Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist
August 29, 2020
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Mark 6:17-29
Mark’s description of the martyrdom of the prophet John the Baptist is powerful. John was the greatest of all the prophets as stated by his cousin Jesus. And John was the first one to come to the Jews in over 400 years. His role was to prepare the people for the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus would come to John for baptism at the beginning of his ministry and John would urge his listeners to repent and respond to Jesus’ words.
John’s death at the hand of the fickle King Herod was a tragedy and one that only emphasized John’s dedication and fidelity to his vocation as prophet. The role of prophets such as John was one that required great faith in view of their role to challenge religious and civil leaders. In the Old Testament prophets were often persecuted because they spoke God’s truth to the people. The same is true of real prophets even today. Unfortunately, there is no lack of false prophets in our society.
