Homily: Feast of the Passion of St. John the Baptist

Feast of the Passion of St. John the Baptist (Mk 6:17-29) “What is a Passion Experience?”

The Feast of the Passion of St. John the Baptist was referred to as the Feast of the Martyrdom of John the Baptist in the past. Why this subtle change?

The Passion is usually a reference to the suffering and death of Jesus. We remember the Passion of Jesus starting with his agony in the garden and ending with his death on the cross. Catholic piety reflects a lot on the last hours of Jesus’ life. Perhaps we admire what Jesus endured out of love for all believers.

But there may be a difficulty with that because we can distance ourselves from the suffering Jesus went through. We can forget that Jesus said, “We must take up our cross and follow him.”

Some would say that St. Stephen was the first martyr in church history. Others would say that John the Baptist was. John, it is thought, died because of his connection to Jesus. He was preparing the way for Jesus’ mission when he was murdered by King Herod. He would not change his message to save his life. His commitment to his faith was unwavering.

This has been the story throughout the history of the church. Men and women have died rather than to deny they were loyal to Jesus. We have had martyrs for the faith, and we have had what have been called martyrs of charity.

I have just read a book about Fr. Stanly Rother who was a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. He died in the last century in Guatemala. He was a parish priest there ministering to indigenous peoples. He could have saved his life if he had left his parish. But he would not, and government agents killed him.

The Passion of John the Baptist reminds us that all of us will have our personal passion at some point. The question is whether we can remain faithful.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Do I know someone who has had a personal passion experience? Who was it?

2.   How was John the Baptist’s passion like Jesus’? Can I think of other saints who had a personal passion?

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Dear Parishioners,

            This weekend we will be celebrating Labor Day. On Sunday we will have our outdoor Mass. On Monday there will be a Mass at 8 a.m. This holiday closes our summer season. Where has the time gone?

            We have been made aware of how important work is during these last few weeks as several of our parishioners have been laid off from John Deere. This is a trying time for some in our midst. Our hope is that those who have lost jobs will find new ones.

            Monday would be a good time for all of us to join in prayer for those who have been affected by unemployment.

            May our Lady pray for all of us today,

            Fr. Mark