‘Summer Christmas’: Why does the Church celebrate the birthday of St. John the Baptist?

‘Summer Christmas’: Why does the Church celebrate the birthday of St. John the Baptist?

Because it falls exactly six months before the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, John the Baptist’s birthday is sometimes known as “Summer Christmas.” [...]

Why does the Church celebrate the birthday of St. John the Baptist?

St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, is one of only three people in history — after Jesus and Mary — whose birthday is celebrated in the Church’s liturgy.In fact, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24 is a solemnity, meaning it is the highest form of Catholic feast day. And because it falls exactly six months before the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, it is sometimes known as “Summer Christmas.”“The Church observes th…

The Liminal and Luminous Birth of John the Baptist

We celebrate the birthdays of three ‘saints’ in our liturgical calendar: Christ Himself, the Son of God, of course, on Christmas Day; His Mother, the Virgin Mary, on September 8th; and, today, Saint John, called ‘the Baptist’, to whom was given the role as the last, greatest of the Prophets of the Messiah: Behold, the Lamb of God! As the most ‘liminal’ of saints, John stands at the threshold between the Old and the New Testaments, the most momen…