Friday 3 February
Mark 6:14-29 • St Blaise (Optional Memorial)
The gloom of Mark’s account of the martyrdom of John the Baptist follows immediately after the triumph of Jesus sending out the apostles. So we are confronted with the stark contrast between God’s kingdom, marked by repentance, forgiveness and healing, and Herod’s worldly kingdom of tyranny, deception, lust and arbitrary violence. Although he styled himself as ‘king’, Herod’s official title, ‘tetrarch’, was less than kingly. Ultimately his immoderate ambition earned him banishment to Gaul when he demanded of the Emperor Caligula that he be given the title ‘king’.
John the Baptist had preached before Herod, condemned his lifestyle and called him to repentance. But Herod had either failed to understand the significance of John’s message or had rejected it and, after putting John in prison, nursed a grudge against him (Luke 3:19-20).
Herod lived by the standards of the world, yet, despite his resentment and confusion, he recognized John as a holy man; he liked to listen to him. But that attraction did not mature into an active acceptance of his message. When confronted with the choice of losing face in front of his guests or having the innocent Baptist killed to fulfil his foolish promise, his worldly pride and fear won the day and John was martyred.
The same sort of confusion and attraction to God’s message is common today. Many people listen to the proclamation of God’s word and even get excited about it, particularly the message of salvation, but often they then retreat and succumb to the blandishments of the world.
Attraction is not enough. Throughout their ministries, John the Baptist and Jesus – and after them the apostles – preached that if we are to enter God’s kingdom, we need to repent and change. When we acknowledge in prayer the greatness of God’s power and his infinite mercy, the Holy Spirit will move us to repent of all our offences against him. As we receive the life-giving grace of forgiveness, our hearts are softened and we are enabled to embrace the healing changes in our lives that, out of love for us, he longs to bestow.
‘Lord Jesus, deepen your spirit of repentance in my heart today, that it may be softened and more receptive to the changes you wish to work in me.’
Ecclesiasticus 47:2-11 • Psalm 17(18):31, 47, 50-51
Mark 6:14-29
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