Mother church places John the Baptist before her children precisely as we are preparing for Christmas for a good reason…. His life and message remind us that Advent is not yet Christmas—that this penitential time leads to joy only if we heed it's message. John the Baptist—who leaped for joy in his mother's womb—is joy's perfect messenger because he shows us it's necessary elements: Repentance, humility, and sacrifice.
FR. PAUL SCALIA
