John's prophetic voice carried God's message to his people and prepared the way
for the coming of Jesus. Even
though his prophetic voice did God’s will, it is also what got him into trouble
with the authorities of his day. John
charged the highest-ranking governmental official of the region, Herod Antipas,
the tetrarch of Galilee, of making an unlawful marriage with Herodias, the daughter
of one of Herod's brothers and the ex-wife of another brother. Speaking
out against Herod landed John in prison. Imprisonment
might have been enough to silence John, but Herodias wanted him dead. In
the midst of the wine and food of a great banquet, in the midst of an oath he
makes in front of his guest in order to please his wife's daughter, Herod
agreed to kill John the Baptist. It’s
John’s passion and martyrdom that we celebrate today with the universal Church.
King
Herod is both puzzled by John and attracted to him. Herod
feared John, yet he listened to him, because he saw John as a holy and
righteous man. Herod
was willing to sacrifice the life of John the Baptist in order to maintain his
own honor, prestige, and power. Wanting
to show his subjects that he had a firm grasp of power and control, he showed
us what a weak person he really was. It
seems that at one point, Herod was willing to listen to John's proclamation of
God's word, but Herod cared more about the world, which silenced God's word. Perhaps
we can ask ourselves today: what are the messages of our world that silence the
word of God within us?
The
martyrdom of John the Baptist has a message for all of us. In
the midst of the reality of our lives, God’s word speaks to us and tries to
take root in our lives. We
can all be messengers of God's word in all that we say and do. We
can bring God's word and God's love to others, no matter what is going on in
our lives. Sometimes
living out our faith boldly is not comfortable or easy for us to do. But we are asked to stand in solidarity
with Christ, to stand in solidarity with John the Baptist and all the community
of saints. They
prepared the way of faith for us. We are
to help prepare the way of faith for others.
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