The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
Thursday of week 21 in Ordinary Time
Gospel Mark 6:17-29
In this Gospel passage the Beheading of St. John the Baptist is described. In this episode we can see how much courage and grace are needed to do good. Herod arrested John because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had married. or John had told Herod, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him; but she was not able to, because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him. Though he arrested John the Baptist, he listened to him. He gave him protection. He was following his inner desire to do the good. Then Herodias got this occasion to pressurize Herod to do evil. “The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her”. Here his ego took over his desire to do good. His ego did not allow him to follow the inner voice to do good. If we leave our ego to lead us, it leads us to the destruction of others, as we have seen in this episode. Let’s reflect: Do I leave my ego to lead my decisions, or I listen to the voice of God to make my decisions?
Don Giorgio