The Holy Prophet Zacharias, father of St. John the Forerunner

Today we commemorate the Holy Prophet Zacharias, the father of St John the Forerunner. Zacharias was the son of Barachias, of the tribe of Aaron, a high priest in descent from Abia, and held the eighth degree of service in the Temple in Jerusalem. His wife Elisabeth was sister to St. Anna, the mother of the holy Mother of God. In the reign of King Herod the child-slayer, Zacharias was serving one day in his turn in the Temple in Jerusalem. An angel of God appeared to him in the altar, and Zacharias was afraid. But the angel said to him: ‘Fear not, Zacharias’ (Luke 1) and informed him that his wife Elisabeth would bear a son in answer to their prayers, for Zacharias and Elisabeth were both old. When Zacharias doubted the words of the heavenly messenger, the angel told him: ‘I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God’, and Zacharias was made dumb from that moment, and did not speak until his son was born and he had written on a tablet: ‘His name is John.’ Then his mouth was opened, and he glorified God. Later, when the Lord Christ was born and Herod began killing the children in Bethlehem, he sent men to find Zacharias's son and kill him, for he had heard of all that had happened to Zacharias and how John was born. Seeing the soldiers, Elisabeth took John in her arms - he was eighteen months old at that time - and fled from the house with him to a rocky and desert region. When she saw where the soldiers had driven them, she cried out to the mountain: ‘O mountain of God, receive a mother with her child!’, and the rock opened and hid the mother and child inside itself. Herod, furious that John had not been killed, ordered that Zacharias be cut down before the altar. Zacharias’s blood spilled over the marble and became as hard as stone remaining thus as a witness to Herod’s wickedness. At the place where Elisabeth hid with John, a cave opened and a spring flowed forth, and a fruit-bearing palm grew up by God's power. Forty days after Zacharias’s death, blessed Elisabeth also entered into rest. The child John stayed in the wilderness, fed by an angel and guarded by God's providence, until that day when he appeared by the Jordan.
From St. George Orthodox Church Bulletin

Troparion of  the Prophet Zacharias
In the vesture of a priest, according to the Law of God, thou did offer unto Him well-pleasing whole-burnt offerings, as it befitted a priest, O wise Zacharias. Thou was a shining light, a seer of mysteries, bearing in thyself clearly the signs of grace; and in God's temple, O wise prophet of Christ God, thou was slain with the sword. Hence, with the Forerunner, make entreaty that our souls find salvation.

The Beheading of Prophet and Baptist John

Icon written in Greece by Miltiadis Afentoulis

The story of the beheading of John is found in Mark 6:14-30. His head is preserved in the Church of St. Sylvester in Rome.

Troparion of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist

The memory of the righteous is celebrated with songs of praise, but the Lord’s testimony is sufficient for thee, O Forerunner. Thou wast shown indeed to be the most honorable of the prophets, for in the waters thou didst baptize Him Who had been proclaimed. After suffering with joy in behalf of the truth, thou didst proclaim even to those in Hades the God Who appeared in the flesh, Who takest away the sin of the world, and granteth us the Great Mercy.

"I AM NOT WORTHY TO UNDO THE STRAP OF HIS SANDAL"

St. John the Baptist played a vital role in the story of salvation for the human race. The son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, John lived his adult life as a recluse in the Judean wilderness. It had been foretold by the Archangel Gabriel that “… he would 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,” (Luke 1:15-16) It is no wonder then that many who heard him preach and came to the Jordan River to be baptized by him thought that he might be the long-awaited Messiah.

John however never lost sight of what his calling was. He had no “illusions of grandeur”, for he fully understood that he was to be the “Forerunner of Christ - the one who would prepare the world for the coming of the Saviour. He was the “voice of one crying in the wilderness.” Yes, John made it perfectly clear to all those who listened to his words: “There comes One after me who is mightier than I. I am not worthy to undo the strap of His sandal.” (Mark 1:7) After baptizing Jesus - something that he thought himself unworthy to do -John was content to fade into the background and allow our Lord to begin His redemptive work.

As Christ embarked upon His Divine Mission, John continued to preach the message of repentance to all who would listen. Never afraid to speak the truth, John was arrested and cast into prison for criticizing King Herod for his adulterous relationship with his brother’s wife Herodias. This eventually would lead to his execution by means of beheading.

St. John the Baptist is held in high esteem by our Holy Orthodox Church. The words of Christ Himself attest to the stature of this remarkable saint: “Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.”(Matthew 11:11)
The Orthodox Weekly Bulletin … Vestal, Cliffwood, New Jersey … Litho in U.S.A.