06/24/2026
The Catholic Church today celebrates the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. This feast occurs three months after the Solemnity of the Annunciation; the Gospel for that day, specifically Luke 1:36-37, notes Gabriel telling Mary, “Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”
The Gospel for today’s solemnity, also from Luke 1, recounts the birth of John the Baptist. While the Church typically commemorates saints on the anniversary of their death, it commemorates the nativity of John the Baptist, as it commemorates the nativities of Jesus and Mary, because, Pope Benedict XVI noted, “it is closely connected with the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. In fact, from the time when he was in his mother’s womb John was the precursor of Jesus” (see https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day/2026/06/24.html).
Image: Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, Pontormo, 1526, with Zechariah writing “His name is John.”
