Deepertruth: St. John the Baptist to be the Herald of the Messiah

How can this be? Luke 1:13-15 states, "But the angel said to him (Zechariah), 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb".

Luke 1:44 states, "For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy". 

This fullfulls what the angel had said. At this moment, St. John the Baptist was given an infusion of Sanctifying Grace that cleansed him from the Original Sin. 

This was not a baptism, but a singular grace given. This event was a preparation for St. John the Baptist to be the herald of the Messiah, the forerunner of Jesus.

Another significant correlation  concerning the birth of St. John the Baptist is the timeline of the fulfillment of this word and the Wise men following the Star of Bethlehem.  Both those events point to the birth of Jesus Christ.

September 19, 3 B.C. The Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur, the busiest Temple day of the Temple year (Luke 1:10) the Angel of the Lord appeared to Zachariah and announced the coming of John the Baptist.