The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given. – Matthew 14:9

       My officemates were egging me to dance during a company party. I declined, saying, “I have two left feet, and I don’t really dance.” But that made them pull me to the dance floor all the more.

       With all the strength I could muster, I gave in and danced.

       Like King Herod in today’s Gospel, I gave in to peer pressure. Even though he didn’t want to harm John, Herod had him killed just the same because of pressure from his guests.

       Many times, we go through crossroads of peer pressure.

       Sometimes it’s as simple as making the sign of the cross and praying before meals in a restaurant. Because of our fear of being scorned by friends, we don’t do it.

       At times, it is as “big” as skipping Sunday Mass. The invitation from friends to go to the beach or go on a road trip doesn’t permit you to attend Mass, and yet you “go with the flow” because of peer pressure.

       Dear friend, stand up for your faith. The Bible says in

Matthew 10:32, “Everyone who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.” Danny Tariman (dtariman.loj@gmail.com)

Reflection: How many times did you “fail” the Lord because of peer pressure?

Lord, I am sorry for not standing up for You. I am sorry that I kept silent about You. Please grant me the grace to stand up for You. Amen.

St. Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop, pray for us.

What a pathetic reason to declare that a man deserves death. All Jeremiah has done is speak the truth about the people’s sinfulness, in particular its leaders. For centuries, this has been enough to result in execution in totalitarian regimes but Israel is not one of them. The call to conversion of heart should not be a political reality but a personal one. We need to hear it as a community, but it will be falling on deaf ears unless we have appropriated it personally first.

11 The priests and prophets said to the princes and to all the people, “This man deserves death; he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.” 12 Jeremiah gave this answer to the princes and all the people: “It was the Lord who sent me to prophesy against this house and city all that you have heard. 13 Now, therefore, reform your ways and your deeds; listen to the voice of the Lord your God, so that the Lord will repent of the evil with which he threatens you. 14 As for me, I am in your hands; do with me what you think good and right. 15 But mark well: if you put me to death, it is innocent blood you bring on yourselves, on this city and its citizens. For in truth it was the Lord who sent me to you, to speak all these things for you to hear.” 16 Thereupon the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve death; it is in the name of the Lord, our God, that he speaks to us.” 24 So Ahikam, son of Shaphan, protected Jeremiah, so that he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

R: Lord, in your great love, answer me.

14 [15] Rescue me out of the mire; may I not sink, may I be rescued from my foes, and from the watery depths. 15 [16] Let not the floodwaters overwhelm me, nor the abyss swallow me up, nor the pit close its mouth over me. (R) 29 [30] But I am afflicted and in pain; let your saving help, O God, protect me. 30 [31] I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. (R) 32 [33] “See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! 33 [34] For the Lord hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.” (R)

John the Baptist loses his life for speaking the truth and because Herod is a weakling. Herod is unable to stand up for the truth because he fears what others may think of him if he does. This is one of the most paralyzing and unnecessary fears we can have. If we are going to worry about the opinion of others when we know that what we are doing is right, then we will rarely do anything at all.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1 Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus 2 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.” 3 Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 4 for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. 6 But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod 7 so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, 10 and he had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

think:  The call to conversion of heart should not be a political reality but a personal one.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Maccabees 5-6

STANDING UP FOR YOURSELF

It will be a great shame to not have the gumption to stand up for what we believe in, and this moment of weakness will eventually lead to an unfortunate event.

       I wonder how Herod felt the next day after having ordered the decapitation of John the Baptist? Herod is clearly a man who is worried

about what others think of him, to the point that he is not even capable of standing up for the truth. And it is not as if he did not know the truth, for he is clearly aware that John is a good man and that he has no reason to kill him.

       Hopefully our moments of weakness do not have drastic consequences like what happened to John. However, we don’t know what the consequences of our failure to stand up for the truth might be. The only way we can be sure that we are not responsible for such unfortunate circumstances is to be courageous enough to stand up for the truth, no matter what it would cost us.

       Another message of this story is where resentment can lead to. Herod’s wife, previously the wife of his brother, is angry because John had the guts to tell them that their marriage is immoral. She wants revenge because she has allowed resentment against John the Baptist to fester in her heart. Resentment does not always end in murder, but that shows that a small sin can eventually grow into something big and go beyond one’s control.

       The solution to this problem is to learn to forgive or, in the case of the wife of Herod, to recognize the truth of the challenge that has been thrown at her and address it before anything gets out of control. If Herodias had done that, the sequence of events would not have resulted in John the Baptist’s beheading. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What usually leads you to turn away from the truth? What can help you embrace truth at all times?

Jesus, help me to embrace truth even if it is sometimes painful. I want to grow in holiness. Help me to pay the price that discipleship demands when it comes to ridding sin from my life.