Red-Letter Day
The Birth of John the Baptist
June 24
also known as Nativity of the Baptist, Birth of John the Baptist, St. John Baptist Day
The Nativity of John the Baptist celebrates the birth of Christ's forerunner to the elderly priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, as narrated in Luke 1. It is one of only three nativities observed in the Christian calendar (alongside those of Christ and the Virgin Mary), reflecting John's unique role as the last and greatest of the prophets and the bridge between the Old and New Covenants. The feast is placed on June 24—six months before Christmas—reflecting Gabriel's announcement that Elizabeth was 'in her sixth month.'
Traditionally, the Nativity of John the Baptist has been associated with the summer solstice, when the days begin to shorten—a symbolism reflected in John's own words about Christ: 'He must increase, but I must decrease' (John 3:30). As Christmas falls near the winter solstice when light begins to increase, John's nativity falls when light begins to diminish. Medieval Christians found this cosmic symbolism deeply significant: the turning of the seasons marked the turning of the ages from Law to Gospel, from the forerunner to the Fulfilled One.
Luke 1:5-25 and 57-80 records the circumstances of John's birth. His father Zechariah was a priest of the division of Abijah, and his mother Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron—both were 'righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments.' But they were childless, and Elizabeth was past the age of bearing children, a source of social shame.
While Zechariah was serving in the Temple, the angel Gabriel appeared with an annunciation: Elizabeth would bear a son to be named John. The child would be 'great before the Lord,' would 'drink no wine or strong drink,' and would 'go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.' Zechariah doubted—'How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years'—and was struck mute until the prophecy's fulfillment.
Elizabeth conceived, and when her time came, she gave birth to a son. At the circumcision on the eighth day, when relatives assumed the child would be named after his father, Elizabeth insisted: 'He shall be called John.' When Zechariah wrote on a tablet, 'His name is John,' confirming Elizabeth's declaration, his speech was restored and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. His prophecy, the Benedictus ('Blessed be the Lord God of Israel'), is one of the great canticles of the Church: 'And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways.'
Luke records simply that 'the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel'—a single sentence spanning perhaps thirty years of ascetical preparation in the Judean desert. The Fourth Gospel identifies John as 'the Baptist' and records his ministry of repentance baptism, his recognition of Jesus at the Jordan, and his testimony: 'He must increase, but I must decrease.' Josephus, writing independently, confirms John's existence, his baptismal ministry, and his execution by Herod Antipas.
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, boldly rebuke vice, patiently suffer for the sake of truth, and proclaim the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.