"Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (Matthew, 3:2)
Dear
brothers and sisters of holy Prophet John, the Baptizer of God, whose memory
the Holy Church is celebrating today. Several times a year the Holy Church
honors the memory of this great saint. Every Tuesday is the day of his honor as
well. Today we all gathered in this church to glorify the Nativity of
Saint John the Baptist. “The woman who had been barren becomes fertile and
gives birth today to the Forerunner of Christ. He is the greatest and last of
the prophets, for standing in the waters of the Jordon River, he placed his
hands on Christ whom all the prophets had announced, and in so doing he became
a prophet himself, a preacher and a forerunner of the Word of God” (The
Nativity of John the Baptist Kontakion, tone 3). The birth of a righteous
person is always a God’s grace, as these people are holding this world up. And
John the Baptist is one of the greatest preachers and that is why even our Lord
Jesus Christ once said: “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has
not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew, 11:11). Today we will
pay special attention to the life of this great saint and ensure that grace is
sent to us through such holy people.
The Holy
Gospel tells us that the birth of John the Baptist was already quite unusual
and was accompanied by miracles. Archangel Gabriel had told of the birth of the
Holy Prophet through the elderly parents: Zachary and Elisabeth. And so the
forerunner was born, and priest Zachary became free from muteness, which had
been imposed on him for his disbelief. So the Precursor was born, and
Elisabeth was happy, as she became free from the burden of
childlessness. John did not live with his parents for long. Pious Zachary
- his father - was killed in the temple, pious Elisabeth – his mother – had to
hide in the desert to save the child from the murderers of King Herod, and she
died soon as well. We do not know anything about the childhood of John the
Baptist as the Holy Scripture tells nothing about it. Saint John Chrysostom
says: “Don’t ask me how John was living during winter and during heat in the
desert”. But then he answers: “He was there as if he was in heaven”.
With
God’s help the child was growing and his spirit was fostering. He was preparing
for the greatest service – he has to prepare people for the coming of Messiah,
the Savior of the world.
He spent
30 years in the desert. He wore clothes made of camel’s hair and ate only wild
honey and locusts. But when the time came, Saint John the Baptist left the
desert and came to the bank of the river Jordan.The voice of the preacher
proclaimed: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near”. He was preparing
the sons of Israel for acceptance of the Savior, asking them to repent and
baptizing them in the waters of Jordan.
Standing
on the border of two testaments, he seems to see nothing more except for the
sins of humanity, in which the entire world was sinking, and the Lamb of God,
who will free the world from these sins. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has
come near”, – proclaimed he. His commanding appeal was not futile. People
striving to cleanse themselves from sin and to be baptized in Jordan, were
flocking to him from every corner of Judea.
Dear
brothers and sisters, the saving force of that repenting sermon was strong even
after the coming of Christ. He started to preach with the same
words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near”.
Repentance
and faith are the two things we need to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Tears of
repentance are the gracious rain that can wash any blot of our souls and allows
us to feel God’s grace.
That is
why this appeal to repent, to make amends, and to cleanse ourselves from sin
means much for us today. Saint John the Baptist appeals to us even today,
as he did once to the people of Israel: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has
come near”. “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew, 3:8).
Dear brothers
and sisters, we must spiritually return to John’s desert as often as possible,
and let us try to honor the feat and his saintly image. Let us praythat he
shows us the way to God, as he has shown it the people of Judea. And may the
Lord help us clear our souls from sin, as that is His will, with the help of
the Mother of God, Saint John the Baptist, and all the saints standing near the
Throne of God and praying for our souls to be saved.
Amen.
By Mitropolitan
Simeon (Novikov) of Ryazan and Kasimov
Translated
from: http://azbyka.ru/days/p-slovo-na-rozhdestvo-ioanna-predtechi
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