Learning from John the Baptist
Today is the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist. One of the reasons Catholics recognize and honor saints is because their lives serve as examples for how we can imitate and follow Christ. We look to the saints to learn from them. So what can we learn from John the Baptist? Humility . Several of John the Baptist’s followers came to him concerned that the crowds were leaving John and following Jesus. John’s response was, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (JN 3:30) This is the perfect expression of both humility and the ultimate goal of the Christian journey. Every day we are faced with this decision, do I follow my path or Christ’s? Do I seek my glory, or Christ’s? This is what it means to die to ourselves, to take up our cross and follow; it means that everything in me must yield to Jesus. Think about the sacrifice John made. Before Jesus came on the scene he was the main attraction. People traveled from all around to seek him out. Surely he wasn’t doing his m...