Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
Matthew 3:2
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Dear in Christ fathers, brothers and sisters! That is what the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, whose memory the Holy Church celebrates today, cried out.
In the annual liturgical cycle, the Holy Church commemorates this great God-pleasing saint several times. The Tuesdays of every week are also dedicated to him.
We have gathered today in this holy church to celebrate together with the Church and to sing glory to the Nativity of the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John. “She who was formerly barren today gives birth to the Forerunner of Christ, Who is the fulfillment of prophecy. For the Prophet, Herald and Forerunner of the Word/ submitted to Him Whom the prophets foretold by laying his hand on Him in the Jordan” (Kontakion of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist).
The arrival of a righteous man in this world is always a demonstration of God’s great mercy toward men, because the whole world is held and sustained by righteous people, while the Holy Baptist of the Lord John is one of the greatest of the righteous, and according to the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, among them that are born of women there hath not risen anyone greater than him (Matthew 11:11).
And so today, on the commemoration day of the Holy Forerunner of the Lord, let us focus our attention on the life of this great God-pleasing saint and see what truly great mercy of God has been bestowed upon mankind in the person of the righteous saints.
We know from the Holy Gospel that the very Nativity of the Forerunner of the Lord wasn’t a simple birth, but was accompanied by miracles. The Holy Prophet was born according to the foretelling of the Archangel Gabriel to his elderly parents, Zachariah and Elizabeth. The Forerunner is born, and the priest Zachariah is freed of dumbness with which he was punished for his unbelief. The Forerunner is born, and Elizabeth rejoices, as she is released of her shame as a barren woman.
But it wasn’t long before the holy infant John was comforted by the affection of his elderly parents; his father, the Righteous Zachariah, was killed in the Temple, while his mother, the Righteous Elizabeth, who hid in the mountains to save the infant from the murderers sent by Herod, also died soon after. How the childhood years of St. John the Baptist passed remains unknown to us, as the Scripture tells us nothing about it. “You shall not ask me,” says St. John Chrysostom, “how John lived in the wilderness in winter and under the scorching heat of the sun, especially at his tender age.” Then he answers: John dwelt in the wilderness as if in heaven.
Strengthened by Divine help, the child was grew stronger in spirit, getting ready for his greatest ministry—to prepare the people to receive the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
He dwelt in the wilderness for thirty years, wearing clothing made of camel’s hair and eating only locusts and wild honey. But then the time came, and St. John left the wilderness to appear on the banks of the Jordan.
Repent, we hear the voice of the exhorter of fasting and repentance, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. With his call to repentance and baptism in the Jordan, St. John the Baptist prepared the children of Israel to receive the Savior of the world.
As the bridge between the two Testaments, he seemingly saw only two things—the sins of men that flooded the sinful world, and the Lamb of God taking the sins of the world away. Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, he cries out to the people.
His commanding call to repentance was not made in vain. People from all parts of Judea began to flock to him, thirsting to be cleansed of their sins and be baptized in the Jordan.
The salvific work of the preaching of repentance, my dear in Christ fathers, brothers and sisters, remains valid even after the coming of Christ the Savior into the world. After all, the Lord also began His salvific sermon with the same words: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Repentance and faith in Christ the Savior are two essential prerequisites for attaining the Kingdom of Heaven. Tears of repentance are the grace-filled rain that washes away all the uncleanness of the soul and makes the soul capable of receiving Divine grace.
Therefore, the call by the Forerunner to repent, his call to reform ourselves, and to be cleansed of our sins, remains valid for us as well.
St. John the Forerunner cries out to us even today, as he once cried out to the people of Israel, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Repent ... bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance (Matt. 3:8).
Dear beloved in Christ fathers, brothers and sisters, let’s take our thoughts to John’s wilderness as often as possible, and may we always try to carry in our hearts the deeds and the luminous image of the holy Forerunner of the Lord, praying that he may also prepare us, as once he did the people of Judea, to accept the Savior in our hearts. May we cleanse our souls from sins, for this is in God’s will; and may the Lord help us in this through the prayers of our Most Holy Mother of God, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John, and all the saints who stand at the Throne of God and pray unceasingly for our souls.
Amen.
