John the Baptist has the honour of being the saint to be celebrated on two days in the liturgical calendar, namely his birth and his death. In birth, John was celebrated more than the Lord Himself. Like the Messiah, his birth was foretold by the Angel Gabriel and despite Zechariah's doubt, Elizabeth gave birth to the child. There was celebration amongst the people. In contrast, the Messiah was born on a silent night, unknown and unwelcome by the world. In Zechariah's prayer, John is to be "the prophet of God the Most High; to go ahead of the Lord to prepare His way before Him (the Messiah), to make known to His people their salvation through the forgiveness of all their sins."

John's mission ended whenJesus came onto the scene. His baptism of the Lord signified a handing over of the mission and he knew that he must decrease as the Lord increased (cf. Jn.3:30)John's arrest by Herod further propelled the Lord into His mission. His beheading was tragic since it was brought about by the vengeance of Herodias and the foolish pride of Herod. Yet he remained steadfast in his faith and died a martyr of truth. As Jesus said of his cousin, Amen I tell you: Among those born of women there has not appeared anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Mt.11:11).