June 25, 2012: Pope Benedict XVI On Sunday said that the Church's celebration of
the birth of John the Baptist should be a reminder that for God, all things are possible.
Greeting the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Angelus, Pope Benedict
spoke about this great figure of the Church, before the recitation of the Marian Prayer.
"This
Sunday, we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, the great saint who prepared the
way for our Lord. John was a voice, crying in the wilderness, calling God’s people
to repentance. Let us heed his voice today, and make room for the Lord in our hearts."
He said.
The Holy Father explained that John’s conception to Mary’s elderly
cousin Elizabeth is a sign that “nothing is impossible to God”. Pope Benedict described
John the Baptist as “the forerunner of Jesus, a messenger who prepares the way for
the Son of God.
“Thirty years later” continued the Pope, “John begins baptizing
people in the Jordan river, hence the name “the Baptist”. He wanted people to repent
in preparation for the imminent coming of the Messiah. God, underlined the Holy Father,
had a mission for this great Saint. He was the one to Baptize Jesus and in his own
violent death bore witness to the Son of God and was the first to make Jesus known
publicly.”
Following the recitation of the Angelus, Pope Benedict, speaking
in Italian, told those gathered he was making a visit on Tuesday to the areas in Northern
Italy hit by a recent earthquake. He expressed the solidarity of the whole church
with those affected and he invited the faithful to pray for all those in need.