John the Baptist, Martyr for Marriage
Today is the memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist. He stands as somewhat of an oddity among Christian martyrs in that he…
Today is the memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist. He stands as somewhat of an oddity among Christian martyrs in that he preceded Christ in death. He also didn’t die as a direct result of his faith in Christ, nor was he asked to deny Christ. Yet he is reckoned as a Christian martyr by the Church. Why should this be?
St. John the Baptist died not because he refused to deny Christ but because he refused to deny the truth, and ultimately this boils down to the same thing. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). Anyone who proclaims truth proclaims Christ. Anyone who denies the truth denies Christ.
The specific truth that John the Baptist died for is especially important for our times, for he died for speaking the truth about marriage.
You see, even though Herod imprisoned John the Baptist, he actually liked John. He liked to listen to John speak, even though some of what John said made him uncomfortable. The truth has a way of doing that.
One of the truths that made Herod uncomfortable was the truth about his so-called “marriage.” Herod had married Herodias, the wife of his half-brother Philip. Jewish law forbade marriage to your brother’s wife while your brother was still living, as Philip was. Herod presumed that political power made him above the law, but John the Baptist was not afraid to speak truth to power. Herod’s marriage was unlawful and therefore no marriage at all. It was adultery. John named it as such.
This truth bothered Herod, but it especially bothered Herodias. The gospels tell us that “Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so” (Mk 6:19). She eventually found her opportunity by tricking Herod into making a foolish promise to give her daughter anything she asked for. At the prompting of Herodias, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.
Today our society is overrun not only with unlawful marriages, but with unnatural marriages. Herod and Herodias believed the rules of marriage didn’t apply to them. Society today denies there are rules at all, written by God or Nature. Marriage is whatever we’d like it to be, and we expect the rest of society to accept whatever we call “marriage,” or else.
Like John the Baptist, holy and righteous people today are called to speak the truth, even — and especially — to those in power. Today, speaking the truth about marriage may result in a type of social martyrdom; perhaps a loss of friends, of reputation, or of business. But it’s not a huge leap from there to more harsh forms of persecution — fines, imprisonment, or even death — especially when those in power find the truth uncomfortable.
Like John the Baptist, those who suffer persecution for the sake of truth are martyrs for Christ. Martyr means “witness” and today the truth about marriage needs good and effective witnesses. We need martyrs for marriage. May God raise up such martyrs in our time.
O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist should go ahead of your Son both in his birth and in his death, grant that, as he died a Martyr for truth and justice, we, too, may fight hard for the confession of what you teach. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.