Did you ever feel like you were being followed? It may sound a bit strange, but I do believe my family is being followed by St. John the Baptist. My husband's birthday is on the commemoration of the first finding of his head. We were married in St. John's Church and baptized our first three children there. My twins were due on the Feast of his birth, but thanks be to God, they came early! I pray to him a lot.
There were many times in my life that I thought about what St. John the Baptist would do if he was in my shoes, and found that his example was clearly what I needed. For example, when I was in my teens and quite sadly, I was taught heresy in my catechism class, I looked to him as an example of bravery to speak out and correct the error. When changes were made and my son had to be the first in our area to receive the Eucharist at his Baptism, I looked to him as an example of forging a new and necessary path. Even now, there are times that I truly long to flee into the desert as he did, and live a life of solitude and prayer. Yes, I believe he is following me...or maybe I am following him. His story is a fascinating example of courage and justice. Many times we Catholic Christians are called to do as St. John did, and speak out against the clear outrages against the will of God, which are often perpetrated by those who have authority over us. We need to flee into the refuge of our own homes to escape the daily persecution of our neighbors who don't understand our decisions or our relationship with God. We find that we need to encourage those around us to repent and wash away their sins so they can make a fresh start. Like St. John the Baptist, we need, above all else, to prepare the way of the Lord in the hearts of our children so that they will be ready when He comes.
The historian Flavius Josephus tells us that at the fortress of Machaerus, in approximately the year 28AD, King Herod Antipas, who was Tetrarch, (meaning that he was given power over one fourth of Palestine) and Governor of Galilee had the Forerunner of the Lord, John the Baptist beheaded. Scripture accounts reveal that the saint was murdered after being imprisoned for speaking out against cohabitation. Imagine doing that today. The Baptist objected to the fact that the King left his own wife to live with his brother Philip's wife, Herodias, and used every opportunity to publicly denounce his action. As we know, at a birthday party, Herodias's daughter danced for the crowd, pleasing the King so much that he, in his sinful state, was so enraptured by her that he offered her whatever she asked for...you know the rest of the story. Sometimes we do not receive justice in this life, but must wait until the next to obtain our reward for speaking against injustice.
Tradition tells us that even from the platter, the voice of the Baptist was heard to tell Herod one last time that he should not be with his brother's wife, at which point Herodias was to have stabbed the tongue of the saint with a needle. She dumped the head, according to the mystic, Bl. Anne Katherine Emmerich, in a garbage dump outside the palace. A steward of the palace name Chuza had observed this and told his wife, Johanna...yes, the same Johanna Chuza who was mentioned in the Gospel as having been one of the myrrh-bearers...who had later set out to reclaim it. She gave the relic a proper burial in an earthen pot on the Mount of Olives, while the headless body of the Baptist was taken by his followers and buried near the palace.
Our God is indeed just. It is said that Salome, the dancer, was crossing the frozen River Sikoris one winter day and fell through the ice, her feet dangling below her, while her head remained above the surface. Ironically, the ice shifted, decapitating her. Only Salome's head was recovered and it was found and brought back to Herod and Herodias by the same servants who had brought the head of the Baptist to Salome years before.
It is also said that the father-in-law of Herod, king Aretas of Arabia, had been so angered at the disrespect he had shown to his daughter, Herod's lawful wife, declared war against Herod, who was pitifully defeated. After the military loss, the Roman Emperor Caius Caligula challenged him as well and it was not long before Herod, along with his mistress, Herodias, was exiled to Gaul and then eventually to Spain.
Because St. John the Baptist is such a beloved saint, it is a pious custom to observe the day of his beheading as a day of strict fast, meaning abstinence from meat and dairy. There are some who traditionally abstain from eating anything on a plate or platter, or anything round or that grows in the shape of a head, such as cabbage or lettuce, on this day as well. Some also refrain from using a knife.
Ordinarily, there is a little treat our family makes on the feast of the Birth of St. John, but since I wasn't able to share that with you on June 24th, I'll share it now! We like to remember that our dear friend fasted in the desert from his childhood in order to prepare for his life of preaching, by eating wild honey and locusts. Now, raw honey is a real favorite of our family and eating that is a treat, but locusts? Well, yes! Locusts are a treat here too! Not real insects, of course, but ones made of chocolate!
We found some really nice candy molds which are made in the shape of crickets, but any bug-shaped molds will do! We just melt some chocolate, stir in some puffed rice cereal and fill the molds!
When they harden, you can pop them out and munch on some crispy locusts, just like St. John the Baptist! Just be sure to serve them in a bowl or a basket, and not on a platter today!
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