NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN
THE BAPTIST
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful
are your works.
Judith, Chapter 11, Verse 17
Your servant is, indeed, a God-fearing woman, serving the God of
heaven night and day. Now I will remain with you, my lord; but each night your
servant will go out into the valley and pray to God. He will tell me when they
have committed their offenses.
Holofernes and his
servants respond to Judith by marveling at her beauty and at her wisdom. Judith
is calm and posed while confronting evil in its lair. She like John the baptizer
confronts evil yet in the story of Judith; Holofernes will lose his head, while
John for the greater glory of God loses his.
John is the greatest of
the prophets and arguably the least confused and wisest of Christ's disciples,
John has the distinction of being the only other person besides the Blessed
Virgin and our Lord whose birthday is celebrated by the Church.[1]
Birth of John the Baptist[2]
ST.JOHN could not have
had any greater panegyrist than Jesus Christ Himself, Who said: There hath not
risen, among them that are born of women [in the natural manner], a greater than
John the Baptist (Matt. xi. 11). The Lord made him great, even from his mother s
womb, by causing his birth to before told by an angel, by giving him his name,
and by sanctifying him while yet in his mother’s womb through the presence of
Christ. To escape from the world and its allurements he withdrew to the desert,
and there occupied himself only with God and with what concerned his vocation.
His food was locusts and wild honey; his clothing a garment of camel s hair,
fastened by a leathern girdle; his bed the hard ground. Thus he lived till his
thirtieth year, in which, by the command of God, he was to proclaim the coming
of the Messias, Whom he himself afterwards baptized and pointed out to men as
the Lamb of God. With extraordinary zeal and earnestness he preached the
necessity of true penance. For having reproved Herod for living in adultery he
was thrown into prison, and finally, at the instigation of Herodias, was
beheaded. We celebrate the day of his birth rather than that of his death, as
is the case of most saints days, because, while other saints arrive at sanctity
only through long and difficult contests, John was already sanctified in his mother’s
womb.
End of Ramadan[3]
Ramadan Facts & Quotes
·
Ramadan comes from the word ramadaa, which means
'sunbaked' in Arabic. This is perhaps a reference to the pangs of hunger
Muslims feel when fasting.
·
According to Islamic tradition, menstruating
women, women who are experiencing bleeding after giving birth, people who are
sick (either with short term or long term illnesses), and travelers are exempt
from fasting. Pregnant women also have the option of skipping fasts.
·
In Islamic countries, when Ramadan ends and the
crescent moon is first seen, people bang drums and give mighty shouts.
·
According to Sunnah belief, the Prophet Muhammad
once said,
There is no conceit in fasting.
·
who believe, fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you; perchance you will guard yourselves(Quran, 2:183)
Ramadan Top Events and Things to
Do
·
The fast is usually broken in a family setting,
where traditional foods are served. Most Muslims begin their meal with a few
dates and a glass of milk because the Prophet Muhammad used to do the same.
The high sugar content of the dates sends energy to weary fasting Muslim,
while the fiber in the dates and the protein in the milk fills them up and
prevents nausea.
·
During Ramadan, Muslims congregate every night
in the mosque to pray Taraweeh prayers in congregation. In the United States,
in between sets of prayers, the Imam gives a brief sermon and encourages people
to give to charity.
·
In Islamic countries, the end of the fast is
signaled by a loud call to the sunset prayer. Most people eat a small meal,
pray at the mosque, and then join their families for a large, festive dinner.
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