THE PASSION OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

We celebrate the memorial of The Passion of St. John the Baptist on August 29. The life of St. John the Baptist is indeed very dramatic. Even in his mother’s womb, he leapt when Mary greeted Elizabeth at the Visitation. At his birth, there was the choice of his name which restored the power of speech of his father Zechariah, and which also left the astonished neighbors wondering what he would grow to be. His appearance at the river Jordan preaching repentance and baptizing people earned him the reputation of “the Baptist” and he even baptized Jesus. He had an illustrious ministry. Yet in essence, St. John the Baptist was a prophet and his greatest deed as a prophet was to point out Jesus as the Lamb of God. And as a prophet, he had to fulfill his mission by proclaiming the ways of the Lord and pointing out sin and evil and calling for repentance and conversion. For that St. John the Baptist paid the price when he pointed out Herod’s sin, and for that he was captured and imprisoned in Herod’s fortress. For a great prophet like St. John the Baptist who had such a dramatic and illustrious life and ministry, his death seemed so humiliating. Yet, today, we the Church honor him for his faithfulness to God and for his courage to accept and fulfill the mission of being God’s prophet. Let us be faithful to God and be courageous to fulfill the mission of Christ in our lives. God Bless! Father Maria Joseph Kodiganti