Saint John the Baptist, Forerunner of Our Lord

Saint John the Baptist is the great Forerunner and Herald of the Messiah, born to Zechariah and Elizabeth in their old age. Living an ascetic life in the Judean wilderness clothed in camel's hair, John preached a baptism of repentance, preparing the way of the Lord as foretold by the Prophet Isaiah. When Jesus came to the Jordan, John recognized Him as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" and baptized Him in obedience to divine revelation. Declaring "He must increase, but I must decrease," John pointed all disciples to Christ. John suffered martyrdom under King Herod Antipas after courageously rebuking the king's unlawful marriage to Herodias, sealing his witness to truth and divine law with his blood.