Audience: The Truth is the truth, there is no compromise
(Vatican Radio) The feast of John the Baptist’s martyrdom, “reminds us, Christians
of our time that we can not stoop to compromises with the love of Christ, his Word,
the Truth. The Truth is the Truth and there is no compromise”, said Pope Benedict
XVI Wednesday during his general audience held in Castel Gandolfo. Emer McCarthy reports
Listen:
2,
600 French altar servers – girls and boys – were among the thousands gathered in Freedom
Square, before the Apostolic palace to hear Pope Benedict’s catechesis dedicated to
the memorial of the Forerunner to Christ and how he teaches us that Christian witness
is fed by prayer. “Christian life”, he said “requires, so to speak, the daily "martyrdom"
of fidelity to the Gospel, that is the courage to let Christ grow in us and direct
our thinking and our actions”.
The Holy Father added that this courage can
only come from a solid relationship with God: “Prayer is not a waste of time, it
does not rob much space from our activities, not even apostolic activities, it does
the exact opposite: only if we are able to have a life of faithful, constant, confident
prayer will God Himself give us the strength and capacity to live in a happy and peaceful
way, to overcome difficulties and to bear witness with courage. St. John the Baptist
intercede for us, so that we always maintain the primacy of God in our lives”.
Below
a Vatican Radio translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s general audience catechesis
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
on the last Wednesday of August, we celebrate the liturgical
memorial of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. In the
Roman Calendar, he is the only saint whose birth, June 24, and death through martyrdom
are celebrated on the same day. Today’s memorial dates back to the dedication of a
crypt of Sebaste in Samaria, where, by the middle of the fourth century, his head
was venerated. The cult spread to Jerusalem, in the Churches of the East and Rome,
with the title of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. In the Roman Martyrology,
reference is made to a second finding of the precious relic, transported, for the
occasion, to the church of St. Sylvester in Campo Marzio, Rome.
These small
historical references help us to understand how ancient and profound devotion to the
John the Baptist is. In the Gospels his role in relation to Jesus stands out very
well. In particular, St Luke tells his birth, his life in the wilderness, his preaching,
and St. Mark tells us about his tragic death in today’s Gospel. John the Baptist began
his preaching under the emperor Tiberius, in AD 27-28, and his clear invitation addressed
to the people who flocked to hear him, is to prepare the way to welcome the Lord,
to straighten the crooked streets of life through a radical change of heart (cf. Lk
3, 4). But the Baptist did not limit himself to preaching repentance, conversion,
he also recognized Jesus as the "Lamb of God" who comes to take away the sin of the
world (Jn 1, 29), he has the deep humility to reveal in Jesus the true Messenger of
God, stepping aside so that Christ can grow, be listened to and followed. As a final
note, the Baptist bears witness to his fidelity to the commandments of God with his
blood, without ever giving in or turning back, carrying out his mission to the very
end. In his Homilies the IXth century monk, St. Bede writes: "For [Christ] he gave
his life, although he was not ordered to deny Jesus Christ, he was ordered not to
silence the truth. However, he died for Christ "(Hom. 23: CCL 122, 354). For the love
of truth, he did not stoop to compromises with the powerful and was not afraid to
use strong words with those who had lost the path of God.
Now we look at this
great figure, this strength in passion, in resistance to the powerful. Where does
this life of rectitude and coherency, this interior strength, completely spent for
God and to prepare the way for Jesus, come from? The answer is simple: from his relationship
with God, from prayer, which is the main theme of his whole existence. John is the
Divine gift that had been long invoked by his parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth (cf.
Lk 1:13), a great gift, humanly beyond hope, because both were advanced in years and
Elizabeth was barren (cf. Lk 1:7), but nothing is impossible for God (cf. Luke 1:36).
The announcement of the birth takes place in a place of prayer, the temple of Jerusalem,
indeed it takes place when it is Zechariah’ turn to have the great privilege of entering
the holiest place of the temple to burn incense to the Lord (cf. Lk 1: 8-20). The
birth of John the Baptist was marked by prayer: the song of joy, praise and thanksgiving
that Zechariah raises to the Lord and which we recite every morning at Lauds, the
"Benedictus", enhances the action of God in history and prophetically indicates the
mission of his son John, who precedes the Son of God made flesh in order to prepare
the way for Him (cf. Lk 1.67 to 79). The whole existence of the Forerunner of Jesus
is powered by his relationship with God, especially in the time he spent in the wilderness
(cf. Lk 1.80), the desert is a place of temptation, but also the place where the man
feels his poverty most because he is deprived of material support and safety, and
he understands that the only solid reference point is God Himself. John the Baptist,
however, is not only a man of prayer, of constant contact with God, but also a guide
in our relationship with God. The Evangelist Luke notes that when introducing the
prayer that Jesus taught his disciples the "Our Father", the request is formulated
with these words: "Lord teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples "(cf.
Lk 11:1).
Dear brothers and sisters, the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist
reminds us, Christians of our time, that we can not stoop to compromises with the
love of Christ, his Word, the Truth. The Truth is the Truth and there is no compromise.
Christian life requires, so to speak, the daily "martyrdom" of fidelity to the Gospel,
that is the courage to let Christ grow in us and direct our thinking and our actions.
But this can only happen in our lives if there is a solid relationship with God.
Prayer is not a waste of time, it does not rob much space from our activities, not
even apostolic activities, it does the exact opposite: only if we are able to have
a life of faithful, constant, confident prayer will God Himself give us the strength
and capacity to live in a happy and peaceful way, to overcome difficulties and to
bear witness with courage. St. John the Baptist intercede for us, so that we always
maintain the primacy of God in our lives.
I offer a warm welcome to all the
English-speaking pilgrims and visitors, especially those from England, Indonesia,
Japan and Malta. Today, the Church celebrates the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist.
John, whose birth we celebrate on the twenty-fourth of June, gave himself totally
to Christ, by preparing the way for him through the preaching of repentance, by leading
others to him once he arrived, and by giving the ultimate sacrifice. Dear friends,
may we follow John’s example by allowing Christ to penetrate every part of our lives
so that we may boldly proclaim him to the world. May God bless all of you!