Today is the feast of the beheading of St. John the Baptist. It also happens to be a Monday, so I said the Joyful Mysteries today. That made for an interesting second decade...
The second decade is, of course, the Visitation. While meditating on what happened at this meeting between the two cousins, we see that it is a meeting between two mothers. Two very similar mothers. I'm sure because of her old age, St. Elizabeth didn't live to see her son get his head chopped off, like Our Lady saw her Son die. But St. Elizabeth must have known it was coming. When the two mothers eyes met, it must have been bittersweet, for St. Elizabeth had a christ-type in her womb, too! St. John the Evangelist says "[St. John the Baptist] was not the light, but was to give testimony to the light" because his message was identical to Christ's message, called Rabbi, and he was persecuted and died like Christ, its easy to say "hey, this child was another Christ." And he was! Born for a purpose. There was a man sent from God- John 1:6. And [the executioner] beheaded him in prison, and brought his head on a dish- Mark 6:28.
The beginning, and the end.
At the moment of our conception we are sent by God to do one thing. To live, to love, and to serve Him (okay, three things.) St. John didn't even wait till his birth to glorify his Creator. He lept in the womb in the presence of Jesus. His mission was to always prepare others for the coming of the One who will judge them.
Today was much needed to show me behind the Joyful Mysteries there is sorrow. The children in the wombs of those holy joyful yet sorrowful mothers were born to die. So are we. Deny yourselves, take up your crosses daily. But, alas, there are more than just Joy and Sorrow. There is Glory. There is sorrow found in joy, yes, but there is glory behind dolors...
