+ St. John the Baptist was a cousin of Jesus Christ, son of Zachary, a priest of
the order of Abia, whose job in the temple was to burn incense; and of
Elizabeth, a descendent of Aaron. John was a Prophet – the last of the great
prophets of the Old Testament, for he literally pointed to Christ on the banks
of the Jordan and said: Behold, the Lamb
of God, it is he who takes away the sins of the world: follow him! Before this time, John converted many to a way that
would propel them towards Christ when he did in fact arrive: and he baptized
men and women for the forgiveness of their sins (which would be fully effected
by Christ’s death and resurrection). And, of course, he baptized Jesus himself,
not that he had any sins, but as a sign that baptism would be required of all
future members of his church, and as a way to inaugurate his own public
ministry among the people of Israel.
Now that Jesus ministry had
begun, John’s job was pretty much finished except for his greatest act of faith
and love for his cousin that he could make: his martyrdom. He was imprisoned
because he had condemned King Herod Antipas for his marriage to Herodias, which
was both adulterous and incestuous. She was not only his niece, but also the
wife of his brother, who was still alive. At Herodias’s insistence, Herod
imprisoned John. Later, during a banquet the king made a public promise that he
could not retract: telling Heordias’s daughter, who danced provocatively in
front of him, that he would give her anything she wanted. Herodias told her
daughter to ask for the beheading of John in prison. And so John the Baptizer
“lost his head” to “save the king’s face” in front of his guests.
This feast is celebrated by
both the Eastern and Western Churches – in which John has always been held in
very high esteem.
The first reading makes a
seeming contrary prophecy: they will
fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord. Did John the Baptist, therefore, win or lose in his
confrontation with King Herod? He won, of course: even though one loses his physical life for the sake of
the Kingdom, God delivers the soul intact and joyful to him as a specially
granted reward. To give one’s life for Christ and his Kingdom is the greatest
of all gifts one can give to God, and he accepts it as such and rewards the
giver with a crown of glory!
May we be willing today to
give and give for Christ the true King and his reign, and receive blessings and
rewards assured us by the Father’s own promises!
Blessed
are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the
Kingdom of heaven.
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