nascerà sarà dunque santo e chiamato Figlio di Dio. Vedi anche Elisabetta, tua parente, nella vecchiaia ha concepito un figlio e questo è il sesto mese per lei, che tutti dicevano sterile; nulla è impossibile a Dio”.
Maria allora si recò dalla cugina Elisabetta per farle visita e al suo saluto, declamò il bellissimo canto del “Magnificat”, per le meraviglie che Dio stava operando per la salvezza dell’umanità e mentre Elisabetta esultante la benediceva, anche il figlio che portava in grembo, sussultò di gioia.
Quando Giovanni nacque, il padre Zaccaria che all’annuncio di Gabriele era diventato muto per la sua incredulità, riacquistò la voce, la nascita avvenne ad Ain Karim a circa sette km ad Ovest di Gerusalemme, città che vanta questa tradizione risalente al secolo VI, con due santuari dedicati alla Visitazione e alla Natività.
Della sua infanzia e giovinezza non si sa niente, ma quando ebbe un’età conveniente, Giovanni conscio della sua missione, si ritirò a condurre la dura vita dell’asceta nel deserto, portava un vestito di peli di cammello e una cintura di pelle attorno ai fianchi; il suo cibo erano locuste e miele selvatico.
Nell’anno quindicesimo dell’impero di Tiberio (28-29 d.C.), iniziò la sua missione lungo il fiume Giordano, con l’annuncio dell’avvento del regno messianico ormai vicino, esortava alla conversione e predicava la penitenza.
Da tutta la Giudea, da Gerusalemme e da tutta la regione intorno al Giordano, accorreva ad ascoltarlo tanta gente considerandolo un profeta; e Giovanni in segno di purificazione dai peccati e di nascita a nuova vita, immergeva nelle acque del Giordano, coloro che accoglievano la sua parola, cioè dava un Battesimo di pentimento per la remissione dei peccati, da ciò il nome di Battista che gli fu dato.
Anche i soldati del re Erode Antipa, andavano da lui a chiedergli cosa potevano fare se il loro mestiere era così disgraziato e malvisto dalla popolazione; e lui rispondeva: “Non maltrattate e non estorcete niente a nessuno e contentatevi delle vostre paghe” (Lc 3, 13).
Molti cominciarono a pensare che egli fosse il Messia tanto atteso, ma Giovanni assicurava loro di essere solo il Precursore: “Io vi battezzo con acqua per la conversione, ma colui che viene dopo di me è più potente di me e io non sono degno neanche di sciogliere il legaccio dei sandali; egli vi battezzerà in Spirito Santo e fuoco”.
E alla delegazione ufficiale, inviatagli dai sommi sacerdoti disse, che egli non era affatto il Messia, il quale era già in mezzo a loro, ma essi non lo conoscevano; aggiungendo “Io sono la voce di uno che grida nel deserto: preparate la via del Signore, come disse il profeta Isaia”.
Anche Gesù si presentò al Giordano per essere battezzato e Giovanni quando se lo vide davanti disse: “Ecco l’Agnello di Dio, ecco colui che toglie il peccato dal mondo!” e a Gesù: “Io ho bisogno di essere battezzato da te e tu vieni da me?” e Gesù: “Lascia fare per ora, poiché conviene che adempiamo ogni giustizia”.
Allora Giovanni acconsentì e lo battezzò e vide scendere lo Spirito Santo su di Lui come una colomba, mentre una voce diceva: “Questo è il mio Figlio prediletto nel quale mi sono compiaciuto”. Da quel momento Giovanni confidava ai suoi discepoli “Ora la mia gioia è completa. Egli deve crescere e io invece diminuire” (Gv 3, 29-30).
La sua missione era compiuta, perché Gesù prese ad iniziare la sua predicazione, aveva formato il gruppo degli apostoli e discepoli ed era seguito da una gran folla; egli aveva predicato proprio per questo, preparare un popolo degno, che accogliesse Gesù e il suo messaggio di Redenzione.
Aveva operato senza indietreggiare davanti a niente, neanche davanti al re d’Israele Erode Antipa († 40 d.C.), che aveva preso con sé la bella Erodiade, moglie divorziata da suo fratello; ciò non era possibile secondo la legge ebraica, la “Torà”, perché il matrimonio era stato regolare e fecondo, tanto è vero che era nata una figlia Salomè.
Per questo motivo un giudeo osservante e rigoroso come Giovanni, sentiva il dovere di protestare verso il re per la sua condotta. Infuriata Erodiade gli portava rancore, ma non era l’unica; perché il Battesimo che Giovanni amministrava, perdonava i peccati, rendendo così inutili i sacrifici espiatori, che in quel tempo si facevano al Tempio, e ciò non era gradito ai sacerdoti giudaici.
