The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
Saturday of week 21 in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Mark 6:17-29
In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist gives the ultimate testimony to the truth of God’s love by refusing to remain silent before Herod’s wrongdoing, even when fidelity costs him his life. From the beginning, John’s entire mission was to point away from himself and toward Christ: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” In this sense, his martyrdom becomes the fullest expression of his witness, a life completely given so that God’s truth and love may be known. Opposed to this love stands selfishness: Herodias protects her resentment, Herod protects his reputation before his guests, and a terrible injustice follows. Selfishness always asks, “What must I protect for myself?” while love asks, “What does truth require of me, and what can I give?” John shows us that genuine love cannot be separated from truth, because love seeks the true good of the other even when speaking that truth is costly. His death may appear to be the triumph of selfishness, but in reality his witness continues to speak long after the voices of his persecutors have disappeared. The Gospel invites us to examine whether our choices are shaped by self-protection or by self-giving love. Whenever we overcome selfishness and courageously choose truth, sacrifice, and the good of another, our lives too become a testimony to the love of God. Let’s reflect: When truth and love demand a sacrifice from me, do I protect myself through selfishness, or do I have the courage, like John the Baptist, to make my life a testimony to God’s love?
Don Giorgio