The Feast (liturgical memorial) of the Beheading of John the Baptist

A prophet from before his birth, leaping in the womb to announce the coming of the incarnate God, the task of John the Baptist was to proclaim the fulfillment of all prophecies – and thus his own obsolescence. And he did it: with unequalled courage he spread the news that he, the greatest of all men, was the least in the kingdom of heaven. His disciples, and the devil, would have preferred him to fight, to build his sect, to defeat this upstart whom he himself had baptized, to seize his place in history. But he did not – and so, rightly, he has his place, and he has glory in heaven.

Matthew 11:11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.

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The Feast (liturgical memorial) of the Beheading of John the Baptist