“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” — Pieter de Grebber, “St. John the Baptist Preaching Before Herod,” 17th century (photo: Public Domain)
By Msgr. Charles Pope, EWTN New, September 20, 2023
Msgr. Charles Pope is currently a dean and pastor in the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, where he has served on the Priest Council, the College of Consultors, and the Priest Personnel Board. Along with publishing a daily blog at the Archdiocese of Washington website, he has written in pastoral journals, conducted numerous retreats for priests and lay faithful, and has also conducted weekly Bible studies in the U.S. Congress and the White House. He was named a Monsignor in 2005.
St. John the Baptist, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher gave their lives to uphold the indissolubility of marriage, but few Catholics dare to speak so boldly today
We recently observed the Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist. While we can always look to the glory of his martyrdom, which is intrinsic and rooted in God’s unchanging judgment and will, I sensed a kind of irony in our praise of St. John that reflects poorly on the state of the Church today.
Fundamentally, I wonder if we are worthy of great saints like St. John the Baptist, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, considering the casual and almost lax position we have today on the very matter for which they died — the indissolubility of marriage. With some trepidation, I can imagine them rising to judge us, the Churchmen and leaders of this age. We compare so poorly to them and the example they set as martyrs for the truth. …