Life of Saint Gregory Palamas (+1359)

St. Gregory Palamas was born in the year 1296. He grew up in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in a critical time of political and religious unrest. Constantinople was slowly recovering from the devastating invasion of the Crusades. It was a city under attack from all sides. From the west, it was infiltrated by Western philosophies of rationalism and scholasticism and by many attempts at Latinization. From the east, it was threatened by Muslim Turkish military invaders. The peace and faith of its citizens were at stake.

Gregory’s family was wealthy. His father was a member of the senate. Upon his father’s sudden death, Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Paleologos (1282–1328), who was a close friend of the family, gave it his full financial support. He especially admired Gregory for his fine abilities and talents, hoping that the brilliant young man would one day become a fine assistant. However, instead of accepting a high office in the secular world, Gregory sought “that good part, which will not be taken away” from him (Luke 10:42).

Life of Saint Athanasius the Great (+373)

 

Saint Athanasius the Great , this living and immortal example of virtue and God-pleasing life, was born in Alexandria, the famous capital of Egypt, in 658. His parents were Christians, pious and virtuous people. Even in Athanasius's youth, the following incident foreshadowed his future great episcopal activity.

One day, Athanasius was playing with his peers on the seashore. The children imitated what they saw in church, portraying through their play the clergy of God and church rites. They chose Athanasius as their bishop; he also named some presbyters and others deacons. These latter brought other children to him—pagans who had not yet been baptized. Athanasius baptized them with seawater, pronouncing the words prescribed for the sacrament of holy baptism, as he had heard from the priest in church. To this, he added a lesson appropriate to his childhood. At the same time, Saint Alexander 659 was Patriarch of Alexandria . He chanced to glance out the windows of his house, which stood on an elevated spot near the sea, and seeing children playing, he watched in amazement as Athanasius performed the baptism. He immediately ordered all the children to be brought to him. Questioning the children in detail, the patriarch sought to discover whom they had baptized, how they had been questioned before baptism, and what their answers had been. He learned that they had performed their game in accordance with church regulations. After consulting with his clergy, he recognized Athanasius's baptism of the pagan children as genuine and completed it with chrismation. He then summoned the children's parents, who were acting as priests, and advised them to raise them for the priesthood. Saint Alexander then instructed Athanasius's parents to raise him in piety and book learning, and then, when he came of age, to bring him to him and dedicate him to God and the Holy Church.

Life of Saint Anthony the Great (+356)

 

1. Antony was an Egyptian by birth. Since his parents, noble and quite wealthy, were Christians, he too was raised as a Christian and grew up with his parents, knowing nothing but them and his home. When he became a boy and advanced in years, he did not want to learn to read or write or associate with other children, but had only one desire, as a man of integrity, according to what is written about Jacob, to live at home ( Gen. 25:27 ). Meanwhile, he went with his parents to the temple of the Lord and was not lazy when he was a small child, nor did he become careless when he began to grow up, but was submissive to his parents and, attentively listening to what was read in the temple, he observed the benefit derived from it. Brought up in moderate prosperity, he did not bother his parents with demands for various and expensive dishes, did not seek pleasure in food, but was content with what he had, and did not demand anything more.

2. After the death of his parents, he was left with only one young sister, and, being eighteen or twenty years old, he himself had to care for both the house and his sister. But not yet six months had passed after the death of his parents, when he, going as usual to the temple of the Lord and collecting his thoughts together, began to reflect on how the apostles, having left everything, followed the Savior, how the believers mentioned in the Acts, selling everything they owned, brought and laid it at the feet of the apostles for distribution to the needy, what hope they had and what rewards were prepared for them in heaven. With such thoughts he entered the temple; in the Gospel read then, he heard the words of the Lord to the rich man: If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me ( Matthew 19:21 ). Anthony, taking this as a reminder from above, as if this reading was actually for him, immediately leaves the temple and gives everything that he had in his possession from his ancestors (he had three hundred arura of very good, fertile land) to the inhabitants of his village, so that they would not bother him or his sister in any way, and sells all other movable property and, having collected enough money, distributes it to the poor, leaving some for his sister.

On Drunkenness (St Ignatius Brianchaninov)

Drunkenness is a terrible vice! It's a passion, a disease that enters the body through indulgence in desire, taking on the strength of a natural quality through habit.

