Faith Daily | 22 September 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p583

Loving Father,

whose Son Jesus Christ has taught us

that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters

we do also for him:

give us the will to be the servant of others

as he was the servant of all,

who gave up his life and died for us,

and yet lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Luke 9: 7-9

7Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, 8by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. 9Herod said, “John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he tried to see him.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Meredith Scott-McMahon

Luke takes us into the mind of Herod as he struggles with the news of Jesus’ disciples who are preaching and healing with amazing results. He is confused and confounded. Hasn’t he just beheaded John? Could this possibly John risen from the dead? Or one of the old prophets come back to life?

History has labelled Herod a weak man: that rings true in relation to his lack of resistance to the wiles of Herodias, who saw him as a much more powerful man than her own husband. They plotted for Herod to divorce his wife. She then placed him in the position of having to decapitate John the Baptist or lose face in front of very influential people.

Jesus calls Herod ‘that fox’ (Luke 13:32) for reasons of his political opportunism in siding with the Sanhedrin and shoring up his alliances. But he was also a very dangerous man who was capable of having Jesus mocked and sent back to Pilate for the travesty of a trial when Jesus would not perform miracles on tap for his benefit (Luke 23:8-10).

Verse 9 says Herod tried to see Jesus for himself, but it seems to me that he was already too imbedded in a life of political power and ambition and too hardened in his own sin to receive the truth behind the miracles he was hearing about.

What can we learn from these two short verses? For me, it’s how blind I can be to my own weaknesses, and how easily by succumbing to temptation I could be separated from the love and beauty of a life in Christ.

FINAL PRAYER

Lord, give me the courage to see my own weaknesses, the strength to withstand temptation, and a clear-sighted love of Jesus to always choose the right path.

‘Lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil’

Amen.