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Crazy Love for Christ
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June 1, 2022I’ve often been intrigued by St. John’s relationship to his cousin Jesus. They were family and their mothers were so close. I recall a scene in a movie when Jesus was informed of John’s death-it was so moving to see the grave heartache that Jesus felt by losing John. John’s mission was to prepare the way for Christ and he never wanted any credit for his efforts. He was considered a rebel during his time—lots of stories of him living in the dessert, eating bugs and preaching with great disruption. His passion knew no boundaries even when it came to him calling out King Herod’s sinfulness that got him beheaded. He was a man of deep convictions and courage.
Today we hear people often lament about their suffering and wonder why bad things happen to them. Sometimes they want to blame God and attribute their suffering to God not being there for them. “How could God let that happen?” is commonplace for those that feel punished when they are struggling. When there are mass shootings of innocent children it’s hard to have faith that God couldn’t step in and stop the perpetrators of the crimes. It’s hard to make sense of the pain and suffering we see in our own homes and communities.
Where was God for St. John? Even John as a relative did not get a pass on being imprisoned and then dying so horribly.
St. John’s holy life has something to teach us. He lived a life of passion that was supported by his strong faith beliefs. He knew that his earthly mission would lead to eternal happiness in heaven. His courage was based on those undisputable truths. He shared his beliefs because God depended on him. He understood his calling. He only knew what he was called to do because he had a relationship with his Creator.
We also have a mission.
We may also suffer but, it will not be without redemptive reasons. God is calling us to reach out to those that need Jesus and speak our truth. We likely will never face the persecution as St. John the Baptist did, but we may be judged and rebuked. Recalling the great lengths that St. John and many saints before him went to plant the seeds of our faith should give us the courage to fight the good fight. God’s merciful love and forgiveness was St. John’s platform as he became the “baptizer” to his community.
Let’s find a way today to plant our own seeds so that those that come after us will also have strong fertile ground to further evangelize. Let’s share the faith with the same crazy love of Christ as St. John the Baptist did.
