Today's Gospel, Matthew 14: 1-12, presents us with the anger of Herod and his wife toward John the Baptist, who confronted Herod with the fact that his marriage to his brother's wife Herodias was invalid. Herod would have killed John the Baptist outright but, out of fear of the people, who regarded John the Baptist as a a prophet, had him imprisoned instead. At his birthday party, Herod's daughter performed a dance for Herod that absolutely delighted him. He swore to give her whatever she asked for. Prompted by her mother, she said, "'Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.'" So Herod, not wanting to look bad to his guests, had John the Baptist murdered in his prison cell and his head brought to his wife on a platter, as she had requested! Herod's weakness to please others led him, in this case, to being complicit in the murder of John the Baptist.
How does our codependency upon others or our need to look good to others--to please them at all costs-- lead us to do that which is contrary to God's will for us? In other words, in our compulsion to meet what we believe are other's expectations of us, how do we betray ourselves and do that which, otherwise, we would not do? To what lengths are we willing to go to please another, even if it means violating our commitments to our family/our community/our parish/our employer? Herod's codependency--his compulsion to please others--led him to be complicit in his wife's murder!
Lord, Your Spirit lives within us and guides us to the Truth. Help us be true to ourselves, to Your Spirit of Truth guiding us, and not be led astray by the desire to please another person not in tune with the truth of goodness within all of us.
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