Saint of the Day
St. John the Baptist
John the Baptist was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and a cousin of Jesus. His birth was announced by the angel Gabriel to his elderly father, and his coming was foretold by the prophet Isaiah as the voice crying in the wilderness. He preached a baptism of repentance in the Judean desert, drawing crowds from all over Judea. John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River and identified him as the Lamb of God. He was imprisoned by Herod Antipas and beheaded. Jesus called him the greatest among those born of women.
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 40:3-4
A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain."
Reflection
John the Baptist understood his life as this voice — the one who prepares the way, not the destination. His greatness lay in his willingness to point beyond himself, to decrease so that another might increase. On the feast of his birth, we are invited to ask where we need to do the same: to lower the mountains of pride and lift the valleys of despair so that God's path through us is clear.
Prayer for Today
Lord, help me to hear you saying, "I am your hope" over all the other voices. Lord, your word says, you are the hope for hopeless so I'm running to you with both hands stretched out and grabbing on to you. Fill me up with hope and give me a tangible reminder today that hope is an unbreakable spiritual lifeline (Hebrews 6:19-20). God, you know those things in my heart that I barely dare to hope for, today I give them to you, I trust them to you, and ask that you because I know that you can do more than I could ever guess, imagine or request in wildest dreams (Eph 3:20). God, you are my hope and I trust you. Amen.
Amen.