by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Very early in the Fourth Gospel, John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!" (John 1:29) The Evangelist tells us that John repeated this identification on the following day (1:36). For the rest of the … [Read more...]
Why Did Christ Need Baptism
A question asked by many is, “Why did Jesus need to be baptized?” To answer this, let’s first explore the nature of baptism as explained by Saint John Chrysostom. Jewish Baptism Saint John Chrysostom points out that the Jewish Baptism was one of cleansing. He says, There was a Jewish bapti … [Read more...]
Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John
St. John the Baptist was the Forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate his nativity on June 24th. He preached repentance to all, and though a celibate himself preached especially for the honor of marriage (to Herod and Herodias). He preached for about 90 days, then was imprisoned and … [Read more...]
