Byzantine Saints: Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (7 January)

About this sermon

On January 7, the Eastern Church commemorates the Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, the greatest of the prophets and the one who baptized Christ in the Jordan River. According to ancient Church tradition, on the day following a Great Feast of the Lord or the Mother of God, the Church gathers (synaxis) to honor the saint who participated directly in the sacred event. Following Theophany (January 6), the Church honors St John the Forerunner, who laid his own hand upon the head of the Savior and bore witness to the Holy Trinity. St John the Baptist stands at the meeting point of the Old and New Testaments. Born six months before Christ to the priest Zachariah and the righteous Elizabeth, his birth was announced by the Archangel Gabriel. Filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb, St John prepared himself in the wilderness through fasting, prayer, and repentance, before preaching on the banks of the Jordan. In Orthodox hymnology, St John is called the “Bright Morning Star”, whose light announced the coming of the Sun of Righteousness, Jesus Christ. After baptizing the sinless Lamb of God, St John suffered a martyr’s death, beheaded by order of King Herod. This video also explores the remarkable history of the relic of St John’s right hand, the very hand with which he baptized Christ—its journey from Sebastia, to Antioch, Constantinople, Malta, and finally to Russia in 1799. 📿 The Church commemorates St John the Forerunner throughout the liturgical year, including: His Conception Nativity Beheading The Finding of His Head And the Transfer of His Right Hand May this video deepen your understanding of Theophany, repentance, and the prophetic ministry of St John the Baptist, who prepared the way of the Lord. ☦️ “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) 00:00 Introduction: Synaxis of St John the Forerunner 00:23 January 7 in the Orthodox Church 00:36 Why Saints Are Honored After Great Feasts 00:46 St John the Baptist and Theophany 01:02 The Greatest of the Prophets 01:13 Birth of St John the Forerunner 01:37 Life in the Wilderness 01:46 Preaching Repentance at the Jordan 01:54 St John as the “Bright Morning Star” 02:08 Baptism of Christ 02:12 Martyrdom of St John the Baptist 02:19 The Right Hand of St John: Early History 02:36 St Luke and the Holy Relic 02:52 Transfer to Constantinople (956) 03:08 Russian Pilgrims and Imperial Relics 03:20 Crusaders and the Relic in France 03:54 Constantinople Falls (1453) 04:06 Transfer to the Knights of Rhodes 04:30 From Rhodes to Malta 04:40 Emperor Paul I and Russia (1799) 05:17 Feast Days of St John the Forerunner https://www.oca.org/saints/lives 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StJohnTheForerunner #StJohnTheBaptist #OrthodoxChurch #January7 #Theophany #BaptismOfChrist #OrthodoxSaints #LivesOfTheSaints #EasternOrthodox #OrthodoxChristianity #Repentance #HolyTrinity

Topics

• Holiness