Saint John the Baptist - A Novena

By John Armijo

This Thursday we celebrated the feast of Saint John the Baptist. He was a pivotal figure in the life of Jesus. He was praised by Jesus himself and followed by many but ultimately he suffered a tragic death. He was the voice crying out in the desert that people from all around flocked to see and listen to. He spoke the truth as unpopular as it was. He believed strongly in his convictions and gave little to no thought into the social consequences they invoked. We can learn a lot from the lessons that John taught us. 

We Catholics and our faith are not very popular in today's society. How often do we "tone down" our beliefs as to not offend and try to fit in? We don't need to be belligerent in our convictions but we should always be honest. It reminds me of the famous Norman Rockwell painting attached depicting the woman and child saying grace in a public diner. They are not affected by the gawking and judgemental looks surrounding them. We should be the same way. We should be unafraid of a little social shaming. We are fortunate that that is all we face because there are still places in the world where the consequences are far more dire. 

I have pasted a link below to a novena to Saint John the Baptist.  I would ask you to pray this novena and ask for the courage to always be unafraid of proclaiming your faith. 

https://catholicnovenaapp.com/novenas/st-john-the-baptist-novena/