Following the false self

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to rely on the Holy Spirit as we interpret events and form responses that are consistent with Divine Mercy.

Truth in our path

The CCCB chooses the text from Jeremiah that urges the young prophet to rely on the strength of God in his mission to the people of Israel.

In the Gospel from Mark, King Herod orders the beheading of John the Baptist as a consequence of his need to save face.

* [6:17–29] Similarities are to be noted between Mark’s account of the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist in this pericope, and that of the passion of Jesus (Mk 15:1–47). Herod and Pilate, each in turn, acknowledges the holiness of life of one over whom he unjustly exercises the power of condemnation and death (Mk 6:26–27; 15:9–10, 14–15). The hatred of Herodias toward John parallels that of the Jewish leaders toward Jesus. After the deaths of John and of Jesus, well-disposed persons request the bodies of the victims of Herod and of Pilate in turn to give them respectful burial (Mk 6:29; 15:45–46).

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia quotes from Ragamuffin Reflections by Brennan who expands the call to Jeremiah to preach God’s Word to his fellow Israelites.

The call is beyond you
So God makes you more than you
Steadfast
Enduring
Rock and Refuge
Living Stone
Rejected in the Redeeming
Like your Christ
Your Jesus
They will fight
But the battle is the Lord’s

Fred Hanna reflects on an unfortunate situation of his son backing himself into a corner, and prays that he would be confident in the Lord and rely on wisdom and truth.

This is what Herod encountered with John the Baptist in today’s Gospel reading.  Herod didn’t want John the Baptist killed, but his pride got in the way after he promised Herodias’ daughter anything she wanted.  Sadly, Herod felt he had nowhere else to turn and had John the Baptist beheaded.

Don Schwager quotes John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) on the the weakness of the tyrant compared to the power of the one in prison.

"Note well the weakness of the tyrant compared to the power of the one in prison. Herod was not strong enough to silence his own tongue. Having opened it, he opened up countless other mouths in its place and with its help. As for John, he immediately inspired fear in Herod after his murder - for fear was disturbing Herod's conscience to such an extent that he believed John had been raised from the dead and was performing miracles (Mark 6:14-16)! In our own day and through all future time, throughout all the world, John continues to refute Herod, both through himself and through others. For each person repeatedly reading this Gospel says: 'It is not lawful for you to have the wife of Philip your brother' (Mark 6:18). And even apart from reading the Gospel, in assemblies and meetings at home or in the market, in every place... even to the very ends of the earth, you will hear this voice and see that righteous man even now still crying out, resounding loudly, reproving the evil of the tyrant. He will never be silenced nor the reproof at all weakened by the passing of time." (excerpt from ON THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD 22.8-9)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 6:17-29 comments on how it is likely that Salome was just a pawn in the hands of her manipulative mother and our need to act against such abuse.

But nobody is really helpless when it comes to overcoming injustice. You certainly can reach beyond the walls of your home. Whether it’s through financial support or by volunteering at a local agency or by committing every day to pray against these evils, you can make a difference. You don’t have to follow the path of John the Baptist and become a martyr in the cause of social justice. You just have to take one small but courageous step, and you’ll help bring God’s salvation and justice to the people who are hurting today.
“Jesus, open my heart to the cries of the poor and abused. Show me how I can help them today.

Friar Jude Winkler notes that Herod was fascinated by the preaching of John the Baptist and by the dancing of Salome. We need to be aware of foolish promises that might hurt others and not resist being humbled to prevent harm to others. Friar Jude comments on the relics of St.John the Baptist in many Christian churches.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Rabbi Rami Shapiro as he reflects that the biblical tradition reveals that whenever the prophetic gift is lacking in any group or religion, such a group will very soon be self-serving, self-perpetuating, and self-promoting. Without prophetic criticism, all sense of mission and message is lost.

The tendency in religion to “absolutize” things comes from a deep psychological need for some solid ground to stand on, and I understand that. But the prophets keep saying, “God is the only absolute!” Don’t make the fingers pointing to the moon into the moon itself, as it were. Jeremiah said, “The temple, the temple, the temple of YHWH! Don’t you recognize it has become a robber’s den?” (7:1-11). Jesus quotes this very message (Mark 11:17). But, of course he was talking about Jerusalem, and surely not our parish church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Santiago, Chile, or the Vatican in Rome.

Father Richard offers a concluding thought that our spiritual journey moves us from recognizing that our group is God’s “chosen people,” even in our imperfection, to knowing that all people are made in God’s image and are equally imperfect in that reflection. Imperfection is the pattern that draws forth the Divine Mercy.

References

(2018, February 17). Take a Stand, inspired by Jeremiah 1.17-19 | Turning the Word. Retrieved August 29, 2018, from https://revlisad.com/2018/02/17/take-a-stand-inspired-by-jeremiah-1-17-19/

(n.d.). Mark chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved August 29, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/6

(n.d.). Creighton's Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved August 29, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 29, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/

(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved August 29, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 29, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/