Updated June 2024 –  The Gospel of Saint Luke begins its narrative precisely with the birth of Saint John the Baptist: Elizabeth, sterile and very old, saw her wishes for offspring fulfilled when the angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah, her husband, that Elizabeth would give him a son, to whom I would have to call Juan.

Devotees of Saint John the Baptist celebrate his saints on June 24 of each year, which is the date of his birth. For Christian tradition, the saints of John the Baptist coincide 6 months before the birth of the Lord Jesus, on December 24.

Saint John the Baptist's Day: its origin

St. John's Day is related to two celebrations on the calendar: Summer Solstice, which is the day with the most hours of sunlight or the longest of the year and with the “Night of San Juan”, a festival of pagan origin whose origins predate Christianity.

The so-called "Night of San Juan" is a very popular festival in Europe, it is also known as "Bonfire night" since it is celebrated around bonfires that devotees light and then jump over them. This ritual was done because it was believed that the bonfire sent strength to the sun to end spring and the beginning of summer, that is, the Summer Solstice.

The Night of Saint John is a tradition that has been maintained over time, even though according to the Gospels, it has nothing to do with the life of John the Baptist.

Related>  Prayer of the Just Judge

When is Saint John the Baptist Day celebrated?

According to the Bible, the birth of Saint John the Baptist took place six months before the birth of Jesus – December 25th – which is why John the Baptist is celebrated on June 24th of each year.

A curious fact is that Saint John the Baptist is celebrated twice a year within the Christian calendar. In addition to the celebration of June 24, July 29 commemorates the “Martyrdom of John the Baptist” . This date commemorates his death.

According to the Vatican, John the Baptist is represented in art as a child accompanying Jesus, and this representation has been one of the most widespread through art in the history of humanity.

Saint John the Baptist is a Saint who is celebrated twice a year. Along with Saint Francis of Assisi, he is one of the Saints who has been represented the most times through works of art in all of history. 

Parish of Saint John the Baptist

Saint John is venerated with prayers in more than one church around the world. The Parish of Saint John the Baptist It is located in the Coyoacán neighborhood, in Mexico City. It is one of the most faithful receives on June 24 who come to celebrate Saint John's Day.

The Church and Ex-Convent of San Juan Bautista is one of the oldest churches that exist in the Mexican capital. Its construction dates back to 1522 and it was built by a group of Franciscan friars on land granted by Hernán Cortés.

Did you know that? 

The Catholic Church only liturgically celebrates the birth of 3 saints: Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist.  The reason is because  The Church celebrates the day on which they were born for God , and they are the only 3 sanctified from the day of their birth. The rest of the Catholic Saints are celebrated on the day they died. 

Prayers to Saint John the Baptist

There are many prayers to Saint John the Baptist, here we leave you one for urgent requests and frequently asked questions about this highly revered Saint.

Prayer for urgent requests

This is the prayer that is prayed to Saint John the Baptist when his devotees have an emergency.

Blessed Saint John the Baptist, who was chosen to announce to men the coming of the kingdom of Christ, guide our steps along the paths of justice and peace. Reach us from the Lord his mercy and forgiveness. 

Most Glorious Saint John the Baptist, precursor of my Lord Jesus Christ, beautiful star of the best sun, trumpet of Heaven, voice of the eternal word. Obtain for me from the Lord his benevolence and blessing.

You who are the greatest of the saints and ensign of the King of Glory, who are more a son of grace than of nature, and for all reasons a most powerful prince in Heaven. Get me clemency and protection from the Lord.

Glorious Saint John the Baptist, today in my despair I beg you to help me in these difficult moments. I need your valuable help to solve my sorrows and miseries, mediate before the Lord to grant me:

(say what needs to be achieved)

I ask you, an invincible martyr, not to ignore my sorrows and for the privileges with which God has enriched you, ensure that my request is granted as soon as possible if it is convenient for my salvation. And if not, a perfect resignation, with abundant grace, that by becoming a friend of God, will assure me the eternal happiness of Glory.

Amen.

It may interest you:  prayer to Saint Jude Thaddeus

Frequently Asked Questions about San Juan Bautista 

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Saint John the Baptist: the saint with two saints' books, powerful prayers and a Saint John's Day

