Passion of St. John the Baptist Homily

1st Reading: 2 Thes 3:6-10,16-18

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 128:1-2,4-5

Gospel: Mk 6:17-29

Today we celebrate the Passion of Saint John the Baptist which threw the years has also been known as the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist and the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Saint John the Baptist was not put to death because he followed Christ. He was put to death because Herod fell into pride and lust. He was controlled by these passions to the point of losing the sight of reason. He knew that Saint John the Baptist was an innocent man, but his lust for Herodias' daughter was stronger than reason. Herod was put in his place by John the Baptist and this only gave fuel to his pride.

Our own sinfulness often blinds our eyes. Sins of pride and lust remove our ability to reason and to follow the path that we desire to follow. We cannot fall into the same trap that Herod fell into when he lost sight of what was good and followed after the path that led to death. Instead of allowing ourselves to be led astray by vices we need to allow our lives to be conquered by virtue. If we find ourselves blinded by a certain vice we should begin to counteract it with a virtue before things get so out of hand that we begin to feel as if there is no way for us to get out.

We are now at the half way point of our week of prayer. For these past three days we have spent time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. It is here that we can bring all these struggles and find the strength that we need to overcome them. All that we have to do is open ourselves up to Christ and His healing mercy. In our desire to draw closer Christ we known put our passions to rest by coming to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through the confession of sins we are able name our vices and to receive healing, so that we again be strengthened by Christ's Body and Blood.