The scene that we witness in today’s Gospel passage is one that has inspired artists, authors, and playwrights over the past two millennia. The lavish birthday banquet in Herod’s palace degenerated into a “banquet of death.” Mark follows up this scene with the story about Jesus feeding the multitude in the wilderness. It is as if the writer of this gospel wants to set Herod’s banquet of death against Jesus’ banquet of life.
John the Baptist is described in the gospel as a “good and holy man.” He courageously spoke God’s truth, of God’s way, and that is really why he was beheaded. Of course, Jesus was crucified for the same reason, because He, too, proclaimed the truth and purpose of God’s ways.
We are all called to proclaim the ways of God as revealed to us by Jesus. That will call for courage at times, the courage displayed by John the Baptist and Jesus. One of the traditional seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is courage. Today, more than in the past, it seems, we need a courageous faith; we need the courage of the Holy Spirit to witness to the values and message of the gospel, as did John the Baptist and Jesus.
We need to remember, though, that a courageous faith is not an arrogant faith; it is not a condescending faith; it is not a “Holier-than-Thou” faith. But it is a firm faith, a lasting faith, a faith that holds strong when the storms come because its roots are deep.+
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