Holy Fathers in Praise of St. John the Baptist
Holy Fathers in Praise of St. John the BaptistAnd as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment; behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. The Life of St. John the Baptist
From "The Lives of the Saints and Several Lectures and Sermons" compiled and translated by St. Sebastian Dabovich
The Life of St. John the BaptistThis John was called by God to be the forerunner of his Divine Son, to usher Him into the world, and to prepare mankind by repentance to receive the Redeemer, whom the prophets had foretold at a distance through every age from the beginning of the world, never ceasing to instill in the people of God faith and hope in Him by whom alone they were to be saved. Yielding to Another
Priest Valery Dukhanin
Yielding to AnotherHe did not see the Savior’s wondrous miracles, did not behold His inexplicable Transfiguration, and did not participate in the Last Supper.Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Рождество Иоанна Предтечи. Современная русская фреска
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
St. John of Shanghai
The Nativity of Saint John the BaptistBeing born exactly half a year before Christ, John the Forerunner by the exact time of his birth depicted his mission of preparing the way for the Lord. He was born at the time of the year (June 24) when the day begins to grow shorter after the summer solstice, whereas the Nativity of Christ occurs (December 25) when the day begins to grow longer after the winter solstice. These facts are an embodiment of the words spoken later, by the Forerunner, after the beginning of Christ's preaching: He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).The Nativity of St. John the Forerunner and Baptist of Christ
The Nativity of St. John the Forerunner and Baptist of ChristSix months before his appearing to the most holy Virgin Mary in Nazareth, the great Gabriel, archangel of the Lord, appeared to Zacharias the High Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem. Before he revealed the miraculous conception by a virgin who had not known a man, the archangel revealed the wondrous conceiving by an old and barren woman.Nativity of St John the Forerunner
Nativity of St John the ForerunnerGod has given us the greatest of prophets, to show us how we should prepare ourselves to greet the Lord. Like John, we are to continue to remind ourselves of the prophetic words which awakens our barren soul from the slumber of sin. Like John, we are called to direct our lives toward repentance by which we are drawn into the embrace of the Giver of Life. A Prophet of Humility
Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)
A Prophet of HumilityHistory does not present another such man—all the prophets, holy in life and great in temperance though they be, were not so austere as John the Baptist. The Nativity of St John the Baptist
From a sermon by the Venerable Bede
The Nativity of St John the BaptistNext, the angel saith that the prayer of Zacharias was heard, and then straightway promiseth that the wife of Zacharias should bear a child.We are not to understand that he had been praying for the birth of a son whilst he was offering the sacrifice according to the liturgy of that time, for we are told that he had given up hope of a son, and no one prayeth for that which he hath no hope of obtaining. The Nativity of John the Baptist
Fr. James Guirguis
The Nativity of John the BaptistSt. John is an amazing prophet and the Lord Jesus actually calls him the greatest born of a woman. Imagine just how important St. John must be that the Lord would speak so highly of him! Precious Droplets Gathered: a Discourse on the Nativity of the Honorable and Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of our Lord John
Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov
Precious Droplets Gathered: a Discourse on the Nativity of the Honorable and Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of our Lord JohnArchpriest Artemy Vladimirov speaks on the spiritual meaning of the feast of the Nativity of John the Forerunner, and on the importance of his preaching and the lessons of his life, as part of the project “The Lord’s Summer.” Ivanjdan
A Photo Gallery
IvanjdanThe Nativity of St. John the Baptist among the Serbs, by analogy with many other festivals, is called Ivanjdan. In some places special church folk traditions are associated with it.The Beheading of St. John the Baptist
The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John
The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist JohnThe Beheading of the Prophet, Forerunner of the Lord, John the Baptist: The Evangelists Matthew (Mt.14:1-12) and Mark (Mark 6:14-29) provide accounts about the martyric end of John the Baptist in the year 32 after the Birth of Christ. Commentary of St. John Chrysostom on the Beheading of the Precious Forerunner
St. John Chrysostom
