The Nativity of St John the Baptist

In this episode of Tea Time for Little Catholics, children will learn about the miraculous birth of St. John the Baptist, the wonder and joy that surrounded his arrival, and the important mission God gave him: to prepare the way for Jesus.

Together we'll discover why God chose John's name before he was born, why the people of Judea were filled with amazement, and how St. John spent his whole life pointing others toward Christ.

This gentle, faith-filled episode also includes a catechism question and simple reflections to help children learn how they can be "little arrows" pointing others to Jesus in their daily lives.

Don't forget to visit www.reginabooks.com for free family extension activities inspired by this episode, including printable resources to continue the conversation at home.

Catholic printables from each episode?! Yes!

Check out Tea Time for Little Catholics Podcast — Regina Books to purchase a printable bundle of feast day activities to go along with today's podcast. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Hello dear hearts and welcome back to Tea Time for Little Catholics. I'm Miss Katie and I'm so happy you've joined me for tea today. This week is a very special one in the church. We are celebrating the birthday of a wonderful saint. A birthday wow Wait, so that would make this a birthday tea party. Yes wow Oh I just love celebrating birthdays. Hmm, I wonder whose birthday it is. When I came to set our tea table this morning, I discovered that our angel friends had left behind two treasures. And I think these treasures are clues. Clues about a very special guest who is coming to our birthday tea. Would you like to help me solve the mystery? Wonderful. Well let's look at the first clue. Hmm it's a tiny scroll tied with a ribbon. Oh well let's carefully untie it. Hmm inside are just four words. John is his name. Hmm Well our mystery guest must be named John. Do you know any saints named John? Perhaps Saint John the Apostle or Saint John Viani? There are many saints named John. We'll need another clue. Let's see what our angel friends left next. Oh my, it's a tiny wooden arrow. How curious What does an arrow do, dear hearts? That's right. An arrow points. But what could that mean? So far we know that our mystery guest is named John and that somehow he points somewhere or perhaps points to Oh I know to someone. Well let's keep these clues in mind while we hear today's story. Once upon a time in the hill country of Judea there lived a holy husband and wife named Zachariah and Elizabeth. They loved God very much and they prayed faithfully. For many years they had hoped and prayed for a child, and no child came. As they grew older it began to seem impossible that they would ever become parents. But dear hearts, God often works in ways that surprise us. One day, while Zachariah was serving in the temple, an angel appeared before him. Can you imagine how startling that must have been? The angel said Do not be afraid, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and you shall name him John. Oh wait, wait a minute, wait a minute. What did our scroll say? That's right. John is his name. The very same name. The angel had chosen the baby's name before he was even born. Or should we say God had chosen his name? God had a special plan for this child, but Zechariah found it difficult to believe. After all he and Elizabeth were very old, and it was impossible to have children. Because he doubted the angel's message, Zachariah lost his ability to speak. He would remain silent until God's promise came true. And sure enough, God kept his promise. Remember, dear hearts, as we've said before, God always keeps his promises. Elizabeth became pregnant. Month after month passed, and when the time arrived she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. The neighbors and relatives were overjoyed. The Bible tells us that they rejoiced because the Lord had shown great mercy to Elizabeth. Soon the day arrived when the baby would receive his name. Everyone assumed he would be named after his father, Zachariah. Let's call him Zachariah, they said. But Elizabeth answered No, he shall be called John. The relatives were confused. There was no one in the family with that name. So they turned to Zachariah. He asked for a writing tablet. Then he wrote John is his name. Immediately Zachariah's mouth was opened, his tongue was freed, and he began praising God. Can you imagine the amazement? The people were astonished. The Bible says that they talked about these events throughout the hill country of Judea. Everyone kept asking, what then will this child be? They knew God was doing something special. They did not understand everything, but they knew the hand of the Lord was with this child. Dear hearts, have you ever felt wonder? Perhaps while looking at the stars or holding a tiny baby, or seeing a rainbow after a storm? Wonder is one of God's beautiful gifts to us. It reminds us that God is always working even when we cannot see the whole picture. The people who witnessed John's birth felt that wonder. They knew God was doing something new, and they were right. As John grew, he listened carefully to