HOMILY OF 21ST FRIDAY ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY OF 21ST FRIDAY ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: “WHAT SHALL I ASK FOR?”
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
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.
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Jesus praised John the Baptist as the greatest man in the entire world: “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John” (Lk 7:28). That is why, aside from the Blessed Mother, he is the only saint honored by the Church on both the occasion of his birth (June 24) and his death (August 29). Today is the feast of the martyrdom of this great saint. Being the Precursor of the Messiah, John prepared the way for the coming of Jesus. And being the last of the Old Testament prophets, he suffered the same fate as that of all the prophets, that is, death by martyrdom. They were killed, not by the enemies of Israel, but by its leaders and people.
Our reading is St. Mark’s version of the account about the death of John the Baptist at the hands of Herod. A few interesting historical points may be helpful for us to understand the surrounding events and circumstances that led to his death.
When Herod the Great died, the whole kingdom of Judea was divided among his four sons. That is why the title ‘tetrarch’ is more appropriate than ‘king’. This means he is the ruler of only a fourth part of the territory. The Herod mentioned in today’s Gospel is Herod Antipas. Although only a tetrarch, he is popularly called ‘king’ by the Galileans.
Herod Antipas is a significant figure in the New Testament Bible because he was the ruler during the time of Jesus. He ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4 BC to 39 AD. This is a rather long reign. As Jesus was doing His public ministry, some Pharisees urged Him to leave because Herod wanted to kill him. But Jesus was not perturbed, and even called him “that fox” (cf Lk 13:31-32). During the trial of Jesus, Pilate sent Him to Herod, a gesture that opened the friendship between these two leaders (Lk 23:12). His end was truly horrible and tragic. An angel of the Lord struck him dead and he was eaten by worms (Acts 12:23).
In the Gospel today, Herod ordered the beheading of John the Baptist. The reason is outrageously whimsical and superficial. The king’s mistress, Herodias, harbored a grudge against John for publicly condemning her incestuous and adulterous relationship with Herod. So, during the royal birthday party, she told her daughter, Salome, to ask the king for the head of John. The king could not refuse the request since it was made in the presence of his distinguished guests, and so, John was beheaded in prison.
The story of the martyrdom of John the Baptist at the hands of an immoral and incompetent king cannot fail to make our blood seethe in disgust and anger. And this is precisely what the Gospel today expects us to feel. The narrative is so detailed, so that it can certainly evoke some strong emotions in anybody who hears or reads it. After all, this story repeatedly happens countless number of times ever since and until now. Paradoxically, however, this is not to provoke hatred, violence and despair but to lead us to hope – active hope in the midst of evil.
St. Augustine said, “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” There is still hope for a better world and a brighter tomorrow as long as there are people who strongly react against evil, who actively condemn injustices, and who cannot keep silent in the midst of lies and abuses of those in power. What is truly frightening is when the people become passive and indifferent to the bad situation, when they choose to keep quiet and impervious to evil. This happens when people are either very timid and weak, or are so comfortably nestled in their cozy little worlds.
The famous Irish statesman, Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” This, in fact, is what is happening now. Evil is spreading with impunity because many good people choose keep quiet and do nothing, either because of fear or unwillingness to get involved or get into trouble.
More and more people now are tolerant of immorality and errors. And so, the truth is stifled and mistakes are not corrected, either because people are afraid to be scorned and ostracized, or because they think that is just being broadminded. Venerable Fulton Sheen is right when he said, “Broadmindedness, when it means indifference to right and wrong, eventually ends in a hatred of what is right.” This is what we now see: what is bad and wrong are justified and glorified; what is right and good are ridiculed and demonized.
May the humility, honesty and fortitude of St. John the Baptist inspire us to be angry and courageous, so that we do not tolerate evil and decisively act to change and correct the situation. Hence, the light of hope may continually burn bright in the midst of darkness and uncertainty in the world.
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