John was baptised in his own blood, though he had been privileged to baptise the Redeemer of the world, to hear the voice of the Father above him, and to see the grace of the Holy Spirit descending upon him. But to endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy burden for such men as John; rather it was easily borne and even desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward. — St. Bede the Venerable
I’ve long wanted to run through the streets of Seattle shouting, “Repent, repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”
What makes me shudder is how much the painting (by Carrivagio, if I recall) puts one in mind of recent events — if you have seen any of the horrifying footage of the insurgents in Iraq committing the same barbaric act.