Intro to the day: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” –St. John the Baptist (John 3:30)
Today is Friday, the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist. We are praying for the faculty, staff, and families of St. Joseph's Catholic School in Lucinda, PA
In the Gospel, we hear an account of St. John the Baptist’s martyrdom.
Daily Psalm: Psalm 51
Gospel: Mark 6:17-29
Saint of the Day: Beheading of Saint John the Baptist - from a homily by Saint Bede the Venerable on the death of John the Baptist
There is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life for him. His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he should keep silent about the truth. Nevertheless, he died for Christ. Does Christ not say: "I am the truth"? Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died for Christ. Through his birth, preaching and baptizing, he bore witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of Christ, and by his own suffering he showed that Christ also would suffer. Such was the quality and strength of the man who accepted the end of this present life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment. He preached the freedom of heavenly peace, yet was thrown into irons by ungodly men. He was locked away in the darkness of prison, though he came bearing witness to the Light of life and deserved to be called a bright and shining lamp by that Light itself, which is Christ. To endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy burden for such men as John; rather is was easily borne and even desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward. Since death was ever at hand, such men considered it a blessing to embrace it and thus gain the reward of eternal life by acknowledging Christ's name. Hence the apostle Paul rightly says: "You have been granted the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake." He tells us why it is Christ's gift that his chosen ones should suffer for him: "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us."
Reflection: St. John the Baptist was willing to give up his life to defend the sanctity of marriage. Most people forget this really important part of his story. They know that he was in jail, they know he was beheaded, but what was it for? Defending marriage. Isn’t amazing that Jesus first miracle is at the Wedding Feast of Cana, and that the first martyr, other than the Holy Innocents, gave his life to defend marriage. What are we being told here? In the beginning, God instituted marriage between man and woman. In the beginning the foundation of our lives with God rested on this. Marriage is the building block of any culture. In order for us to truly inspire the children in our care, we need to spend more time talking about marriage the way it was intended by God. God designed marriage to help us know His love for us. He designed it to let us know that He does not want us to be alone, that He trusts us in creation, and that He loves us so much that He wants to be united to us. In Heaven, we are perfectly united to Christ. It is the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Instead of avoiding what can be a difficult topic as our culture shifts, we should lean more and more into the nature of what God is doing and how holy marriages help provide a reflection of the Trinitarian love of God.
Let’s take time in our prayers today to pray for holy marriages. If in these prayers you feel compelled to reach out to a couple in need, do so. If in these prayers you feel compelled to thank a couple you know for their witness, do so.
Marian prayer for the day: O Mother of my God, and my Lady Mary - St. Alphonsus de Liguori
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