As we dove deeper into conversation, she told me one morning that this passage, the beheading of John the Baptist, is the Gospel story she chose for her funeral Mass. Instead, Mark’s Gospel tells us that John is simply laid in a tomb by his friends, his disciples, and that’s it. Jesus knows that John the Baptist, his friend and cousin, died in the faith of a God who is Love, the God whose path he dedicated his life to announce to the people of Israel. And, though it would be awesome, maybe we don’t feel compelled to make this the Gospel reading at our funeral Mass. Nevertheless, let it serve as a reminder for us to live in the radical hope of the resurrection by the grace and power of our God who is Love and “prepare the way of the Lord” every day of our lives until we see God (and John the Baptist!)