Monday, Sept. 2, 2013
Deacon Robert Banet
There are three special saints.
OK, wise guy. Who are those special people?
Jesus, of course and His mother Mary.
And who is the third?
Let’s see if you can work you way through this. The three are the only ones that the Church celebrates in their birth and their death.
I can see the first, Jesus. We have Christmas and Good Friday. And I can see the Blessed Mother. Her birthday is September 8 and we celebrated her death, that is, her assumption, just this past August.
Right. And who is the third?
You’ll have to tell me.
It’s John the Baptist. We celebrate his birth in June and in August his martyrdom.
Oh, yes. They call it his passion nowadays.
He was beheaded because he preached against sin. Specifically the sin of Herod and Herodias. They were involved in a wrongful marriage.
The saintly Cure of Ars said he would preach the truth even if it meant that they were to kill him when he came down from the pulpit.
It seems it was the same with John. Herodias did not like to be told that she was living in sin, so she asked for the head of John. On a platter, yet!
Yes. We need more preachers like John today. Preachers who preach against sins that are publicly acceptable, that is, accepted by the media and the talking heads.
Yes. Sins against chastity, especially homosexual practices.
Preachers have a hard job.
Amen. Let’s pray for them.