O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist should go ahead of your Son both in his birth and in his death, grant that, as he died a Martyr for truth and justice, we, too, may fight hard for the confession of what you teach. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
(Collect for August 29, Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist)
Image: The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (The Barber Institute of Fine Arts)
O God,