A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mt 14:1-12
Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him.” Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.
REFLECTION:
“It is not lawful for you to have her.”
For 30 years Jesus was silent. During His public life, Jesus retreated to be alone with His Father.
Mary spoke a few words and she pondered many things in her heart.
St Joseph never spoke recorded words in the Bible.
All three obeyed. All three had patience and love. And all three beckon us to the Lord Almighty, in the silence of the Tabernacle.
One day we will be asked by God about our noise—complaints, useless words and prideful vainglories we sought and got. We will also be asked if we stood up for what was morally right. If we stood up for God.
We are expected to speak out, confront evil doing, counsel and advice, not allowing our silence to be a sign of consent.
With courage and fortitude we need to “speak up” but done so with kindness and love.
However, words spoken in truth can be taken as words of judgment and condemnation. And as with Saint John the Baptist, one can find themselves a “voice in the wilderness” and on the receiving end of the axe.
Abortion, transgenderism, drugs, same sex parents, if not addressed by us, can be taken as a sign of consent. Speak out when there is a need. Don’t allow someone to dominate a conversation with subjects that are inherently wrong.
Yes, you might be put in social media jail, or be left off invites for coffee or family gatherings or unfriended on Facebook. As Saint John the Baptist who was martyred for his spoken words, we, too, should speak up when necessary.
BUT this is done with charity and good manners, sticking true to our Faith and Catholic principles.
Pray we have the courage to cancel a show or streaming services, write a letter to the editor, walk out of a movie, cancel a subscription or write a letter to a priest, Bishop or Cardinal or correct our family to make our charitable voices heard.
But we must practice what we have chosen to say. After all, we want to bring souls to the Kingdom of Heaven. And what better way than through example.
Que Dios los Bendiga!!
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