the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.
Sometimes we are like Herod. We recognize what we are doing is wrong, but don’t stop ourselves. We hear our conscience telling us to stop, but we don’t heed the warning. We know we are called to be righteous and holy, but we allow ourselves to be wicked and sinful. We listen to the world and all its temptations and they lead us further and further astray. Yet, there is a part of us that knows the truth of the gospels and wants to give ourselves over to it. And if we open our hearts, souls, and minds to God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace, then He will give us everything we need to live a more Christ-like life and show us the way we are meant to walk towards heaven.
What are the failings, imperfections, and sins that hold us back from doing good? How can we cleanse ourselves of all those things that keep us from being more Christ-like? Are we willing to let God into our hearts, souls, and minds so that He can make them clean?
O Lord, let us not only listen to your words, but also put them into action in our lives.
Amen.
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