The martyrdom of John foreshadows Christ’s death
Letting only Jesus shine forth
THE MARTYRDOM of Saint John the Baptist, which we commemorate today, took place while Jesus was preaching in Galilee. John had tried to awaken Herod to his own depravity and the immorality of living with Herodias, his brother’s wife. Although John warned him publicly and repeatedly about his conduct, we don’t know the exact words he used; what we do know is that Herod considered him a “righteous and holy man” and that he “heard him gladly” (Mk 6:20). In any case, he had decided to imprison John. On the occasion of the king’s birthday, Herodias’s daughter danced before the guests. Herod was so delighted that he promised to grant her whatever she requested. Urged on by her mother, she asked for the Baptist’s head. Much against his will, because he found him an interesting man, Herod had him beheaded. According to tradition, John was imprisoned in the fortress of Machaerus, near the Dead Sea, and it was there that he was beheaded. Later, his disciples buried him in Sebaste, in Samaria.
A Father of the Church said, referring to the Baptist: “He was locked away in the darkness of prison, though he came bearing witness to the Light of life and deserved to be called a bright and shining lamp by the Light itself, Christ. John was baptized in his own blood, though he had been privileged to baptize the Redeemer of the world.” And St. Bede adds: “he preceded Christ in his birth, in his preaching, and in his baptism; and through his martyrdom, which preceded Christ’s, he announced the future passion of the Lord.”[1]
John is known as the Precursor or Forerunner because his faithful witness to the truth (cf. Jn 5:33) led him to anticipate Jesus in both his life and death. John’s mission is so closely linked to Christ’s that in the Roman calendar he is the only saint whose birth, on June 24, and death are both commemorated. Thus the Church bears witness to our Lord’s words that “among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:11). On the day of his martyrdom, we can ask him to help us too to be “forerunners” of Jesus, proclaiming to others that there is no greater joy than to live and give one’s life for Him.
A FEW MONTHS before his martyrdom, shortly after our Lord’s Baptism, John told his disciples that his mission was coming to an end: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). The time had come to step aside so that Jesus could take center stage. The tone of John’s discourse is imbued with peace; he even goes so far as to declare without hesitation, “My joy is now complete” (Jn 3:29). His joy was being the friend of the bridegroom and hearing his voice (cf. Jn 3:29), seeing our Lord preaching the Kingdom and people kneeling before the Son of God.
Like John the Baptist, we too may find that people sometimes admire us when we broaden their horizons in their relationship with God. This isn’t surprising: since we are sharing something that helps them find the path to happiness, it’s only natural that they look upon us with appreciation. In fact, it’s also good to remember with gratitude all those who have helped us take our first steps in the faith: parents, siblings, priests, friends, teachers…
But when we help someone to grow in their life of faith, we are not the protagonists in this shared treasure. “May only Jesus shine forth,”[2] Saint Josemaría often urged. The foundation of evangelizing zeal is always to make our Lord better known. An apostle does not seek to be the center of attention. The goal is always to help others “to seek Christ, to find Christ, to have a personal relationship with Christ, to follow Christ, to love Christ, to remain with Christ.”[3] This is what John the Baptist did. Little by little, his role diminished in importance as his followers discovered Jesus. And although, humanly speaking, his efforts might be seen as a failure (after stirring up the admiration of the crowds, he ended up dying alone in prison), in reality he had triumphed, since he had enabled many men and women to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
“THE CELEBRATION of the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist also reminds us today that we cannot accept compromises in our love for Christ, for his Word, for the Truth.”[4] Today’s Gospel presents us, on the one hand, with Herod, incapable of being loyal to his beliefs; although he knew John was a righteous man, he was afraid of looking weak before his guests and Herodias’s daughter. Hence he betrayed his own convictions and ended up doing something he didn’t truly desire: putting the Baptist to death. Although he could not change his heart and listened to John gladly, he also could not change the course of events when others demanded the Baptist’s head. In contrast, John is presented to us as someone willing to die for the truth. By contemplating the Baptist’s life, and especially our Lord’s, we discover that the truth is linked to the Cross. The truth often challenges us and “is in no way cheap. It is demanding, and it burns. Jesus’ message also includes the challenge we see in his struggle with his contemporaries . . . Whoever is not willing to let himself be burned, whoever is not ready to accept this, will not draw close to Him either.”[5]
Truth, goodness, and beauty are closely linked and go hand in hand with love. We Christians are called to make the truth lovable, bearing courageous witness to our faith, showing that we are happier living in the truth than trying to avoid it. “When you embark on the apostolate, be convinced that it is always about making people happy, very happy: the truth is inseparable from authentic joy.”[6] Showing how loveable is the truth is a good definition of the apostolate, which harmonizes love, truth, and goodness. A truth stripped of love is unpleasant, and many might even see it as unattainable. Saint Josemaría said that a Christian’s zeal “should never be wounding. His example should never be an arrogant moral slap in his neighbor’s face;” rather it should be “a burning ember that spreads fire wherever it is,”[7] sowing both peace and joy. We can ask the Virgin Mary to put in our hearts the same passion for the truth that led John to joyfully give his life to defend it.
[1] Saint Bede, Homilies 2,23.
[2] Saint Josemaría, The Forge, no. 624.
[3] Saint Josemaría, Letter 7, no. 12.
[4] Benedict XVI, Audience, 30 August 2012.
[5] Joseph Ratzinger, God and the World, Barcelona 2011, 209-211.
[6] Saint Josemaría, Furrow, no. 185.
[7] Saint Josemaría, The Forge, no. 570, 578.