Mark 6: 17-29
17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[a]; yet he liked to listen to him.
21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of[b] Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.
The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”
24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”
“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.
25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Despite his liking to listen to John the Baptist, Herod was not strong enough, not courageous enough to stand up for him when, at the instigation of her mother, Salome, who had just danced for Herod, asked for his head on a platter. We might find this an atrocious request, one that would make us decline it instantly, bur Herod, even though "deeply distressed", caved in to it as the eyes of his guests and those of Herodias "zoomed" in on him. This kind of cowardliness is not acceptable in the Kingdom of God. No, the courageous love shown by John the Baptist is what we need, more now than ever, in our world of violence, fear and sickness. Not-so-solid foundations are shakier than ever; rock-solid courage is the order of the day, lest we, like the Baptist, could perish at the hands of the frightened and unprincipled. We might find this prayer helpful today and in the future:
Lord, the beheading of John
the Baptist reflects how fear and truth telling can lead to death and
violence. May we have the courage to stand in Your truth and speak life,
love, compassion. From the moment of conception until our last breath
life as your gift stands true. Touch those today with anger, revenge or
hatred for another person or a group. Let Love and Life win over
fear, violence and death. Open our eyes, ears, and hearts to see your
Son and our Brother Jesus in all now and forever. Amen
Rev. James Bracke, C.S.C.
Bro. Rene
No comments:
Post a Comment