The Beheading of John the Baptist

1 Thess. 3:7-13, Mk 6:17-29. Today’s memorial honours the great forerunner of Jesus, who gave his life for the truth. John the Baptist was Spirit-guided to lead an austere and contemplative life in the desert until he was thirty, when he emerged as a preacher of reform and renewal. Clothed in the robes of penance, he invited his people to have their sins washed away by repentance and baptism; and he proclaimed the Messiah as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” He was revered by the people as a true prophet of God and his voice rang out with a clear summons to faith and moral reform. John’s message angered king Herod Antipas and Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother Philip, with whom he lived in defiance of the law.

John died for declaring that Herod had broken God’s Law by marrying Philip’s wife. John the Baptist stands out as a beacon of light against others in the story, Herod, who notoriously surrenders his dignity to preserve his ego; who cowardly took a strong stand in doing evil when he knew the right. Herodias, a woman of no value to societal and moral tenets, who demands the head of John the Baptist who confronted her with the truth. The daughter of Herodias, an immature and empty brain, with no values and principles of her own, complies with the evil desires of her mother to remove one whom the king admitted was a good and holy man. John the Baptist is a role model to us to let the light of our faith shine, the light of the Gospel, even when it is not popular or convenient to do so. Our calling is to let the light we received shine brightly, in season and out of season. It is a call to remain steadfast and not give up despite the challenges and oppositions of the world.

May the Lord send His Spirit of justice upon us so that we be authentic heralds of the Gospel! Amen!! Good morning and have a great day!!!