Bishop Eric Menees
“Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the
Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our
Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy
life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his
example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer
for the truth's sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
This is the collect for tomorrow, when we will celebrate the
Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. This is a feast day that often
goes without much thought or fanfare, but I would like to encourage you to take
the time and mark the day.
Two major themes are woven into this feast day: the end of
barrenness, and the birth of a mighty prophet.
How incredibly powerful it must have been for Zechariah and
Elizabeth, after so many years of hoping and praying for a child, to discover
that their faithfulness was to be rewarded, even in their old age. You can
imagine that all of this became clearer to Elizabeth with the visitation of her
niece, Mary, when the baby in her womb leapt in the presence of the savior,
even in utero.
However, this event also reminds us of the end of a
sorrowful barrenness for the world. From the fall of our first parents - Adam
and Eve - sorrow, illness, and death had no real answer. With the supernatural
conception of John the Baptist, God spoke mightily into the world offering hope
and grace: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
On this feast day we give thanks to almighty God for His
immeasurable love and goodness, proclaiming an end to the power of death, and
the return of that eternal life originally intended for creation prior to the
fall.
St. John the Baptist would grow into a mighty man of God,
who would serve as an example to all of us. John called the people of Israel to
repent and turn to the Lord. He reminded the people of Israel that God’s love
was all-powerful, and that His redemption would overturn the reign of death for
all of those who would turn to and accept the Messiah of God!
Let us take strength in the witness of St. John the Baptist,
and proclaim to all who will listen the same message of the forgiveness of sin
offered through Jesus the Messiah, and the eternal life found in his
resurrection!
I pray you all a truly blessed Feast Day, and a wonderful
week!
Catechism Questions: 301-304
301. What is the
Sixth Commandment?
The Sixth Commandment is: “You shall not murder.”
302. What does it
mean not to murder?
Since God declares
human life sacred from conception to natural death, I may not take the life of
neighbors unjustly, bear them malice in my heart, or harm them by word or deed;
rather, I should seek to cause their lives to flourish. (Genesis 9:6; Leviticus
19:16; Deuteronomy 19:4-7)
303. How did Christ
cause life to flourish?
Jesus sought the
well-being of all who came to him: he made the blind see and the deaf hear, caused
the lame to walk, cured the sick, fed the hungry, cast out demons, raised the
dead, and preached good news to all. (Luke 4:17-21;Matthew 14:13-21, 34-36)
304. How did Jesus
extend the law against murder?
Jesus equated unjust anger with murder. (Matthew 5:21-22; 1 John 3:15)
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