The last prophet, who prepared the way for Jesus and baptized him in the Jordan. The Church celebrates his birth on June 24.
Life
John the Baptist was the son of the priest Zechariah and Elizabeth. Luke's Gospel tells how the angel Gabriel announced his birth to the elderly couple; Zechariah, who did not believe, was struck mute, but when he wrote that the child's name was John, his speech returned and he praised God. When Mary visited Elizabeth, the child John leapt for joy in the womb.
John lived in the desert and then baptized for repentance in the Jordan, preparing the way of the Messiah. He baptized Jesus and bore witness to him as "the Lamb of God." For rebuking Herod's wrongdoing he was imprisoned and beheaded. The Church celebrates his birth as a solemnity on June 24, six months before Christmas.
Spirituality
John the Baptist's spirituality is the humility that lowers oneself to reveal Christ. He confessed, "He must increase, but I must decrease." He turned people's gaze not toward himself but toward the One who was coming. His whole life was spent preparing the way to welcome the Lord.
Reflection
John the Baptist pointed people not to himself but to Jesus. A true witness does not point to himself. Do my service and words draw attention to me, or do they point to Christ?