Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We praise your greatness as we honor the prophet
who prepared the way before your Son.
You set him apart from others, marking him out with special favor.
His birth brought great rejoicing:
even in the womb he leapt for joy, so near was our salvation.
You chose John the Baptist from all the prophets
to show the world its redeemer, the lamb of sacrifice.
He baptized Christ, the giver of baptism,
in waters made holy by the one who was baptized.
You found John worthy of a martyr’s death,
his last and greatest act of witness to your Son.
In our unending joy we echo on earth
the song of the angels in heaven as they praise your glory for ever:
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts,
heaven and earth are full of your glory,
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!
- Preface for the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist
Icon: Image source
Tapestry by John Nava
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If only today's priests had the courage to ignore the culture of death and to speak the truth about God as John did. He wasn't "tolerant" of the adulterous marriage of the king. He stood up for "traditional values." He lost his head defending God's laws. He burned with a fierce desire to please the Lord which didn't countenance craven compromise with the world.
ReplyDeleteLovely post and images. The Nava piece really moves me. I'm not sure if you have ever been to the Cathedral in LA; it is spectacular.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've been there and it's an amazing experience of understanding what a cathedral might be. It was several years ago when I was at the Form/Reform conference in LA. I went to the Cathedral three times - once for Sunday liturgy and twice just to walk around and soak in the place.
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