A servant of Christ must guard himself not only from drunkenness but also from the habit of excessive wine consumption, which inflames the flesh and arouses bestial desires. "Do not be drunk with wine, for in that is debauchery" ( Eph. 5:18 ), said the apostle. Drinking wine in very small quantities is permissible, but those who cannot limit themselves to moderation would do better to abstain from it entirely.

Wine deprives a person of the ability to maintain sobriety of mind. When an ascetic is exposed to its effects, his enemies attack the weakened and darkened mind, and the mind is no longer able to fight them. Bound by the influence of wine, he is drawn into the abyss of sin! In an instant, the fruits of long-term asceticism are destroyed, because the Holy Spirit departs from those defiled by sin. This is why Saint Isaiah, the Egyptian hermit, said that those who love wine will never be granted spiritual gifts: for these gifts to remain in a person, they require constant purity, which is possible only with constant sobriety.

Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Ignatij_Brjanchaninov/simfonija-po-tvorenijam-svjatitelja-ignatija-brjanchaninova-tereshenko/230

On Peace (Schemamonk Epiphanius Chernov)

1. It is very sad that there is no peace, but rather misunderstandings, discontent, disappointments, reproaches, suspicions, and a general cooling off. Moreover, if we do not come to our senses, we are close to total collapse. For the Lord says: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself will not stand" (Matthew 12:25). This means that we are still spiritually inexperienced, have not learned the gospel wisdom on how to overcome such temptations, and therefore, having entered the confines of the last times, we are preparing to perish with all those alien to the gospel life. As it is said: "Then many will be offended... and will hate one another... And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will fail" (Matthew 24:10, 12). This is where the danger lies! There can be no quarrel between angels, and if there is a quarrel or something similar, it means both parties are not holy, both parties are guilty. Therefore, make every effort to restore peace. Mutually ask each other for forgiveness.

On the Judgement Day and the Second Coming of Christ (New Martyr Andrei Ukhtomsky)

 

Interpretation of the Gospel Teaching about the Judgment

1. The purpose of earthly life is to learn to love the Lord. About fear

First of all, let us note that the concept of the Judge of the world as punishing, and the concept of the Last Judgment as merely retribution, is erroneous from a dogmatic standpoint . Furthermore, it is also harmful from a moral standpoint, for it forces man to treat God with fear. This is not the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, nor the one that brings salvation , but the kind that makes demons tremble and which can never transform into love for God, which is what the Christian religion demands of its followers, since only those who love God can glorify Him and be blessed in this praise. Concerning this goal of man's earthly life—learning to love and praise the Lord—Saint Gregory of Nyssa speaks thus: "The purpose of creation is that in all creation, through the spiritual nature, the supreme Power may be glorified, when the heavenly and the earthly are united by the same action—I mean turning one's gaze to God—toward the same goal." This action—the turning of one's gaze toward heaven—is nothing other than the life proper to and consistent with spiritual nature. For just as bodies, being earthly, are sustained by earthly food, and in them we observe a certain kind of bodily life, equally accomplished in irrational and rational creatures, so too must we suppose that there is also a life, comprehensible to the mind, by which nature is preserved in existence. If carnal food, being something that flows in and out, by its very passage imparts a certain vital force to those in whom it is found, then does not the participation of that which truly exists, which always abides and eternally unchangeable, far more preserve in existence those who partake? "Therefore (if the life proper and fitting to spiritual nature consists in partaking of God), no partaking will occur between opposites unless that which desires partaking is in some way akin to that which is being partaken of. For just as the eye delights in light because it has within itself the natural light for the perception of what is like it, and... no other member of the body produces sight, because in no other member is natural light prepared; so, in order to become a partaker of God, it is absolutely necessary in the nature of the partaker to be something akin to that which he is partaking of... The true life of the soul is produced by partaking of what is good, but in ignorance, which hinders the knowledge of God, the soul, not being a partaker of God, is deprived of life" (Vol. 4, p. 340).

The Veneration of the Honorable Chains of Apostle Peter

Verses

We venerate your honorable bonds O Peter,

Release me from the long bonds of my accusations.

On the sixteenth I venerate the bonds of Peter.

