Jesus Mistaken for John
February 5, 2010
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Mark 6:14-29
King Herod heard about it, 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. 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´s 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.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you and all that you taught as it has been passed down to us through
your Church. I hope in you, knowing that you will never send me out of your presence. Only by sin could I cut
myself away from your loving hands. Although I am weak, I trust that you will keep me close. Lord, I love you
and long for my love for you to grow, for you deserve so much better than my measly offering. Yet I know, too,
that you are pleased with my desire for you.
Petition: Grant me, O Lord, an honest and sincere heart.
1. Our Sins Come Back to Haunt Us. The verdict of conscience always makes itself known. Herod’s guilt
regarding John the Baptist’s murder is projected into the present as a haunting memory. Those who have
radically rejected God, though they might possess great power or wealth, great intelligence or ability, are
ultimately the most insecure people on earth. When true goodness appears in their life, it presents itself as
a threat. It condemns them and alienates them from themselves. All this is but a reflection of their state of
soul before God. Such is the power of man’s conscience: it imposes its painful sentence long before the
person ever reaches the ultimate tribunal of justice. Like Christ, we can only remain silent before the
Herods of the world, praying that they break their resistance to grace.
2. The Truth Sets us Free. “Fear the grace of God that passes never to return.” In the lives of all persons,
even the wicked, enough goodness is given them to be saved, enough such that God can offer them the
truth of salvation within the scope of their freedom. Such graces last for only a time, not forever. These
moments cannot be treated as moments that temporarily pacify our conscience, only to permit us to
continue in our sin and resistance to living a holy life. Herod feared John, knew he was a holy man and felt
the attraction of his words, but he did nothing to respond to it. You cannot play around with God and win.
Herod loses and attacked what he knew he should love. This tragedy must teach us to be sincere and never
imprison the voice of God in our soul, but to let it reign in our life. We must use our freedom to respond to
God’s voice, breaking the chains of human respect or fear of sacrifice that bind us to darkness.
3. A Witness to the End. The last honor Christ could offer a faithful apostle, who has stood firm in the truth
against the twisted provocations of evil around him, is––in some sense––a “full” participation in his Paschal
Mystery. What began as testimony by proclaiming conversion, John now concludes with testimony to the
victorious hope the blessed possess in Christ. This is never clearer than in a martyr’s death as intimated in
this passage from the Book of Wisdom:
For though in the sight of men they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
Having been disciplined a little,
they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them (Wisdom 3:4-6).
May we accept today the hard road of fidelity so as to be “disciplined a little” and be found worthy of the hope
that is “full of immortality.”
Conversation with Christ: Let me experience, dear Jesus, the glory of your martyrs through many small acts
of fidelity—to my conscience, to my mission and to the service to souls. Heroic and filled with hope, may I
accept a sentence of love and not fear any path you set before me today. May I be like one who has died and
yet lives the blossom of a holy life that will never end.
Resolution: I will work to be sincere in all I do, and use the sacrament of confession as a place of constant
conversion and openness to God’s will.
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The Catholic Calendar for Friday, February 5, 2010
Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Agatha, virgin and martyr
Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Sirach 47:2-11
Psalm 18:31, 47, 50-51
Mark 6:14-29
A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:
Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you. (Mark 6:22)
Sirach presents young David as a national hero, a fearless fighter who subdued wild beasts and killed the
giant warrior Goliath with one pebble hurled at his head with a sling. David raised Israel 's reputation as a
strong nation and also showed great devotion to God, thanking Him for his gifts of strength and courage. In
Psalm 18 David expresses his love for the universal God, a shield to all who seek refuge in Him. He also
refers to God's promise to care for his posterity, that from his seed Israel 's savior would come.
Our New Testament reading presents Israel 's "true heroes" in a negative light. Both Jesus and John the
Baptist were seen by the religious leaders and the Roman invaders as serious threats, possibly inciting
rebellions. John the Baptist was victimized by Herodias, Herod's wife once married to his half brother. When
John announced that she and Herod were in an adulterous union, Herod imprisoned him, but recognizing
his holiness and popularity, feared having him killed.
