by Joannie Watson | August 29, 2025 1:00 am
Weakness versus power, failure versus victory. The world would tell us a different story than Jesus does. But today we celebrate that God’s ways are not our ways. Where the world sees weakness and suffering and death, we see triumph and victory.
Today we celebrate one of John the Baptist’s two feasts. John is one of the few people whose births we celebrate (June 24). We only celebrate those who were born without original sin: Jesus, Our Lady, and John, whom tradition holds was cleansed of original sin at the Visitation. Instead, for most saints, we celebrate the day of their birth into heavenly glory: the day of their death.
For John, that is today, the celebration of his “Passion[1].” This celebration only makes sense to Christians, who know that what the world sees as death and defeat is really triumph.
We see this clearly in today’s Gospel (Mark 6:17-29). The powerful king is really the weakest in the story; the prophet dressed in camel skin with no worldly power is the strongest. We know that “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something” (1 Cor. 1:27-28). And that’s our story today.
Herod is weak because of unchecked sin, and John is strong. While the narrative ends with his death, we know it really ends with his victory.
Only Mark gives us a remarkable detail to this familiar story of lust, greed, revenge, and power:
“Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.”
– Mark 6:20
We have this juxtaposition of true power and true weakness. Why would a king be afraid of a man wearing camel skin and eating locusts? Because he spoke truth. Hero was attracted by John’s boldness and his power, even though in the eyes of the world he was weak. It’s a reminder to us of the compelling power of truth.
The message of the Gospel is compelling, and yet it does not force. We still need to respond, and Herod was too weak. Herod, addicted to sin, is attracted to the message but too weak to repent. Today’s Gospel shows us the dangerous effects of unchecked desires and temptations: from lust, to adultery, to debauchery, to murder.
Today’s feast is a reminder of the triumph of the Cross. As we celebrate the Passion of John today, we’re reminded of the similarities between his passion and Jesus’ passion. Both Herod and Pilate recognize that the men they are going to kill are holy, but they think they have the power over them. In the eyes of the world, these men have power, but even earthly rule is taken away from both of them at the end of their lives.
Weakness versus power, failure versus victory. The world would tell us a different story than Jesus does. But today we celebrate that God’s ways are not our ways. Where the world sees weakness and suffering and death, we see triumph and victory.
Let us see in our lives where we can emulate the powerful witness of John: not only to bear witness to the truth of the Gospel, but to embrace the cross when it is given to us, knowing that there we will find the victory.
Image credit: Caravaggio[2], Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Please spread the Gospel. Share Joannie’s post with family and friends on Facebook and other social media.
We are so grateful for our donors who make this labor of love possible!
We welcome both one-time and monthly donations. A monthly subscriber giving just $10 a month will help cover the cost of operating Integrated Catholic Life for one day! Please help us bring enriching and inspiring Catholic content to readers around the world by giving today. Thank you and may God Bless you for supporting the work of Integrated Catholic Life!
Source URL: https://integratedcatholiclife.org/2025/08/watson-the-passion-and-triumph-of-john/
Copyright ©2025 Integrated Catholic Life™ unless otherwise noted.