Lives and works of the Russian New Martyrs

 

https://orthodoxyforall.blogspot.com/p/lives-works-and-testimonies-of-russian.html

Life of St John the Hut-Dweller (V century)

In Constantinople, during the reign of Leo the Great (603 ), there lived a wealthy and distinguished military official named Eutropius and his wife Theodora. He had three sons, two of whom were given over to imperial service and had already achieved significant ranks. The third, the youngest, named John, was sent to study various sciences. While still a twelve-year-old boy, John stood out from his peers, so much so that even his teachers were amazed at his abilities and remarkable development for his youth. He excelled not only in worldly matters but also in spiritual wisdom. Under the grace-filled influence of the Holy Spirit, he grew into a meek, gentle, and modest boy. After school, he spent his time not in the games typical of childhood, but in reading holy, divinely inspired books and diligently attending church services. His heart was warmed by love for God, and the fire of this love began to burn like a strong flame in his soul.

The Life of Our Venerable Father Paul of Thebes (+342)

When Saint Anthony was living with his disciples in the Egyptian desert , the thought once occurred to him that no other monk had ever been as perfect as he, no one who had settled in the desert before him and chosen such a solitary life. He himself later recounted that when he thought this, he heard a voice in a vision that said:

"Anthony! There is one servant of God who came here before you and who is more perfect than you. If you wish, you can find him in the distant desert; only go to him quickly, before he departs to the Lord."

On Christian Love (St Philaret Voznesensky of New York)

• Christian love as the fundamental principle of morality.

• Her characteristic features.

• The hymn of Christian love in Apostle Paul is chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians.

Life of Saint Sava of Serbia (+1236)

 

The Serbian Grand Zhupan (Patriarchal leader) Stephen Nemanja had two sons, Stephen and Vukan; yet, he and his wife Anna desired, if it be God's will, to have another child. Their pious prayers ascended before God, Who heard their petition and blessed them with their last child, a son who was born in the year of our Lord 1175. At baptism the child was given the name Rastko, a name derived from the Old Slavonic verb "rasti" which means "to grow." And grow divinely he did. There were many special things about Rastko: he was a lovely child, with pronounced features and smooth skin, and possessed, already in his childhood, an unusually alert and pious demeanor. Little did Rastko's parents and all those of the Royal Court (and even the entire Serb nation) realize that his birth and baptism into Orthodoxy would providentially set in motion their own historical and spiritual journey, which would result in the blossoming of their Christian faith, nation hood and total Christian cultural orientation. This young child, Rastko, whose monastic name later was Sava, became and still remains the most beloved of all Serbian Orthodox saints, considered by all Serbs everywhere and at all times as the ultimate expression and example of what it means to be fully human, that is, what it means to be a devout and committed follower of Jesus Christ.

Life of Saint Nina, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Enlightener of Georgia (+338)

Saint Nina lived in the fourth century after Christ. She was born in a city in Cappadocia to the military commander Zebulun and his wife Susanna. Her father, a pious man, wished to dedicate the rest of his life to God and, to this end, traveled with his wife and daughter to Jerusalem, where his wife's brother was patriarch at the time. There, Zebulun, with his wife's consent, withdrew into the desert and ended his life in Christian asceticism. His wife, Susanna, remained in Jerusalem and, ordained a deaconess by her brother, was assigned by him to serve the poor and the sick. Susanna gave her daughter Nina to be educated by a pious old woman, from whom Nina firmly learned the rules of faith and piety. Nina's favorite reading was the books of Holy Scripture. Reading the Gospel account of the Savior's crucifixion, she developed a strong desire to know the whereabouts of the Lord's tunic, which had been given by lot to one of the soldiers dividing Jesus Christ's garment. When Nina inquired about this with her tutor, she told her that northeast of Jerusalem lay the land of Iveron, and in it lay the city of Mtskheta, where the Savior's tunic had been sent by the soldier who had given it by lot. This story so deeply penetrated St. Nina's soul that she began to fervently pray to the Most Holy Theotokos that She would grant her the ability to see the land of Iveron, to find the Lord's tunic, woven by the hands of the Mother of God, and at the same time to preach the name of Christ to the ignorant people living in that land. One night, Nina saw the Virgin Mary, who said to her, "Go to the land of Iveron and preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ there. I will be your protector." But Nina was perplexed how she, a weakling, could be the instrument of such great service. Then the Most Holy Theotokos handed her a cross made of grape branches, saying, "Accept this cross: it will be your cross and protection against all visible and invisible enemies. By its power, you will establish there the saving sign of faith in My beloved Son, Who desires all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth." Awakening from sleep, St. Nina was amazed to see the miraculous cross in her hand. Tying it with her hair, she went to the patriarch, her uncle, and told him of the vision she had had. The blessed patriarch, seeing in this a clear will of God, gave his blessing to the young maiden to undertake the feat of evangelism.

