Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Yesterday, we read St. Matthew’s account of the rejection of Jesus by his own people of Nazareth. They lacked faith in him because he seemed too “ordinary” to be the Savior of Israel that they expected. This story of non-acceptance opens the fifth part of St. Matthew’s gospel. It is followed immediately by a passage that recounts the life of a man who did place his faith in Jesus—one who went so far as to die for the truth. That man was John the Baptist.
John, in many ways, foreshadows the life of Jesus. Like Jesus, his role was also foretold by the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’” (Is 40:3) As the Son of God humbled himself to take on human form, so John the Baptist humbled himself to be only a precursor of the Messiah. “…the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals.” (Mt 3:11) “He must increase; I must decrease.” (Jn 3:30)
In the gospel passage we read today, we discover the full meaning of the words “make straight his paths.” John stood up to Herod in maintaining his belief that his marriage to his brother’s wife Herodias was unlawful. And it cost him his life because of a weak king who was unwilling to stand up for what he knew was true. The gruesome act was carried out by Herod’s wife who wanted to eliminate the voice that troubled her husband’s guilty conscience.
What are we to take away from this gospel narrative? It is a challenge to us to live our Christian faith with a firm commitment, to put our lives behind what we believe. We may not be called to the point of shedding blood, but we may be asked to risk the pain of embarrassment or ridicule when we stand up for the laws of God under the observation of “the guests who [are] present.” Let us pray for the gift of faith strong enough to put our lives on the line for what we know is the truth and for the courage needed to make straight the paths of the Lord.
Reflection by Br. Michael Marcotte, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections