On greeting the Italian-speaking faithful, during the General Audience on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, Pope Francis reminded that tomorrow, Thursday the 24th, is the feast of Saint John the Baptist’s nativity. God sent the last of the prophets, “to give witness of the light and to prepare for the Lord a well-disposed people.”
Through the Saint’s intercession, the Pontiff implored for “each one of you abundant graces, so that you are strengthened in your generous resolutions of fidelity to the Lord’s call.”
Then he showed his usual closeness to the elderly, young people, the sick and newlyweds, whom he exhorted to “renew your resolutions of generous Christian witness.”
His Birth: An Illumination
During the Angelus prayer on June 24, 2018, the Pontiff pointed out that John the Baptist’s birth “illumined the life of his parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, and brought joy and astonishment to relatives and neighbors. These elderly parents had dreamed and prepared for that day, but they no longer expected it. They felt excluded, humiliated, and disillusioned.”
In face of the birth f his son, “Zechariah was incredulous because natural laws made it impossible; they were old; they were elderly. Consequently, the Lord left [Zechariah] dumb during the whole time of gestation. It’s a sign. But God doesn’t depend on our logic and our limited human capacities. It’s necessary to learn to trust and be silent in face of God’s mystery and to contemplate His work in humility and silence, who reveals Himself in history and who so often exceeds our imagination.”
Saint John the Baptist’s Nativity
As the Vatican explained, Saint John the Baptist’s prophetic vocation was surrounded, from the maternal womb, by extraordinary events that prepared Jesus’ birth. Luke’s Gospel (1:39-45) recounts that while his mother, Elizabeth, was pregnant, she received Mary’s visit, who was also expecting Jesus, and that John exulted with joy in his mother’s womb on hearing Mary’s voice.
Elizabeth was sterile and old. It was the Archangel Gabriel who announced to her husband, Zechariah, the birth of a son. “Fear not, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard and your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son whom you will call John. You will have joy and exultation and many will rejoice over his birth, as he will be great before the Lord.” Devotion to Saint John the Baptist spread very soon throughout Christendom. Many cities took his name and chose him as Patron, among them Turin, Florence, Genoa, and Ragusa in Italy. Saint John is the Saint most depicted in art in the course of the centuries. He is often portrayed as a child together with little Jesus.
Do Not Lock Yourself in Traditions of the Past
In this morning’s General Audience, the Holy Father exhorted to fight “the temptation to lock oneself in ways and traditions of the past, as a possible solution to today’s crisis,” rather, follow Saint Paul’s teaching to go on “the liberating and ever new path of Jesus crucified and resurrected.”
Today, June 23, 2021, the Holy Father presided over the General Audience in Saint Damasus’ courtyard in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, broadcast live, and once again with faithful, respecting the prevention measures given COVID-19. The Pontiff also began a new series of catecheses, focusing on the Introduction in Saint Paul’s Letter to the Galatians
Translation by Virginia M. Forrester
