The feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist has been celebrated on June 24 since the time of Saint Augustine (354-430). The date was chosen because, since Jesus’ birth was set for December 25, John’s birth had to be celebrated six months earlier, according to the Archangel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary.
The Gospel of Luke (1:5) states that he was born into a priestly family; his father, Zechariah, was of the class of Abijah, and his mother, Elizabeth, was a descendant of Aaron. “They were righteous before God […] But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. While Zechariah was officiating before the Lord in his section’s turn […] an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was troubled and fear gripped him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John […]. He will be great in the sight of the Lord […]. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.'” After this vision, Elizabeth conceived a son.
John leaped for joy in his mother’s womb when he heard Mary’s voice. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.'”
John the Baptist is the only saint, besides the Mother of Jesus, both in his birth, on June 24, and in his death through martyrdom.
He was the greatest of the prophets because he was able to add the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John the Baptist began his preaching under Emperor Tiberius, in 27-28 AD, and the clear invitation he addressed to the people who gathered to listen to him was to prepare the way to welcome the Lord, to straighten the crooked paths of their lives through a radical conversion of heart (see Luke 3:4). However, the Baptist did not limit himself to preaching penance and conversion, but, recognizing Jesus as “the Lamb of God” who came to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29), he had the profound humility to show Jesus as the true Messenger of God, stepping aside so that Christ could grow, be heard, and be followed.
John is the Precursor of Christ in his words and his life.
This Prophet has aroused great interest throughout the ages, so much so that he has been held in the highest regard by Christ, whom He called “the greatest of those born of women.”
He is the last prophet of the Old Testament and the first apostle of Jesus, because he bore witness to Him while still alive.
The Gospel of Saint Luke says that he was born into a priestly family; his father Zechariah was of the class of Abijah, and his mother Elizabeth was descended from Aaron. They observed all the laws of the Lord, but had no children, because Elizabeth was barren and elderly.
Nothing is known about his childhood and youth, but when he reached a suitable age, John, aware of his mission, withdrew to lead the hard life in the desert. He wore a camel’s hide garment and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. He began his mission around the Jordan, exhorting conversion and preaching penance. People flocked from all over Judea to hear him; and John, as a sign of cleansing from sins, immersed those who accepted his word in the waters of the Jordan.
Many began to think he was the long-awaited Messiah, but John assured them that he was only the Forerunner: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will beat you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Jesus also presented himself at the Jordan to be baptized, and when John saw him before him, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, behold, he who takes away the sins of the world!” And to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” And Jesus said, “Permit it to be so now, for it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then John baptized him and saw the Holy Spirit descend upon him in the form of a dove. From that moment, John confided to his disciples, “Now my joy is complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” His mission was accomplished, because Jesus began his preaching.
He acted fearlessly, ready to denounce injustices, even when he had to accuse King Herod Antipas of adultery, and it was this very accusation that led to his death. King Herod respected John and did not want to have him killed, but, yielding to Herodias’s wishes, he had him imprisoned.
One tragic evening, while Herod was hosting a banquet, Salome, daughter of Herodias, danced for the guests, and Herod promised the young woman anything she asked. Salome, urged by her mother, demanded “the head of John.” John the Baptist was beheaded, and his head was brought on a silver platter to the girl, who gave it to her mother.
Thus, through the weakness of a king, the head of a great saint fell, whose cult spread throughout the world, both in the East and the West, and from Palestine onward, countless churches and baptisteries dedicated to him were built.
After being buried without his head in Sebaste, Samaria, two churches were built in his honor, and it is said that his tomb was desecrated by pagans who burned his body and scattered his ashes.
His head was in Constantinople, but like many relics from the Crusades, when there was a competition to bring holy and important relics to the West, his head split: one in Rome in the 12th century and another in Amiens in the 13th century. According to Catholic Church tradition, the head is kept without the lower jaw in the church of San Silvestro in Capite in Rome, while the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Viterbo is said to house the Sacred Chin.
John the Baptist possessed many great characteristics identifying his sanctity, as a relative of Jesus, a precursor of Christ, the last of the great prophets of Israel, the first witness and apostle of Jesus, a baptizer of Christ, a martyr of Jewish law, etc.
The cult of St. John quickly spread throughout the Christian world, both for his model of ascetic life and his example of consistent steadfastness until death, and many cities and churches took his name.
Paolo Botti
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