Why Was John the Baptist Beheaded? We Know the Apparent Reason

"The Court”

Why was John the Baptist beheaded? We know the apparent reason

given in the Bible. King Herod did it “on account of Herodias, his

brother Philip’s wife” (Mt 14,3).

In one of his recent homilies in the Vatican, our Holy Father Pope

Francis gave an altogether different interpretation of this incident.

According to the Pope, the real reason for this murder is “the court”,

the palace of the king. The court is the symbol of power and wealth

as well as pomp and luxury. Besides, in the court, there is a gang of

flatterers, who tell the king not what is true, but what is pleasing to

him, or rather, what is pleasing to his concupiscence. The king

gradually becomes insensitive to the dictates of conscience and to

the principles of justice and fairness. In short, unlimited power, luxury

and the influence of the flatterers prompted king Herod to commit

this heinous crime.

When David was a poor shepherd, he led a virtuous life. But, when he

started enjoying the luxury of “the court”, his heart deviated from the

love of the Lord and he committed adultery and murder (2 Sam 11).

Now we understand, why Pope Francis is unwilling to move to

the official papal residence. Now we understand, why the Holy Father

is repeatedly exhorting the faithful, especially priests and religious,

to shed off all signs of luxury and vanity. He asserts that the bride

cannot be richer than the bridegroom. Jesus, the King of Kings, did

not have a palace. He was born in a manger and died on a cross. The

church is Jesus’ bride.

The Holy Father’s words and deeds are quite revolutionary. As Christians

we are confronted by his radical message. During this holy

season of Lent, the Holy Father’s message compels us to make a

deep reflection and thorough introspection on our way of life.

In the recent years, our life-style is undergoing substantial change

due to various reasons.

The lure of “the court” may make us deaf to the cry of the poor.

Our resources are for the service of the poor. Hence, let us make

sure that the money we get and handle, be properly accounted and spent

for the ultimate benefit of the poor.

As we are nearing the end of holy season of Lent, let us remember that clinging

to a few customary practices such as fasting and abstinence is not

sufficient (Is 58). If we imbibe the spirit of the exhortation of the

Holy Father and offer ourselves and our resources whole heartedly to

the service of the poor, our observance of Lent and the celebration of the great Feast of Easter will be more meaningful.Then the joy of the resurrection will be ours.

Wish you all A Glorious Easter.