tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254272216866737058.post8963255191331779010..comments2024-03-25T20:03:03.657-06:00Comments on Καθολικός διάκονος: Solemnity of the Nativity of John the BaptistDeacon Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385969740195992108noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254272216866737058.post-46780609216854782462012-06-26T09:17:11.553-06:002012-06-26T09:17:11.553-06:00One of the things that our priest talked about, in...One of the things that our priest talked about, in his Sunday homily, was that this feast day was chosen by the Church right at the beginning of the summer solstice for a specific reason; It captures the meaning of John 3:30 in which the Baptist says, "He must increase, but I must decrease". At the summer solstice, the daylight is at its maximum and begins to decrease, just as in the Nativity of our Lord in December, the daylight is at a minimum begins to increase.<br />The message to this is that we must adopt the mind of John, that we must decrease so that the Lord may increase in us and fill us with Himself.Dan S.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254272216866737058.post-84207593022932860762012-06-25T21:41:19.865-06:002012-06-25T21:41:19.865-06:00Thanks Tim. Once in awhile the opportunity present...Thanks Tim. Once in awhile the opportunity presents itself to preach clearly about controverted aspects of our faith, about which there tends to be a lot of confusion and dissension. Yesterday was one of those days. I appreciate your encouragement very much.<br /><br />Someone, in a personal note, very kindly questioned my interpretation of the name John, or, Yochan[nan]. So, here is the reasoning behind my choice of words:<br />-<br />The name "John," "Yochanan," literally means "graced by YHWH," "graced" means "gifted." This certainly leaves room for interpretation, either John can be the recipient of the gift, or be the gift. A bit of a stretch perhaps, but certainly not an abuse of the name for homiletical purposes.Deacon Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01385969740195992108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254272216866737058.post-31282699260134026582012-06-25T19:21:47.715-06:002012-06-25T19:21:47.715-06:00Great homily Deacon Scott! We often don't hea...Great homily Deacon Scott! We often don't hear about sin or the Church's teaching regarding contraception. Thanks again!Tim Doubthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11364865423308286585noreply@blogger.com