Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, Mark recounts the events in Herod’s court that led to the execution of John the Baptist. Matthew also recounts the same episode in his Gospel. However, Mark includes an interesting little tidbit that Matthew omits, but that we should take a deeper look at. Mark writes that Herod was afraid of John because he knew him to be a righteous and holy man. Mark also tells us that Herod, though he was perplexed by John, also liked to listen to him. So Herod experienced an interest in John the Baptist and to what John was saying. In this attraction that Herod experienced, we can discern the continued action of God’s grace to change Herod and to bring about his conversion. The truth of the matter is that God does not give up on any of us, but is always at work in each of our lives to draw us ever closer to Himself. And this includes those people who, like Herod, seem to have turned very much away from God.
All of us know certain friends and family members who seem to have turned away from God, and discerning God at work to call Herod back to Himself gives us renewed hope for our loved ones who have strayed. And it encourages us to persevere in praying for and working with our loved ones to bring them back to God. We can also take as an example St. Monica, who through many years of prayer and good example, won the conversion of her son, St. Augustine.
Reflection by Fr. Aquinas Keusenkothen, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections