👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾Saint #John the #Baptist: Herald of the New Era
(Part 1)
Beloved brethren, let us lift our hearts to contemplate the glory of God revealed in His servant, Saint John the Baptist, the harbinger of the Messiah, the bridge between the Old and the New. In the wisdom of the Church, the New Year is marked by the feast of Saint John, for he signifies the end of the old era and the dawn of the new, fulfilling the prophecies of the prophets and the angelic announcements that heralded the coming of our Savior.
1. Prophecy and the Good News
From the beginning, God prepared this servant. Zechariah, the righteous priest, and his wife Elizabeth, both blameless in all the commandments, were without children. Yet their fervent prayers were heard. As Zechariah performed his service in the temple, the angel Gabriel appeared, saying:
"Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer is heard. Your wife will bear a son, and you shall name him John. He will be great before the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit even in his mother’s womb, and he will turn the hearts of the children of Israel back to God." (Luke 1:13-17)
Doubt seized Zechariah, and he questioned, “How shall I know this?” Gabriel replied, “I am Gabriel, sent from the presence of God. You shall be mute until the fulfillment of these words.” And so it came to pass: Zechariah remained speechless, a living sign of God’s word, until the birth of his son.
The righteous Elizabeth conceived, hidden for five months, showing that God alone brings life where there was none, and that the impossible is made possible by divine will.
2. Conception and Birth
Saint John was conceived on Meskerem 26, and in the sixth month, the Blessed Virgin Mary visited Elizabeth. The unborn John leapt in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of the Savior, recognizing in the Spirit the One who was to come. Elizabeth proclaimed:
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Blessed is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill His promise." (Luke 1:42-45)
On the 30th of Sene, John was born. Though relatives wished to name him after his father, Elizabeth declared, “He shall be called John.” Zechariah, regaining his speech, glorified God, saying,
"You, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you shall go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the forgiveness of their sins, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:76-79)
3. Persecution and Monastic Life
From his earliest days, John was preserved by God from the snares of men. When Herod sought to kill the holy child, Elizabeth fled with John into the wilderness. There he was nourished by heavenly providence, protected from wild beasts, fed with locusts and honey, clothed in camel hair with a leather belt, living as Elijah did in the days of old. Luke testifies: “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the wilderness until the day of his appearing to Israel.” (Luke 1:80)
For twenty-three years, John lived in purity, removed from the corruption of the world, guided by angels, and communing with God alone. In his ascetic life, he foreshadowed the ministry of Christ, bridging the Old Covenant with the New, calling all to repentance.
Continues 👇🏾