Jubilee and judgment

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate two forms of authority one with a plan for justice and restoration and the other where authoritarian power is imprudent and unjust. The reading from Leviticus reveals a plan that requires periodic evaluation of our actions and restitution for wrong decisions. In the Gospel from Matthew, the anger of Herod towards John the Baptist becomes an overwhelming passion leading to an unjust and violent action. In everyday encounters a discipline of STOP, Stop; Take a few breaths; Observe; and proceed is a discipline that offers an opportunity for the Spirit to counsel our decisions.