Homily for Friday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II (1)

Homily for Friday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II

Theme: THE HEAD OF OUR ‘JOHN THE BAPTISTS’!

By: Ben Agbo (Rev Fr)

Homily for Friday February 4 2022

*Sir 47 : 2 – 11, Mk 6 : 14 – 29.

The worst level of degeneration in any society happens when the head of their ‘John the baptists’ are beheaded in public glare; when the prophets are persecuted – when those who condemn evil become the victims while the evil doers become the cynosure of all eyes.

In today’s gospel we see the real role of prophets; speaking to power, condemning evil especially executive evil. We see the power of immorality. It can blind the wise and blur the vision of even the best of men. We see the power of immodest dressing and dancing. It can seduce the strongest of men and make them make the stupidest of vows.

The worst prayer request ever recorded in the scriptures is the request for the head of John the Baptist. And that prayer was quickly granted because of influence of alcohol, because of influence of bad music, because of occultic oaths and affiliations. The scriptures have recorded this gory story just to teach us what occultism can do.

Many of our ‘Herods’ – our bad leaders are still acting the same way today; because of their occultic oaths and corrupt associations, they are still requesting the head of one ‘John the baptist’ or the other; they still trample upon truth and justice and select the wrongest people for leadership positions. Many of our prophets have left their rightful job of condemning evil and being the voice of conscience to our Herods and taken up the job of fortune telling for our Herods. In Nigeria today, the head of our John the Baptists are being cut off by Islamic terrorists, videoed and circulated like movies for us to watch so that the voice of prophets would for ever remain silent.

May God save us! May God bless you today!