Birth of St. John the Baptist

Birth of St. John the Baptist

June 24th is the commemoration of the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (mawlodeh d-Yuhanon Mam'dono) according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church. St. John is the son of Zachariah the Priest, & Elizabeth (cousin sister of the blessed Virgin St. Mary). He is known as the 'blessed forerunner of his Master' who prepared the way for Christ. Our Lord & savior Himself testified: “Among those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John, the Baptist” (Mathew 11:11; Luke 7:28). The essence of John’s preaching is: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mathew 3:2). He went throughout Judea & Jordan, baptizing those who confessed their sins. Mor Yuhanon is truly a model for Christian discipleship. His famous words, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30) exemplify the the servant-master relationship with Christ that we as Christians are called to strive for. Birthdays of saints are not usually celebrated in Syriac Orthodox Church with a few exceptions. After St. Mary, John the Baptist is the only saint whose birth is celebrated in the Church calendar. The birth of John is one of the earliest feasts of the Church. The nativity of St. John the Baptist is celebrated in the Church because John was filled with the Holy Spirit in the womb of Elizabeth before birth (Luke 1:41). The Nativity of John the Baptist on June 24 comes three months after the Feast of the Annunciation (Sooboro), when the angel Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy. This is also six months before Christmas or the Nativity of Christ. The purpose of these festivals is not to celebrate the exact dates of these events, but simply to commemorate them in an interlinking way. The Nativity of John the Baptist anticipates the Nativity of Jesus Christ our Lord. With excerpts from, 'Martyrs, Saints and Prelates of the Syriac Orthodox Church' The Holy Bible readings from the Church Lectionary: Evening: St. Luke 1:57-80 Morning: St. Matthew 11:11-19 Before Holy Qurbono: Genesis 21:9-21 Exodus 2: 1-10 Ruth 4:13-22 Isaiah 62:1-12 Holy Qurbono: I John 4:1-10 Galatians 4:18-30 St. Luke 1:57-80 Tone of the Day: 8 Video sermon by abouna Fr. Estephanos Issa: https://youtu.be/zwtnpO91Mi0 http://www.malankaraworld.com/Library/sermons/Sermon-of-the-week_birth-of-John-the-Baptist.htm Huthomo: https://youtu.be/p543OPOyQoE Moshe bar Kepha Homily on the Birth of St. John the Baptist: http://bit.ly/KephaBaptist