John the Baptist: Saint, Exemplar of Virtue

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Today we remember the Passion of Saint John the Baptist, who gave his life as a martyr for the sake of moral truths. The backdrop leading up to his death presented much scandal and deceit. It started with a warning by John the Baptist to Herod that Herod should not have taken up with Herod’s own sister-in-law (the wife of Herod’s own brother, Philip). Rather than having John the Baptist killed for having the audacity to call Herod out, Herod placed him in prison. “Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man” (Mark 6:20). Yet Herodias, Philip’s wife and now Herod’s lover, had other designs. She wanted... Read more...

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