St.John the Baptizer We are celebrating today the feast of St.John the Baptizer (commonly known as John Baptist). He was the Forerunner (or Precursor) of Jesus of Nazareth. He was son of Zachariah and Elizabeth. He was born in Ayn Karim, a town in Judea. He was a Jewish preacher of repentance (metanoia, “change of mind”), hailing from a priestly Essene milieu. He withdrew into the desert beyond the Jordan to fast and pray, and his clothing was camel’s hair and his food, locusts and wild honey. He was preaching that the “Kingdom of God was near!” (Mt 3:2) and baptized with water. He would proclaim a superior baptism by Jesus, the baptism of the Spirit. People began to call him "the Baptizer." Jesus received baptism at his hands. Although sinless, Jesus chose to be baptized in order to identify Himself with the human lot (Mk 1:11). Herod Antipas, the tetrarch, divorced his wife, and took his brother’s wife, Herodias, the niece of Herod the Great., while his brother Philip was still alive. John was beheaded by him in prison (in the fortress of Machaerus), at the request of Salome, fourteen-year-old daughter of Herodias, because he was raising his prophetic voice, namely that Antipas had sinned against God and the Law (cf.Lv 20:10.21). There was great sadness among the people and his disciples. The tradition of jumping into the wells is rooted in the “leaping in joy” of the child in the womb of Elizabeth, an activity foreshadowing the future relationships. We eat “goddachyo patolliyo” (pancake made of jaggery and turmeric leaves) on that day. “Viva São João!” Regards. Fr.Ivo