Signs of the Times (St Seraphim Rose)

 

WHY STUDY THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES?

The subject of this talk is, watching for the signs of the times.1 First of all, we have to know what it is meant by the phrase “signs of the times.” This expression comes straight from the Gospel, from the words of our Savior in Matthew 16:3. Christ tells the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to Him, “Ye can discern the face of the sky,” that is, tell what the weather will be; “but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” In other words, He’s telling them that this has nothing to do with science, or with knowing our place in the world, or anything of the sort. It’s a religious question. We study the signs of the times in order to be able to recognize Christ.   

During the time of Christ, the Pharisees and Sadducees did not study the signs of the times in order to see that Christ had come, that the Son of God was already on earth. There were already signs that they should have recognized. For example, in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, there is a prophecy concerning the seventy weeks of years, which means that the Messiah was to come about 490 years from the time of Daniel. Those Jews who read their books very carefully knew exactly what this was all about, and at about the time that Christ came they knew that it was time for the Messiah.

But this is an outward sign. More importantly, the Pharisees and Sadducees should have been watching for the inward signs. If their hearts had been right with God, and if they had not been merely trying to fulfill the outward commandment of the law, their hearts would have responded and recognized God in the flesh when He came. And many of the Jews did—the apostles, the disciples, and many others.

This same passage in the sixteenth chapter of St. Matthew speaks further about signs. Our Lord told the Jews, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah.” The events of the Old Testament contain prefigurations of events in the New Testament. When Jonah was three days in the belly of the whale, this was a prefiguration of our Lord’s being three days in the tomb. And this sign—the sign of Jonah—was given to the people of Christ’s time.

Our Lord was telling the Pharisees and Sadducees that an evil and adulterous generation seeks for spectacular events—that is, fire coming down from heaven, or the Romans being chased away, angels manifesting themselves and banishing the foreign government of the Romans, and things of that sort. Christ told them this kind of sign would not be given. An evil and adulterous generation seeks after this, but those who are pure of heart seek rather something more spiritual. And the one sign that is given to them is the sign of Jonah. Of course, it is a great thing that a man should be three days in the grave and then rise up, being God.

Thus, from our Savior’s words, we know that we are not to watch for spectacular signs, but we are rather to look inwardly for spiritual signs. Also, we are to watch for those things, which according to Scripture must come to pass.

THE ASCETIC IDEAL AND THE NEW TESTAMENT (Fr George Florovsky)

 

If the monastic ideal is union with God through prayer, through humility, through obedience, through constant recognition of one's sins, voluntary or involuntary, through a renunciation of the values of this world, through poverty, through chastity, through love for mankind and love for God, then is such an ideal Christian? For some the very raising of such a question may appear strange and foreign. But the history of Christianity, especially the new theological attitude that obtained as a result of the Reformation, forces such a question and demands a serious answer. If the monastic ideal is to attain a creative spiritual freedom, if the monastic ideal realizes that freedom is attainable only in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and if the monastic ideal asserts that to become a slave to God is ontologically and existentially the path to becoming free, the path in which humanity fully becomes human precisely because the created existence of humanity is contingent upon God, is by itself bordered on both sides by non-existence, then is such an ideal Christian? Is such an ideal Biblical New Testamental? Or is this monastic ideal, as its opponents have claimed, a distortion of authentic Christianity, a slavery to mechanical "monkish" "works righteousness"?

