Prayer to St. John the Baptist

O glorious St. John the Baptist, 

greatest of all the prophets leading up 

to Christ and more than a prophet,

already in the womb of your mother

Elizabeth you were filled with the Holy 

Spirit and leapt for joy at the presence 

of the Word-made-flesh. The hand of 

the Lord was with you from your 

earliest days. Your spirit grew strong 

as you sought Him in the simplicity 

and poverty of the desert. 

You were sent to be a voice in the 

wilderness to prepare the way of the 

Lord in the hearts of His people 

through preaching and baptising, 

calling all to a radical conversion 

marked by faith, mercy, generosity, 

integrity of life and a sense of 

justice. You baptised Christ, the Giver 

of Baptism in the waters of  the 

Jordan, seeing the Spirit descend on 

Him in the form of a dove and hearing 

the Father’s voice proclaim,“This is my 

Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on 

Him”. You even wrestled with doubt 

as to whether He was truly the One 

to come. Humble friend of the 

Bridegroom, your joy was made full 

in hearing His voice. You were happy 

to decrease so that He might increase, 

and crowned your love for Him by 

giving your life as a witness to truth 

and integrity. O great St. John, we 

come to you so that we may turn 

away from every form of slavery and 

hardness of heart to a life rooted 

deeply in God and in His word. Grant 

us so to encounter the living Christ 

that our hearts may be filled with an 

ever-deeper joy in the Holy Spirit and 

our lives be transformed completely 

in Him. May our doubts lead us to a 

more profound living faith and love 

and service. Like you, and through 

your powerful intercession, may we 

come to live our lives for God and 

for others, and reach that fullness 

of love which allowed you to lay 

down your life for the One whom 

you loved above all others. 

Through Christ Our Lord. Amen

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.

St. John the Baptist, pray for us.