the example of zechariah or the advice of the parents of st. john the baptist shows us that the basis of a strong family is non-material well-being and an unearthly enterprise, and a strong inner spiritual core, which is based on a sincere belief in god only in this case, all the difficulties of adversity that inevitably occur on the path of family life becomes insurmountable. we see that the life of the righteous parents. saint john the baptist was filled with difficulties and sorrows. their family for a long time, remained childless, the absence of children in the family was considered in the odessa society of that time as a punishment for some grave sin. but zechariah or the council led a righteous life, observed the law of moses , it was especially difficult for them to bear the burden of undeserved human censure, because zechariah was a priest, that the matter of people's attitudes towards him was even more demanding and somehow. no disposition more onerous, however, despite in spite of all censures and ridicule, the righteous family conti