Heresy of ecumenism in Italy and the Italian Saint of intolerance St Tatiana of Rome who is celebrated today

Foreword by St Seraphim Rose on the heresy of ecumenism:

''The ideology that underlies ecumenism, which inspires the actions and statements cited above, is itself a certain heresy: the Church of Christ does not exist, no one possesses the Truth, the Church is still only being formed. But without further ado, it is clear that the self-liquidation of Orthodoxy, the "Church of Christ," is simultaneously the self-destruction of Christianity as such: for if no single church is "that Church of Christ," then the combination of all sects will not be "that Church" either, at least not in the sense intended by its founder, Christ. And if all "Christian" groups are related to one another, then all of them taken together are akin to other "religious" groups, and Christian ecumenism can only lead to a syncretic world religion.''

(Orthodoxy and the Religion of the future)

How Zacchaeus outplayed the matrix

Zacchaeus is the chief tax collector. Translated into contemporary terms, he's a traitor, a degenerate, someone who built a personal paradise on the tears of his compatriots. But behind this façade of power and money lies an ontological horror. He's a figure drowned in his own pettiness and insignificance.

In general, it seems to me that modern society is deliberately cultivating Zacchaeus, like vegetables in a greenhouse. The world is shrouded in a film of propaganda that obscures the sky. But people believe they are free. In reality, they merely repeat what they've heard, follow what they've been told, and make the choices others have made for them. People are becoming like zombies, living within a hedonistic value system. Everything they care about, everything they care about, everything they're passionate about, everything they strive for, exists within a purely horizontal plane of existence.

The two extremes of ecumenism and zealotry (St Seraphim Rose)

On December 12, 1986, Metropolitan Vitaly received formal notice from Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Boston that it had left the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). Nine days earlier the metropolitan had fulfilled the ROCOR Synod’s recommendation by suspending both Abbot Panteleimon and Hieromonk Isaac and appointing a commission to complete an investigation. Holy Transfiguration Monastery charged that the investigating bishops had “waged a campaign of slander” against them, and further charged the Synod with Ecumenism and “doctrinal abuses.”

Life of Saint Antipas the Hesychast of Moldavia (+ 1882)

 

Saint Antipas was born in 1816 in the little village of Calapodesti in Moldavia. He decided to embrace the monastic life at the age of twenty after a vision of the divine light. Although hard-pressed by the demons he kept to his resolve, which was confirmed by a miracle before the icon of the Mother of God at the Monastery of Neamts. He was received as a novice at the little monastery of Calderusani in Wallachia, and he worked there in complete renunciation of his own will. Having no cell of his own, he would snatch a little sleep on completing his work in the kitchen or on the farm. The hermit Gideon, who had been living as a recluse near the Monastery for thirty years, taught him the practice of inner prayer, and such was his zeal for it that his confessor advised him to leave for Mount Athos after two years.

Life of St Gregory of Nyssa (+394)

 

Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa is to be praised for the holiness of his conduct of life, his theological knowledge, and his zealous promotion of the Orthodox Faith embodied in the Nicene clauses. He is believed to have been born at Caesarea, the capital of Cappadocia, ca. 335 or 336. The family of Saint Gregory was wealthy, distinguished, and conspicuously Orthodox. He was the younger brother of Saint Basil the Great (ca. 330-379). Our saint made no account of his honorable descent. He left blood lines, wealth, and splendor to the friends of this world. He believed that the Christian's lineage was his affinity with the divine.

The Apology of Martyr Apollonius of Rome

The Apology of Martyr Apollonius of Rome is an early Christian text from the second century (c. 183–185), representing one of the first written accounts of the defense of Christianity in the face of the Roman authorities.

In his speech to the Senate, Martyr Apollonius explains the essence of Christian teaching. He demonstrates that Christianity does not contradict common sense and poses no threat to the state, but rather, fosters loyal and virtuous citizens.

One of the main accusations leveled against Christians was their refusal to worship Roman gods and participate in traditional religious rites. Martyr Apollonius counters this accusation by explaining the essence of Christian worship as the worship of the One True God, the Creator of all things. He attempts to explain the fundamental tenets of Christian doctrine, such as faith in the One God, the incarnation of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the future judgment.

Having refused to renounce his faith, Martyr Apollonius was executed.

Akathist to Jesus, Light to Those in Darkness

 

Kontakion 1

Out of the depths of darkness and despair I cry to You, O Lord, You that hung upon the Cross in darkness. From the pit of pain and confusion, I lift up this prayer, and with all my heart I sing aloud to You:
Jesus, light to those in darkness, glory to You!

