August 29 2025 - The Passion of Saint John the Baptist - The Precursor

St. John the Baptist plays a prominent role every year in our Advent preparations for Christmas. John is the great preparer, proclaiming “Prepare Ye, the way of the Lord.” John is a precursor or forerunner for the Lord in a number of ways.

The angel Gabriel told Zechariah that John would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” So, John’s very conception and birth were oriented to his role as Jesus’ herald.

John’s ministry of preaching and baptism prepared people for Jesus’ ministry. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I…he will baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire”

Today, we read the Gospel of John’s martyrdom. In his martyrdom, he foreshadows Christ’s own suffering and death. Just as he heralded Christ’s birth, he also precedes Him in dying unjustly at the hands of corrupt rulers.

The Old Testament prophets foretold how a Precursor would precede the coming of the Lord. Speaking through Malachi God said, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.” Jesus himself references this prophecy about John as the forerunner.

St. Augustine, whose feast we celebrated yesterday, spoke about John as the forerunner and precursor. Augustine wrote, “John was the voice, but the Lord is the Word. John is a friend, but the Lord is the Bridegroom. John was placed at the frontier of both Testaments: he pointed out the coming Christ, and by dying before Him, he was His precursor in death.”

So it is clear, through scripture and the Church Fathers that God made John the Forerunner, but WHY? Why did God choose to act this why? He didn’t need a forerunner, yet he chose to arrange salvation history in this way.

All throughout salvation history, God prepares before He acts. Before the Flood, God prepared Noah by warning him and telling him to build the ark. Before the giving of the Ten Commandments, the people were to prepare themselves through consecrations, washing, and abstaining. Before David is made King, Samuel is sent to anoint David. Before serious judgments like the Babylonian exile, God sends prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel to call Israel to repentance.

God gives us a chance to ready ourselves, to turn our attention to the activity of God. God is no doubt preparing each of us right now for something later. God prepares us for heavy crosses by sending us little ones first. God prepares us to teach the faith, by giving us opportunities to learn it ourselves. God prepares us for acts of generosity, by blessing us with good things now, so we can give them away later. God prepares us to be the saints of the 21^st century, by drawing us to honor the saintly witnesses of those who have gone before us.

May we prepare well for all that God has in store for us, through repentance, and study, and gratitude for our blessings, and readiness to serve his Holy Will for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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With trust in God’s great providence, we entrust our needs for the good of the Church and the world.

For the Church: That, like St. John the Baptist, she may always prepare the world to receive Christ by proclaiming the truth with courage and humility.

For world leaders and rulers: That they may govern with justice and integrity, and not follow the example of Herod who shed innocent blood, but instead protect the dignity of every human life.

For those who suffer persecution or injustice: That, they may remain steadfast in faith and know the consolation of God’s presence.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: may they know God’s strength and peace and the assistance of the Christian people.

For our beloved dead, especially those who bore witness to Christ in their lives: That, like John the Baptist, they may rejoice to behold the Bridegroom in eternal life.

God our Father, you sent St. John the Baptist as the forerunner of your Son, to prepare a people fit for the Lord. Hear our prayers and prepare us by your grace for the glory of eternal life. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

2nd Week of Advent 2022 (EF) - Ferial Day - John the Baptist: the Precursor Domini

Each year on the second and the third Sunday of Advent, the lectionaries of both the extraordinary and ordinary form of the Roman Rite always focus on the figure of the precursor Domini, the forerunner of the Lord, St. John the Baptist.

John’s work was to prepare the way for the Messiah—pointing to the Messiah even while still in the womb. John did so again at the Jordan river when he proclaimed  “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” 

In today’s Gospel, John send disciples who were still clinging to him when he was imprisoned to go to Jesus. 

But John’s work wasn’t merely to point out Jesus. The Lord himself stresses in the Gospel how John was the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy, the voice of One crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John called sinners to prepare their hearts to be able to recognize the Messiah for themselves when he came, to be able to welcome Him as Lord, as Savior, as the joy of our hearts, and to follow him, to decrease that he may increase in us. 

John’s was a call to conversion, something each of us are to take to heart every Advent. Perhaps that is conversion from sin that has taken root in our hearts over the past year. Perhaps that is a conversion from superficial discipleship—keeping the Lord at a distance, instead of welcoming him into every dimension of life. Perhaps the conversion we need is be more intentional in acts of charity, in prayer, in ordering our time to keep God at the center of our day, to better control our tongues in our conversations with acquaintances or strangers or political enemies. 

