Today we fast, honoring the greatest born of women, the crown of the prophets, the one who must decrease, the friend of the Bridegroom, the holy Prophet and Forerunner and Baptist John. John’s death was a glorious witness to God, a triumph over the powers of darkness, and a step toward his immortal place in heaven at the side of Christ our true God. Nevertheless, we fast because the powers that put John to death – the power of pride, vainglory, hypocrisy, people-pleasing, hatred of criticism, love of pleasure, and so forth – often tempt us. Indeed, we may find ourselves held in the grip of these passions just as tightly as were Herod and Herodias. The present commemoration reminds us that man’s ill-formed “good intentions,” without sincere struggle and divine grace, are simply insufficient; we must constantly repent and watch and humble ourselves, lest we find ourselves deeply compromised by this world, with its allures and its concessions, just as much as those who put Christ’s beloved friend and Forerunner to death.
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