Feast day of St. John the Baptist

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. The Lamb of God The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” John 1:19-35

Today is the feast day of St. John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist was one of the holiest saints in the

Scriptures. He lived his life free from the stain of sin as he was preserved by the Holy Spirit's grace as he was developing in the womb. It was when Our Lady visited her cousin Elizabeth that the child St. John the Baptist did leap with joy in the womb and was fully sanctified.

Our Lord received holy baptism from St. John the Baptism. Not because he needed the waters of repentance but because Our Lord sought to purify St. John's act of baptism. At this point, St. John the Baptist knew his duty was done. He was meant to be the voice calling out in the wilderness. He was meant to be Elijah paving the way for the Lord. But now the Lord's way was paved and it was time for St. John the Baptist to decrease in his stature. (John 3:30)

St. John the Baptist would be taken prisoner by Herod after having exposed the wicked king's act of marrying his brother's wife while his brother was still alive. Herod had St. John the Baptist decapitated and so there must be nothing round is to be eaten. No heads either.