Precursor of our divine Lord, destined by the Eternal One to prepare His ways, thy seat must be high in Heaven, for on earth thou wert truly exalted.--Thou hast been pronounced the greatest of those born of woman, by the great Searcher of hearts. Thy miraculous birth and extraordinary life, thy austere penance and burning zeal, proclaim thee great; and were all these wanting, thy purity and profound humility would point thee out as one truly exalted. When thou camest into the world, thou didst come as the friend of thy Creator; and whilst on earth, thou didst never offend Him. Though thou didst administer baptism to Jesus Christ, thou still didst own, with due humility, that you were not worthy to loose the latchet of His shoe. As the reward of thy humility, Christ himself hath praised thee, and the whole world to the end of time will glory in thy birth. In thee we behold a miracle of God's grace and power; and we conjure thee to raise in our behalf that glorious voice, which, from the wilderness, pierced the heavens, and was heard at the throne of the Most High. We beg of thee to implore for us the intentions of this Novena.--N. N.
O, Holy Anchoret, as thou wert by excellence the friend of the Savior, thou canst obtain from him whatsoever thou wishest, for he ardently loved thee. Take me, then, under thy special protection; obtain for me the graces I stand in need of, and, more especially, perfect obedience to the voice of those who preach to us the necessity of true penance. O thou who wert a burning fire, obtain for us, through thy powerful intercession, a portion of that which is enkindled by the preaching of those whom God has commissioned to point out to us the way to eternal happiness. Teach us to know ourselves, teach us to know our God, and His son Jesus Christ our Lord. Obtain for us that we may be frequent and worthy partakers of the Holy Communion. Grant that we may approach with that angelic purity which enabled thee to discover the Lamb of God, though he was then unknown to the world. O Holy Martyr of Jesus, though I am not worthy to shed my blood for him as thou hast, I conjure thee to intercede for me, that I may live and die in the practice of Christian penance, and in the faithful observance of every duty which the law of God imposes on me.
Topic: Traditional Devotions to St. John the Baptist (Read 875 times)