Ikos 1

In the day of my trouble, I seek You, O Lord, and in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying. My eyes find no rest from weeping, and I am so troubled that I cannot speak. Yet as my spirit ponders in the night, I raise this song to You:
Jesus, rescuer of the abandoned!
Jesus, hope of those in despair!
Jesus, guiding star to the lost!
Jesus, joyful return of the exile!
Jesus, unforeseen victory!
Jesus, eternal triumph!
Jesus, radiant dawn after endless night!
Jesus, everlasting light of the Kingdom!
Jesus, wipe away my tears!
Jesus, calm the panic of my heart!
Jesus, exultation of those hemmed in by fear!
Jesus, joy of those crushed by sorrow!
Jesus, light to those in darkness, glory to You!

Life of Saint Philip Metropolitan of Moscow (+1569)

Saint Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, in the world Theodore, was descended from the illustrious noble lineage of the Kolichevi, occupying a prominent place in the Boyar duma at the court of the Moscow sovereigns. He was born in the year 1507. His father, Stephen Ivanovich, "a man enlightened and filled with military spirit," attentively prepared his son for government service. Theodore's pious mother Barbara, who ended her days as a nun with the name Barsanouphia, implanted in the soul of her son a sincere faith and deep piety. Young Theodore Kolichev applied himself diligently to the Holy Scripture and to the writings of the holy Fathers. The Moscow Great Prince Basil III, the father of Ivan the Terrible, brought young Theodore into the court, but he was not attracted to court life. Conscious of its vanity and sinfulness, Theodore all the more deeply immersed himself in the reading of books and visiting the churches of God. Life in Moscow repelled the young ascetic. The young Prince Ivan's sincere devotion to him, promising him a great future in government service, could not deter him from seeking the Heavenly City.

The Church as the Body of Christ (Excerpt from the letters of St Mikhail Novoselov)

1. About the Church as a living organism

From the very beginning there were two different ideas about Christianity and the Christian community.

The Jewish view is now called rationalistic. Christianity is reduced to a personal, inner connection between each individual and the Divine Person and to faith in Her and Her work. At the same time, the Person Herself, as being in heaven, "conceals" everything. The concept of Her becomes obscure, and Her teaching is substituted. And man "binds himself" not to the Divine Person, but to Her teaching.

Gnosticism degenerated into mystical sects. Mystics base their understanding of Christianity on principles of the heart, on love for the Person of Christ. They affirm the necessity of knowing the living, visible, and tangible Christ. And in this they are right, for the Gospel of Christ contains precisely this concept.

But the mystics are wrong when they seek and find the living, tangible and visible Christ where they seek and find Him.

Rationalists don't lie; they merely narrow the Gospel. Mystics expand—and rightly so—the rationalists' understanding, but they too (besides the error of seeking and finding) have a huge gap: they ignore a very important part of the Gospel.

Life of Newmartyr Nun Heruvima Tanasa from Petru Voda Monastery, Romania (1969-1998)

Because I read recently in one of the central newspapers that at the Central University of Europe from Budapesta, founded in 1990, the largest number of students from a single country was of romanians, 145 students from 1990 since now, I have decided to write this material about what I have seen and heard.

Life of Mikhail Novoselov - Bishop Mark of Sergiev (+1938)

 

Martyr Mikhail Alexandrovich Novoselov (in secret monastic tonsure and secret consecration – Bishop Mark) was born in 1864 in the village of Babye, Domoslavskaya Volost, Vyshnevolotsky District, Tver Governorate.

Life of St John the Baptist

 

Saint John the Baptist was the son of the Jewish Priest Zacharia. His mother was Elizabeth, a blood-relation to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. This righteous couple were childless, for Elizabeth was barren. They prayed much and long; as true Israelites they desired the consolation of being blessed with children, aspiring,—but in this instance with an humble and holy resignation—to the birth of the great Messiah, who was coming to save mankind, and, as they thought, to free and unite Israel. Although Zacharia and Elizabeth sorrowed in their old age to a day which was beyond the natural limit of child-bearing, still they continued hopefully praying. The prayers of faith of this priest and his patient spouse ascended on high, from whence came down an angel with the message telling them that the Creator of nature and the God of wonders had been pleased to fulfill their desire. Accordingly, Elizabeth bore unto her husband Zacharia a male child, who was called John.