Friday February 7, 2025

Mark 6:14-29

King Herod had heard about Jesus, since by now his name was well known. Some were saying, ‘John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’ Others said, ‘He is Elijah’; others again, ‘He is a prophet, like the prophets we used to have.’ But when Herod heard this he said, ‘It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead.’

Have you ever prayed with the scriptures? It is a beautiful practice. You read the passage several times and allow it to open up. You can even go a step further and become every person in the story.

I like being Jesus in this narrative. I like to be the one through whom God’s power is striking the land. In fact we are all called to stir up goodness around us. It is not as comfortable being Herold. But I have to go there in my prayer and find times when I have tried to block God’s grace. Yes sometimes I have not been easy to work with.

Remember the beauty of Christianity is not that we become experts at catching and identifying the sin of others. We have to catch ourselves and be able to stop ourselves from being stumbling blocks.

May God bless us all.