Heb. 13: 1-8; Mk. 6: 14-29

“It is John whom I beheaded.  He has been raised up”.  With these words King Herod demonstrates he was a man of faith, misguided believer but a man of faith.  Herod was ministered to by John and “he liked to listen to him” though he “feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man”.  The people were saying of Jesus he is John, he is Elijah, or a prophet.  Herod understood in his heart the sin he had committed. He confessed it by claiming it was John whom he beheaded.

Herod was misguided because he had not had an encounter with Jesus yet he believed him to be John. He believed “He has been raised up” from the dead.  Perhaps John preached to him of the resurrection of the dead and the one to come. This lead him to make such a bold statement.  Herod “feared John” a wanderer in the desert who had no army, no wealth, no recognition only the power of the “word”.  The word from John against the sin of Herod marrying his brother’s wife was understood as a violation of the “law” of God.

Today the word speaks to our hearts not only from the gospel word but from our baptism through the Holy Spirit. This word is planted into our hearts. The word resonates when we sin against the law of God.  The moral conscience stands guard and watchful of our actions.  It is protected by an army of virtues given by the Holy Spirit. From our baptism we not only receive faith, hope, and love but also fortitude, justice, prudence, and temperance.

It is one thing to know what is right and another to have the fortitude to stand for what is right. This is a world that claims to have the entitlement to dictate what is right.  Do we have the courage to be a voice in the desert. It is one thing to believe in justice and another to act justly when confronted with injustice.  It is one thing to make the best judgement under the circumstances and another to be prudent in God’s right judgment.  It is one thing to seek right balance in our life and another to live in temperance with God’s call this day being the best God created us to be.

The word now resides within but not for all.  Like Herod some are drawn only from the outside. They hear the word and are “very much perplexed” but have not had an encounter with the word made flesh, Jesus.  They have listened to many prophets, philosophers, ideologist and come away with their own eclectic views of the world.  Some misguided by their love for one person have called for the head of another.  Others for the pride of their word have sworn to deliver the head of the innocent. 

Today we are reminded “not to neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”  We are not alone in the kingdom of God.  The angels of God are with us and they come to guide us to God’s perfection in an encounter with the suffering, imprisoned, and the stranger.  The words, “Let your life be free from love of money” can be extended to love of any attachment that separates us from the love of God.  We become attached to money, alcohol, drugs, television, social media, the internet and even food or any number of bad habits.  The number one attachment we all suffer from today is our phone and our youth are beginning early in life conditioned to this lifestyle. 

By trying to stay connected to the world we become disconnected to the present moment around us and miss the presence of Christ with us.  We must learn to step aside from the bondage we create for ourselves and trust “The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid.”  Christ is the one constant in this world. He will not abandon or forsake us when we turn back to him.  Are we ready to encounter Jesus or will we fear a righteous and holy man?  We must first listen “for him” before we can listen to him and then follow.