The Church celebrates the Nativity of John the Forerunner

Icon of the Nativity of John the Baptist. Photo: public domain sources

On July 7 (June 24 according to the Julian calendar), Orthodox Christians observe one of the great feasts of the Church – the Nativity of the Prophet John the Forerunner, also known as John the Baptist.

The story of the birth of John the Forerunner is described in detail in the Gospel of Luke. His father, Zechariah, was a priest serving in the Jerusalem Temple, and his mother, Elizabeth, was a righteous woman from the line of Aaron. The couple remained childless for many years, and both were already advanced in age when a miraculous event took place.

While Zechariah was serving in the Temple, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and announced the birth of a son who would be named John. The angel foretold that the child would be great before the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and would turn many of the children of Israel back to the Lord God. Because Zechariah did not believe the angel’s words, he was rendered mute until the day of his son’s birth.

When Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy, she was visited by the Virgin Mary, who was carrying Jesus Christ in her womb. At the meeting of the two future mothers, the baby John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb, as if greeting his Lord. This moment is described in the Gospel as the first act of worship offered to Christ even before His birth.

At John’s birth, Zechariah miraculously regained his speech and uttered a prophetic hymn, praising God and foretelling his son’s destiny as the Forerunner of the Messiah. John grew up in the desert, preparing for his great ministry – making ready the way of the Lord through his preaching of repentance and baptism in the waters of the Jordan.

The Feast of the Nativity of John the Forerunner reminds the faithful of the importance of repentance and spiritual preparation for meeting God.

Read also