Today is the feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. As I listened to the Gospel at Mass today (Mark 6:17-29), I was struck by the fact that, although John was known primarily for his role as the precursor to the Messiah, Jesus, he wasn't ultimately killed because of his witness to Jesus. It isn't clear if Herod at the time that John was arrested even knew who Jesus was, since just a few verses earlier it says that when Herod heard of Jesus, his first reaction was that He was John the Baptist raised from the dead.
No, John the Baptist was persecuted and ultimately killed because of his courageous witness to God's truth regarding sexual morality.
In Herod and Herodias we see two different reactions to John's message, reactions that are common today. Herodias rejected his message; more than that, she resented him so much for even saying it that she wanted to kill him.
On the other hand, Herod knew that John was a righteous and holy man and liked listening to him, despite the fact that John was telling him he needed to repent. So even though John was speaking a hard word to him, he must have been doing it in such a way that Herod wasn't put off, that Herod somehow sensed that John was motivated by a selfless desire to see him made right with God, that is, by love. Perhaps John preached, as his father Zechariah had predicted at his birth, not just repentance, but forgiveness and the tender mercy of God (see Luke 1:76-79). Perhaps it was that same message of repentance combined with mercy that caused so many to come to John to be baptized as a sign of their turning away from their sin.
Dear Lord, teach us how to live holy lives and speak the truth with love as John did, knowing that some, like Herodias, will reject both the message and the messenger, but that others, even if only a few, will hear and turn to You for salvation.
