John the Baptist is one of the greatest biblical prophets. It was he who baptized Jesus Christ himself in the Jordan River. Before the baptism of my goddaughter, I decided to find out in detail about the Forerunner, as the holy prophet John is called. I was also concerned about the superstitions associated with the day of honoring the Beheading of the Prophet. In the article I will tell you what the Orthodox Church thinks about popular beliefs and what you can pray to St. John the Baptist for.
Biblical prophet
The coming of the Baptist into the world is described in the Gospel of Luke. The evangelist points out that his parents were righteous people - the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. The birth of John was predicted to Zechariah by the Archangel Gabriel himself, as was the birth of Jesus Christ. Zechariah was of advanced years when the archangel told him unexpected news, and the couple had no children.
Zechariah did not believe the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel, for which he was punished by muteness. The elder could speak only after the birth of his son and his name John, which in Aramaic means grace. Zechariah wrote the name John on a clay tablet, and only after that God opened his mouth. The relatives wanted to name the baby Zacharias in honor of his father, but the elder prevented this and determined the name told to him in a vision by the Archangel Gabriel.
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Zechariah was killed by Herod's soldiers while they were looking for the newborn Jesus. Elizabeth and the baby John were able to hide inside the mountain through prayer to God. For forty days Elizabeth and John remained in hiding, eating dates and water from a stream. After this, Elizabeth died, and the baby was raised by an angel.
As John grew up, he ate locusts (wild ants) and wild honey. He wore a cape made of camel's hair, and his whole appearance expressed righteousness and asceticism. When the Forerunner appeared in the desert and began to prophesy, the Jews recognized him as the prophet Elijah, who was taken up to heaven alive. John was very similar to Elijah, so the Jews came to listen to him and believed everything he said.
In those days, the people waited every day for the coming of the Messiah, who would save them from Roman despotism. People listened to the words of the prophet with great trepidation, because he foretold to them the fulfillment of what they wanted - the coming of the Messiah. John absolved those who repented of their sins and washed them away in the waters of the Jordan. Therefore he was called the Baptist.
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One day Jesus appeared among the people to humbly take a bath in the Jordan from the prophet. John immediately recognized him as the Messiah and said that he was not worthy to untie the straps of his sandals. But Jesus replied that one must do what is foretold. At that moment, the Holy Spirit descended on the Savior in the form of a dove and the words of the Lord were heard:
After baptizing Jesus, John continued to prophesy in the wilderness. After some time, he was placed in prison by Herod for exposing the sin of his adultery with his brother's wife. The mad woman decided to take revenge on John for exposing him to sin and deceived Herod. She persuaded her daughter Salome to dance at a great feast in honor of the king's birthday. After dancing an erotic dance, Salome asked the king for the head of the Baptist. Herod could not break his word given publicly, and ordered the prophet’s head to be cut off. Thus died one of the greatest prophets of Judea, who baptized the Lord and Savior himself.
With the coming of the prophet John, the Old Testament history of the Jewish people ends and a new covenant opens - the prophecy of the Messiah, the Savior of all people on earth. He announced the arrival of a new era in the history of mankind, when the path of salvation is open to any person.
Prayer text
Before the most holy image of John, one should pray with the words of prayers specially written by the holy elders. These people dedicated their entire lives to serving the Lord. They wrote texts inspired by divine providence. These prayers reflect all those painful thoughts that torment the soul of a Christian. It is recommended to learn the words of the prayer by heart. The prayer is read in front of the icon of John. The prayer can be read at home or in church. It is best to contact the righteous in the church. Approaching the icon, you should bow twice from the waist and cross yourself, and then say the words of prayer out loud or mentally. After the prayer, he should be baptized and worshiped again.
There is a special prayer written for Christians, which should be read when addressing the prophet. In it, believers ask the Baptist not to treat them with disdain, but to pray for them, weak and unworthy people. Christians believe that the righteous will help save their sinful souls. The prophet is asked to accept repentance in order to cleanse them of their sins and accept them into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Icon of the Baptist
In the Orthodox tradition, St. John is revered first after the angelic ranks. The most famous icon in Orthodoxy is the icon called “Head on a Platter.” It depicts the truncated head of a saint with closed eyes and a halo above it. According to legend, the wicked Herodias was greatly afraid of the prophet’s resurrection, so she demanded that John’s head be buried separately from his body.
Those who seek to return to faith and repent of their sins turn to the icon of the prophet. Since the forerunner accepted the repentance of sinners and cleansed them of sins, it is to him that they turn to this request. The saint helps you find the right path in life, realize your sinful nature and gain a bright mind.
If a person is overcome by sinful thoughts, he can turn to the prophet to get rid of the trouble and temptation of the devil. The saint purifies the mind and strengthens the spirit, and also calms the rebellious heart.
They also turn to the prophet with a request to strengthen the spirit during long church fasts, because the saint ate honey and locusts all his life. He did not suffer from hunger or malnutrition and set an example of an ascetic life.
Childless couples turn to the parents of the Forerunner, who are canonized, for the gift of offspring.
