Feast of St. John the Baptist

Baptism of the Lord by Leonardo Da Vinci

Today is the Feast of St. John the Baptist, the Forerunner of the Savior. We celebrate his nativity, his birth, 6 months before the birth of Jesus.

Each morning, as part of the morning prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours, we pray the Canticle of Zechariah from the Gospel of Luke. It is the song sung by John's father upon naming him that contains a prophesy of what is to come for him.

Blessed be the Lord,
The God of Israel;
He has come to His people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
Born of the house of His servant David.

Through His holy prophets He promised of old
That He would save us from our enemies,
From the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers
And to remember His holy Covenant.

This was the oath He swore to our father Abraham:
To set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship Him without fear,
Holy and righteous in His sight
All the days of our life.

You, My child shall be called
The prophet of the Most High,
For you will go before the Lord to prepare His way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our Lord
The dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness
And the shadow of death,
And to guide our feet into the way of peace.