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Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist:
Feast day : 24 June
“And you child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins." Luke 1:76-77
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John" John 1:6. John was filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb by Christ Himself, whom the Virgin Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary's visitation to Elizabeth became a visit from God to His people. John is Elijah who must come before the Messiah, according to the prophesies. The fire of the Spirit dwells in him and makes him the forerunner of the coming Lord. In John, the precursor, the Holy Spirit completes the work of making ready a people prepared for the Lord.
John the Baptist is more than a prophet. He surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is the last. At the announcement of his birth, the angel Gabriel said to his father Zachariah "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. " Luke 1: 14-15. Going before Jesus in the spirit and power of Elijah, John bears witness to Christ in his preaching, by his Baptism of conversion, and through his martyrdom.
(Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church)