Commentary of St. John Chrysostom on the Beheading of the Precious ForerunnerBut not without a purpose doth the evangelist signify the time, but to make thee observe also the haughtiness of the tyrant, and his thoughtlessness, in that not at the beginning did he inform himself about Christ, but after a very long time. For such are they that are in places of power, and are encompassed with much pomp, they learn these things late, because they do not make much account of them. Homily on the Feast of the Beheading of St John, the Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord
St. Justin Popovic
Homily on the Feast of the Beheading of St John, the Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the LordWhat is this? Could it be that this world has become a madhouse? People do not want God, they do not want the greatest Righteous One in the whole world. Whom do you want? Whom would you prefer? Whom would you set in Christ’s stead? With whom would you replace St. John the Baptist? With yourselves?! О moth! О, tiny mortal insects! Yes, when people become maddened by pride, when out of egotistical pride they lose their reason, they have no need of God, they have no need of God’s Truth. They declare themselves to be gods. They present their petty, shallow, false likeness of truth as the great and salvific Truth. The Beheading of the Holy Prophet and Forerunner John the Baptist
Archpriest Andrew Phillips
The Beheading of the Holy Prophet and Forerunner John the BaptistOur Lord Himself said that St. John was the greatest prophet “among those born of women” (Luke 7, 28). Some hearing these words are surprised. They ask: Surely, Christ Himself is the greatest man born of women? However, Christ was not born of a woman (i.e. a married female), he was born of a Virgin. Therefore, in obedience to our Lords words, that St. John is the greatest born of women, the Church duly honors him. Fulfilling Our Duty to the End
Sermon on the Beheading of St. John the Baptist
Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov
Fulfilling Our Duty to the EndSo that the Lord would see that we wash, sew, iron, and stand in line at the grocery store for His sake. So that He would rejoice in our industriousness, in our obedience, our patience. So that He would see that no matter in what conditions he places us, we always remain faithful, and have learned meekness and humility from Him. Homily on the Day of the Beheading of St. John the Forerunner
Archimandrite Alypy (Voronov)
Homily on the Day of the Beheading of St. John the ForerunnerSo, let’s be humble, cut off all pride and the desire to rule, and then we will be saved with God’s help. Amen. Homily on the Beheading of the Holy Forerunner of the Lord, John
St. Nikolai (Velimirovic)
Homily on the Beheading of the Holy Forerunner of the Lord, JohnOnce Jerusalem and all Judea were astir with the news that a new prophet had appeared, never before seen, and frightening. This man called out to the crowd around him, “Repent!” Zeal for Divine Truth
Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)
Zeal for Divine TruthFor us, brothers and sisters, who behold the holy death of the righteous one, let his zeal for divine truth prevent us from the lawlessness of those whom he rebuked, and let our souls be inspired to speak the truth, to love truth, and to stand for God’s righteousness—perhaps even unto death itself. A Festivity of Faithfulness to Truth
A Word on the Beheading of St. John the Forerunner
A Festivity of Faithfulness to TruthMany generations have passed but the memory of the holy prophet lives, because the death of the righteous is a festivity of faithfulness to the Truth living and eternal, to God the Provider and Savior of the world. As the example of this holy righteous one, who by his guiltless suffering only increased his glory, may we all be strengthened in the courage of patience in all that comes to pass with us.The Conception of St. John the Baptist
The Conception of St. John the Baptist
The Conception of St. John the BaptistOn this day are celebrated God's mercy, His wondrous act and His wisdom: His mercy towards the devout and righteous parents of St John, the aged Zacharias and Elisabeth, who had all their lives begged a child of God; the wonder of the conception of John in Elisabeth's more-than-aged womb; and the wisdom of the dispensation of man's salvation. The Finding of the Honorable Head of St. John the Baptist
To Convince by One's Life
Priest Roman Savchuk
To Convince by One's LifeThe problem often arises before Christians of how to prove the truth of their convictions, to instruct apostates, or help the doubting. The example of St. John the Baptist’s life speaks clearly about how every Christian has it within his power to work the miracle that people so need. The Untold Story of the Head of St. John the Baptist
Priest Maxim Massalitin
The Untold Story of the Head of St. John the BaptistUnfortunately, few of the faithful have recourse to the help of such a lamp of grace as the precious head of St. John the Baptist, “the first among martyrs in grace”.[2] Many Orthodox Christians come to France, but not all of them know how many holy relics there are still on French soil despite the outrages committed against them during the French Revolution and subsequent forgetfulness of France’s Christian past.
