Today we celebrate what is technically called a “privileged memorial,” not quite a feast day but celebrated with a little more solemnity than an obligatory memorial. We recall that St. John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed by Herod because of his preaching.
St. John the Baptist is one of those biblical characters that is caught in the middle. He is often seen as a bridge between the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the Christian Scriptures (New Testament). His characterization by the evangelists is similar to the prophets Elijah and Jeremiah. The Gospel record the high esteem that Jesus had for John: I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he (Luke 7:28). Despite this praise, it is tempered by the fact that he does not enjoy the privilege of witnessing the redemptive passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.
We do not refer to St. John as a martyr although we do wear the color red on this memorial. Martyrs follow in the footsteps of Jesus who gave his life for us. In actuality, John did not die for his faith in Jesus, the one distinguishing characteristic of all Christian martyrs.
At the same time, we cannot escape the tremendous witness that St. John gives through his life and preaching. In today’s parlance, he would be called “the opening act.” He prepares us for what is to come, the mystery of faith in Jesus, God made flesh.
The Gospel of St. John the Evangelist presents us with a picture of John the Baptist that is slightly different than the picture we get from the synoptic Gospels. St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke focus on John as the Baptist. St. John the Evangelist focuses rather in the fact that John is a witness to the light that God has sent into the world in the form of his only begotten Son. He points his own disciples in the direction of Jesus and bids them go to follow him: The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” (John 1:35-36)
This verse from the Gospel of St. John is actually the one that inspires me the most. Human beings, myself included, tend to want a share of the spotlight. Yet John models the kind of behavior that every Christian should employ; namely, to put the emphasis on Jesus. I am reminded of an incident early in the pontificate of Pope Francis. As the people kept chanting “Francesco, Francesco,” he asked them to chant “Gesu, Gesu.” I have mentioned it before but never tire of saying it: we must remember that it is God’s name that we pray and God’s Kingdom that we build. Our lives are about God, not about us.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator