On 29 August, the Orthodox Christians celebrate the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, the last great prophet of the Old Testament.
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania delivered a sermon in the historical chapel of “Saint Great Martyr George” of the Patriarchal Residence in which he spoke about the life and activity of Saint Prophet John the Baptist, emphasising his main mission, namely the confirmation of the divinity of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
“He preached the baptism of repentance saying: “Repent, because the Kingdom of Heaven is coming close” and baptised those who were coming to him for repentance saying that somebody greater than him will baptise with Holy Spirit and fire. This confirmation of the divinity of Jesus was the main mission of Saint John the Baptist as preparation for the coming of the Saviour and confirmation of the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was not a simple human, but the Son of God Incarnated”, His Beatitude said.
Saint John the Baptist is a repentance and moderate life teacher
Today’s feast remembers the killing of Saint Prophet John the Baptist following the desire of Irodiada, a libertine woman, his execution having been ordered by Herod, a king who had lost his reason through drinking and debauchery.
In the sermon delivered the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church urged all Christians to be moderate, restrain, and repent because drinking and debauchery affect society a lot.
“Drinking and debauchery cause much evil to the people, lots of quarrels, divorces, and beating. Much sufferance is caused in the family by drinking and debauchery, lots of children are born with deficiencies because of the alcohol addicted parents. It is much social evil caused by these vices and, certainly combined with pride, lack of lowliness and disobedience”, His Beatitude said, according to Trinitas Radio station.
The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church underlined, in this sense, that Saint John the Baptist is repentance and moderate life teacher, teaching virtues, and just human social life.
Saint John the Baptist is a model of Christian life
The Patriarch of Romania has also said that Saint John the Baptist is an example for all humans, no matter their age or profession. He shows us how we can enter the Kingdom of God.
“Saint John the Baptist is a great teacher, although he has never written anything, teaching the programme for entering the Kingdom of God, namely: repentance, fasting united with prayer and mercy; thus, he is a great teaching of restrain through his life and preaching. Saint John the Baptist was 32 when he was beheaded. He is a model of Christian life and urge to moderate life for young people, children, aged people, for all categories of people no matter their age and profession, so that even today his desire is to bring as many people as possible to the Kingdom of God”, His Beatitude also said.
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Saint John the Baptist is known especially for the holiness of his life, for his great asceticism and ardent aspiration of justice and heavenly things. The hymnologists of the Church called him “incarnated angel” or “human angel”. The Orthodox Church dedicated six feasts to Saint John the Baptist: his conception – 23 September; Birth – 24 June; Celebration – 7 January; Beheading – 29 August; the First and Second finding of his head – 24 February; the Third finding of his head – 25 May.
