Today’s feast may seem quaint, confusing, or even off-putting, but in the Middle Ages, the commemoration of the finding of the Forerunner’s head was a major celebration. There is a lesson for us here. The Forerunner’s head was so precious and holy that it merited, not one, but two feast days (the Third Finding of the Head is celebrated on May 25). The spiritual life is an incarnate life; the saints become saints in the flesh, and even the flesh is sanctified. The holier the life, the holier the flesh—this is why we dedicate two days of the year to celebrating the decapitated head of the “greatest born of woman.” In our attempt to lead a spiritual life, a faithful life in Christ, are we making a genuine effort to sanctify our flesh unto God? Or do we let the flesh follow after its own base appetites? Through the prayers of the Forerunner, may we bridle the passions of the flesh and, by ascetic effort, fashion our bodies into more fitting temples of the Holy Trinity.
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