Festa di San Giovanni il Battista - Fr. Corapi (2008)

John the Baptist reminds us that the Church is supposed to be endowed with the prophetic spirit of Christ in every age.
Jesus said of John the Baptist that no man born of woman was ever greater. John was a prophet in the tradition of Elijah and the other great prophets of the Old Testament. He was indeed a voice crying in the wilderness, making straight the paths for the Lord. As such he knew the Heart and Mind of God through long years of intense prayer in solitude and the penance that went with it. He, like Elijah, was zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. He was a champion of truth and of God.
Like all of the true prophets, St. John was not afraid of the evils of the times or the most powerful people who caused them and gave bad example to others. He spoke fearlessly to Pharisees and kings alike, unconcerned for his own welfare in the process. He was martyred for truth in the end. I wonder what John would have to say today? I wonder if he would give the evil rulers of the day a pass despite the blood on their hands, the blood of the most innocent—the unborn from abortion, the long ago born from euthanasia, the chronically sick because no one will take care of them? Or, would he bring down the wrath of nature and God alike on them, like Elijah did? The prophets, unlike most men of their day, could see clearly in the pure light of the God who is truth. They were not blind to that which is grossly immoral, nor were they concerned more for the glitter of silver and gold than the right to life for all human life.
I wonder who St. John the Baptist would vote for? Would gasoline prices, or anything else imaginable, be more important than the slaughter of the innocent through abortion, euthanasia, and other such crimes against humanity? What “proportionate reason” would he consider weighty enough to vindicate voting for those who condone and promote what is clearly tantamount to genocide? I wonder?

God bless you,
Fr. John Corapi