"We are apt to shut our eyes
against a painful truth, and listen to the song of the siren, till she transforms
us into beasts. " — Patrick Henry
Gospel text: Mt 14:1-12
Herod the tetrarch heard of the
reputation of Jesus
and said to his servants, "This
man is John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work
in him."
Now Herod had arrested John, bound
him, and put him in prison
on account of Herodias, the wife of
his brother Philip,
for John had said to him,
"It is not lawful for you to have
her."
Although he wanted to kill him, he
feared the people,
for they regarded him as a prophet.
But at a birthday celebration for
Herod,
the daughter of Herodias performed a
dance before the guests
and delighted Herod so much
that he swore to give her whatever she
might ask for.
Prompted by her mother, she said,
"Give me here on a platter the
head of John the Baptist."
The king was distressed,
but because of his oaths and the
guests who were present,
he ordered that it be given, and he
had John beheaded in the prison.
His head was brought in on a platter
and given to the girl,
who took it to her mother.
His disciples came and took away the
corpse
and buried him; and they went and told
Jesus.
“Speaking the truth is not an
imposition. Nor is it simply a set of rules. It is a discovery of the One who
never fails us; the One whom we can always trust. In seeking truth we come to
live by belief because ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ.
That is why authentic freedom is not
an opting out. It is an opting in; nothing less than letting go of self and
allowing oneself to be drawn into Christ's very being for others.”
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