June 7th is popularly called Midsummer’s Day, in honor of the church holiday dedicated to St. John. He is usually called the Forerunner (the one who prepares the way) or the Baptist.
John was a relative of Jesus and, according to Christ, the greatest of the prophets.
He did not go to people to preach repentance. People came to him to be cleansed of sin. The idea of the need for repentance and a request for forgiveness among the Pharisees was unusual, but it resonated with the common people. Crowds came to listen to John, repent and be baptized. But when a lonely traveler approached the prophet, John declared that he was not worthy to baptize Him. However, Jesus insisted. So the prophet became the Baptist.
The exposure of the sins of the mighty of this world, including the king of Judea and his queen, led John to prison. King Herod kept him under arrest, but did not dare to execute him. Then Queen Herodias cunningly forced the king to give his daughter Salome the head of the Baptist.
It was presented to Salome on a platter. The girl was not happy about the gift, but her mother smiled with satisfaction. She achieved her goal.
The maid took the head out of the palace and buried it in the vineyard. She was found there for the first time. And many years later — the second. These events are celebrated on the same day. On the 8th (in leap years) or 9th March.
And in June they celebrate the third finding of the head. It was taken from Constantinople during the period of iconoclasm and was returned only in the 9th century.
The Crusaders stole the shrine and took it to the West. Now its front part is kept in the French city of Amiens. This is the only part of the relics that has been subjected to scientific research. It was determined that part of the skull belonged to a man from the Middle East, about 40 years old. His body was separated from his head, and she herself was pierced with a knife after death. This corresponds to the legend that Queen Herodias struck the already severed head with a knife.
Armenia, Italy, and Athos lay claim to other parts of the relics. There is confirmation of this and they are quite numerous, but only in the form of legends.
Why did the church establish this holiday?
John was revered as a prophet during his lifetime, and after his death people paid tribute to him for the fact that he was the voice of God, even though he cried out in the wilderness. Therefore, according to tradition, the Baptist was revered from the first days of Christianity, and his head acquired special significance as a symbol of firm faith, incorruptibility and martyrdom.
Any acquisition, even a small one, brings joy to the finder. And such a discovery as the head of a prophet is a great joy for all believers.
This holiday is another reason not just to go to church, but to do what the Forerunner called for — to repent. Admit our sins, voluntary and involuntary, and ask Saint John to intercede for us before the Lord.
And then there will be joy in the heart, hope in the soul, and good deeds will be done to the glory of the Lord. Amen.
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