Beekeepers are confident that the prophet will help them in breeding bees, since he himself ate wild honey.
First prayer to the Forerunner:
Second prayer to the Forerunner:
What prayers do John the Baptist turn to the prophet at Christmas?
Every year the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist is celebrated by believers in the Orthodox Church on July 7. In 2022, the holiday fell on a weekday, Wednesday. It is important to visit church today, but if this is not possible due to work, then you should pray on your own at home.
On the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, Orthodox Christians read prayers addressed to the prophet in various life situations. On this day it is customary to pray for:
- solving family problems;
- getting rid of migraines;
- recovery from serious illnesses;
- making the right fateful decision;
- choosing the true path.
Troparion and Kontakion for the Nativity of John the Baptist
Troparion, tone 4
Prophet and Forerunner of the coming of Christ, we are worthy to praise you, we are perplexed by the love we honor you: the infertility of the one who gave birth and the silence of the father was resolved by your glorious and honest birth, and the incarnation of the Son of God is preached to the world.
Kontakion, tone 3
Before the unfruitfulness of this day, Christ gives birth to the Forerunner, and that is the fulfillment of every prophecy: Whom the prophets preached, placing their hand on Him in the Jordan, the prophet, preacher, and together with the Forerunner appeared of God’s Word.
PRAYER TO JOHN THE BAPTIST
Baptist of Christ, preacher of repentance, do not despise me who repents, but copulating with the heavenly ones, pray to the Lady for me, unworthy, sad, weak and sad, fallen into many troubles, troubled by the stormy thoughts of my mind. Because I am a den of evil deeds, I have no end to sinful customs, because my mind is nailed down by earthly things. What will I do? We don't know. And to whom shall I resort, that my soul may be saved? Only to you, Saint John, give the same name of grace, for you are before the Lord through the Mother of God greater than all those born, for you were honored to touch the top of the King Christ, who takes away the sins of the world, the Lamb of God. Pray to Him for my sinful soul, so that from now on, at the first tenth hour, I will bear a good burden and accept recompense with the last. To her, the Baptist of Christ, an honest Forerunner, an extreme Prophet, the first martyr in grace, a teacher of fasters and hermits, a teacher of purity and a close friend of Christ! I pray to you, I come running to you: do not reject me from your intercession, but raise me up, having fallen into many sins. Renew my soul with repentance, as with the second baptism, since you are the leader of both: with baptism you wash away the original sin, and with repentance you cleanse every bad deed. Cleanse me, defiled by sins, and bring me, even if nothing bad enters, into the Kingdom of Heaven.
First prayer
Baptist of Christ, honest Forerunner, extreme prophet, first martyr, mentor of fasters and hermits, teacher of purity and neighbor of Christ!
I pray to you, and when you come running, do not reject me from your intercession, do not forsake me, who have fallen through many sins; renew my soul with repentance, like a second baptism; Cleanse me, the sins of the defiled, and compel me to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, even if nothing bad enters. Amen.
Second prayer
Baptist of Christ, preacher of repentance, do not despise me who repents, but copulating with the heavenly ones, pray to the Lady for me, unworthy, sad, weak and sad, fallen into many troubles, burdened by the stormy thoughts of my mind. Because I am a den of evil deeds, with no end to sinful customs, my mind is nailed down by earthly things. What will I do? We don't know. And to whom shall I resort, that my soul may be saved? Only to you, Saint John, give the same name of grace, for you are before the Lord through the Mother of God greater than all those born, for you have been honored to touch the top of the King Christ, who takes away the sins of the world, the Lamb of God.
Pray for my sinful soul, so that from now on, in the first ten hours, I will bear a good burden and accept recompense with the last.
To her, the Baptist of Christ, an honest Forerunner, an extreme Prophet, the first martyr in grace, a teacher of fasters and hermits, a teacher of purity and a close friend of Christ!
I pray to you, I come running to you: do not reject me from your intercession, but raise me up, cast down by many sins.
Renew my soul with repentance, as with the second baptism, since you are the ruler of both: with baptism wash away the original sin, and with repentance cleanse every bad deed. Cleanse me, defiled by sins, and force me to enter, even if nothing bad enters, into the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
Superstitions
Church tradition does not support popular beliefs about John the Baptist. For example, belief in the magical abilities of a saint is considered incomprehensible. Some people are sure that one can pray to a saint to heal the head.
Others believe that on the day of honoring the beheading of a saint, one should not eat round food - cabbage, turnips, etc. It is not even allowed to hold round objects or a large dish in one’s hands, even to the point of refusing to place plates on the table. The Church considers these beliefs naive and devoid of truth.
Superstitious people are afraid to use knives and sharp objects on the day of remembrance of the Baptist. It is believed that the one holding the knife in his hand takes upon himself the sin of John's murderers. However, church tradition does not approve of such beliefs, as it considers them fictitious.
John the Baptist was sent by God to earth to cleanse lost souls and renew faith. He prepared the world for the coming of the Savior Jesus Christ. We should not forget about the greatness of the mission of the Baptist and celebrate the pagan holiday of Ivan Kupala on his Nativity. This is a great sin.
