Since it’s not seen often in the USA it will be seen\u00a0as esoteric. But those of concerned with Catholic identity and the flourishing\u00a0of the sacred Liturgy in parishes, monasteries and religious communities. This\u00a0blessing is one of the most ancient blessings.<\/p>\n
Since St Augustine was the one\u00a0to establish the feast day of the Baptist’s birth, six months prior to the\u00a0Savior’s and in the summer solstice after the longest day of the year and when\u00a0daylight incrementally lessens, a celebration of \u00a0“light of the World”\u00a0manifested by the Forerunner, it is an appropriate liturgical observance. Plus,\u00a0the liturgical catechesis is limitless in this rite.<\/p>\n
Because St John the\u00a0Baptist’s testimony to identity of Jesus as the true light which shines in the\u00a0darkness of the world, the priest doing this rite can bring together several\u00a0spiritual “themes” for expanding the heart. One can preach on John as the\u00a0light-bearer before Christ; “he must increase, but I must decrease”;\u00a0“I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet\u00a0than John the Baptist.”<\/p>\n
The Rite<\/i><\/p>\n
Priest: Our help is in the name of the Lord.<\/p>\n
All: Who made\u00a0heaven and earth.<\/p>\n
P: The Lord be with you.<\/p>\n
All: May He also be with you.<\/p>\n
Let us\u00a0pray. Lord God, almighty Father, the light that never fails and the source of\u00a0all light, sanctify + this new fire, and grant that after the darkness of this\u00a0life we may come unsullied to you who are light eternal; through Christ our\u00a0Lord.<\/p>\n All: Amen.<\/p>\n The fire is sprinkled with holy water; after which the clergy 1. Ut queant laxis\u00a0reson\u00e1re fibris Mira gest\u00f3rum f\u00e1muli tu\u00f3rum, Solve poll\u00fati l\u00e1bii re\u00e1tum, Sancte\u00a0Jo\u00e1nnes.<\/p>\n 2. N\u00fantius celso v\u00e9niens Olympo Te patri magnum fore nascit\u00farum,\u00a0Nomen, et vitae s\u00e9riem ger\u00e9ndae Ordinae promit.<\/p>\n 3. Ille prom\u00edssi d\u00fabius\u00a0sup\u00e9rni, P\u00e9rdidit promptae m\u00f3dulos loqu\u00e9lae: Sed reform\u00e1sti genitus per\u00e9mptae\u00a0Organa vocis.<\/p>\n 4. Ventris obstr\u00faso r\u00e9cubans cub\u00edli S\u00e9nseras Regem th\u00e1lamo\u00a0man\u00e9ntem: Hinc parens nati m\u00e9ritis ut\u00e9rque Abdita pandit.<\/p>\n 5. Sit decus Patri, genita\u00e9que\u00a0Proli et tibi, compare utri\u00fasque virtus, Sp\u00edritus semper, Deus unus, omni\u00a0T\u00e9mporis aevo. Amen.<\/p>\n (the same in English)<\/i><\/p>\n 1. O for your spirit, holy John, to chasten Lips\u00a0sin-polluted, fettered tongues to loosen; So by your children might your deeds\u00a0of wonder Meetly be chanted.<\/p>\n 2. Lo! a swift herald, from the skies descending,\u00a0Bears to your father promise of your greatness; How he shall name you, what your\u00a0future story, Duly revealing.<\/p>\n 3. Scarcely believing message so transcendent,\u00a0Him for a season power of speech forsaketh, Till, at your wondrous birth, again\u00a0returneth, Voice to the voiceless.<\/p>\n 4. You, in your mother’s womb all darkly\u00a0cradled, Knew your great Monarch, biding in His chamber, Whence the two\u00a0parents, through their offspring’s merits, Mysteries uttered.<\/p>\n 5. Praise to the\u00a0Father, to the Son begotten, And to the Spirit, equal power possessing, One God\u00a0whose glory, through the lapse of ages, Ever resounding. Amen.<\/p>\n P: There was a\u00a0man sent from God.<\/p>\n All: Whose name was John.<\/p>\n Let us pray. God, who by reason of\u00a0the birth of blessed John have made this day praiseworthy, give your people the\u00a0grace of spiritual joy, and keep the hearts of your faithful fixed on the way\u00a0that leads to everlasting salvation; through Christ our Lord.<\/p>\n All: Amen.<\/p>\n Philip\u00a0T. Weller,\u00a0The Roman Ritual\u00a0<\/i>(The Bruce Publishing Company, Milwaukee, WI, 1964).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A long forgotten\u00a0tradition on the Vigil of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist is the\u00a0Blessing of a Bonfire. Confusion exists because in some people’s minds the 1964\u00a0Roman Ritual was suppressed because it’s absent in the US Bishops’ Book of\u00a0Blessings but it is advocated for in the\u00a0Directory on\u00a0Popular Piety. Since it’s not seen often in … Continue reading Blessing of a Bonfire, the Vigil of the Nativity of St John the Baptist<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[2459,1783,1828],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25658"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25658"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29758,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25658\/revisions\/29758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"bonfire.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/assets_c\/2010\/06\/bonfire-thumb-250x187-6799.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nand the people sing the following hymn Hymn:\u00a0Ut queant laxis<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n