Reflection of Friday 5th of febuary. Memorial of St Agatha. Mark 6.14-29

Theme: They may kill the body but not the soul.

 Herod Antipas, fearing possible political disorders triggered by the movement of John Baptist arrested the prophet and ordered him to be executed. St Agatha also refusing the immoral advancement to her body had her breast cut off.

Today, Mark account, more subjective, led to seeing John the Baptist only as a victim of the vengeance of an angry woman Herodias.

 Herod was tormented by remorse, thinks he recognizes in Jesus the prophet he had ordered to be killed (v. 16). And so begins the narrative of John's martyrdom, plotted by Herodias using Salome, weakness by Herod, death sentence and execution (vv. 26-28). But remorse chases the king. 

The story ends with a touch of piety: the body of the prophet is given to the disciples who took him to the grave (v. 29).

This popular narrative highlights what ridiculous attitude could do to us,  a slave to our passions. 

We commit crimes of which we carry the burden on conscience, and, therefore, we fall into fear. Herod feared that Jesus had risen from the dead to condemn him, for he had had John the Baptist sacrificed.

Herod said to the dancer: mention what you want. And when she asked for the head of John the Baptist, he was embarrassed, but wouldn't  tell her to ask for something else, because he was powerful, and rich ...

This is the evil of all the powerful on Earth. They think they can do anything. Even about people's lives. The powerful think that power is political or economic (of money), gives them the right to do whatever  their vanity tells them to do. Especially about the weak and the helpless, the seemingly defenseless. For behind a great weakness, the power of God may be hidden! That is why persecutions of the Church's apostles had the opposite effect. The more persecutions, the more the Church grew!

 The gift of life does not belong to the powerful, but to God. This means that someone, however powerful, has no right to take another person's life. Life belongs to God.

Jesus told us not to be afraid of those who could take our life. They may even kill us, but they will not harm our soul. They will not be able to do you any harm that may prevent us from enjoying eternal glory.  

Have a blessed day!

Pax- peace🙏🏾 Fr Ralph Jnr osj.