John the Baptist

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sklippstein

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Not to confuse the babes in the Catholic faith, but did you know that the Church teaches that John the Baptist also was Immaculate Conception?

Sister Mary Jean in a bible study touched this topic briefly. She used Luke 1 for the basis of the teachings. In Luke 1:6-7 we are told that Elizabeth, (John's mother) and Zacharias (John's father and priest) were both "righteous in the sight of God" and that Elizabeth was barren. We are told that both Elizabeth and Zacharias were advanced in years.

Luke 1:11-20 we are told that an angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias and that he was told that his and his wife's petitions had been heard and that a son would be born unto them.

I was unaware of this teaching until Sister brought this up and at first was confused by it. After doing a bit of research, I understand the Church's teaching on this topic. Just thought I'd share this with you.
 

karla

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The Conception of St. John the Baptist

A comparison with the conception of Christ and that of St. John may serve to light both on the dogma and on the reasons which led the Greeks to celebrate at an early date the Feast of the Conception of Mary.


The conception of the Mother of God was beyond all comparison more noble than that of St. John the Baptist, whilst it was immeasurably beneath that of her Divine Son.
The soul of the precursor was not preserved immaculate at its union with the body, but was sanctified either shortly after conception from a previous state of sin, or through the presence of Jesus at the Visitation.
Our Lord, being conceived by the Holy Ghost, was, by virtue of his miraculous conception, ipso facto free from the taint of original sin.
Of these three conceptions the Church celebrates feasts. The Orientals have a Feast of the Conception of St. John the Baptist (23 September), which dates back to the fifth century, is thus older than the Feast of the Conception of Mary, and, during the Middle Ages, was kept also by many Western dioceses on 24 September. The Conception of Mary is celebrated by the Latins on 8 December; by the Orientals on 9 December; the Conception of Christ has its feast in the universal calendar on 25 March. In celebrating the feast of Mary's Conception the Greeks of old did not consider the theological distinction of the active and the passive conceptions, which was indeed unknown to them. They did not think it absurd to celebrate a conception which was not immaculate, as we see from the Feast of the Conception of St. John. They solemnized the Conception of Mary, perhaps because, according to the "Proto-evangelium" of St. James, it was preceded by miraculous events (the apparition of an angel to Joachim, etc.), similar to those which preceded the conception of St. John, and that of our Lord Himself. Their object was less the purity of the conception than the holiness and heavenly mission of the person conceived. In the Office of 9 December, however, Mary, from the time of her conception, is called beautiful, pure, holy, just, etc., terms never used in the Office of 23 September (sc. of St. John the Baptist). The analogy of St. John's sanctification may have given rise to the Feast of the Conception of Mary. If it was necessary that the precursor of the Lord should be so pure and "filled with the Holy Ghost" even from his mother's womb, such a purity was assuredly not less befitting His Mother. The moment of St. John's sanctification is by later writers thought to be the Visitation ("the infant leaped in her womb"), but the angel's words (Luke, i, 15) seem to indicate a sanctification at the conception. This would render the origin of Mary more similar to that of John. And if the Conception of John had its feast, why not that of Mary?

Maybe I'm wrong, but there is a difference between an Immaculate Conception (Mary's conception) and a miraculous conception (Jesus' and John the Baptis's)
Jesus would have been free from original sin due to the fact that he is God, but John the Baptist would not be free of this sin correct? Maybe I am reading this all wrong.
 
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MariaRegina

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Jesus Christ had no human father. His conception in the womb of Mary is beyond comprehension, holy, and mysterious. Mary is the ever-Virgin. She remains a virgin: before, during and after the Nativity of Christ. Christ's birth was foretold by angels, prophesized by St. Elizabeth and the Old Testament Prophets.

Christ willed to be incarnate. His Word is creative. By His Word the heavens were created. He appeared as the Man-God even before His Nativity:

He walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve;
He appeared to Abraham to announce the future birth of his son and to prevent Abraham from slaying his son;
Then he appeared with the three children in the blazing furnace.

The Nicene Creed reads,

"Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man."

St. John the Baptist, the greatest man ever born, was conceived of Holy Parents: St. Zacharias and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was barren and was an elderly woman. The conception and birth of St. John was foretold by an angel. This conception was therefore a miracle.

Mary's holy immaculate conception was foretold by an angel. Her parents were Saints Joachim and Anna. The Eastern Church prays,

Today the universe rejoices, for Anne has conceived the Mother of God in a manner provided by God Himself: for Anne has born the One who is to give birth to the Word in a manner beyond all telling.
Kontakion, Conception of the Theotokos in the womb of St. Anna, December 9 (p. 537)

O Lady, Bride of God, you entered the temple of God in your infancy to be brought up in the Holy of Holies, for you are holy. There the Archangel Gabriel was sent to serve you and bring you food. All the heavenly Powers were amazed at the sight of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Wherefore, O pure Mother of God, all blameless, glorified in heaven and on earth, save our race!
Theotokion, Presentation of the Theotokos, November 21 (p. 517)
Byzantine Daily Worship (a publication of the Melkite Greek Catholics)
 
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MariaRegina

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from the feast of the Dormition of St. Anne:

"Anne Divinely Wise, you carried in your womb the Mother of God, the Immaculate One who gave life to Life; wherefore you now have been carried up joyfully to the inheritance of heaven, to the abode of those who rejoice in glory. O Ever-blessed One, you seek the forgiveness of sins for those who honor you with fervor."

Byzantine Daily Worship (736)
 
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Benedicta00

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The way I understand this is John the Baptist was sanctified in the womb of Elizabeth, not immaculately conceived when Christ was brought to him in Mary's womb. "The babe in my womb leaped for joy at the sounding of your salutation." He was sanctified at that moment.

But what makes me wonder is if he was sanctified by Christ then why does he say to Christ, “I should be baptized by you”?

Does anybody know? I assuming it was because he was acknowledging baptism as the work of Christ.
 
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sklippstein

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JeffreyLloyd said:
Any links or documents to support it?
Sister just briefly touched this topic and did not supply where this teaching was found. I agree with those who also thought that his birth was a miracle of God and not Immaculate. Sister said the Church taught that his birth was Immaculate. IF anyone knows where this teaching stems from, please post it here. Thanks!:)
 
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sklippstein

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Shelb5 said:
The way I understand this is John the Baptist was sanctified in the womb of Elizabeth, not immaculately conceived when Christ was brought to him in Mary's womb. "The babe in my womb leaped for joy at the sounding of your salutation." He was sanctified at that moment.

But what makes me wonder is if he was sanctified by Christ then why does he say to Christ, “I should be baptized by you”?

Does anybody know? I assuming it was because he was acknowledging baptism as the work of Christ.
I did find this in the New Advent website:

John the Baptist was the representative of all mankind and the last high priest because the Old Testament ended when Jesus Christ was born. Who else but John the Baptist could have passed all the sins of the world onto Jesus in the New Testament, just as Aaron had atoned for the sins of his people in the Old Testament? As the last high priest in the Old Testament and the representative of all mankind, John the Baptist passed all the sins of the world onto Jesus when he baptized Him.
Because John passed all the sins of the world onto Jesus, believing in the gospel of the water and Spirit can redeem us. Jesus became the Lamb in order to save all sinners, thus carrying out the work of redemption as God had planned. Jesus told us that John the Baptist was the last prophet, the last high priest who passed all the sins of the world onto Him.
In the old days, prophets were considered to be greater than kings. John the Baptist was more than a king, and more than a prophet. He was more than all the prophets of the Old Testament. In fact, John, the last high priest and the representative of mankind, was more important than Aaron, the first High Priest. Jesus Himself testified that John was as such.
 
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