The vengeful Herodias used her daughter's provocative dance done for the guests at Herod's birthday
banquet when he foolishly said he would reward her with anything she asked. Her mother, who knew Herod
had to save face by keeping promises made in others' presence, told her to demand John's head on a
platter. Feeling their authority threatened, the religious hierarchy, demanded Christ’s crucifixion, even though
both Pilate and Herod had cleared Him of any capital crime.
It appears that power and politics have not changed over the last twenty centuries. Those who speak the
unvarnished truth, that which requires some sacrifice from people, will lose the vote to the strongly assertive
or to the smooth, convincing, charismatic liars.
O Blessed Lord,
send Your Holy Spirit to abide within our minds and hearts to give us the gift of discernment, and the ability to
reject lies and choose living in Your holy truth.
Amen.
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Meditation: Sirach 47:2-11
What a rousing description the Book of Sirach gives us of David, the greatest of Israel ’s kings!
As a youth, he boldly slew the giant Goliath to defend the Israelite people against the Philistines. Later he
subdued Israel ’s enemies and transformed a weak coalition of tribes into a unified, powerful nation. What a
hero! David also composed many psalms, added to the beauty of Israel ’s worship of God, and even
assured that his son Solomon would build a glorious Temple for the Lord. In all these wonderful deeds,
King David seems larger than life.
But there was another side to David as well—a dark side, stained by sin, flawed by weaknesses. Overcome
by lust, he took Bathsheba in adultery and then conspired to murder her husband, Uriah, to cover up his sin.
Nor were David’s parenting skills very good: Several of his children turned from the Lord, and his own son,
Absalom, led an armed rebellion against him.
It’s almost as if there were two Davids. On the one hand, he was full of faith, a “man after God’s heart” (Acts
13:22), who “with his whole being … loved his Maker” (Sirach 47:8). But on the other hand, his sins and
failings had devastating consequences for himself, his family, and his nation. Yet David was repentant, and
“the Lord forgave him his sins” (47:11). God kept his covenant with David and promised never to forsake
him. Ultimately, God’s Son, Jesus—a descendant of King David—brought redemption and healing to fallen
humankind.
Our lives may not hold such extremes as David’s did, but each of us has our bright and dark spots, our
strong areas and our Achilles’ heels. So ask yourself in prayer today: “How can I overcome my weaknesses
and reinforce my strengths?” Write down whatever answer you think the Lord gives you, and develop a plan
that will help you make progress. Jesus, son of David and Messiah, is eager to help you, so yield to him and
let him refashion you into his own image!
“Lord, you know my strengths and my weaknesses, my virtues and my failings, my good deeds and my
sinful ways. Show me your mercy, Lord, and transform me. ‘Know my heart … and lead me in the way
everlasting’ (Psalm 139:23-24).”
Psalm 18:31,47,50-51; Mark 6:14-29
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Reading I: Sir 47:2-11
Like the choice fat of the sacred offerings,
so was David in Israel .
He made sport of lions as though they were kids,
and of bears, like lambs of the flock.
As a youth he slew the giant
and wiped out the people’s disgrace,
When his hand let fly the slingstone
that crushed the pride of Goliath.
Since he called upon the Most High God,
who gave strength to his right arm
To defeat the skilled warrior
and raise up the might of his people,
Therefore the women sang his praises,
and ascribed to him tens of thousands
and praised him when they blessed the Lord.
When he assumed the royal crown, he battled
and subdued the enemy on every side.
He destroyed the hostile Philistines
and shattered their power till our own day.
With his every deed he offered thanks
to God Most High, in words of praise.
With his whole being he loved his Maker
and daily had his praises sung;
He set singers before the altar and by their voices
he made sweet melodies,
He added beauty to the feasts
and solemnized the seasons of each year
So that when the Holy Name was praised,
before daybreak the sanctuary would resound.
The Lord forgave him his sins
and exalted his strength forever;
He conferred on him the rights of royalty
and established his throne in Israel .
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 18:31, 47 and 50, 51
R. (see 47b) Blessed be God my salvation!
God’s way is unerring,
the promise of the LORD is fire-tried;
he is a shield to all who take refuge in him.
R. Blessed be God my salvation!
The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
Therefore will I proclaim you, O LORD, among the nations,
and I will sing praise to your name.
R. Blessed be God my salvation!
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed,
to David and his posterity forever.
R. Blessed be God my salvation!
Gospel: Mk 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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