Today’s reflection, drawn from Matthew 14:1-12, centers on Herod’s troubled conscience after he heard of Jesus’ growing reputation. Mistaking Jesus for a resurrected John the Baptist, whom he had executed, Herod reveals how no one can silence truth, which continues to haunt the unjust. Though he killed John to quiet the prophetic voice that challenged his moral failures, Herod’s fear exposes a more profound truth that no power can bury the human conscience (representing God’s voice in our hearts) or forever suppress the light. Additionally, it surmises that those who live by deception remain vulnerable to the truth they have ever tried to extinguish.
This episode underscores how fragile corrupt power becomes when confronted by righteousness. Herod recognized John’s integrity but succumbed to fear, pride, and public pressure, manipulating himself through spectacle and deceit. The seductive dance of Herodias’ daughter was not mere entertainment; it was a calculated trap, which exposed the emptiness of a compromised authority. The lesson is that those driven by selfish desires to self-perpetuate themselves and their progenies often self-destruct. A good word, we know, is always sufficient for the wise!