Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Brothers and sisters,
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. Today we celebrate witness to truth.
Now Herodias had a definite grudge to bear. St. John the Baptist called her out on her sin, taking up with another man while being married to his brother, and she didn’t like that very much.
Now we look at situations like that and think, oh the rich and powerful, the crazy things they do. How can you be married to one man and take up with his brother at the same time? We also tend to think that since Herodias was consort to the king, she had the power, wealth, and resources to seek her revenge.
We watch as Herodias slides down, deeper into depravity, using, and prostituting her daughter Salome to accomplish the task.
Herod himself appears to play the role of the innocent bystander, taken in by Herodias and Salome. But if we look at some of the commentaries on the event, Herod was fully engaged in plotting as well. He set John up and played the taken-in fool for cover.
We can sit back, take a deep breath, and say wow, incredible. We do that all the time, incredulous at the sins of others; the clay feet of the holy, the machinations of the politicians, the greed of the rich and powerful, the depravity of the movie and music industries.
If John the Baptist were to stand outside your door, as you drive home from work, what would he call out? Would he look at you and say —“ oh, righteous one, you are blessed of God?
The psalmist pegged it well when he sang:
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
If I say, —Surely the darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light——“
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.
You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Yes, God knows. You and I wouldn’t have too easy of a time with John standing across the street from us.
The point is, how will we react? Look at every criticism received, and let’s ask ourselves, how did I react? That is where we will find the answer. Down deep, do I want the critic dead?
Like Herodias we want to hide from sin, place our sins in a black bag, and only look at them while we are enjoying them. We don’t want anyone to notice them, or call us out on them.
In today’s culture of permissiveness we may even go so far as to ask those around us to celebrate our sin. Aren’t I cool? Don’t I just have it down? Look at me…
My friends,
Most folks grumbled quietly about Herod and Herodias. They spoke in whispers, but outwardly paid their respects. But not John! John spoke the truth —“ and died for it.
The respect of our fellows is worthless if it is only a faí§ade. The judgment of God and the truth proclaimed by His prophets is the better guide, the only one that counts. How we react, whether we repent, act in faith, and believe in the Gospel is what counts.
Perhaps, pondering our sins and what John would say to us, we ought to listen to Paul:
And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.
Brothers and sisters,
Trust in the Word of God, that you received. It is at work in you. Take it up and turn away from sin. Be a witness to faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
