Word to the Wise
Saturday, August 29, 2020 - Aug. 29 - The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist
[Jer 1:17-19 and Mark 6:17-29]"I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist." [Mark]
AUGUST 29 THE PASSION OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST
With those words, spoken by a dancing girl, the life of John the Baptist was ended. The liturgical powers-that-be decided not long ago that the traditional title of the feast, "The Beheading of John the Baptist," was not noble enough, so they changed it to the "Passion of St. John the Baptist." That certainly had no impact on the event itself!
John the Baptist confronted Herod over his marriage to Herodias, who had previously been married to one of Herod's half-brothers. This was prohibited in the Law of Moses [Leviticus 18:16, 20-21]. Naturally, the lady in question was not pleased to be the subject of public criticism and looked for a chance to get rid of the source of that criticism. When her daughter was given a drunken promise at a public banquet, the opportunity came.
The Gospel According to Mark makes it clear that the religious authorities of Jesus' time resented his ministry and his attitude toward their understanding of the Law of Moses. This resentment resulted in their manipulating the Roman authorities into killing Jesus. Thus, the story of the death of John the Baptist takes on the color of Jesus' own death.
Resentment can be a powerful emotion, as this story indicates, and all of us can identify the feeling at one time or another. It can lead us to do some very destructive things. Learning to watch for it in ourselves can be a sobering challenge. Maybe thinking of the head of John the Baptist on a platter can help us think twice! AMEN
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