Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 8, 2019
King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
and people were saying,
“John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;
That is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
Others were saying, “He is Elijah”;
still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”
But when Herod learned of it, he said,
“It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”
Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers,
and the leading men of Galilee.
His own daughter came in and performed a dance
that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
Her mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once on a platter
the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner
with orders to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter
and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
This past year, I’ve learned—as many have—how agonizing it is to try and apply meaning to life events that seem untimely, tragic, and unfair. After losing two children to miscarriage, our family experienced the unthinkable: we lost my husband’s mother to cancer over the course of a few short months. Two lives ended before they even began and a vibrant, faithful, loving woman was taken when her wisdom was still so needed. It was, and is, difficult to understand.
This is why, at first glance, the scene in today’s Gospel immediately preceding John the Baptist’s death is so deeply disturbing. It is a pitiful display of some of the worst traits of humanity. What a shame that Herodias let vengeance lead her to manipulate her own daughter. What a shame that Herod, who respected John, was too proud to deny his daughter’s request in front of his guests. What a shame that John had to die that way.
John’s death seemed untimely and unfair—all around difficult to understand. But his life was meaningful, dedicated by God to carving a path for Jesus, who earned us the ultimate gift of salvation. And death was just one aspect of John’s incredibly important life. God has a purpose for each life long before it comes into this world. And that purpose is to build God’s kingdom on earth and, in doing so, pave the way for our life in heaven.
I have to believe, as I reflect on the events of the past year, that this is true. Before he formed our two babies, my mother-in-law, and each of us in the womb, God dedicated our lives to proclaim his kingdom in this world and to share in his life in heaven.
Prayer
Lord, you suffered the news of the death of your herald and companion John the Baptist. Yet you also discerned in his death the power of his faith, for he was willing to give everything for his belief in God. Be close to us and those we love in all our trials. Help us to rely on the power of our faith in you, that our witness in times of trial may be a light for others. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Josephine Bakhita is a heroic saint who endured the horrors of slavery with bravery before she escaped into freedom through the group of religious sisters she joined.
Josephine was born around 1869 in Darfur (now part of western Sudan). Her family was part of the powerful Daju people (after whom Darfur is named). Her uncle was the leader of their village, and Josephine was surrounded by a loving, prosperous family during her early years.
When Josephine was eight, her life took a tragic turn when she was snatched by slave traders and brought to El Obeid, a large city in central Sudan.
She reported in her autobiography that the trauma of her abduction caused her to forget her own life. The traders gave her the ironic name Bakhita (from the Arabic word barak, meaning blessed), hoping her name suggesting good fortune and luck would attract potential buyers.
Bakhita, as she was now known, was bought by an Arab to be a chambermaid for his daughters. During this period, her enslaver's son once broke into a rage and beat her so severely she was unable to walk for over a month.
Bakhita was sold to other owners who treated her with unspeakable, inhumane cruelty. In her autobiography, she recounts some of the horrendous customs of beating and scarring slaves which she endured.
In 1883, Bakhita was sold to a new owner—the Italian Consul to Sudan, Callisto Legnani. When he had to return to Italy, he brought Bakhita with him and gave her to the Michieli family. Bakhita was a faithful nanny to the Michieli family’s young daughter.
In the fall of 1888, Bakhita and her young charge went to stay with the Canossian Sisters in Venice while the rest of the family was away on business. While staying with the Canossians, Bakhita encountered Christianity the first time. The kind sisters instructed Bakhita in the Christian faith. When the Michieli family returned to bring back Bakhita to Sudan, Bakhita refused to go. The Michielis appealed to the courts, who upheld Bakhita’s freedom.
Shortly thereafter, Bakhita was baptized and received the new name of Josephine in 1890. Three years later, she entered the Canossian novitiate. After a life spent in being uprooted, Josephine was assigned to the Canossian convent in Schio and remained there for forty-two years, throughout all of World War II.
When asked later by one of her students what she would do if she met one of her captors or former owners, Josephine responded:
“If I were to meet those who kidnapped me, and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands. For, if these things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian and a religious today.”
Remarking on Josephine Bakhita’s remarkable love and forgiveness, Pope Benedict XVI, in his encyclical Spe Salvi ("In Hope We Are Saved"), attributed Sr. Josephine's hope and love to her hope in God’s love for her. St. Josephine knew that whatever happened to her, she would be, at the end of her life, greeted by the love who made her.
Immediately after her death on February 8, 1947, the people of Schio began to petition for the canonization of their beloved Madre Moretta or "little black mother." On October 1, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized Josephine Bakhita; she has since become the patron saint of Sudan and of the victims of human trafficking.
St. Josephine Bakhita, whose love and hope transformed the wounds of slavery into forgiveness and freedom—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Josephine Bakhita is in the public domain. Last accessed January 23, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
