The Passion of St. John the Baptist

Homily for the Memorial of the Passion of John the Baptist

Today, we celebrate the “privileged” memorial of the passion of St. John the Baptist. (A privileged memorial has a “proper” Gospel text.) St. Mark’s account of John’s death calls to mind several stories from the Hebrew Scriptures, such as the conflict between Jezebel and Elijah and the promise made to Esther at a king’s banquet. However, the story of John’s arrest and execution also points forward to Jesus’ death.

In today’s Gospel text, we hear that King Herod considered John to be a righteous and holy man and enjoyed listening to him speak. When Herodias’ daughter asks for the head of John the Baptist, Herod is deeply distressed. Yet, despite his personal opinions about John, Herod cannot break his oath to the girl in front of his guests. Herod sends John to be executed in order to save face, much as Pilate will send Jesus to be crucified in order to satisfy the crowds. At the end of the story, John’s disciples take his body and lay it in a tomb. So will Christ’s disciples do after his crucifixion.

In his life, as in his death, John the Baptist pointed to Christ. St. Mark’s account is a reminder that prophetic figures – those who speak the truth to power – can expect to suffer and even die when the people in power are more concerned about their reputation than they are about the truth. If we are to follow St. John’s example, we cannot be afraid to speak the truth, to stand up against injustice even when it costs us. This is a daunting task, but as St. Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, God is faithful. In Christ, we had every spiritual gift we need to keep our faith firm to the end.