The WORD in other Words by Fr Jun Castro SVD (Philippines)
Hebrews 13,1-8
Mark 6,14-29
I got to know recently of a campaign called “Born to Fight and Smile.” The group’s objective is to assist and transmit hope to cancer patients and their families. What is common to all its members? They are survivors and now lead healthier lives or have moved on after having suffered death and loss in their families.
Narratives like this attest to the fact that the deaths and losses we suffer can be turning points.
What has John’s death in the hands of Herod contributed to the revelation of Jesus as Savior? How has this loss affected the lives of John’s disciples?
The presence of Jesus stirred the conscience of Herod because he thought that Jesus was John who had come back to life. Perhaps it was through the loss of their master John that his disciples gave Jesus a second look instead and soon be revealed to them as the Messiah — that no matter how righteous and holy John was, the Jesus being revealed to them was even greater in power and holiness.
Losses and deaths in our lives can be game-changers. As a Ruminator quote says: “As you grieve you will also see that anything you lose comes round in another form.”
