Episode
The Decollation of St. John the Baptist (August 29) — From Dom Guéranger’s Liturgical Year
- Podcast
- InPrincipio Podcast
- Published
- Aug 29, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 887
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Summary
A meditation for the Feast of the Decollation (Beheading) of St. John the Baptist, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost.The Feast of the Decollation of St. John the Baptist, traditionally celebrated on August 29, commemorates the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, the Precursor of Christ, who was beheaded at the command of King Herod Antipas. John had boldly rebuked Herod for taking Herodias, the wife of his brother, as his own, declaring that such a union was unlawful. Herodias therefore harbored a bitter hatred against John, and when her daughter Salome pleased Herod with her dancing at a banquet, he rashly promised to grant her whatever she requested. At her mother's urging, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Though Herod was distressed by the request, he ordered John's execution rather than break his oath. Thus John, who had fearlessly proclaimed the coming of Christ and called sinners to repentance, sealed his testimony with his blood. The Church honors him as a great prophet and martyr, whose death reminds Christians of the cost of fidelity to God's law and of the courage required to speak the truth before the powerful.Please note that Servant of God Dom Prosper Guéranger went to his eternal reward in 1875; at this point, Volumes I-IX (Advent to Pentecost Saturday) had been completed, but Volumes X-XV (Trinity Sunday to Advent) had not yet been completed. Thus, the remaining readings of the Liturgical Year, from Trinity Sunday until Advent, were not directly authored by Dom Prosper, but were the work of his disciple Dom Lucien Fromage. Dom Prosper Guéranger's The Liturgical Year, a monumental fifteen-volume work, offers a comprehensive exploration of the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar, guidi…