Blessed Feast of Saint John the Baptist , the Forerunner of the Lord

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist, our Lord's precursor who called sinners to repentance as he was preparing the way for Our Lord to assume His Public Ministry. Saint John the Baptist, who had been freed from Original Sin at the moment of the Visitation, lived an austere life of penance and mortification as the last Prophet of the Old Testament.
Saint John’s birth marks the beginning of the great events of humankind Salvation.
Saint John built up anticipation and hope that the Messiah was coming very soon, and would be revealed to the people at any moment.
Saint John came first to help not only prepare for the ministry of Jesus, but also to prepare the hearts of the people.
Let us remember these words from the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” Like every child, St. John had a mission and his mission is also our mission and that is pave the way for the Lord.
In addition to the most holy Nativity of the Lord, we find celebrated in the Gospel the birth of only one other, namely, that of blessed John Baptist

Today's celebration of the birth of John the Baptist reminds us of two important things:
One is that in order to first encounter Christ, we must first humble ourselves, admit that we sin and do wrong and acknowledge that we need Him. Saint John came into this world to proclaim the Savior, to give people hope, and to help people recognize their faults and their need of Christ.
The second thing that we are reminded of is that each of us has been placed here for a purpose. We are the "hidden double edged sword", the "arrows in the quiver" and the Lord has great plans for each of us. Maybe we realize our purpose and calling now, and we know that we are where God has placed us. Perhaps we are not sure of our purpose and calling, if this is the case then do not worry, because God is just waiting until you are in the right place to begin revealing His plan to you. We must always have patience and trust in God's plan for us, just as John the Baptist did.
Let us faithfully pray :

Eternal God, You raised up St. John the Baptist to prepare a perfect people for Christ our Lord . Fill Your people with the joy of possessing His grace, and direct the minds of all the faithful in the way of Peace and salvation.
Grant that as St. John was martyred for truth and justice, so we may energetically profess our Faith in You, and lead others to the Way, the Truth, and Eternal Life. Amen.