Saint of the Day – 29 August – The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

Saint of the Day – 29 August

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
By Father Francis Xavier Weninger SJ (1805-1888)

When St John, the Baptist and Precursor of Jesus Christ, of whose miraculous birth we have spoken elsewhere, by divine admonition left the desert, he repaired to the river Jordan, to preach repentance, thus to prepare men for the recognition of the Messiah. The abuses and vices which had crept in among the Jews and had become habitual with them, were rebuked by him without respect to persons. At that period there reigned in Judaea, King Herod, surnamed Antipas, a son of the Herod who murdered the Holy Innocents and a brother of the Herod who clothed Christ with a white garment and derided Him. This King had forcibly carried off Herodias, the wife of his still living brother, Philip and had married her. The whole country was scandalised at this criminal deed but no-one had dared to reproach the King for his unlawful conduct. St John alone would not be silent!

The Gospel says, that Herod was much pleased with St John’s preaching and followed many of his instructions. Hence, the Saint fearlessly approached the King and said to him: “It is not lawful for thee to take thy brother’s wife.” What more he may have said is not mentioned in the Gospel but these few bold words were enough to provoke the King to such a degree and awaken in himsuch hatred that he resolved to rid himself of the severe preacher. Fearing, however, a revolt among the people, who greatly esteemed the Saint, he dared not immediately lay hands on him. The godless Herodias, who felt herself also offended by the reproaches of John, incited the King more and more against the holy man, until she had succeeded in raising him to such wrath that he ordered him to be imprisoned.

The disciples of the Saint, however, went to him in the prison and listened with avidity to his holy instructions. We know that he sent some of them to Christ, to ask Him: “Art Thou He Who is to come, or do we look for another?” It is the opinion of the holy Fathers that John did not send this message to Christ because he doubted that He was the true Messiah but that, his disciples, by hearing Him preach and by witnessing the miracles He performed, might more readily believe what he had told them of the Saviour. It is believed that the imprisonment of John took place in December and lasted until the month of August. Herod’s birthday was celebrated in this month and among other festivities, he gave a splendid banquet, at which all the princes of Galilee were present. At the close of it, Salome, the daughter of Herodias, entered the banquet hall to entertain the guests by dancing.

The King was so much pleased with her that he told her that she might ask him a favour and promised to grant it, even if it should cost him the half of his Kingdom. This thoughtless promise he confirmed by an oath. The frivolous dancer, not knowing what to request, asked the advice of her mother. The latter, who had long wished St John out of her way, in order that nothing might disturb her in her criminal lust, said quickly: “Go and ask for the head of John the Baptist. “ The wicked daughter, returning to the King, said boldly: “Give me here in a dish, the head of John the Baptist.” The King was struck with horror at her unexpected demand but not wishing to grieve her and being unwilling to break his rash oath, he sent a soldier of his body-guard into the prison to behead the Saint and bring his head in a dish.

The cruel and unjust order was forthwith executed and the holy head was brought in a dish to Salome, who handed it to her wicked mother. St Jerome relates that Herodias, to gratify her rage against the holy man, pricked his tongue with a bodkin, in revenge for the fearless reproofs it had given to the vices of the King. The disciples of St John buried the holy body of their beloved master between the two Prophets Eliseus and Abdias. The sacred head was buried by the unchaste Herodias in her palace, where it remained concealed many years, when it was discovered by an apparition of the Saint himself and has ever since been greatly venerated by the Christians. At the present day it is kept at Rome, in the Church of St. Sylvester.

The justice of God did not leave the cruelty and tyranny of Herod unpunished. The Jewish historian, Josephus, relates that he lost honour and crown – for the King of Arabia, whose daughter, the lawful wife of Herod had been repudiated, invaded his domains with his armies and defeated him. The Emperor Caligula, afterwards banished him to Lyons in France. From that City he fled with Herodias into Spain, where both, in punishment for their crimes, died in misery. The frivolous and wicked daughter of Herodias also received her deserts. Whilst she was walking over a frozen river, the ice broke and she sank to her neck in the water and the ice, rushing again together, severed her head entirely from her body. Thus ended this audacious and shameless dancer.