Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist
Today’s memorial is called the Passion of St. John the Baptist. This is a deliberate comparison to the Passion of Christ. John’s vocation was to go before Jesus in everything, preparing the way for him. He was born first and began his ministry first. According to the gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus begins his ministry only after John has been arrested. John’s ministry was to call people to repentance, to cleanse their hearts, and to make them more ready for the coming of the Messiah. Then he goes before Jesus to his death before Jesus dies on the cross. It seems fitting that the last of the Old Testament prophets should finish his race before the New Covenant is established in Jesus’ blood.
We know that John was beheaded by Herod because of the dance of Herodias’s daughter and the wish of Herodias. However, today’s gospel contains an interesting detail: it says that Herod liked to listen to John, even though he feared him as a holy and righteous man. This attraction that Herod felt for John’s words is a sign of God’s grace at work, trying to bring about Herod’s conversion. We can see from this that God never gives up on a person as long as they live and there is hope for conversion. Neither should we.
Reflection by Fr. Aquinas Keusenkothen, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections