Menu
Today, 27th of September, we celebrate
Saint Vincent of Paul
Jer 1:17–19
The word of the LORD came to me thus:
Gird your loins;
stand up and tell them
all that I command you.
Be not crushed on their account,
as though I would leave you crushed before them;
For it is I this day
who have made you a fortified city,
A pillar of iron, a wall of brass,
against the whole land:
Against Judah’s kings and princes,
against its priests and people.
They will fight against you, but not prevail over you,
for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.
Ps 71:1–2, 3–4a, 5–6ab, 15ab and 17
R./ I will sing your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R./ I will sing your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R./ I will sing your salvation.
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R./ I will sing your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R./ I will sing your salvation.
Mark 6:17-29
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
"It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
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.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias' own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
"Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."
He even swore many things to her,
"I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom."
She went out and said to her mother,
"What shall I ask for?"
She replied, "The head of John the Baptist."
The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request,
"I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist."
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Life is a complex game of personal interests and power, of insecurities and fears. And sometimes this game has dire consequences. As in this case, where the game ends with the death of an innocent man. No one, at least no one important, wanted his death, but in the end, John the Baptist’s head ends up on a platter. It was the price Herod had to pay, who didn’t want his death according to the Gospel text, to maintain his power, his prestige, and his word before his lover and his guests. If he hadn’t ordered John’s beheading, what would his guests have thought of him – all friends but also enemies, all powerful people, competitors in the deadly game that politics sometimes is? Herod had to maintain his image as an all-powerful king. He had to do it so that they would respect him and continue to obey him. If he didn’t, his authority, his kingdom, was in danger, and he himself could end up beheaded. There was no alternative. No matter how much it hurt him, it was better to behead John than to risk being the victim himself. It was about surviving in a world where competition was to the death.
Of course, there’s a problem: John was innocent. John had done nothing more than be a prophet and say what was obvious. In fact, the Gospel says that “Herod respected John, knowing that he was an honorable and holy man, and he protected him.” But the reality is that John was also the weakest part of the equation. He had no power. He had no authority. He had no weapons or soldiers. He had nothing. In fact, he was in Herod’s prison. And he was chained. Actually, he did have something: the hatred of Herodias, Herod’s lover. That was another negative point. His vulnerability was total. Therefore, the solution to the equation was simple: making John disappear brought “peace,” security for Herod and his kingdom. It brought Herod peace with his lover, which was important to him.
Having said all this, we can only ask ourselves if we have ever, in the pursuit of our own security and tranquility, preferred the death, or something similar, of the innocent. If we have ever, for the same reasons, disregarded what was just, fraternal, in defense of the weakest.
Fernando Torres, cmfAs a witness to integrity and the honest truth, John the Baptist lost his life to cunning and violence. But he had to speak, whatever the consequences. God’s word cannot be muzzled. Does the Church – do we – have this courage today?
Lord our God,
St. John the Baptist
prepared and went the way of your Son
both in his birth and in his death.
He died a martyr’s death
because he stood up for integrity and truth.
Give us the courage, we pray you,
to speak out when needed
in the name of the gospel
and to bear witness in word and action
to Christ Jesus, our Lord.
– Lord, give eloquence and courage to our leaders and all teachers in the Church, that they may understand it and proclaim it as good news of liberation to all, we pray:
– Lord, open our eyes to the miseries of people; make us concerned about those imprisoned in their fears and the grip of injustice, we pray:
– Lord, make us receptive to your word. Free us from banality and fear, our self-security and certainties, we pray:
Lord our God,
on the feast of your martyr John the Baptist
we bring bread and wine before you
to celebrate the memory of your Son.
Give us John’s courage,
to prepare and to be
a straight road to your Son.
May the message of our Christian living
not be a voice in the wilderness
but a humble way to Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord our God,
in a world of violence
we are easily afraid of bearing witness
to the good news of your Son.
We prefer prudence to courage.
Stir us up and move us forward
in the strength of this eucharist
to speak your word of justice and truth
and to abide by it,
that we may win the whole kingdom
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
