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The feast day of a saint usually commemorates the day of the saint’s earthly death, known by the Church as the saint’s dies natalis, or birthday, into heaven. Only three earthly births are honored liturgically: that of Our Lord, on December 25th; that of Our Lady, on September 8th; and that of St. John the Baptist, the Forerunner of the Messiah. St. Elizabeth was six months pregnant at the time of the Annunciation, and thus John’s birth is honored exactly three months later, though on the 24th rather than the 25th because of the old Roman calculation of days. “Many shall rejoice in his nativity”, says the angel Gabriel to John’s father St. Zachary, and Our Lord Himself said that “there hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist.” Indeed, for most of Christian history, John almost universally took the highest place in any list of the saints, behind only the Blessed Virgin Mary and Michael the Archangel. The Vigil, St. John’s Eve, is celebrated throughout Christendom with blessed bonfires and other festivities, many of them intended to help ward off evil like the customs of All Hallow’s Eve. It is Midsummer, and from now until Christmas the days grow shorter, evoking John’s own words regarding Christ: “He must increase, but I must decrease”. The Beheading of St. John the Baptist is honored on August 29th.
THE Nativity of St. John the Baptist, precursor of our Lord, son of Zachary and Elizabeth, who, while yet in his mother’s womb, was filled with the Holy Ghost.
At Rome, in the time of Nero, the commemoration of many holy martyrs, who were accused of having set fire to the city, and cruelly put to death in various manners by the emperor’s order. Some were covered with the skins of wild beasts and lacerated by dogs; others were fastened to crosses, others again were delivered to the flames to serve as torches in the night. All these were disciples of the Apostles, and the first fruits of the martyrs, which the Roman Church, a field so fertile in martyrs, offered to God before the death of the Apostles.
In the same city, the holy martyrs Faustus and twenty-three others.
At Satalis, in Armenia, seven saintly brothers, martyrs: Orentius, Heros, Pharnacius, Firminus, Firmus, Cyriacus and Longinus, who owe their martyrdom to the emperor Maximian. Because they were Christians, they were deprived of the military cincture by his command, separated from one another, hurried away to various places, and in the midst of painful trials, found their repose in the Lord.
In the diocese of Paris, at Creteil, the martyrdom of the Saints Agoardus and Aglibertus, with a multitude of others of both sexes.
At Autun, the demise of St. Simplicius, bishop and confessor.
At Lobbes, St. Theodulphus, bishop.
At Stilo, in Calabria, St. John, surnamed Therestus, distinguished for his fidelity to the monastic rule, and for his sanctity.
℣. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
℟. Thanks be to God.