Today is August 29, the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist.
We read at today’s Mass, “Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him” (Mk 6:19-20).
The account of John the Baptist’s martyrdom is one of the most gripping narratives in the Gospels. John is imprisoned for speaking the truth to Herod, who had taken his brother’s wife. What is striking, however, is the detail Mark includes: Herod “liked to listen” to John. Despite being convicted by John’s words, Herod was intrigued. He sensed the truth, but he lacked the courage to follow it.
St. John Chrysostom, preaching on this passage, noted Herod’s enslavement to his passions. So great was his attachment to pleasure and power that he handed over his kingdom for the dancing of Herodias’s daughter, and eventually, in weakness, consented to John’s death. Chrysostom’s sharp words remain a warning: it is all too easy, even today, to know the truth but to allow our passions to rule us, giving away our integrity for fleeting pleasures.
Courage and sacrifice
Herod shows us the tragedy of a heart that listens but does not convert. Interest in truth is not enough. The Gospel demands a choice. John the Baptist gave his life for that truth. He reminds us that fidelity to God’s word requires more than fascination; it requires courage and sacrifice.
On this memorial of his passion, we pray for the strength to resist the Herod within us — the parts of our hearts that would rather cling to comfort than embrace conversion. May John’s steadfast witness inspire us to choose truth over compromise and virtue over passion, even when the cost is great.
Let us pray,
O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist should go ahead of your Son both in his birth and in his death, grant that, as he died a Martyr for truth and justice, we, too, may fight hard for the confession of what you teach. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
