Saturday of 17th week even numbered year

« Now it was Herod who had arrested John, chained him up and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. For John had told him ’It is against the Law for you to have her’ He had wanted to kill him but was afraid of the people, who regarded John as a prophet. »

We are offered the humility of ’the friend of the Bridegroom’ through John the Baptist who loved Jesus, his Lord, more than he loved himself.

His wish was ’to diminish’ so that He, Jesus ’would increase’.

John the Baptist’s greatness lies in his humility. He placed Jesus above himself, with love’s own haste, Jesus who was the humblest of all creatures. He declared he was unworthy to undo the thong of his sandals.

Unfortunately John the Baptist’s story will be repeated well after John the Baptist had gone. Numerous Saints martyrs would have preferred to die rather than deny the truths they adhered to and believed.

Whoever believes in God cannot deny the teaching received from God without denying his very self. It isn’t possible to separate our faith from how we live and what we do. Following John the Baptist we make no pact with lies. We are of a ’Royal race’ through the Love burning in our hearts.

The royal dimension of our life is God’s infinite Love burning within our hearts. Our heart watches, for God’s work to be done on this earth, in our own lives and in that of our people.

"Then during the celebrations for Herod’ birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and so delighted Herod that he promised an oath to give her anything she asked. Prompted by her mother she said ’Give me John the Baptist’s head.

The end of John the Baptist’s life is a dramatic one, his witness of truth is done in circumstances that are revolting.

We ask for the grace to be faithful as John the Baptist was, to be faithful to Truth, at each moment, whatever the circumstances might be like.

In the history of John the Baptist’s martyrdom there is so much darkness around him. John the Baptist announces Jesus’ Passion, he is faithful to his vocation as Prophet’. He remains in the Light.

Our path is a path of Light indicating where the Truth is because it is a path of Love.

As prophets, we have a mission to be a light of Jesus. Our brothers need this rectitude in order to find contact and strength so as to walk towards God.

« The head as brought in on a dish and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took the body and buried it ; then they went off to tell Jesus. »

John the Baptist is sacrificed to a perverse machination, the fruit of vengeance.

We follow Jesus so as to find his example, all this gift we are in need of to accomplish our mission.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, in following him, we become a path one for one another, remaining in the Love of God who fashioned us.

John prepared the way for Jesus, the Redeemer in the desert. He was judged worthy of baptising Jesus Son of God. With the Holy Spirit, John the Baptist fought until death for Truth and he was the precursor of Jesus Christ even until those places of death. He was a martyr of Christ Jesus before His Passion took place.