The Passion of St. John the Baptist

Today’s monument of the Passion of St. John the Baptist is one of the strongest testimonies that the Bible offers us. It serves as a reminder of how high a price of faithfulness to the truth can be, and how truth can irritate and unsettle those who live in sin. The Gospel of St. Mark shows us a dramatic scene. Herod suspects in his conscience that John is a „righteous and holy man“. Nevertheless, under pressure from Herodias and out of false pride, he issues an execution order in front of his guests, and John the Baptist’s head ends up in a bowl. 

It is an eloquent image of a world that hates the truth because it takes away the illusion of comfort. John the Baptist does not retreat. Says things as they are: „You are not allowed to have your brother’s wife“. He knew he was taking a risk, but he didn’t budge. Like the prophet Jeremiah, of whom we hear in the first reading, John was sent to „speak all that the Lord commands him“ regardless of the consequences. And that is a challenge for us too. In today’s world, where truth is often relativized and replaced by convenient „proper opinions“, the testimony of John the Baptist is uncomfortable but necessary. We need prophets who will remind us that not everything lawful is morally right. That truth is not a matter for the majority. John the Baptist was not afraid to be a voice calling in the desert, even though it was a spiritual, inhospitable, sinful, and selfish desert. 

It is good to ask myself today: what would I be willing to sacrifice my life for? Is there anything so solid and accurate about me that I would pay the highest price for it? Or will I, like Herod, be seduced by the pressure of the environment, the image before others, the fear of ridicule? 

There was a priest in a communist country who refused to erase the name of Christ from his sermon, even though he was threatened with prison for it. People advised him: „Say it differently, use a metaphor, be wise“. He replied: „ If I remain silent, they will call stones“. He was arrested, imprisoned, but became a conscience for thousands of people. His words bore fruit years later, as did John’s testimony. 

Brothers and sisters, John the Baptist is a role model for anyone who tries to live truthfully. His death was not in vain; it was a sown seed of truth that cannot die. And his reward? Not in the recognition of men, but in the eternal glory in heaven. Let us ask today that our mouths also „ tell of God’s justice“ (Ps 71), that our conscience remains sensitive, that we dare to be true – with love, but adamantly. Because where there is truth, there is Christ. And where Christ is, there is eternal life.