The Academy Prayerfully Honored the Nativity of John the Baptist

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways (Luke, 1:76)

Today the Holy Church honors the memory of John the Baptist, who prepared people for the Savior’s coming into the world.

Today the barren gives birth to Christ’s Forerunner and makes all prophecies fulfilled. He was preached by the prophets and put his hands on the One in the Jordan, the prophet of God’s Word, the preacher and the Forerunner. 

On July 6, the Bishop of Zvenigorod Theodorite, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, officed an All-night vigil at the Intercession Academic Church.

At the service, John Kizyun, a fourth-year undergraduate student, delivered a sermon:

“The main idea of John's sermon was the repentance. This righteous man lived in the society full of sins and wrong. His lifestyle turns us to Christ, who manifested by the signs and miracles before John’s disciples that He was the Christ. This call is still relevant for us today. St. Theophan the Recluse wrote: “How many signs did the Lord show in Russia saving it from the strongest enemies and rescuing its people?.. But evil is growing, malevolence and unbelief are raising their heads, while the Orthodox faith is weakening. Shall we not come to our senses and repent?” That is why even in our time the sermon of John the Baptist sounds so vivid. Let us follow Apostle Paul’s advice, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). 

On July 7, Bishop Theodorite celebrated the Divine Liturgy co-served by teachers and students in the priesthood.

At the Antiphons, the Rector tonsured as a reader and elevated Mikhail Simchuk, a senior inspector of the educational department at the St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Institute, into the rank of Subdeacon.

After reading the Gospel, the Rector addressed an assembly with his archpastoral word.

During the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Theodorite ordained Hierodeacon Anthony (Zazheko), a postgraduate student of the Moscow Theological Academy, into a presbyter and Subdeacon Mikhail Simchuk into a deacon.

After singing the Sacramental verse, Alexander Karpov, a fourth-year undergraduate student, delivered a sermon:

“John the Baptist called people to repentant, which meant changing their minds and their way of life, that makes them more receptive to preaching about the Kingdom of God. To take a new path people have to change themselves and start living differently. What does this mean? For example, we can cite the following event from the Gospel of Luke, when many people came to John the Baptist and asked him for advice. His words give an answer. If a person is greedy, then he should try to be generous. If he has bad habits, he should give them up. So, we have to do the opposite to our past. It includes not only the level of thoughts, but also the practical side of life.

In conclusion, John the Baptist’s life and his teaching is the very example for everyone how to repent and prepare oneself for the Kingdom of God.

At the end of the service, the Rector and the academic clergy sang a glorification and read a prayer to John the Baptist.

Background information:

Chanting performed by a male choir under the conduct of E.V. Borovinsky.

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