24-09-2026, Thursday of Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Eccl 1: 2-11; Ps 90: 3-6, 12-14, 17; Lk 9: 7-9
In Luke 9:7-9, we encounter Herod Antipas staggering from the reports of Christ’s ministry. Troubled by rumours that John the Baptist has risen from the dead, or that Elijah or an ancient prophet has returned, Herod’s guilt-laden past collides with the present reality of Jesus.
St. Luke notes that Herod was “greatly perplexed” (). It paints a picture of a man trapped in an internal maze, completely disoriented, finding no exit or mental peace because his conscience has shattered his equilibrium. Herod’s desire to see Jesus was not a sudden passing whim; it was a persistent, gnawing compulsion driven by restless anxiety and morbid curiosity rather than true repentance.
Who then is this? (): Herod’s question is identical to the question of the disciples after Jesus had calmed the sea a few verses before (Lk 8:25). Yet, while the disciples ask out of an awakening awe, Herod asks out of a haunting dread, terror that the ghost of his victim has returned clothed in greater power.
Herod’s reaction shows us that unresolved guilt distorts our perception of God. Because Herod silenced the voice of truth (John the Baptist), he became incapable of recognizing the Source of Truth standing right before him. Instead of seeing a Saviour, his conscience saw a threat. Herod wanted to see Jesus as a spectacle, but he refused to surrender to Him.
Insights from the Church Fathers
“A conscience stained with crime is easily terrified, even by false rumors. The tyrant who had unjustly beheaded John thought that he had risen from the dead, because the stings of his own sinfulness perpetually haunted him.” – St. Bede the Venerable
“Observe how the wicked man is racked by his own thoughts. While the righteous live with bold confidence, the ungodly man trembles at the shadow of a prophet, for guilt turns every blessing of God into an instrument of inner torment.” – St. Ambrose of Milan
Insights from the Carmelites
“When the soul is attached to sin and worldly fears, it loses its inner quietude. God speaks in the silence of the heart, but the turbulent conscience of a Herod hears only accusations in the wind, mistaking the grace of Christ for the ghost of its own misdeeds.” – St. John of the Cross
Insights for Us
What motivation do I have which moves me to see and encounter Jesus?
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