Every August 29, the Catholic Church commemorates the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist, precursor of Jesus Christ, called to prepare the ways of the Lord: “I am the voice that cries in the desert: ‘make straight the way of the Lord’, as the prophet said Isaiah” (Jn 1, 23).
John, cousin of Jesus, was sentenced to death for having announced the truth of the Messiah and denouncing those behaviors of the people of Israel that offended God.
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Ancient and deep veneration
Saint John the Baptist is the only saint whose birth (June 24) and his death (August 29) are celebrated, which occurred through martyrdom.
Pope Benedict XVI, in the general audience of August 29, 2012, recalled that the memory (of the martyrdom) of John the Baptist “goes back to the dedication of a crypt in Sebaste, in Samaria, where already in the middle of the 4th century his head was venerated. The cult of him later spread to Jerusalem, to the Churches of the East and to Rome, with the title of ‘Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.'”
Then, the Pontiff added: “In the Roman Martyrology, reference is made to a second discovery of the precious relic, transported, for the occasion, to the church of San Silvestre in Campo Marzio, in Rome. These small historical references help us understand how ancient and deep the veneration of Saint John the Baptist is.”
The story of martyrdom
The account of the martyrdom of John the Baptist is found in the Gospel of Saint Mark: “Herod had ordered John the Baptist to be taken prisoner, and had taken him chained to prison, because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philippi, with whom Herod had gone to live in a free union. Because John told Herod: ‘He is not allowed to go live with his brother’s wife.’ Herodias had a great hatred for John the Baptist for this and wanted to have him killed, but He could not because Herod had a deep respect for John and considered him a holy man, and he protected him and when he heard him speak he remained thoughtful and fearful, and listened to him with pleasure” (Mk 6, 17 – 29).
The day came when Herod offered a banquet to the tribunes and leaders of Galilee for his birthday. During the party, Herodias’ daughter appeared to dance and Herod was so pleased with the young woman’s dance that he promised her that she would fulfill any wish she had. That is why she, at the suggestion of her perverse mother, asked for the head of John the Baptist. Herod felt sorry for John, whom he listened to with pleasure, but he did not have the courage to reject the request nor did he want to be compromised in front of his guests. After a while, Juan’s head was given to him on a tray.
Saint John the Baptist, martyr of truth
Benedict XVI, in the audience mentioned above (2012), added: “Today the Church celebrates the memory of the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist, the precursor of Jesus, who testifies with his blood his fidelity to the commandments of God. His life teaches us “that when existence is based on prayer, on a constant and solid relationship with God, we acquire the courage to allow Christ to guide our thoughts and our actions.”
Furthermore, he stressed that “celebrating the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist also reminds us, Christians of our time, that we cannot descend to negotiate with the love of Christ, his Word, the Truth. The Truth is truth and not there are compromises.”
“The Christian life demands, so to speak, the ‘martyrdom’ of daily fidelity to the Gospel, that is, the courage to let Christ grow in us and be the one who guides our thoughts and our actions. But this can only happen in our lives if the relationship with God is solid. Prayer is not wasted time, it is not stealing space from activities, even apostolic ones, but it is exactly the opposite: only if we are capable of a life of faithful prayer, constant and confident, it will be God himself who will give us the capacity and strength to live in a happy and serene way, to overcome difficulties and bear witness to it with courage. May Saint John the Baptist intercede for us, so that we always know how to maintain primacy. of God in our lives,” added the then Pope.
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If you want to delve deeper into the life of Saint John the Baptist, we recommend this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Juan_el_Bautista.
Central Editorial
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