Memorial of Saint
Agatha, virgin and martyr
(Sirach 47:2-11; Mark 6:14-29)
In Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth” the protagonist assumes
the royal throne after killing the king.
His cunning does not end there.
He finds that he must keep on killing to retain power. His next victim is a general named Banquo
whose ghost returns to haunt Macbeth. In
today’s gospel Herod experiences a similar haunting.
The gospel relates how Herod kills John the Baptist. The story begins with Herod becoming disturbed
when he hears about Jesus. Since Jesus’
fame as a prophet has come in the wake of John’s murder, Herod believes that he
is John reincarnated. No one has told
Herod that Jesus is John. Evidently
Herod’s guilt for the crime has moved him to think it.
Evil like a fault in the earth surface can run deep. We should not underestimate its influence and
are wise to not become entangled in it.
When we do something wrong, we need to confess our sin and move on with
life. Trying to hide what we do will likely end in delving ever lower into the
realm of atrocity.