Erode fece arrestare e mettere in carcere Giovanni su istigazione di Erodiade, la quale avrebbe voluto che fosse ucciso, ma Erode Antipa temeva Giovanni, considerandolo uomo giusto e santo, preferiva vigilare su di lui e l’ascoltava volentieri, anche se restava molto turbato.
Ma per Erodiade venne il giorno favorevole, quando il re diede un banchetto per festeggiare il suo compleanno, invitando tutta la corte ed i notabili della Galilea. Alla festa partecipò con una conturbante danza anche Salomè, la figlia di Erodiade e quindi nipote di Erode Antipa; la sua esibizione piacque molto al re ed ai commensali, per cui disse alla ragazza: “Chiedimi qualsiasi cosa e io te la darò”; Salomé chiese alla madre consiglio ed Erodiade prese la palla al balzo, e le disse di chiedere la testa del Battista.
A tale richiesta fattagli dalla ragazza davanti a tutti, Erode ne rimase rattristato, ma per il giuramento fatto pubblicamente, non volle rifiutare e ordinò alle guardie che gli fosse portata la testa di Giovanni, che era nelle prigioni della reggia.
Il Battista fu decapitato e la sua testa fu portata su un vassoio e data alla ragazza che la diede alla madre. I suoi discepoli saputo del martirio, vennero a recuperare il corpo, deponendolo in un sepolcro; l’uccisione suscitò orrore e accrebbe la fama del Battista.
Molti testi apocrifi, come anche i libri musulmani, fra i quali il Corano, parlano di lui; dai suoi discepoli si staccarono Andrea e Giovanni apostoli per seguire Gesù. Il suo culto come detto all’inizio si diffuse in tutto il mondo conosciuto di allora, sia in Oriente che in Occidente e a partire dalla Palestina si eressero innumerevoli Chiese e Battisteri a lui dedicati.
La festa della Natività di S. Giovanni Battista fin dal tempo di s. Agostino (354-430), era celebrata al 24 giugno, per questa data si usò il criterio, essendo la nascita di Gesù fissata al 25 dicembre, quella di Giovanni doveva essere celebrata sei mesi prima, secondo quanto annunciò l’arcangelo Gabriele a Maria.
Le celebrazioni devozionali, folkloristiche, tradizionali, sono diffuse ovunque, legate alla sua venerazione; come tanti proverbi popolari sono collegati metereologicamente alla data della sua festa.
S. Giovanni Battista, tanto per citarne alcune, è patrono di città come Torino, Firenze, Genova, Ragusa, ecc. Per quanto riguarda le reliquie c’è tutta una storia che si riassume; dopo essere stato sepolto privo del capo a Sebaste in Samaria, dove sorsero due chiese in suo onore; nel 361-362 ai tempi dell’imperatore Giuliano l’Apostata, il suo sepolcro venne profanato dai pagani che bruciarono il corpo disperdendo le ceneri.
Ma a Genova nella cattedrale di S. Lorenzo, si venerano proprio quelle ceneri (?), portate dall’Oriente nel 1098, al tempo delle Crociate, con tutti i dubbi collegati.
Per la testa che si trovava a Costantinopoli, per alcuni invece ad Emesa, purtroppo come per tante reliquie del periodo delle Crociate, dove si faceva a gara a portare in Occidente reliquie sante e importanti, la testa si sdoppiò, una a Roma nel XII secolo e un’altra ad Amiens nel XIII sec.
A Roma si custodisce senza la mandibola nella chiesa di S. Silvestro in Capite, mentre la cattedrale di S. Lorenzo di Viterbo, custodirebbe il Sacro Mento. Risparmiamo la descrizione di braccia, dita, denti, diffusi in centinaia di chiese europee.
Al di là di queste storture, frutto del desiderio di possedere ad ogni costo una reliquia del grande profeta, ciò testimonia alla fine, la grande devozione e popolarità di quest’uomo, che condensò in sé tanti grandi caratteri identificativi della sua santità, come parente di Gesù, precursore di Cristo, ultimo dei grandi profeti d’Israele, primo testimone-apostolo di Gesù, battezzatore di Cristo, eremita, predicatore e trascinatore di folle, istitutore di un Battesimo di perdono dei peccati, martire per la difesa della legge giudaica, ecc.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1653).
Birth of St John the Baptist, circa 1635, 184 x 258, Museo del Prado
Voir aussi : http://herauts.ca/doctrine/saints/nativite-de-saint-jean-baptiste/
http://www.seminairedequebec.org/Homelie-pour-le-24-juin-Nativite-de-saint-Jean-Baptiste_a481.html
http://www.interbible.org/interBible/cithare/celebrer/2012/b_st_jeanb.html
http://www.icrsp.org/Devotions-Spiritualite/St-Jean-Baptiste.htm
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1424
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2013-06-24
http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/documents/The%20Feast%20of%20the%20Nativity%20of%20Saint%20John%20the%20Baptist.htm