I AM IN YOUR HANDS…

Jeremiah 26:11-16,24
11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the princes and to all the people, “This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people, saying, “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard.
13 Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God, and the LORD will repent of the evil which he has pronounced against you.14 But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you.
15 Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the LORD sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
16 Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.”
24 But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.

Matthew 14:1-12 
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus;2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist, he has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him.”
3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison, for the sake of Herodi-as, his brother Philip’s wife;
4 because John said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodi-as danced before the company, and pleased Herod,7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.
8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”9 And the king was sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given;
10 he sent and had John beheaded in the prison,11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.

MEDITATION

JERAMIAH is placed before the princes— the leaders of the tribes and the ordinary people—to adjudicate his death sentence, because he prophecied and issued harsh admonitions that called all the people to repent of their evil doings, failing which the city and the people shall be destroyed.

After considering the words of Jeremiah, the priests and the leaders of the Judah reconsidered their position and released him, after the intervention of Ahikam. 

St MATTHEW relay the story of the beheading of John the Baptist at the hands of Herod who was motivated by Herodi-as, because John publicly exposed and denounced the elicit marriage between Herod and his sister in law, Salome. The Catholic Church dissaprove of homosexual unions, neither can someone marry a brother or sister or their brother or sister in law or a nephew!

Catec 2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

When Christ arrived on the scene Herod considered Him to also be a threat much like John the Baptist, because Christ similary disapproved of his elict marriage to Salome. ‘The more things change, the more things stay the same’ is an adage that can numb us into silence for fear of death and public prosecution for addressing the matter of elict “disordered” unions. We are called to place those who struggle with their afflictions as well as ourselves in the hands of God, and to charitably engage the culture. Our silence or refusal to not adress these aberations in a charitable way, makes us complicit actors to sin.

LET US PRAY:Psalms 69:15-16,30-31,33-34

15 Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.16 Answer me, O LORD, for thy steadfast love is good; according to thy abundant mercy, turn to me.30 I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.
33 For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds.34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves therein.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.