{"id":10439,"date":"2026-06-24T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/?p=10439"},"modified":"2026-06-23T22:46:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T02:46:52","slug":"nativity-of-john-the-baptist-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/pope-benedict-xvi\/nativity-of-john-the-baptist-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Nativity of John the Baptist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/june22.png?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"563\" height=\"678\" data-attachment-id=\"10440\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/pope-benedict-xvi\/nativity-of-john-the-baptist-2\/attachment\/june22-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/june22.png?fit=563%2C678&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"563,678\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"june22\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/june22.png?fit=563%2C678&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/june22.png?fit=563%2C678&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10440\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/june22.png?w=563&amp;ssl=1 563w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/june22.png?resize=249%2C300&amp;ssl=1 249w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 563px) 100vw, 563px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Be Brave and Free<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>You, dear young people, be brave and free! Do not let yourselves be taken in by the deceptive mirages of an easy happiness. Follow the way of Christ: he is demanding, certainly, but he alone can help you to savour the full meaning of life and enjoy peace of heart.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>You, dear parents, prepare the way of the Lord before your children. Bring them up with love, and set a good example by living the principles you teach. And you, teachers and leaders of society, deepen your commitment to promoting the complete development of the human person, fostering in the young a deep sense of justice and of solidarity with the less fortunate.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>St John is a model of uprightness and courage in defending the truth, for which he was prepared to pay in his person, even to the point of imprisonment and death.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Saint John the Baptist is above all a model of faith. Following the example of the great Prophet Elijah, in order to listen more attentively to the word of the one Lord of his life, he leaves everything and withdraws to the desert, from which he would issue the resounding call to prepare the way of the Lord (cf. Mt 3:3 and parallels).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Pope St John Paul II<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Voice of one crying in the wilderness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>The Church observes the birth of John as in some way sacred; and you will not find any other of the great men of old whose birth we celebrate officially. We celebrate John\u2019s, as we celebrate Christ\u2019s. This point cannot be passed over in silence, and if I may not perhaps be able to explain it in the way that such an important matter deserves, it is still worth thinking about it a little more deeply and fruitfully than usual.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>You will remember that, before he was born, at Mary\u2019s arrival he leapt in his mother\u2019s womb. Already he had been marked out there, designated before he was born; it was already shown whose forerunner he would be, even before he saw him. These are divine matters, and exceed the measure of human frailty. John is the voice, but the Lord in the beginning was the Word<\/strong>. <strong>John is a voice for a time, but Christ is the eternal Word from the beginning.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>from a sermon by Saint Augustine<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Be Brave and Free You, dear young people, be brave and free! Do not let yourselves be taken in by the deceptive mirages of an easy happiness. Follow the way of Christ: he is demanding, certainly, but he alone can help you to savour the full meaning of life and enjoy peace of heart. You, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,44,15,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pope-benedict-xvi","category-saints-and-blesseds","category-spiritual-practices","category-spiritual-reflections"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7bfMR-2In","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1791,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/brave-mother-with-cancer-refuses-abortion-and-delays-treatment\/","url_meta":{"origin":10439,"position":0},"title":"Mother with cancer delays treatment to save her baby","author":"monks4christ","date":"March 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"a Brave Mother . website .","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Spiritual Practices&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Spiritual Practices","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/spiritual-practices\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brave-Mum-web-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brave-Mum-web-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brave-Mum-web-scaled-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brave-Mum-web-scaled-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brave-Mum-web-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Brave-Mum-web-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7060,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/all-saints-day-holy-day-on-friday\/","url_meta":{"origin":10439,"position":1},"title":"All Saints Day . Holy Day on Friday","author":"monks4christ","date":"October 31, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"For all the saints who from their labors rest,who Thee by faith before the world confessed;Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.Alleluia, Alleluia! Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.Alleluia, Alleluia! And when\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Saints and Blesseds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Saints and Blesseds","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/saints-and-blesseds\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Nov-1-All-Saints-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Nov-1-All-Saints-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Nov-1-All-Saints-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Nov-1-All-Saints-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6016,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/the-purpose-of-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":10439,"position":2},"title":"the Purpose of Life","author":"monks4christ","date":"February 27, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Purification of Spirit through Fasting and Alms giving Dear friends, at every moment the earth is full of the mercy of God, and nature itself is a lesson for all the faithful in the worship of God. The heavens, the sea and all that is in them bear witness to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Spiritual Practices&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Spiritual Practices","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/spiritual-practices\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/feb-LENT-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/feb-LENT-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/feb-LENT-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4480,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/lenten-practices\/","url_meta":{"origin":10439,"position":3},"title":"Lenten Practices","author":"monks4christ","date":"February 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Purification of Spirit through Fasting and Alms giving Dear friends, at every moment the earth is full of the mercy of God, and nature itself is a lesson for all the faithful in the worship of God. The heavens, the sea and all that is in them bear witness to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Spiritual Practices&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Spiritual Practices","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/spiritual-practices\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/feb-LENT-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/feb-LENT-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/feb-LENT-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9310,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/the-purpose-of-life-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":10439,"position":4},"title":"the Purpose of Life","author":"monks4christ","date":"March 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Purification of Spirit through Fasting and Alms giving Dear friends, at every moment the earth is full of the mercy of God, and nature itself is a lesson for all the faithful in the worship of God. The heavens, the sea and all that is in them bear witness to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Spiritual Practices&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Spiritual Practices","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/spiritual-practices\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/feb-LENT-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/feb-LENT-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/feb-LENT-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7695,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-reflections\/the-purpose-of-life-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":10439,"position":5},"title":"the Purpose of Life","author":"monks4christ","date":"March 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Purification of Spirit through Fasting and Alms giving Dear friends, at every moment the earth is full of the mercy of God, and nature itself is a lesson for all the faithful in the worship of God. 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