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Commentary on the Gospel for September 26, 2024
Dear friends,
The Gospel of Herod states, “I longed to see Jesus.” This brings to mind the Greeks who asked Philip, “We want to see Jesus,” or Moses: “Show us, Lord, the glory of your face,” or as the psalmist said: “I will seek your face, Lord.” What a good desire! Unfortunately, it was corrupted in Herod by suspicion and frivolous gossip before “the miracles” that they told about Jesus. They will see each other’s faces at the time of the Passion, and Herod will not get away with his pretensions.
The viceroy Herod is seized by fear at the mere sight of the strength and power emanating from the very life of the prophets, John and Jesus. As always, the worldly power will use and instrumentalize the good fame of the prophets to its advantage. He killed John to get rid of the competition. This Herod was not the same one who ordered the death of the Innocents. He was born in the year 4 BC and died in the year 39 AD. He left his wife to be with Herodias, his brother’s wife. As before the death of Jesus, the viceroy was determined to satisfy his curiosity with one of those incredible displays that they discussed at length, regarding the Master of Nazareth. Jesus did not confront him, but stood his ground. In fact, he even called him a “fox” on one occasion. Herod’s curiosity aroused the mystery of Jesus’ identity. There were opinions to suit all tastes: whether he was the resurrected John, or Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets. The difficulty came from the dialectic between the hopes of a Messiah, political and grandiose, and the simplicity of the prophet of Nazareth. In fact, they could not get his identity right. But Jesus has taught us where to recognize him.
Today, the figure of Jesus continues to captivate the curiosity and interest of many. Two thousand years ago, a stone slab sealed the entrance to his tomb. The majority were convinced that everything had ended forever. And it is alive and well, still stirring so many lives. Many have lived and died for the love of him. The frivolous curiosity, absent-mindedness, and easy religious consumerism continue even now. The hippie or guerrilla Christ, the Gospel, the Jesus Christ Superstar, the Christ of the T-shirt, an emulator of Che Guevara. And let’s not forget the Christ and his terrible messages of certain revelations and apparitions that arouse so much magical and mystical fervor. We have it so easy. We can read, delve into, and pray the Gospel. It is the living source of God’s revelation to men. We can draw exactly the Christ sent by the Father. Everything is simple in his parables and miracles, in his Death and Resurrection. We are invited to confess him, love him, follow him, imitate him, and live and die for him.