OF THE PASSION:
+++++++ Saint John the Baptist +++++++
 ELCOME
to
our presentation of the Life of St. John the Baptist, the greatest of
all the Saints, after the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lord's cousin,
although he was conceived in Original Sin like the rest of us, he was
Baptized while still in his mother's womb; yet he had the most humility
of all, apart from Our Lady, thus the Church considers him the greatest
among the Saints and Martyrs. The Raccolta of 1957, the Manual of
Indulgences is arranged in hierarchical order: After the Holy Trinity
can be found indulgenced devotions to the Blessed Virgin; next the
Angels, and then the section on the Saints, which begins with St. John
the Baptist. The Raccolta follows the teaching of the Church even in
its ordering of the devotions, a kind of little catechism we might say.
The Roman Missal also says that after the Feasts of Our Lord, Our Lady,
and the Angels the Feasts of most importance are that of St. John the
Baptist. 1 The name, John means God is merciful, or gift of God. Let us proceed to open this gift of mercy: The Feasts of St. John the Baptist: Our Martyr Saint has two Feasts, the first with a Vigil: June 23, The Vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Purple; June 24, The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Double of the Frist Class, White; and August 29, The Beheading [Decollation] of St. John the Baptist, Double Major, Red. His parents Feast is celebrated on November 5. To read a full account of the Feasts of St. John, CLICK HERE. BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE The Saint's Patronage and Symbols: St. John the Baptist has many symbols, the chief being: The Head, the Lamb, the Shell [for Baptism], the Holly [for the Passion of Christ which he prefigured], the Maltese Cross, the Reed, from which his own cross was made, the Grasshopper and Camel's Hair. He is the patron of farriers, Baptism, and those who suffer spasms, as well as that of Quebec, Canada. Throughout the centuries the great artists who bore witness to the Catholic Faith have all painted this Martyr. Hundreds of Madonnas portray the Infant St. John with Lady and the Christ Child or depict him by himself, with Christ, and or with other Saints. Many of the portraits of this beloved Saint feature the Lamb, representing Christ and show him pointing the way to Christ [through penance]. We have what we hope is a good representation. This presentation was inspired by a sermon given by Fr. John Fongemie, FSSP, in 2005 on the Martyr-Saint. Below is the Directory in three sections: His Life, Devotions, and His Gallery. BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE The Life of Saint John the Baptist Prologue: The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth 1. The Coming of John the Baptist 2. The Prophecy of the Messias 3. The Baptism of Jesus 4. The Witness of John the Baptist 5. The First Disciples 6. The Death of John the Baptist 7. Herod and Jesus Devotions The Litany of St. John the Baptist Prayers from the Raccolta BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE Image Gallery The Head of St. John ANDREA SOLARI Bonus Images: Detail from Rest on the Flight into Egypt BOUCHER The Infant Jesus and St. John MURILLO Sleeping Christ with St. John the Baptist CAGNACCI St. John the Baptist Points to Christ MURILLO Madonna and Child with Saints PIETRO DA CORTONA The Foligno Madonna RAPHAEL BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE External Links: Works of Art Verified February 06 THE NAMING OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST ST. ANNE WITH THE VIRGIN, CHRIST CHILD AND ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PAINTED BUST OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST THE BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST Sources Used: Fr. John Fongemie, FSSP; The Public Life of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, Vol. 1 by Bishop Alban Goodier, SJ; Excerpts from the City of God by Mary of Agreda as found in The Divine Mysteries of the Rosary, JMJ Book Co., Necedah, WI; The Raccolta; The Douay-Rheims Bible, Bishop Challoner Version, 1752; Signs and Symbols in Christian Art, by George Ferguson, Oxford University Press, New York and Melbourne, 1954; The Directory of Saints, by Annette Sandoval, Penguin, 1996; The Liturgical Year by Dom Gueranger, Vols. XII and XIV; and The New Roman Missal by Fr. F. X. LaSance and Rev. Augustine Walsh, OSB, 1937 with Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat. 1. The New Roman Missal by Fr. F. X. LaSance and Rev. Augustine Walsh, OSB, 1937 with Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat, p. 50. BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE |
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