God. He prayed and lived very simply, and when the time came, God gave him a very important mission. John travelled throughout the countryside, telling people to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Savior. He wanted everyone to be ready for Jesus. Now let's think about our second clue. Do you remember the arrow? What does an arrow do? Yes, it points, and that is exactly what John did. His whole life pointed towards Jesus. Whenever people came to John, listened to him and admired him, he pointed them towards Jesus. His whole life was an arrow pointing others to Jesus, helping their hearts to be prepared for the Lord. In fact, when Jesus began his public ministry, John spoke these beautiful words. He must increase, but I must decrease. In other words, pay attention to Jesus, not to me. So much humility and love and faith. Dear hearts, let's look at our clues one more time. We have a scroll that says John is his name, and an arrow that points towards Jesus. Have you solved the mystery? Can you guess who our special tea time guest is? Yes, yes, that's right. Our guest today is Saint John the Baptist. The church loves Saint John the Baptist so much that besides Jesus and our Blessed Mother, he is one of the very few people whose birthday is celebrated on the church calendar. Most of the time for our saints we celebrate the day that they died and went to heaven. But Saint John is so special we celebrate his birthday too. Now I'm sure you know the most famous story of Saint John the Baptist. Do you remember what happened when Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to visit Elizabeth, John's mother? Both babies were still inside their mother's wombs. They were growing, they had not yet been born yet. Do you remember? We are told in the Bible that Saint John the Baptist leapt in his mother's womb when he met Jesus for the first time. Can you imagine that? Even before he was born, Saint John the Baptist knew who the Savior of the world was. Even then John was preparing the way of the Lord by pointing others to Jesus. Many years later Jesus himself said that among those born of women there was no one greater than John the Baptist. Well why is that? Well because God gave him a beautiful mission. John prepared the way for Jesus. He was the baptizer, he was the great prophet. He baptized Jesus and many others and helped prepare the way for Jesus. He helped open everyone's heart to the love of Jesus. John spent his entire life pointing people towards our Lord. Today our clues teach us two important lessons. Number one, the scroll reminds us that God knows us by name. Before anyone else knew us, God knew us just like he knew John and had a plan for his life. Before anyone else loved us, God loved us, just like how he had a love for John and a plan for his life too. God has a special plan for each one of us. The era reminds us that we can be like Saint John. We can point others towards Jesus by being kind and truthful and prayerful and loving? We can become little arrows pointing towards heaven. So that is number two, the second lesson from our clues. We are like little arrows. We can point others to Jesus. Now let's practice our catechism question. Why did God send Saint John the Baptist? God sent Saint John the Baptist to prepare the people for Jesus Christ. Again. Why did God send Saint John the Baptist? God sent Saint John the Baptist to prepare the people for Jesus Christ. Very good dear hearts, wonderful. Before we say goodbye, I have one last question for you. When you see an arrow, what does it do? Mm-hmm. It points. This week let's try to be like little arrows. We're going to be like arrows like Saint John the Baptist. We are going to lead other people to Jesus with our actions and with our prayers. For example, when someone is sad, we can point them towards Jesus with kindness. When someone needs help, we can point them towards Jesus by serving them. When we pray and obey our parents and love others, we point people towards Jesus with our lives. And whenever you see an arrow, perhaps now you'll remember our special tea guest today, and you can ask yourself Am I helping others find Jesus? That is a great question to ask yourself every day and especially at night before you go to bed. You can ask yourself today was I an arrow. Did I help point people to Jesus? Well our tea time is almost over, but since we are celebrating a birthday, we need to sing happy birthday. On the count of three, I want you to join me to sing happy birthday to Saint John the Baptist. Are you ready? One, two, three Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you Happy birthday Saint John the Baptist Happy birthday to you Yay Thank you so much for singing with me and thank you for joining us today, dear hearts. I hope you enjoyed solving our mystery and learning about the greatest saint there ever was, Saint John the Baptist. And thank you too, dear grown-ups, for joining us. Don't forget to visit www.regenabooks.com for your free John the Baptist coloring sheet. Until next time, may the Lord's peace and goodness be with you, and may our Lady's gentle beauty shine in your hearts for the whole world to see. God bless you, dear friends. Goodbye for now.