Mark 6: 17-29
The gospel today tells us of the tragic drama of the death of John the Baptist. As far as Herod was concerned John had two faults, because of which he had to die. First, he was too popular with the people. Second, because he was a man who told the truth. John was a man who fearlessly rebuked evil. For him, sin and evil could never be compromised. There is no half-way in dealing with evil. Either you tell the truth, or you lie about it. John was courageous enough to tell Herod Antipas that it was not right to take his brother’s wife. By his rebuke John signed his own death warrant.
My dear friends, aren’t we very much like Herod to some extent at times? Not consciously perhaps, but when we hear some “hard sayings,” we grumble and may even turn our back on Christ and on the Church. It is easy to accept things we like to hear and those which don’t apply to us. But when we are ‘directly hit’ – we easily turn our back and go away. Indeed, truth really hurts.
On the other hand, in this time and age, we also need men
and women, like John, who are ready to speak the truth. The truth can never be
compromised. The teachings of Jesus cannot be compromised. In this time and
age, we need messengers of God, like John, to tell us that it is wrong to hate
one another; that it is morally evil to kill a child inside the womb (whether
as fetus or already on the stage of development). That it is not right for a
man and woman to be cohabiting without the privilege of marriage; or that we
condone violence or any forms of injustice or atrocity in the guise of national
security; that nobody has the right to take the life of another even if it is
the will of the person concerned, or simply because he is a condemned criminal.
Nobody has the right to alter God’s beautiful creation in the guise of
scientific research or economic progress. Today, we need messengers like John
who can be a sign of contradiction and a sign of hope. A person like Francis of
Assisi who exemplified the gospel value of poverty in the midst of wealth and riches
in the world. A Mahatma Gandhi who was ready to fight injustice
and discrimination by means of non-violence; a Mother Teresa of
As disciples of Jesus, we are also called to be messengers of God. As messengers of God, we are demanded to speak about the good news of God without any fear or compromise. It’s a great challenge. It’s also a great responsibility.
Now we ask: Are you ready to take and face this challenge?