Saturday July 31, 2021 - Seventeenth week of Ordinary Time - Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 14, 1-12

The three figures that the Gospel presents to us today help us to reflect on our way of living our Christian faith:

John the Baptist is the category of righteous and holy Christians, that is, courageous to question bad habits, those who denounce evil for our good, because they want our conversion. In short, they are Christians who have the courage to correct us for our good; they are Christians who want to live the gospel as it was transmitted by Jesus. Yet it is sad to see that this category of Christians is on the way out today.

Whereas King Herod is the Christian who likes to listen to corrections, but he is not at all ready to convert, to correct his mistakes. These are Christians who have no time to think about it before making a decision and regret bitterly afterwards. They are Christians who are afraid of the gaze of others and always seek to please, for fear of others, they allow themselves to be influenced in their decisions.

Herodias is the Christian who always takes advantage of the weakness of others. They are Christians who play on the feelings of others. They are Christians who enjoy cohabitation without serious commitment, because pleasures come first. Those who want to make them listen to reason about this situation should beware and expect a bloody response.