For some Catholics these days, the call to repentance and conversion is treated as “bad news”, met with scowls and hard hearts. They take offense at the very word on the lips of both John the Baptist and the Savior—repent, convert. But blessed are those who take no offense at him, for repentance and conversion are always precursors to grace and fruitfulness and authentic joy.

Back in the jubilee of 2000, the future Pope Benedict XVI spoke to a group of Catechists about John the Baptist and the call to conversion. He said, “The fundamental content of the Old Testament is summarized in the message by John the Baptist: metanoete – Convert! There is no access to Jesus without the Baptist; there is no possibility of reaching Jesus without answering the call of the precursor. Rather, Jesus took up the message of John in the synthesis of His own preaching: [repent and believe]. The Greek word for converting means: to rethink; to question one’s own and common way of living; to allow God to enter into the criteria of one’s life; to judge not merely according to the current opinions. So to convert means not to live as all the others live, not to do what all do, not to feel justified in dubious, ambiguous, evil actions just because others do the same. It means to begin to see one’s life through the eyes of God, and so to look for the good, even if uncomfortable, not aiming at the judgment of the majority, of men, but at the justice of God. In other words, [to convert means] to look for a new style of life, a new life.”

Blessed are those who take no offense at him. Blessed even more are those who believe in him, love him, prepare the way for him, cling to him, follow him, and spread the good news about Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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EF READINGS:

 A reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans

Brethren, For whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name.” And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.” And again Isaiah says: “The root of Jesse shall come, raised up to rule the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit.

A continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew

At that time, when John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.

 

December 23 2020 - E-R-O C-R-A-S

 

Just two days prior to Christmas, we read from the prophet Malachi. Malachi was the last of the Old Testament Prophets. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah before him, Malachi foretold how a Savior would come to redeem us and usher in the kingdom of God’s peace.

He also spoke of the events that would occur just prior to the arrival of the Messiah. There would be a forerunner to prepare his way, a messenger to point out to God’s people that the Messiah is coming soon. And in the Gospel, we read about the birth of the forerunner, John, who would preach from the banks of the Jordan, calling Israel to repent, to prepare their hearts for the imminent arrival of the Savior.

The final O Antiphon today sings of the Messiah as Emmanuel, the awaited Savior of the nations. All the nations of the earth look for him and long for him. Christians among every nation on the planet prepares today for the celebration of the Saviors birth. But also, the antiphon is saying that even those who do not believe in Christ, still long for him—they are looking for him in all the wrong places, worshiping false idols, engaging in immoral actions which are unfulfilling substitutes for right worship. And so Christians, like John the Baptist, have this mission, this duty to announce to the nations that the One whom they long for, his Christ. And judging how hard headed and obstinate the current generation seems—we need to be clear and persevering and also subtle and creative in this mission.

That’s why I love singing those O Antiphons, they are clear of who the Messiah is and what he comes to do. But there is also a subtle hidden meaning inside the O Antiphons. If you take the first letter of each of those latin titles for the Messiah – S for Sapientia, the wisdom of God, A for Adonai, R for Radix, the Root of Jesse, C for Clavis, the Key of David, O for Oriens, the rising star, R for Rex, the King of the Nations, and E for Emmanuel, and then you reverse the order, the letters spell out the words Ero Cras—which means—I will be here tomorrow. Creative and Clear at the same time, just like we are supposed to be, in announcing the coming of the Messiah, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Please respond to each of these petitions, “Come Lord Jesus”

May Christ, the Wisdom which comes from the mouth of God, guide us in knowledge and love.

May Christ, Adonai, leader of the House of Israel, bring deliverance to all of the oppressed.

May Christ, the Root of Jesse, come to the aid of nations and leaders of nations to walk in the ways of peace.

May Christ, Key of David, free all those captive to sin. 

May Christ, the Morning Star, enlighten those who dwell in the shadow of death.

May Christ, King of the Nations, reconcile all divisions caused by sin.

May Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, bring comfort to all those who mourn, and salvation to N. for whom this Mass is offered.

Almighty ever-living God, who brings salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.