by Laura Cordero, Enlace Latino NC
June 23, 2023

Enlace Latino NCJune 23, 2023 Updated June 2024 - The Gospel of Saint Luke begins its narrative precisely with the birth of Saint John the Baptist: Elizabeth, sterile and very old, saw her desire for offspring fulfilled when the angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah, her husband, that Elizabeth would bear him a son, whom she would call John. Devotees of Saint John the Baptist celebrate his saint's day on June 24th of each year, which is the date of his birth. According to Christian tradition, the feast day of John the Baptist coincides six months before the birth of the Lord Jesus, on December 6. Saint John the Baptist's Day: its origin St. John's Day is associated with two celebrations on the calendar: the summer solstice , which is the day with the most hours of sunlight or the longest day of the year, and "St. John's Night," a festival of pagan origin whose origins predate Christianity. The so-called "Night of Saint John" is a very popular festival in Europe. It is also known as "Bonfire Night" because it is celebrated around bonfires that devotees light and then jump over. This ritual was performed because it was believed that the bonfire sent strength to the solar star to mark the end of spring and the beginning of summer, that is, the Summer Solstice. St. John's Eve is a tradition that has been maintained over time, even though according to the Gospels, it has nothing to do with the life of John the Baptist. Related > Prayer of the Righteous Judge When is St. John the Baptist's Day celebrated? According to the Bible, the birth of Saint John the Baptist took place six months before the birth of Jesus - December 2 - which is why John the Baptist is celebrated on June 2 of each year. A curious fact is that Saint John the Baptist is celebrated twice a year within the Christian calendar. In addition to the celebration on June 24, July 29 commemorates the "Martyrdom of John the Baptist." This date commemorates his death. According to the Vatican, John the Baptist is depicted in art as a child accompanying Jesus, and this representation has been one of the most widely disseminated through art in the history of humanity. Saint John the Baptist is a Saint who is celebrated twice a year. Along with Saint Francis of Assisi, he is one of the Saints who has been most often represented through works of art throughout history. Representation of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. Image by Dorothée QUENNESSON on Pixabay Parish of St. John the Baptist Saint John is venerated with prayers in more than one church around the world. The Parish of Saint John the Baptist is located in the Coyoacán neighborhood of Mexico City. It is one of the churches that receives the most faithful on June 24th who come to celebrate Saint John's Day. The Church and Former Convent of San Juan Bautista is one of the oldest churches in the Mexican capital. Its construction dates back to 1522 and was built by a group of Franciscan friars on land granted by Hernán Cortés. Did you know? The Catholic Church only celebrates the liturgically birth of three saints: Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist. The reason is because the Church celebrates the day on which they were born to God , and they are the only three who have been sanctified since the day of their birth. The rest of the Catholic Saints are celebrated on the day they died. Parish of San Juan Bautista in Coyoacán, on its entrance doors you can read: "There is nothing here but the house of God and the Gate of Heaven." Every June 24, the faithful come to pray to Saint John the Baptist. Image: Pexels Prayers to Saint John the Baptist There are many prayers to Saint John the Baptist, here's one for urgent requests and frequently asked questions about this venerated saint. Prayer to Saint John the Baptist. Internet image Prayer for urgent requests This is the prayer that is said to Saint John the Baptist when his devotees have some urgent need. Blessed Saint John the Baptist, you were chosen to announce to men the coming of the kingdom of Christ, guide our steps along the paths of justice and peace. Obtain for us from the Lord his mercy and forgiveness. Most glorious Saint John the Baptist, precursor of my Lord Jesus Christ, beautiful star of the best sun, trumpet of Heaven, voice of the eternal word. Obtain for me from the Lord his benevolence and blessing. You who are the greatest of the saints and standard-bearer of the King of Glory, who are more a child of grace than of nature, and for all reasons a most powerful prince in Heaven. Obtain for me from the Lord his mercy and protection. Glorious Saint John the Baptist, today in my despair I beg you to help me in these difficult moments. I need your valuable help to solve my sorrows and miseries, intercede before the Lord so that he may grant me: (say what needs to be achieved) I ask you, invincible martyr, not to ignore my sufferings and through the privileges with which God has enriched you, ensure that my request be granted as soon as possible if it is convenient for my salvation. And if not, a perfect resignation, with abundant grace, which, making me a friend of God, assures me the eternal happiness of Glory. Amen. You may be interested in: prayer to Saint Jude Thaddeus Frequently Asked Questions about Saint John the Baptist Who was John the Baptist? Saint John the Baptist is the only saint who is honored on the day of his birth and not on the day of his death. This is because his mother was mature and sterile. That is why Saint John is considered a miracle of life. Around the year 28, John the Baptist began to be publicly known as a prophet. Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John, even though John did not want to do so, arguing, “I should be baptized by you, and you come to me?” How did he die? According to the Bible, John died by being beheaded. This is because he condemned Herod Antipas for marrying Herodias, his brother's ex-wife (whom he calls Philip). Herodias called for his execution, but Herod Antipas entertained himself by listening to her stories and was reluctant to do so because he feared her, since he was a "righteous and holy" man. Later, Herodias' daughter danced before Antipas, which pleased him so much that he offered her anything she could choose as a prize. The daughter asked her mother, who told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. Although reluctant, Antipas ordered John's beheading, and his head was given to the girl on a platter. John's disciples took the body and buried it in a tomb (Mark 6:17-29). How is he represented? A curious fact is that in iconography, he is the only prophet of the Old Testament who is represented with wings, which symbolize his status as a divine messenger and predecessor of Christ. Most images in parishes depict him preaching in the desert or baptizing Jesus. This article first appeared onEnlace Latino NCand is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: "https://enlacelatinonc.org/san-juan-bautista-un-milagro-de-vida/", urlref: window.location.href }); } }

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