Saint John is an inspiration to all who seek life and virtuetranslated

July 7, 2026 · 1 min read

Saint John is an inspiration to all who seek life and virtue :: Serbian Orthodox Church :: :: Serbian Orthodox Church ::

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Анастасия Попова

Yes, the shining belly shows how perseverance and faith help even in the desert. At our Sunday school we recently discussed his sermon on repentance - the children remembered it well. Thanks for the article.

Snežana Živković

John's message about repentance is just what I need when I get stuck in the everyday. Here in Niš, at the feast of St. John the Baptist, I always remember how he ate locusts in the desert, and yet was stronger than everyone. Thanks for the article, it reminded me that I also need to have a little more patience.

Katarina Simić

Yes, it reminded me of that sermon on repentance that we did with the children last year. Here in Banja Luka, on the Day of the Cross, it is always said how John endured in the desert with nothing, and yet he did not give up. Thanks for the article, I need it when my day starts spinning.

Agnieszka Kaczmarek

Yes, this joke about repentance always gives me a kick, especially as the week drags on. In our choir in Hajnówka, we recently sang the Troparion of St. John and I immediately remembered how he endured in this desert. It's good that someone writes about it, because in the garden with tomatoes it's easier to be patient when you think about it.

Elizabeth Parker

Our kids in the Sunday school here in Ottawa went over that same repentance sermon last fall, and they still talk about the locusts. Makes the desert part feel real instead of just a story. Thanks for posting it, it’s a good nudge to slow down when the week starts spinning.

Andrzej Wiśniewski

Agnieszka, I feel exactly the same with this troparion - when we sing it, I immediately feel that the desert was not just sand, but a real fight. It was also hot in my tomato garden this week, but after your comment I thought that Jan would probably laugh at our "hardships". And you sang it in the choir on which Sunday?

Anna Nowak

Andrzej, this troparion always reminds me that the desert is not only sand, but also a fight with yourself - this year it was similarly hot in the raspberry plot. I laugh that St. Jan would probably just shake his head at our tomatoes. And we sang it on the second Sunday after the Epiphany, remember?

Aleksandra Kaczmarek

Yes, Andrzej, this fight with yourself in the heat is pure truth. This year, in our garden near the parish, the tomatoes barely grew, and I only watered them in the evening and thought about this troparion. Do you remember how last year after the service someone brought a basket of raspberries from just such a "desert"?

Marek Szymański

Yes, I remember those raspberries - they were sweet as honey, although the bushes looked half alive. In our garden at home this year, everything is barely growing, but evening watering and prayer somehow helps. And you, Aleksandra, what are you planting this year apart from tomatoes?

Katarzyna Zielińska

Yes, these raspberries were a miracle this year, almost by themselves. I have tomatoes and basil in pots on my balcony, but I skipped cucumbers this year because the soil was too heavy. Apart from raspberries, what else works for you?

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