Saturday 1 August 2026
St Alphonsus Liguori
Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24. Lord, in your great love, answer me – Ps 68(69):15-16, 30-31, 33-34. Matthew 14:1-12.
Doing what is right
The story of the beheading of John the Baptist is one of the more gruesome moments in Scripture; and one of the more puzzling. While in life John was understood as the forerunner of Jesus, the one who goes before him announcing his coming, his death seems disconnected from the ministry of Jesus, just a random act of cruelty.
But what links John’s final story to that of Jesus is the crisis he provokes. Faced with Herodias’ request, Herod must decide between doing what is easier and what he knows to be right. And notably, the passage doesn’t condemn Herod for the choice he makes. Rather than a story about him and John, this is ultimately a story about us, a cautionary tale warning that we, too, will face moments when we will be asked to make hard choices whether to stand with people in need.
