Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel recalls the beheading of John the Baptist. The church draws a parallel between this story and that of Jesus. Herod and Pilate recognize the sanctity of John and Jesus, and yet wield their power to unjustly have each of them killed. Similarly, Herodias held hatred toward John in the same way that Jewish leaders despised Jesus. The scene in the gospel is a bit unsettling. The imagery is gruesome and disturbing. What kind of corruption, seething hatred, and evil leads to this scene? We tend to hate that which we often fear. Mark shares that “Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.” (Mk 6:20)
John called people to change their lives. As we are told in the Gospel, Herod had John arrested on account of his brother’s wife, Herodias, whom Herod had married unlawfully. Herod and his new wife were not ready to change their ways. They were not ready or willing to examine their sins--political corruption, greed, sexual promiscuity, false imprisonment. Fear of truth and righteousness quickly sours as it grows and we distance ourselves from it. Herod knew that John was a righteous and holy man and liked to listen to him. It’s possible that on his own, Herod may have softened his heart and opened his spirit to truly listen to John the Baptist’s message. However, the account of Herod’s feast tells us that he succumbed to the pressure of the situation to uphold promises to his daughter. It’s a classic case of peer pressure. Herod cared more about what other people thought of him, than he did about holiness.
John the Baptist dedicated his life to courageously speaking truth, repentance, and salvation even in the face of threats and persecution from Herod--ultimately leading to his death. John spent his life pointing people to Christ. Are we open to ways we are called to change? Are we so concerned about upholding an image or pleasing people that we make poor decisions? Do we surround ourselves with people who share our values, call us closer to God, and call us to be better people? Hatred is overcome when we live out our call to radically love and radically serve one another, fiercely pursuing repentance and salvation. May we, like John, answer that call with our whole heart and with joy in the love of our good God.
Peace,
Brandon Meyer