Information about the Memorial of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist[1]
Readings for the Memorial of the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Thes 2:9-1
St. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they received from him, not the words of man, but the word of God. He also speaks of the love with which he delivered the message and finally how he rejoices in their ongoing faith.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Psalm 139 is an individual meditation on the omnipresent God who is in all places for all time. The song rejoices that God is always with us, even in the darkest of times.
Gospel Mk 6:17-29
The story of St. John the Baptist life from St. Mark’s Gospel gives a concise picture of St. John’s end. Especially here we note the similarities between the passing of St. John and the passion of Jesus in Mark 15:1-47 . The rationale in both cases was the anger and guilt felt at the truth proclaimed; in the case of John the guilt of Herodias, in the case of Jesus, the Jewish leaders.
Reflection:
As St. Augustine, whose memorial we celebrated yesterday put it:
John appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord himself bears witness, when he speaks of "the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist." Thus he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come.
As we celebrate today the memorial of John’s death, it is fitting to remember how we first met him. He was baby in Elizabeth’s womb who leapt for joy when Mary, the Mother of God, then pregnant with Jesus came to visit. He was the strange holy man, dressed in animal skins, eating honey and locusts (yuck) and proclaiming; “I am a voice crying out in the wilderness.” It is John’s injunction we hear on Ash Wednesday; “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” It was he who first called people to repent and be baptized in the Jordan River.
Today we hear the story of how he ended his ministry and his life. In life he mirrored, somewhat indistinctly, the path Jesus walked. The same is true of his death. He began his ministry calling people to repentance. He ended it the same way. To the very end he was faithful to his mission and his Lord. He was the first person outside Jesus immediate family to recognize him for what and who he was. His death was a great blow to our Lord who knew a great prophet had passed.
It is good for us to hear of the circumstances of John’s passing. The events are plausible and can serve as a stern warning for us. Do we wonder what ever became of Herod, Herodias and Salome? Herod Aggripa and Herodias ended up in exile in Gaul due to family treachery. What became of Salome, history does not record. It is safe to assume that, as merciful as God is, their end was one reserved for those who serve the evil one or listen to his call.
Hear in the story the battle between God and the Devil. First we hear that Herod who imprisoned John did so because Herodias, wife of his brother (and niece) did not like John criticizing the fact that she was living in adultery with the King. This whole chain of events, so cunningly devised to take advantage of human weakness starts with Herodias wanting more power. To get that power Herodias used Herod’s lust as a lever.
Herod’s lust, however, did not completely block his mind from the truth. While he was listening to Herodias about throwing the prophet in the dungeon, he was not going to simply kill him. God did, after all, have a tiny piece of his ear. Herodias, knowing Herod’s weakness, went the next step, throwing her daughter, Salome, in front of her lover. Again, Herod’s lust betrayed him. In his desire, he offered anything to Salome. And, like the dutiful daughter she was, she did her mother’s bidding and asked for John to be beheaded. A sweet chilled, eh?
See how the evil one twists what is good and uses it for evil. See how the ignoble character of greed, ambition, and lust play together for the downfall of all three. Why is this scenario so plausible? It is because those same driving characteristics are so commonly at play in people today. We can easily see ourselves cast into those roles if the circumstances were right. If we turn off the voice of God, we would certainly fall. The less we listen, the closer we dance to the edge.
Just as he did in Jesus day, John calls out to us. He beseeches us to repent and turn away from sin; turn away from greed; turn away from lust, and be faithful to the Gospel. It was for this reason he came and for this noble cause he died.
Readings for the Memorial of the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Thes 2:9-1
St. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they received from him, not the words of man, but the word of God. He also speaks of the love with which he delivered the message and finally how he rejoices in their ongoing faith.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Psalm 139 is an individual meditation on the omnipresent God who is in all places for all time. The song rejoices that God is always with us, even in the darkest of times.
Gospel Mk 6:17-29
The story of St. John the Baptist life from St. Mark’s Gospel gives a concise picture of St. John’s end. Especially here we note the similarities between the passing of St. John and the passion of Jesus in Mark 15:1-47 . The rationale in both cases was the anger and guilt felt at the truth proclaimed; in the case of John the guilt of Herodias, in the case of Jesus, the Jewish leaders.
Reflection:
As St. Augustine, whose memorial we celebrated yesterday put it:
John appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord himself bears witness, when he speaks of "the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist." Thus he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come.
As we celebrate today the memorial of John’s death, it is fitting to remember how we first met him. He was baby in Elizabeth’s womb who leapt for joy when Mary, the Mother of God, then pregnant with Jesus came to visit. He was the strange holy man, dressed in animal skins, eating honey and locusts (yuck) and proclaiming; “I am a voice crying out in the wilderness.” It is John’s injunction we hear on Ash Wednesday; “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” It was he who first called people to repent and be baptized in the Jordan River.
Today we hear the story of how he ended his ministry and his life. In life he mirrored, somewhat indistinctly, the path Jesus walked. The same is true of his death. He began his ministry calling people to repentance. He ended it the same way. To the very end he was faithful to his mission and his Lord. He was the first person outside Jesus immediate family to recognize him for what and who he was. His death was a great blow to our Lord who knew a great prophet had passed.
It is good for us to hear of the circumstances of John’s passing. The events are plausible and can serve as a stern warning for us. Do we wonder what ever became of Herod, Herodias and Salome? Herod Aggripa and Herodias ended up in exile in Gaul due to family treachery. What became of Salome, history does not record. It is safe to assume that, as merciful as God is, their end was one reserved for those who serve the evil one or listen to his call.
Hear in the story the battle between God and the Devil. First we hear that Herod who imprisoned John did so because Herodias, wife of his brother (and niece) did not like John criticizing the fact that she was living in adultery with the King. This whole chain of events, so cunningly devised to take advantage of human weakness starts with Herodias wanting more power. To get that power Herodias used Herod’s lust as a lever.
Herod’s lust, however, did not completely block his mind from the truth. While he was listening to Herodias about throwing the prophet in the dungeon, he was not going to simply kill him. God did, after all, have a tiny piece of his ear. Herodias, knowing Herod’s weakness, went the next step, throwing her daughter, Salome, in front of her lover. Again, Herod’s lust betrayed him. In his desire, he offered anything to Salome. And, like the dutiful daughter she was, she did her mother’s bidding and asked for John to be beheaded. A sweet chilled, eh?
See how the evil one twists what is good and uses it for evil. See how the ignoble character of greed, ambition, and lust play together for the downfall of all three. Why is this scenario so plausible? It is because those same driving characteristics are so commonly at play in people today. We can easily see ourselves cast into those roles if the circumstances were right. If we turn off the voice of God, we would certainly fall. The less we listen, the closer we dance to the edge.
Just as he did in Jesus day, John calls out to us. He beseeches us to repent and turn away from sin; turn away from greed; turn away from lust, and be faithful to the Gospel. It was for this reason he came and for this noble cause he died.
Pax
[1] The picture today is The Beheading of John the Baptist by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1610
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
[1] The picture today is The Beheading of John the Baptist by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1610
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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