Scripture Reflection 29 August 2014, Friday, The Passion of St John the Baptist RULED BY FEAR OR RULED BY FAITH SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1Cor 1:17-25; Mk 6:17-29 What is it that drives us in life? What is it that drives us to act? What is it in the final analysis that drives us to choose a certain career or vocation? There are only two answers. We are either driven by fear or by faith. Every action boils down to either of these factors ultimately. This is portrayed in a dramatic way in today’s scripture readings, especially the gospel. King Herod is perhaps the most pitiful man in today’s gospel. He was driven by fear throughout his life. Although supposedly a king and therefore commanded fear from his subjects, he lived in fear himself. He feared John. He feared the wrath of Herodias. He feared losing his reputation and thereby suffer the low opinion of others. Fear drove him to play to the gallery. He feared God even, for he “was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection.” As a result of fear, he acted rashly and without thinking. Fear blinded him. A heart that is lived in fear will never find peace. Of course, he was not the only one to live in fear. Herodias herself was driven by fear to the extent that fear consumed her. Hence she became vindictive and revengeful. She feared that John the Baptist would hamper her relationship with Herod and threaten her position as his wife. Her daughter was also ruled by fear. Herodias must have been such a fierce woman to cause her daughter to act almost like an automaton, unable to decide for herself. This is true of many young people who have been brought up by domineering and fierce parents. They remain dependent on their parents in decision-making even when they have grown up. Fear paralyzes them, just as it paralyzed Herodias’s daughter. She lived in fear of her mother, so much so she could not even choose between half the kingdom and a useless decapitated head! What was she going to do with that head? In contrast, we have Jeremiah and John the Baptist who were ruled by faith. Jeremiah understood that he was called by the Lord to speak to his people. Convinced of the Lord God, he spoke fearlessly, in and out of season. Unless, he was ruled by faith, Jeremiah would not have been able to speak so courageously against the false prophets and the king. In the same vein, John the Baptist was ruled by faith, a faith expressed by his commitment to truth and justice. Even Herod recognized him to be “a good and holy man, and gave him his protection.” Because of his faith in God, John the Baptist was passionate about truth and justice. We know that he lived in the desert and therefore could hear the voice of God speaking clearly in him. Because he loved God, he too loved his fellowmen and fought for love, which included truth and justice. He spoke for the marginalized, the sinners, the outcasts and most of all for Philip, whose wife had been taken from him. So John the Baptist’s courage came from his deep faith in God who is truth and justice. What about us? Are we ruled by fear? What is it that urges us to undertake a certain assignment or take a particular course of action e.g. remaining silent in the face of injustice committed by our superiors or our friends, or not speaking the truth? Is it because we are fearful of our security in the future? Is it because we are fearful that we would fall out of favour if we speak the truth? Or are we fearful that we would not be popular? Some are fearful simply to be themselves and put on masks, especially in front of their superiors. I believe that none of us would admit that the way we live is ruled by fear for our security. We would want to believe that what we are doing is ruled by faith. The power of fear is so strong that quite often we deceive ourselves unconsciously. We will always find reasons to justify whatever we want to do in life. This is where the real difficulty comes in. Discernment of motives is always very ambiguous because of the tendency to cover our real motives and to rationalize our actions. It would be too painful for us to admit that we are seeking security in popularity, reputation, possessions, and natural talents. Out of fear, we behave ourselves before our superiors and those whose good books we want to be in. We do whatever they tell us. We are afraid to offend them by speaking the truth. But with our peers, we show our true colours. We are not so generous, polite and helpful to others who have no influence over our security. Indeed, if we want to know whether we are truly generous and humble in service, the best way to examine our true selves is to see how we deal with our peers or those of lesser status than us. Like Herod, fear prevents us from taking heed of the dictates of our own hearts. Supposedly, Herod was attempting to come to terms with his action. This accounts for his apparent paradoxical attraction for John the Baptist, for “when he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.” The fact is that although he tried to suppress his conscience and rationalize his action, the truth confronted him in his heart. The conscience, on recognizing the truth, immediately responds to it, even when the head tries to justify it. We too know that our motives are not right when we feel unsettled by our decisions. However, if our life is ruled by faith in God’s will, there is no room for fear. If our focus is on God, His glory and living according to His plan for us, we can live a transparent and liberated life. There would be no need to impress people because we are what we are. We need not even worry about the outcome of our actions because we trust that goodness will triumph over evil, truth over falsehood. When we are not motivated by self-interest, we can act courageously and righteously. Without question, John suffered a brutal and unjust death, but in his death he was truly free because he was at peace. If we are faithful to God and His will, if we place our faith in Him, then, just as God assured Jeremiah, He will assure us that His love is stronger than fear and death. His grace is sufficient to see us through. However, there is a warning for us all as well. If we deceive ourselves and thereby others as well, we will ultimately live in guilt and regret. The gospel tells us “the king was deeply distressed, but thinking of the oath he had sworn and his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguards with orders to bring John’s head.” He was such a coward and could not take a strong stand on what he knew to be right. Instead, he succumbed to his fear. But throughout the rest of his life, he lived in guilt, as we read later on when he heard about Jesus, he dreamt that perhaps John the Baptist had come back to haunt him. Those who put on the mask so well and deceive their friends and superiors consciously or unconsciously will pay a price for their lack of truthfulness. In time to come, people will come to discover who we really are, and then it may be too late to turn back the clock. At any rate, fear will prevent us from doing what is right and good. If we are unable to be truthful to ourselves now, what makes us so sure that we can act in the truth in the future? Fear will deter us from exercising our prophetic calling to be like John the Baptist, to be courageous witnesses of truth and justice. As a result, we live a mediocre life because deep down within us, we know that we have shirked our responsibility to speak for the truth and to act justly. Like Herod, our conscience will not be at peace. In fact, one of the most troubling worries for those in leadership is to have their conscience pricking them for their failure to speak for the truth and to act rightly, justly and humbly. Indeed, fear is the cause of our misery and lack of freedom to choose. Today, on the feast of John the Baptist, let us pray that we might follow his heroic example in standing up for truth, for values and for God. Real power in life is not the power to control others but to be able to order our lives in such a way that it is in line with the plan of God. Death has no power over those of us who are willing to hear God’s voice and listen to the truth. May God grant us true courage so that we can discern His voice and follow it!
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 05:15:05 +0000
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