August 01, 2015
Saturday 17th Week
in Ordinary Time 1st
Reading: Lv 25:1,8-17
Gospel: Mt 14:1–12
On one occasion the news about Jesus reached King Herod. And he said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. John has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” Herod had, in fact, ordered that John be arrested, bound in chains and put in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. For John had said to him, “It is not right for you to have her as wife.” Herod wanted to kill him but he did not dare, because he feared the people who regarded John as a prophet. On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst of the guests; she so delighted Herod that he promised under oath to give her anything she asked. The girl, following the advice of her mother, said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a dish.” The king was very displeased, but because he had made this promise under oath in the presence of the guests, he ordered it to be given her. So he had John beheaded in prison and his head brought on a dish and given to the girl. The girl then took it to her mother.Then John’s disciples came to take his body and bury it. And they went to bring the news to Jesus.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
When Herod the Great died, his territory was divi- ded among his sons Archelaus (who received half), Philip (who got one-fourth comprising the northern Transjordan), and Herod Antipas (who received the remaining one fourth comprising Galilee and Perea). This explains why Herod Antipas was also called the Tetrarch (which means one fourth).
Under the Law of Moses, the cohabitation of Herod the Tetrarch with Herodias was illegal. This explains why Herod was afraid of John. He knew John could take this up in his public preaching and trigger a rebellion. This was the real reason why he had him beheaded. The request of the dancer only gave him the convenient excuse.
Death is not a remote possibility for all who stand for the truth as John the Baptist did. Let us not rejoice that physical torture and killing rarely happen to missionaries these days. Actually society has invented more painful forms of death. Infliction of mental anguish is one. But this works to the advantage of the persecuted. When Herod killed John, the victim rested in peace while the killer was restless and stayed restless all his life. In the same way, when one persecutes God’s worker, he becomes like a walking dead, for he will have no peace and will spend the rest of his life restless and damned. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email:dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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