Today’s memorial mass used to be referred to as the Martyrdom of John the Baptist, but the name has been officially changed in our liturgical calendar to t”he Passion of John the Baptist”, which is similar to the way we refer to the Passion Of Jesus. We think about how passionate John the Baptist was in proclaiming the Kingdom of God and in paving the way for Jesus. We think of the sufferings and trials John went through for the kingdom. One of my professors in seminary, Dr Richard Lux, and many other Old Testament Scripture scholars, both Protestant and Catholic, believe that John the Baptist was raised in the community of the Essenes, that mystical Jewish community that lived near the Dead Sea and that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. John’s message and lifestyle seem very similar to what was going on in that community. John was the last in the line of the prophets who brought God’s message to the people of Israel and who were precursors for Jesus’ life and ministry.
Herod had a lot of respect for John the Baptist, for he knew him to be a righteous man. Yet, Herod feared John the Baptist because Herod knew that he preached the truth. Speaking the truth cost John the Baptist his life, but he had the courage to not back down from the mission that was his calling in life. The prophets of our Christian faith today have the same courage and tenacity. We hear Pope Francis and many of our bishops being very bold and courageous in the way he is challenging the secular world today.
May each one of us see in John the Baptist a great example of faith. May we boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives through our words and our actions, in truth and in love, just like John the Baptist did. At some point, all of us will have to pay a cost for our faith. May we be not afraid to do so, no matter what that cost may be.
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