St. Thomas

Question:  Father, I see we will be celebrating the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, this week. It made me recall that you said something about him being born sinless. How is that possible?
Answer:  Well, we believe that three people were born without sin: Jesus, Mary, and John the Baptist. Jesus is the Son of God. Since his humanity and divinity are closely united, he does not turn away from God nor does original sin affect him. He is God, so how and why would he reject God? He is sinless. Mary, the Mother of God, was conceived without taint of original sin, and so was preserved from the effects of sin from the first moment of her life. She is sinless her entire life. St. John the Baptist is unique. While he was not conceived without sin, he is born sinless. How does that happen? While in his mother’s womb, he’s baptized with the Holy Spirit. At the Visitation, Elizabeth is overcome by the Spirit and the child leaps for joy in her womb. His sins are forgiven, and so he is born without sin. This is a special blessing for him as the one who announces the coming of the Messiah. That is why we celebrate his birth along with his death, and he takes a prominent position among the Communion of Saints. These are the only three whose births we celebrate as feasts, for each is born without sin.