Repentant Action!

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Eccl 1:2-11; Lk 9:7-9

Today’s Gospel highlights Herod’s curiosity to see Jesus. 

But why did Herod want to see Jesus? Because Jesus reminded Herod of John the Baptist, whom he killed. 

Hence, it may not be curiosity that drove Herod to see Jesus but his guilt. 

From this, we can understand that Herod is haunted by the guilt of having killed John the Baptist, though he fails to grab the opportunity for his conversion. 

Secondly, the identification of Jesus invokes the names of prophets.  

There are two reasons for identifying the actions of Jesus with those of prophets. 

At first, the prophets never compromised with the truth. They were so prophetic that they dared to confront even rulers like Herod. They would rather die than bury the truth. 

Secondly, the fate of all prophets was similar. In the case of the Gospel, the fate of Jesus’ forerunner is his fate and that of his disciples. Just as the prophets met with opposition, the Church of God will meet with opposition too. 

If Herod understood the fact that God sent prophets to mend our ways, he would have achieved his conversion. 

But when such disposition is missing, even the saving interventions of John and Jesus would not help.  

Mere guilt only signifies the love of staying stuck in our past. 

Hence, though we acknowledge Herod’s guilt, we find it fruitless when it lacks realization. 

Let us pray for the grace to discern the saving interventions of God in our lives and respond to them in repentant action. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar