Today we celebrate the anniversary of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. Mark’s Gospel describes John’s grisly death. It was noted that Herod liked to listen to John, but that he was perplexed by him and even feared him. Herod imprisoned John after he had denounced him for divorcing his wife and marrying his half-brother Phillip’s wife, Herodias. Following his imprisonment and during a banquet celebrating Herod’s birthday, Herodias’s daughter, Salome, performed a dance in honor of Herod and he was so delighted by her that he offered her anything including half of his kingdom. Salome went back to her mother, Herodias, and asked her what she should ask for. Due to Herodias’s disdain for John she suggested the head of John the Baptist. Although Herod was deeply distressed by her request he followed through because of his previous oath and his unwillingness to break his word to Salome and to do so in front of his guests.

When I read Mark’s account, I think of dichotomies. Two men  - one holy, one not. One was courageous and willing to risk imprisonment to speak of the coming of Jesus and the necessity to repent, the other was a coward who, despite his intrigue with John and his belief in him being a righteous man, was unwilling to stand up for him once Herodias requested his beheading. One was unconcerned about how others viewed him and spoke truthfully regardless of its implications, the other, despite the distress he felt with the request to behead John, capitulated so as to not look bad in front of Salome and his guests.

Essentially, Mark’s Gospel highlights the distinct differences between two men and how they lived their lives. John embraced the ways of God and lived his life accordingly; Herod did not. None of us is perfect and we often struggle to determine right from wrong. Or, maybe more so, even when we know what is right it is difficult to follow through due to other influencing factors including people or circumstances and we end up doing the easier thing. After reading today’s Gospel, I hope to remind myself of John and his courage to speak his beliefs and values. I then hope to garner the courage to stand up for what is right despite the consequences whether it be embarrassment or ridicule or something worse. Let us embrace God through the teachings of John and Jesus. And let God give us the strength and the courage to speak out against immorality and injustice and let’s channel this newfound strength as we attempt to change the world around us in a positive way!