June 24, 2026
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Gospel: Luke 1:57–66, 80

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. The passage from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke proclaims to us the mystery of John’s birth. I take this opportunity to offer some reflections.

In daily life, when a neighbor or a relative welcome a newborn child, we hasten to congratulate them and share in their joy. So too, when a child was born to Zechariah’s household, his neighbors and relatives would naturally have rejoiced with them. At that time, they intended to circumcise the child according to the command God gave to Abraham (cf. Genesis 17:23–27), so that the boy might belong to Israel. They acted thus because they did not yet understand the mission John the Baptist was to fulfill.

But Elizabeth and Zechariah unanimously declared to their neighbors and relatives, “His name is John.” This name had been revealed to Zechariah by the angel Gabriel (cf. Luke 1:12–13). The name John means: “God bestows grace,” manifesting His mercy and revealing His gracious favor. Elizabeth and Zechariah acted as they did because they had already experienced the love God showed them—a love that transformed their lives. No longer did they live according to the patterns of the old covenant alone; now they dwelt in God’s own world, which is to say, in the very love of God.

Today, we rejoice at the birth of John the Baptist, for his coming signifies that the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ is near. Therefore, let us lift up our hearts in faith and offer our prayer to God:

O God, who raised up Saint John the Baptist
to make ready a nation fit for Christ the Lord,
give your people, we pray,
the grace of spiritual joys
and direct the hearts of all the faithful
into the way of salvation and peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica