Man and Church
Why Does the Church Celebrate the Conception of St. John the Baptist?
Why is conception liturgically commemorated and what does it teach about providence, sanctity, and human life?
“I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me.” ‒ Malachi 3:1
On October 6 (September 23), Orthodox Christians on the Old Calendar celebrate the feast of the Conception of St. John – the Forerunner, Prophet, and Baptist of the Lord. The conception of St. John is touched on directly in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke. The priest Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” But they were old – “stricken in years” – and had no children, which among the Jews was considered a cause of shame and God’s disfavor.
When it was St. Zachariah’s turn to lead prayer in the Temple in Jerusalem, he went in to burn incense while the people waited outside. Inside the Temple, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him next to the altar, and announced that he would have a son. “Fear not, Zachariah: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord.”
