Ecclesiasticus 47:2-11 / Mark 6:14-29
At 16, Thomas Merton was orphaned. At
23, he found Christ. At 26, he put all he owned in a duffel bag and entered a
Trappist monastery in Gethsemane, Kentucky. He remained there until he died in
1969. Mark Van Doren eulogized Merton in words something like this: “The best
bottle of wine tipped over all at once and spilled. Catch
it, save it, but nobody could. Now,
nothing’s left but the fragrance.” Sirach eulogized David in
similar words in today’s reading. The most moving line of the eulogy is, “The Lord forgave him his sins
and exalted his strength forever.” (nab)
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What would we like someone to say
of us by way of a eulogy when we die? “Life must be lived forwards but can only
be understood backwards.” Soren Kierkegaard
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Each of us has some
shadows, some dark spots lurking in our lives. Though these belong to the past,
yet they haunt our present, maybe because we have yet to come to terms with
them and to be reconciled with what we did. Hence, we may limp and stagger in
the present because of the shadows from the past.
In the gospel, we heard how king Herod was haunted with a shadow from the past. It was the shadow of John the Baptist whom he executed. Everything that happened around him had that shadow of John the Baptist. Even when he heard of Jesus, he immediately reacted by saying that it was John the Baptist whom he executed. But Jesus did not come to settle scores with Herod. Rather, Jesus came to save him from the shadows of the past. Problem was that Herod chose to live among the shadows of his past.
We may have a shadowy past, a past that is peppered with black spots. But Jesus comes to bring light, and that light gives life to the present and to scatter the shadows. Jesus came to show us God's love and mercy and forgiveness, so that we may start living again and walking in the light of God's love.
In the gospel, we heard how king Herod was haunted with a shadow from the past. It was the shadow of John the Baptist whom he executed. Everything that happened around him had that shadow of John the Baptist. Even when he heard of Jesus, he immediately reacted by saying that it was John the Baptist whom he executed. But Jesus did not come to settle scores with Herod. Rather, Jesus came to save him from the shadows of the past. Problem was that Herod chose to live among the shadows of his past.
We may have a shadowy past, a past that is peppered with black spots. But Jesus comes to bring light, and that light gives life to the present and to scatter the shadows. Jesus came to show us God's love and mercy and forgiveness, so that we may start living again and walking in the light of God's love.
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Friday of 4th Week – LITURGY
TWO
GREAT PERSONS
Introduction
After we have heard in
recent days the story of King David, Jesus Ben Sirach reinterprets for his time
the personality of David: a valiant king whose power comes from God, a singer
of psalms and an organizer of the liturgy, the covenant king to whom lasting
kingship has been promised. With the death of the Baptist ends the life of the
last prophet of God of the Old Testament, who, as the hinge between the Old and
the New Testaments, had prepared the way for the Lord’s coming. He died as a
suffering servant of God, a new Elijah, who stood up to kings and infamous
queens.
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God, John the
Baptist spoke without fear to the high and the mighty, that they too, were
bound by God’s laws. He risked his life for what is right and good. Let him
inspire us too to let your word become flesh and blood in us by taking the
risks of our faith and living as we believe. Let this be the way in which we
prepare the fuller coming among us of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Commentary
Sirach sings David’s
praises, highlighting his virtues and remaining relatively silent about his
failings, though he does say that God forgave David’s sins. There is no doubt
about David’s military prowess, his praise of the Lord, his attention to the
major feasts of his faith. These are aspects of his life that have immortalized
him. There is a major difference between David and King Herod, a central figure
in today’s Gospel. The story of Herod’s stepdaughter and her famous dance
(known in the theatre as the “dance of the seven veils”) has been a theme in
drama and reached the operatic stage in Richard Strauss’s opera Salome. Most of
the characters in the now-famous story are unsavoury, but the figure of Herod
merits our attention. He has John the Baptist imprisoned for criticizing
Herod’s marriage to his brother’s wife. One evening, in the midst of what must
have been a drunken orgy, after his stepdaughter dances, he promises her
whatever she might ask, even as much as half of his kingdom. After consulting
her mother, she asks for the head of John the Baptist. The request is granted,
much to Herod’s chagrin. John stood for principle, and it cost him his life.
Today people are often more passionate about politics than they are about moral
principle. This story is worthy of our reflection. Not that our lives equal it
in drama. But because it highlights the importance of principle in conduct,
something that cannot be put aside casually for personal reasons.
Points to Ponder
David’s faith and
accomplishment
David’s recognition of
moral failure
The figures of Herod,
Herodias, and their daughter
John the Baptist and
principle
Intercessions
– Lord, give us great men
and women, even great children, to inspire all of us how to live our faith
consistently, we pray:
– Lord, you know how
timid we are. Help us to take the Gospel of your Son Jesus, seriously by
letting your Spirit give us the insight and courage of prophets, we pray:
– Lord, you see how harsh
we often are. Let the gentleness and compassion of good persons give us warm
and understanding hearts, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, these are
only simple gifts, a piece of bread and a bit of wine. Accept them and give us
instead your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the Spirit and his fire, change us,
timid people into signs to everyone and all of your tenderness and mercy, your
justice and your peace, that we may bring into our world the life and message
of Jesus, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God of our hope and
future, your Spirit of wisdom and strength was alive in Jesus, your Son. Pour
out the same Spirit on us too, that we may bear witness today to your
faithfulness and love. And give us always people inspired by you, prophets like
John the Baptist, to wake us up when we are self-satisfied and to inspire us to
prepare the way for the full coming of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord.
Blessing
Like John the Baptist, we
can and should show others the road to Christ and prepare the way for his full
coming. This will happen only if we ourselves take his Gospel seriously, if the
Lord becomes visible in us, his goodness, his compassion, his love. May
Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
