The Beheading of St. John The Baptist: A Timely Reminder

Today is the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist.  I don't have the the time for fuller commentary, but I didn't want it to pass unremarked.  I will offer one brief (and rather obvious) comment: there is often a high price to pay for telling the truth, and for doing the right thing.  And of course the eternal reward far outweighs the pain in this world.  That is why the Catholic Church (and who else could even imagine doing such a thing?) makes a Feast Day out of an event that, in worldly terms, looks like a tragic failure.  It's a good thing for us to remember when we encounter our present-day Herods.

St. John the Baptist rebuking Herod by Giovanni Fattori