Saint John the Baptist

On this day, the forerunner and great prophet, St. John the Baptist, son of Zacharias the priest, was martyred by the order of King Herod. St. John the Baptist was the son of Zechariah the priest, whom Gabriel the Archangel proclaimed his birth to in the Holy of Holies. When Zechariah doubted, saying, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years” (Luke 1:18), the angel told him he would be mute until John’s birth. At John’s circumcision, Zechariah wrote “John” on a tablet, and immediately his mouth opened. He praised God and prophesied that John would be a prophet who would go before the face of the Lord.

When St. Mary visited Elizabeth during her pregnancy with St. John, “the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41).