Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Saint John the Baptist is an extremely important person in the history of Christianity. Saint John was the first person to recognize our Lord from within the womb:

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah. She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord? Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy.

Luke 1:39-44

Saint John also Baptized Jesus in the Jordan. It is the First Luminous Mystery of the Rosary 

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:13-17

Besides Mary and Jesus, no one except Saint John the Baptist has the honor of having both his birth and death honored. He was the cousin of Jesus. Today is the fest of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist. He was martyred by beheading because he spoke the truth of Jesus and spread it.

Today we have a pretty busy schedule so we will be making a special dinner to celebrate today but that's about it. We have football practice, a soccer game and homework to complete. If you are able to spend some extra time enjoying the feast day, check out some of the following activities. 

Activities to celebrate today:

Check out Net Art for several different options for coloring pages.

Saint John the Baptist ate grasshoppers and honey so creating a honey dish or treat would be appropriate or a grasshopper parfait. We are making Honey Sesame Chicken for dinner tonight. 

Pray the Luminous Mysteries with special reflection on the Baptism of Jesus.

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken:

2-3 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

1/2 Cup Honey 

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce 

1/4 Cup Red Pepper (diced)

1/4 Cup Onion (diced)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil 

2 Tsp Cornstarch 

3 Tbsp Water 

2 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Ground Ginger

1 Tsp Coriander

Pinch Red Pepper Flake

Sesame Seeds

Place chicken breasts into the crock pot. Mix together honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, onion, red pepper, red pepper flake, ginger, coriander and olive oil together in a bowl to create a sauce. Pour over the chicken. Cook on Low for 3-4 hours.

Remove chicken from the sauce and shred. While chicken is out of the sauce, mix water and cornstarch together. Pour the cornstarch into the slow cooker until smooth. Cook on High until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the shredded chicken back into the sauce. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the chicken and sauce mixture. Serve over rice with a green vegetable. 

Prayer for Saint John the Baptist:

O God, You raised up St. John the Baptist to prepare a perfect person for Christ.

We call upon St John’s intercession to properly prepare us with a true sense of repentance 

to receive Your grace and salvation.

Make us faithful to truth and justice, as You did Your servant,

John the Baptist, herald of Your Son’s birth and death.

Lord, may You increase Your life within us.

Amen.

I hope you and your families are enjoying celebrating the Passion of Saint John the Baptist today. It has just started to rain and hail pretty hard here. The cool air is blowing in from the mountains. I think I may sit out on the patio and just have a few moments of quiet to regroup. I would love to hear about your family traditions and activities for the day.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us!