Christ – The Sole Reason!

Saturday, August 29, 2026

Passion of St. John the Baptist

1 Cor 1: 26-31; Mk 6: 17-29

The passion of St. John the Baptist invites us to discover Christ as the sole reason for our lives. 

When we reflect on John the Baptist, three facts stand out.

1. He was born for a reason. We all know that the birth of St. John the Baptist was not accidental. Instead, it was part of God’s plan for him ‘to prepare the way of the Lord.’ Indeed, St. John was born for a reason. His life had a direction and a purpose. And that was Christ. This is why he could tell his disciples, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ (Jn 1:29). Just as John discovered the reason for his life, he invites us to discover the purpose and reason of our lives.

2. He prophesied for a reason. John the Baptist proclaimed the most challenging message by calling people to repentance and conversion. It was a message meant to unsettle people and wake them up to the reality of their sinfulness. This is why he administered the baptism of conversion. The forthrightness of his message even confronted King Herod because he had taken his brother’s wife. Why did John even risk his life through his prophetic message? It was because Christ was coming. He became the ‘voice crying out in the wilderness.’ John did everything from the perspective of Christ and invites us to do the same. 

3. He suffered and died for a reason. The faithfulness of St. John the Baptist eventually locked him up in prison. His martyrdom followed his passion and suffering. Again, if we ask why John went so far as to embrace death, Christ becomes the reason. Hence, for John, greatness was not to avoid death but to suffer and die for Christ. The blessing of John’s life is that he was chosen to be born, to live, and to die for Christ. In the way he lived and died, John belonged to Christ fully and completely. This is why Jesus heaped up ultimate praise on John, saying, ‘Truly I tell you, among those born of women, there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist’ (Mt 11:11). John wants us to ask how we can belong to Christ completely.

Remembering John’s passion, we are to examine ourselves with the following questions.

1. Does everything we do pertain to Christ?

2. Does Christ become our reason for doing anything?

3. How can we discover the passion and purpose to live for Christ like John the Baptist?

Let us pray that we may discover the meaning of being a Christian by making Christ the very center and core of our lives. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar