Today being the The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist I do wonder what progressives think of this great saint. After all he is one who dared to criticize a politician and even went farther and asked him to repent of his irregular marriage. He also called everybody to repentance while wearing camel fur. I mean how judgmental could a saint get in criticizing a politician for their remarriage and bringing up the fact that people have sins to repent of? Plus his rhetoric calling people a “brood of vipers” and actually calling people to show signs of repentance. Herod Antipas himself was sensitive to Jewish tradition and his coins carried no image and like his father he did a lot of building which must have been a stimulus package for the local economy. He was not as cruel as his father, so this John the Baptist guy really should have been quiet about his flaws. You can easily imagine what a writer at America Magazine or National Catholic Reporter would say about an equivalent John the Baptist today. I mean the guy was not into modern ecumenism at all going around baptizing people and preparing them for Christ.
Though as a pundit blogger I must also remember that John the Baptist started his ministry after years in the wilderness spent in pray and fasting. He was able to recognize Christ and see the sign of the Holy Spirit. We must recognize Christ in others and remember that whatever we do for others we do for him We must not be a stumbling block to others in coming to Christ so that they too will have the sign of the Holy Spirit by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and recognize God as their father. We also must decrease while Christ increases.
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Sadly fitting we are celebrating this Great Feast Day on a day when a manifest grave sinner is being (de facto) canonized . . . one who would make Herod blush. And yes, the protoMartyr was not beheaded because he was being asked to deny Christ: only not to open his mouth against the sin of Herod.
O Dear St. John, please pray for a Church that has lost it’s prophetic voice – even, by actions by it’s faithful and it’s ministers, has appeared to a times be espousing an anti-Gospel.
Lord Jesus, have Mercy on us. St. John the Baptist, PLEASE pray for us!
Amen to that. I too was reflecting on the irony that Kennedy’s funeral is being held on the feast of the beheading of St. John the Baptist. He had the courage to speak moral truth to the king, and was martyred for it. I pray that our bishops today will show the same courage as St. John–even if it leads to martyrdom.
and dear Sister, add to that the sad irony of Mr. Schindler’s passing away last night. God rest his soul.
And, may the Lord have mercy on the one who made it ironic: the man being laid to rest today with full honors was behind the Senate drive to deprive Terri of food and water.
It’s almost to much to bear.
BHee0d I want to say – thank you for this!