Collect taken from the memorial of the beheading of John the Baptist.
Collect: O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist should go ahead of your Son both in his birth and in his death, grant that, as he died a Martyr for truth and justice, we, too, may fight hard for the confession of what you teach. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“ O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist should go ahead of your Son both in his birth and in his death,”
– We recall the fitting design of God in order to evoke a sense of awe and respect for his providence and prepare ourselves to ask for a particular grace.
“grant that, as he died a Martyr for truth and justice, we, too, may fight hard for the confession of what you teach.“
– John spoke truth to power, which is something we are often unwilling to do. Thus, we implore God’s help and seek to draw inspiration from John the Baptist in order to do what is right, even if it should cost us our lives. It is worth noting that we not only ask to “fight,” but to fight “hard” for what God teaches.
Questions & Advice: Is your first instinct to simply watch quietly when injustice is occurring in front of you? Are you more concerned with getting along with others than with the proclamation of divinely-revealed truth? Are you willing to own up to and suffer for what the Church teaches about marriage even as our culture increasingly redefines it?
Read about Marriage in the Catechism (1601-1608). Spend some of your daily prayer time considering whether or not people in your life know what you believe about marriage. Pray in a special way for married couple and then for the conversion of those who are eager to subvert God’s design for marriage.
 |
| Sancte Ioannes Baptista, ora pro nobis! |