When the people wondered at the birth of St John the Baptist and asked what sort of child he might be, his father Zachary was filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the words which we know as the Benedictus which is sung every day in the Divine Office of the Church.

Zachary spoke of God visiting His people. God’s visitation could mean any action of God which affects us, but in this case it refers also to the living God actually visiting the human race in person. He refers to the promise that God made from the beginning to Abraham, our “father in faith” and then with more and more urgency by the prophets, that there would be one to come who would save His people.

The role of St John the Baptist is to be go ahead of the Lord, prepare the way for Him and make Him known when He came. The advent of the chosen one, the Christ, would bring light out of darkness, life from death, and forgiveness for sin.

We see in the advent of Jesus Christ the crowning glory of all creation, the focal point of all history, and the master key to the meaning of the universe. The Church’s veneration for St John the Baptist draws us to worship Jesus Christ.