YEAR B: HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME. MEMORIAL OF THE PASSION OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST (1)

YEAR B: HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME. MEMORIAL OF THE PASSION OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

HOMILY THEME: CAN TRUTH BE REALLY SILENCED BY KILLING THE MESSENGER?

BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon

HOMILY:

(Mk. 6:1-29) Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist

In today’s Gospel, the Passion of St. John the Baptist, we have the account of his beheading. It was a short stint for John but he fulfilled his mission of preparing the way of the Lord. His death was tragic because it was the prize for a dance of a girl whose mother had some axe to grind against John. John accused Herodias, the mother of the girl, of having an illicit relationship with the king who was the brother of her husband. Herodias took the opportunity to eliminate John to silence him.

Can truth be really silenced by killing the messenger! History shows it cannot. Christianity even progressed after the death of Jesus. The Filipinos became more courageous and vocal at the death of Ninoy Aquino. The Philippine revolution became mire intensed at the death of Jose Rizal. Tyrants, dictators, despots, and other abusive leaders never learned their lesson. The truth comes alive when messengers are silenced. That is the life and call of the Christian. To proclaim the Good News without fear is part of the mission and vocation of every baptized. We tremble in fear for that call. But God will give us the grace to go through those challenges. Like the saints, we have the grace to fight and die for the faith. While we will not all be called to die for the faith, to die for oneself is a must.

As we remember St. John the Baptist and all the Christians who offered their lives for the faith, let us pray for today’s Christians to respond to the call to proclaim the Good News at whatever cost.