Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist
In Valletta, Malta, resides the church of St John’s Co-Cathedral. In this church, there is a giant painting from the hand of Caravaggio which depicts the Gospel passage of today’s feast: the passion of John the Baptist. The painting is a remarkable rendering of the last moments of the Baptist’s life in a way that only Caravaggio’s gritty realism could bring to life.
The most famous part of this painting is that it is the only painting that Caravaggio ever signed. The signature of the artist was done in a part of the painting where the blood of John the Baptist was spilled by the beheading.
Caravaggio signs this work in the blood of John the Baptist. John the Baptist signs his witness to the Gospel by his blood. Jesus signs his love for the world by his blood on the cross. The saints sign their love of God and neighbor by the blood of their life – and sometimes – their martyrdom.
Christians are called to sign with their own blood their love of Christ by how they live their life and even be ready to die for Christ and for the faith. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Caravaggio’s painting calls us to a jarring meditation upon the death of St. John and upon the words of Christ. Let us pray for the grace today for the courage to witness to Christ in life and, if necessary, in death.