Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

 Lectionary: 428/634

He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

As Saint Paul wrote his letters to the Corinthians he had already learned to expect challenges, trials, and insurmountable problems. He typically traveled from one Jewish enclave to another; Jews in the diaspora were always happy to hear news of Jerusalem and of other synagogues. But, even as the leaders recognized his credentials they were astonished by his message. Many had expected a Messiah to appear in their lifetime, but they were not prepared to hear of the messiah's crucifixion, death, and resurrection. And they certainly didn't expect to share in this mysterious character's life and death by a drastically altered liturgy. 

When a separation between ancient Judaism and this emergent Christianity became necessary, most Jews and their leaders took the wider path. They would stick with the familiar, predictable, and comfortable. Although Paul, the young, eager missionary, had expected all Judaism to enthusiastically welcome the Good News as he had, opposition and harassment persuaded him that the separation was inevitable. And if violence was never necessary, it was woven into the entire story. 

Today we celebrate the passion of Saint John the Baptist. The word invokes the more familiar "passion of our Lord Jesus Christ," and reminds us that, although Jesus had not yet been crucified or raised from the dead, John's death was in service of the Truth, which is another word for gospel. If he was murdered specifically because of his objections to the marriage of Herod Antipas's murder of his own brother so he might marry his sister in law, Herodias, John was nonetheless God's servant and prophet. He spoke the truth to power and that is never a safe path. 

The Catholic Church today finds itself in the peculiar situation of being powerful by the loyalty of millions of Catholics and the respect of many Protestants, while having little direct authority in the secular realms of government, business, the arts, or entertainment. The bishops can oppose the legalization of abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia, and nuclear arms but people in the pews follow their own advice. There are few single-issue voters who respond to every bishop's call to support one or another policy. And incumbents and candidates for office are like their constituents. Those who run on a single issue cannot expect to win elections or remain in office. 

And so the Church, immersed as it is in this world, also needs prophets and the message they bear. As Saint Stephen reminded his opponents, God has never stopped selecting courageous men and women to speak for him, and they have never been greeted with joy. 

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law as transmitted by angels, but you did not observe it. (Acts 7:51-53)

That prophetic spirit remains with the Church in many ways. Even the clergy's oaths of obedience to their bishops allows a place for prophecy, along with the freedom afforded by clerical celibacy and the bishops' ownership of all church properties. A bishop may support an unpopular pastor in a difficult parish if he believes the priest is speaking the truth. The parishioners, of course, may choke off their financial support or vote with their feet. They might decide to attend other Catholic churches, Protestant churches, or none at all. 

But so long as the Truth is served, a remnant will remain. If no one seems to win this contest, and the suffering is very real on all sides, we can hope that God's purposes are being served and the Truth will prevail in its time. 

It was not immediately clear that Saint John the Baptist had won the contest with Herod and Herodias. The ghastly appearance of his severed head during an evening meal might have spoiled a lot of appetites but how did it serve God's purpose? 

Many years later a triumphant church, able to build churches and declare feast days, could lift up the Saint (with his head restored) to celebrate his vindication and victory. As we do today. For God's truth will prevail, and "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."