Gospel: Mark
6:14-29
King
Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread, and people were
saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty
powers are at work in him.” Others were saying, “He is Elijah”; still others,
“He is a prophet like any of the prophets.” But when Herod learned of it, he
said, “It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.” Herod was the one
who had John 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. Herodias 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. His 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?” Her mother 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.
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Reflection:
There’s
always a price attached for speaking out against wrongdoing. For example in a
family setting, if a wife notices that her husband is playing around with fire.
Of course the wife has to call the attention or even confront her philandering
husband.
But this
kind of boldness sometimes comes with a heavy price. Either there will be
conflict in their marriage or it may even lead to estrangement. But even if
there’s a heavy price to pay we still must speak-out otherwise we are
consenting to what is wrong and immoral.
John the
Baptist paid a very heavy price for speaking-out against adultery; he was
beheaded for speaking the truth. Such is the irony sometimes of life. We speak
the truth yet we still suffer for doing so. But how could we correct a
wrongdoing if we would not denounce it?
True
followers of Jesus are those who are not afraid to speakout regardless of what
the consequence. And John the Baptist is one of the best if not the best model
of how it is to become a true follower of Jesus.
How would
you react if there shall come a time that you pass through this kind of predicament?
Should you just keep quiet and consent with what is wrong or you correct it by
voicing your opinion?- Marino J. Dasmarinas
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