Solemnity of John the Baptist - Children's Mass

 

Everyone loves celebrating their birthday. The Church celebrates three birthdays. The birth of Jesus at Christmas, Dec. 25th. The Birth of the Virgin Mary, on Sept 8^th. And we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, today, June 24th. On our birthday, my mother always baked a cake for my brother, sisters and me. We also had ice cream, and she would buy a gift usually a toy or clothing. She would put the same number of candles on the cake as the same number of years since our birth. If I was 10, she would put 10 candles on it. After the candles were lit, I was supposed to make a wish and blow out the candles. If she would do that today, she would have to 62 candles on my cake. That’s a lot of candles.

John the Baptist was a cousin of Jesus. The Virgin Mary was a cousin, to John’s mother, Elizabeth. When the angel appeared to Mary, the angel told her that her cousin was pregnant. Because Elizabeth was not young, the Virgin Mary immediately went to help her. Mary walked some of the day and some of the day she rode a donkey for a 5 day journey. Can you imagine walking all day, then spending the night along side the road in a tent each night for 5 days. For us, it would be sort of like camping. It was difficult to walk for a young pregnant girl to travel like that. She must have very tired each day.

The bible doesn’t say, but most likely the Virgin Mary was there when her cousin Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist. He wasn’t born in a hospital, because 2000 years ago, there was no such thing as a hospital. John was born in the home of his parents.

When John became an adult, he began to preach repentance. He wanted to the people to acknowledge their sins and ask God for forgiveness. Then John baptized lots of people in the Jordan River. But, his baptism was to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus. He wanted them to be ready to hear Jesus preach and teach the people.

Later, when Jesus sent His disciples to baptize, they baptized the people in the name of Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God and took the forbidden fruit and therefore committed the original sin. Original sin prevented them from being in the Garden of Paradise and they could not go to heaven, nor any human being after them, because the original sin is passed down to us.

Because Jesus came into the world, and because He suffered, died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, we too can now go to heaven and that is why we are now baptized because baptism washes away original sin and if we are old enough to have personal sins, they are forgiven and the punishment due to sin is washed away.

Most of us were baptized when we were a baby. But some are baptized when they are older. For example, Cammi Stephenson was baptized about 2 years ago.

I would like to suggest that you ask some of your non-Catholic friends if they are baptized. And if they aren’t, tell them that the should get baptized to have their sins washed away and so that God can come to dwell in their heart.

We celebrate our birthday, but we can also celebrate our baptism day. I was born on Feb 20^th and my baptism day is March 3^rd. Every year, I celebrate my birthday and also my baptism day.

On my baptism day, I will have a special meal and usually dessert to celebrate the day when my original sin was washed and the Trinity came to dwell in my heart. At baptism we become an adopted child of God. We become a member of the Church. God comes to dwell in our heart, and we receive the gifts of faith, hope and charity.

Today, let us celebrate the birthday of John the Baptist and when you get home, ask your mom which day you were baptized, and then celebrate your baptism day every year and also your birthday.