Menu
Isaiah 49:1-6
Islands, listen to me,
pay attention, remotest peoples.
The Lord called me before I was born,
from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.
He made my mouth a sharp sword,
and hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me into a sharpened arrow,
and concealed me in his quiver.
He said to me, ‘You are my servant (Israel)
in whom I shall be glorified’;
while I was thinking, ‘I have toiled in vain,
I have exhausted myself for nothing’;
and all the while my cause was with the Lord,
my reward with my God.
I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord,
my God was my strength.
And now the Lord has spoken,
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
to gather Israel to him:
‘It is not enough for you to be my servant,
to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel;
I will make you the light of the nations
so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’
Psalm Psalm 138:1-3,13-15
I thank you for the wonder of my being.
O Lord, you search me and you know me,
you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to you.
I thank you for the wonder of my being.
For it was you who created my being,
knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I thank you for the wonder of my being,
for the wonders of all your creation.
I thank you for the wonder of my being.
Already you knew my soul,
my body held no secret from you
when I was being fashioned in secret
and moulded in the depths of the earth.
I thank you for the wonder of my being.
Second reading Acts 13:22-26
Paul said: ‘God deposed Saul and made David their king, of whom he approved in these words, “I have selected David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will carry out my whole purpose.” To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. Before John ended his career he said, “I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his sandal.”
‘My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you.’
Gospel Acclamation cf.Lk1:76
Alleluia, alleluia!
As for you, little child, you shall be called
a prophet of God, the Most High.
You shall go ahead of the Lord
to prepare his ways before him.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 1:57-66,80
The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy.
Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name’, and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.
Meanwhile the child grew up and his spirit matured. And he lived out in the wilderness until the day he appeared openly to Israel.
NATIVITY of Saint JOHN, the Baptist
Solemnity
June 24
A Finger and A Voice
Greeting (See the First Reading of the Vigil)
Do not be afraid to speak, says the Lord,
for I am with you to protect you.
I am putting my words into your mouth.
Say whatever I command you.
May the Lord speak through us
and be always be with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
As artists have pictured John the Baptist, there are two symbols that typify him very much. One is a mouth that shouts. It is the voice crying in the wilderness, calling people to conversion. It is a voice that could not be silenced, scolding the religious leaders, as well as the common folk, and urging people to change their ways. Without fear he even faces King Herod and tells him to stop his adultery. He paid dearly for it, for it will cost him his head. Then, he is the finger pointing to the coming Messiah, and here too he paid dearly, for his own disciples deserted him to follow Jesus. Still he went ahead: the one he announced must become greater, he John, only smaller. Yes, he was a great man. “The greatest prophet,” says Jesus.
Penitential Act
Christ still needs to be announced today.
Do we make him visible in our lives?
Are our ways leading to Christ?
Let us examine ourselves.
(pause)
Lord, the world today – and that includes us –
is still in need of conversion.
But we lack the courage to change for the better:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, we need to reflect
on our Christian vocation,
but we are afraid of the silence needed
to listen to your challenging Word:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord, we need prophets to speak in your name,
but we silence or ridicule them
when they point out our own inconsistencies:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, convert us,
let us be people who prepare the way for you,
and when we have borne our witness,
help us to fade away to make room for you.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray to God
that we may prepare the way of the Lord
(pause)
Merciful God,
we celebrate today with joy
the birth of John the Baptist,
your prophet who announced a new era
and prepared the way for your Son.
Help us to proclaim the message of Jesus
in the new language our time demands.
Give us the courage to leave our old ways
and to open resolutely to today’s people
the new road to the future which you offer us
in Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction: Servant of the Lord
Like the Servant of God in this song from Isaiah, John the Baptist is loved and called by God even before he is born. His task as a servant will be to lead people to God.
Second Reading Introduction: The Humble Forerunner
John’s task was to prepare people’s hearts for the coming Savior and then humbly to fade away.
Gospel Introduction: What Will This Child Be?
His birth from old parents and the wonders before and after his birth all speak of John as a man chosen by God for a very special mission.
General Intercessions
Let us pray to God our Father, who has placed guides on our road leading us home, and let us say: R/ Lord, lead us to you.
– For the Church of Jesus Christ, that the Spirit of Christ may inspire our leaders with prophetic zeal to lead our people to true Christian freedom, let us pray: R/ Lord, lead us to you.
– For those whose task is to guide, such as missionaries, priests, sisters, educators in the faith and leaders of nations, that in these often discouraging times they may continue hoping in God’s strength, let us pray: R/ Lord, lead us to you.
– For those who do not yet know Christ, that there may be teachers and prophets who level for them the way to the Lord, let us pray: R/ Lord, lead us to you.
– For the world of today, that it may not turn a deaf ear to the voices of the prophets who plead for peace and justice for all, let us pray: R/ Lord, lead us to you.
– For all of us here, that Christ may not be among us as someone we do not know, but that he may become recognizable in the humility of our weakness and poverty, let us pray: R/ Lord, lead us to you.
God, you know us as we are. You have formed and called us even before we were born. May we serve you in all humility and prepare the way for the deeper coming of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Our God and Father,
you gave to John the Baptist the eyes of faith
needed to recognize and point out Jesus
as the long-promised Savior.
Help us to recognize your Son
in these humble signs of bread and wine.
May Jesus become greater in us
and we smaller,
that he may become visible in us
and that in this way we may build roads
that lead to you, our living God.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
On John the Baptist’s feast we remember how he pointed out to people the way to Jesus the Lord. Now we rejoice that Jesus our Lord is here with us, his people.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
We too have been chosen by the Father
even before we were born.
We pray to him the prayer of his children,
as given us by Jesus, his beloved Son: R/ Our Father ...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and liberate us from our pride that keeps us
from showing the true face of your Son.
Make your Church attentive
to the voice of your Spirit
speaking through prophets in our day;
make us attentive to the signs of the times
and to the needs and aspirations of people.
Help us to prepare with joy and hope
for the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom ....
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, the Savior,
announced by John the Baptist
as the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world.
Happy are we to be invited
to the table of the Lord. R/ Lord, I am not worthy ....
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
your Son has been with us again
and yet he is not fully recognizable
in our words and in our very being.
Change our hearts,
place on our lips words of faith and courage
and let our deeds speak without fear
the language of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
Even before we were born
every one of us has been called by God
to be saved by Christ.
Every one of us is called today
to prepare the way of the Lord
for the people we meet.
Every one of us is called today
to point out the presence of Jesus the Lord,
by the way we live his gospel.
May God bless you for this task:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace and bear witness
to the Good News of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.
