Today’s Gospel is short and sweet. It presents me with one central question: How have I questioned/denied Jesus in my life?
In this reading, Herod appears paranoid about the idea that someone (John, Elijah, or Jesus) may be more powerful than him. We saw this paranoia at the birth of Jesus as well, when Herod’s predecessor also felt threatened.

Similarly, there are examples of Jesus’ miraculous works throughout the Gospels. In many of them, the people who witness the deeds become frightened or enraged and attempt to kill or stone Jesus. In today’s reading, Herod was being confronted with the idea of a miraculous being and could not grasp that concept, so he interpreted it as a threat to his monarchy and made it clear his desire was to end Jesus. In a way, he was denying the true nature of the Lord.

Now, I ask myself how I deny Jesus? Do I deny his power? His teachings? I thought putting this story into today’s context might help me. In America, we do not have kings or queens. Instead, powerful figures I can think of include politicians or celebrities. If someone random came out and said, “I am the governor of New York” or “I am Taylor Swift” we would know those claims to be false since we have photos of both people readily available online. I imagine that was what it felt like to Herod and others when Jesus came around saying He was king of the Jews. To them, Herod was the literal king of the Jews. If I came across someone today saying they were the governor of New York and I knew this to be false, I would assume they were mentally unwell. Similarly, many thought Jesus’s claims could not possibly be true and denied him. Now, back to the question at hand: do I deny Jesus in my daily life? My immediate response is, “No! Of course not!” The idea of denying my Lord makes me uncomfortable. But, if I sit with the question, the answer becomes maybe…. Yes. I deny the Lord when I sin. I struggle to welcome certain teachings in the bible. It is difficult for me to accept the scope of His power. Now, what can I do with all this introspection? I have managed to reflect my way into thinking I may not be a great Catholic. But then I am reminded that these questions are not meant to be easy. Following Christ was not and is not the path of least resistance. Herod denied that path, the people we meet throughout the Gospels struggled, and we continue to struggle today. Therefore, I ask Christ for the perseverance to continue my faith journey, for my peace and understanding in the Lord’s Word to increase. I place my struggles and denials at His feet, asking for patience, love, and forgiveness on this journey to heaven and greater understanding.