The Patriarch Of Romania Celebrated The Divine Liturgy at the Summer Altar Of The Patriarchal Residence
On 24 June 2014, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, a feast known in the Romanian folk tradition as “Sanzienele” or “Dragaica”.
At this great feast of the Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the summer altar in the precincts of the Patriarchal Residence, assisted by a group of priests and deacons.
Saint John the Baptist is the first prophet of the Old Testament and the one who relates to the Old Testament. The son of Elisabeth and priest Zachariah, Saint John is known as the “forerunner of the Lord” because he announced the coming of the Saviour, showed His Beatitude in the sermon delivered after reading the Evangelical Pericope.
“Saint John the Baptist is named the Forerunner of the Lord because he preached in the desert of Jordan the baptism of repentance, of the humans’ return to God. But his baptism was not a Christian one, but a preparation for the Christian baptism, as he himself admited. He and his work were predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament, by prophet Isaiah, who called him: ”the voice of the one who cries in the desert”. Thus, he is the voice of the one who cries in the desert of Jordan. “Repent, because the Kingdom of God is coming near. Make His ways straight” means improve your life according to the will of God. He is the Forerunner, Precursor or Prodromos, namely the one who prepares the way, but not only his preaching that was a permanent call to repentance made his preparatory work for Christ, the Lord, to begin his saving work, but also the fact that he showed Jesus of Nazareth at Jordan to the people and witnessed Him as the Son of God, His Beatitude said.
Saint John the Baptist is the protector of the families with no children, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church also showed.
“Saint John the Baptist, as fruit of the many ardent prayers of his parents, priest Zachariah and his wife Elisabeth, is an encouragement for those who wish to have children and do not have them. The Akathistos of Saints Ioachim and Ana, as well as the Akathistos of Saint John the Baptist are very useful for those who want to have children but cannot have them. On the other hand, we see that the name of the child who is born should not be chosen at random. The Gospel shows us that when God gives a name to a certain person this one also comprises the spiritual programme of life. Thus, when we have a name to give we must chose the name of some saints from the Holy Bible and from the life of the Church, so that the child should have a protector and live in communion with the saints in the light of their teaching, in the life of their holy living and in that of the help of the grace of God who often comes through the prayers of the saints.”
Besides the feast of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, the calendar of our Church also includes the following feasts dedicated to Saint John: Conception – 23 September; Name day – 7 January; Beheading – 20 August; the First and second finding of the head – 24 February; the Third finding of his head – 25 May.
