Memory of the Church

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Luke 9,7-9

Meanwhile Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was going on; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, 'John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?' And he was anxious to see him.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The fame of the Teacher had even reached the court of Herod Antipas. However the dissonance of the rumours about Jesus caused restlessness and perplexity in the tetrarch. There were those who said that the young Rabbi was the resurrected John the Baptist, and those, instead, who thought he was Elijah who appeared again. In this psychological tension made of anxiety and fear, Herod sought, in any case, to meet Jesus. It is not the desire of one who wants to listen to and understand the new prophecy which touched the hearts of so many people. Herod does not know it, but the moment in which he will meet the young prophet will come, and it will be the day of the trial when Pilate decided to send Jesus to him as a prisoner. Herod's desire to meet Jesus is not like Zacchaeus who climbed the tree or like the two Greeks who went to Phillip and Andrew and asked them to meet the Teacher. These wanted to understand the word and action of the young prophet. For this reason, they were the ones who moved and went seeking the prophet. Herod, instead, waits for Jesus to come to him. One cannot meet Jesus if one does not "get out" of oneself, if one does not abandon one's pride. The encounter with Jesus is personal, direct and even simpler like so many evangelical episodes which show us to enter into relationship with him. It is enough to go to him with an open heart and talk to him, or even to raise your voice to implore for help, or even to just touch the hem of his mantle to feel the strength of his presence. But Herod allows himself to be guided only by curiosity without having any intention of changing his life. Without opening your heart and letting yourself be loved and helped, it is not possible to encounter Jesus. Herod stayed closed in his "castle", in his individualistic gate, and could not meet Jesus. And he will remain alone.