Facing the truth

The beginning and end of John the Baptist has been described by SaintMaximus of Turin as “born as a prophet and murdered for truth”. The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary for Canada today give us an opportunity to ponder the nature of our baptismal call as prophet and the degree to which we might accept self destruction to support the truth. The text from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah is the assurance to Jeremiah by God that the Divine Presence will give him the strength to endure the conflict with the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land who will seek his death as a consequence of the truth he will proclaim about the coming of foreign invaders to the lands of the people of Israel. The chosen people have forgotten to rely on Providence and have attempted to use political action and adoption of pagan practice to chart their course. The tension which the Gospel from Mark tells us Herod experienced when he had to decide between the sense he had of John the Baptist as a holy man of God who spoke as a true Prophet and the need for him to save face in keeping his promise to Salome, made in the presence of politically and socially influential guests, to have John immediately beheaded is applied to our decisions by Friar Jude Winkler when we are unable to allow humility to be our attitude when we have acted rashly. We make mistakes. Our path in following the Way is to seek the strength of the Spirit which will empower us to stand humbly on the truth regardless of the impact on our ego and the consequences to our place in the eyes of others. On Sunday, September 1,2013, the wedding banquet is a favourite image of Jesus in the texts from the Gospel of Luke to describe the kingdom of God. Humility is shown as a key virtue for those who participate fully in the Life of the Kingdom.