Homily for Saturday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time

The execution of John the Baptist serves as a dramatic example of the abuse of power that is prevalent throughout human history. During the time of Jesus, Herod Antipas was the ruler in Galilee. Although ultimately subject to the emperor in Rome, he had a free hand to exercise his local power as he saw fit, as long as he followed the laws of Rome. In this particular incident, Herod misused his power by ordering the execution of an innocent man.

People who abuse power in this way lose their authority. In this passage, John the Baptist had no power; he was Herod’s prisoner. But he had higher moral authority rooted in his relationship with God. That gave John the freedom to speak the truth to powerful people and to confront King Herod for breaking the Jewish law. For speaking out, John was imprisoned and eventually executed. 

John’s martyrdom foreshadowed that of Jesus. As Jesus hung from the Cross, He, too, had no power. As St. Paul says, “He was crucified in weakness.”[1] Yet, at that moment, He had great authority: the authority of a life of integrity and goodness, the authority of God’s faithful Son. A fact that, remarkably, was recognized by the centurion in charge of the Crucifixion.[2] 

Even if we have little or no power, we can have authority in the gospel sense. Like John the Baptist, we are called to be people of the Word who let God shape our values, attitudes, and our whole lives.

 

[1] 2 Corinthians 13:4

[2] Matthew 27:54