For it is I this day who have made you a fortified city, A pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land: against Judah's kings and princes, against its priests and people. They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.
Prepared as he was, John the Baptist was not one to back away from opposition. From his miraculous conception through his remarkable birth and his sojourn in the desert, living on locust, honey and river water, he had anticipated trouble. He could not be bothered with fashionable clothing or courtly manners, he had to measure the depth of God's anger against His Holy People, and announce the Coming Messiah.
So when his remarks about Herod's suspected murder of his brother and his marriage to the widowed sister-in-law offended the intemperate governor, the Baptist was not surprised to see the soldiers' coming to arrest him. If it weren't his denunciation of adultery it would be something else to arouse the king's anger. Nor would a pillar of iron, a wall of brass disintegrate in a darkened dungeon. On the contrary, it would remain as a silent rebuke, a noxious cloud permeating Herod's fetid atmosphere.
Like Saint Thomas More, John the Baptist died in testimony against divorce and adultery. The Church's teachings on marriage are not as central to our faith as the doctrines of the Trinity, Incarnation, and Eucharist but they don't stick in the public craw like the intensely personal matters of sexuality. Few martyrs go to their death over the deepest, most sacred mysteries. The world with its tainted institutions feels no threat from abstruse theology. But matters like marriage, religious liberty and welcome to refugees -- these generate disturbing vibrations throughout the world's brittle systems.
Autocrats cannot admit but always know that their grip on power is tenuous. They don't like conversation, fear controversy, and hate criticism. Herod grew purple when he heard, ""It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." He granted no one the right to make personal remarks, even as he made a public fool of himself.
Not much has changed about human nature since the day John was beheaded. We still practice our faith and testify to our beliefs. Our practice of marriage and teachings about it have not change despite centuries of romantic nonsense and political expedience. This is because the model of marriage is not Adam and Eve but the Lord and his Church. This teaching is not the distillation of human experience but a revelation of divine purpose. Cultural anthropologist tell us marriage has had many forms, from monogamy to polygamy to sologamy and beyond. There is room for adultery and murder in its varied history. That's all very fascinating; it might in some circles be entertaining. But those stories cannot hold a candle to the beauty and dignity of God's revelation.
Martyrs profess that mystery with the witness of their lives.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.