Feast of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist

June 24 is the Feast of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, the cousin of Christ who leapt in his mother Elizabeth’s womb at the Visitation, when the Virgin Mary came to share with her the good news she had been given at the Annunciation. Traditionally, Catholics have seen John the Baptist’s leap as a type of Baptism, and thus believe that he is one of only three people born without Original Sin–Christ Himself and the Blessed Virgin being the other two. (The difference, of course, is that both Christ and the Virgin Mary were conceived without sin, while John the Baptist was conceived in sin but cleansed before his birth.)

John the Baptist dedicated his life to calling the Jews to repentance. He is called the Forerunner of Christ, because he “prepared the way of the Lord” through his “voice crying out in the wilderness.” In traditional iconography, he is depicted with wings like an angel, because angels are messengers between God and man.

Prayer by Saint Augustine of Hippo to the Holy Spirit

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,

that my thoughts may all be holy.

Act in me, O Holy Spirit,

that my work, too, may be holy.

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,

that I love but what is holy.

Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,

to defend all that is holy.

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,

that I always may be holy. Amen

St. Casimir ~ Patron of Poland and Lithuania

All of our lives are divided between worldly pressures and spiritual belongings. Like St. Casimir, choose the action that best serves Christ.

St. Casimir was buried with his favorite song, a Latin hymn “Omni die dic Mariae” which we know as “Daily, Daily Sing to Mary.”

Lyrics to “Daily, Daily Sing to Mary”

Daily, daily sing to Mary,
Sing, my soul, her praises due.
All her feasts, her actions worship
With the heart’s devotion true.
Lost in wond’ring contemplation,
Be her Majesty confess’d.
Call her Mother, call her Virgin,
Happy Mother, Virgin blest.
She is mighty to deliver.
Call her, trust her lovingly.
When the tempest rages round thee,
She will calm the troubled sea.
Gifts of heaven she has given,
Noble Lady, to our race.
She, the Queen, who decks her subjects
With the light of God’s own grace.
Sing, my tongue, the Virgin’s trophies
Who for us her Maker bore.
For the curse of old inflicted,
Peace and blessing to restore.
Sing in songs of peace unending,
Sing the world’s majestic Queen.
Weary not nor faint in telling.
All the gifts she gives to men.

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle

Today we celebrate the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle. To put it another way today we commemorate Christ choosing Peter to sit in his place as the leader of the Church as it’s first Pope. Probably the best known biblical text for today’s Feast is found in the 16th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus describes Peter as the rock upon whom he will build His Church and promises him the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Saint Valentine ~ Patron of Love, Young People, Happy Marriages

There is not much known about Saint Valentine. Many historians claim that he was a temple priest jailed for helping persecuted Christians during the reign of Claudius. Evidence that Valentine was a real person was excavated under a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine was discovered. Alongside a woodcut portrait of him, where text states that Valentinus was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius the Goth (Claudius II). Since he was caught marrying Christian couples and aiding any Christians who were being persecuted under Emperor Claudius in Rome (this was considered a crime), Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner until Valentinus made a fatal error: he tried to convert the Emperor and thus was condemned to death.

Legend has it, while awaiting his execution, Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer’s blind daughter. On the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the her, signing it, “From your Valentine.”