This meditation was preached in Ernescliff College by Fr. Eric Nicolai on the feast of Saint John the Baptist, June 24, 2024. He was a voice crying in the desert, the prophecy of Isaiah 40, 3: Vox clamantis in deserto: Parate viam Domini, rectas facite in solitudine semitas Dei nostri.

A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Byzantine icons show him with a thinner cross, symbolizing his role as the Forerunner of Christ, a parchment, with a set of wings, to show he was like an angel of God, sending a message, the angel of the desert: The wings symbolize his ability to communicate between the divine and humans, similar to angels. These icons also show him with his own head on the ground, testifying to his future martyrdom by King Herod Antipas.

We too have to be precursors. Guide others in their freedom.

Thumbnail: Iconostasis Cephalonia; John the Baptist from 9th century, Vatican museum. For more images see https://www.christianiconography.info/johnBaptist.html

Original music by Michael Lee of Toronto.