We begin this pilgrimage from Jerusalem ... One day while Zechariah prayed in the Temple, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him announcing that he and his wife Elisabeth, who were already advanced in years, would have a son whose name would be John! Six months after this great announcement, Elizabeth and Zechariah received an important visit here, at Ain Karem, where they lived... that of the Virgin Mary, who, after receiving the Annunciation of the Angel about her being the mother of Jesus, hurried to this mountain region. Fr. DIMAS SOLDA, fmm Student of the Sacred Scriptures/ Studium Biblicum Franciscanum "Another special meeting, we can say, is the encounter between the two unborn babies: John the Baptist, in Elizabeth's womb, and Jesus, in Mary's. The presence of the Lord, of Christ, of the Messiah, made John the Baptist exult in his mother's womb. A manifestation of the Holy Spirit that immediately marks the beginning of the mission of John the Baptist" Our next stop is the St. John the Baptist Church. According to tradition, the one who would prepare the way of Jesus was born here. Here, his father Zechariah, led by the Holy Spirit, prayed: Fr. DIMAS SOLDA, fmm Student of the Sacred Scriptures/ Studium Biblicum Franciscanum "Luke narrates this birth in the context of the great births of the Old Testament: he gives it the importance of a prophetic birth...this is the birth of a great prophet, of a great name in the history of the people of God. The birth of St. John the Baptist, according to the description of the Gospel, ends the silence of his father Zechariah, which means that prophecy returns to Israel again." It is believed that John, like Jesus, was hidden when Herod gave orders to kill all newborns Fr. DIMAS SOLDA, fmm Student of the Sacred Scriptures/ Studium Biblicum Franciscanum "Here in this chapel, we remember this fact: God's Providence protected John the Baptist and this is portrayed here. God protected him by virtue of his mission and of the calling of the Word of God in his heart to be the one who would announce the coming of Jesus.” Not far from there, we find the St. John of the Desert Church, where, according to Scripture, the child grew and became strong in the Spirit. John lived in the desert until the day he appeared in public, in Israel. Fr. DIMAS SOLDA, fmm Student of the Sacred Scriptures/ Studium Biblicum Franciscanum "John the Baptist grew up in the desert, which therefore was a special place where he developed his personality. We are now in this place that used to be his home." Next week we will take you to the desert of Judea and to the banks of the Jordan river, where John lived his mission fully!