A HINT FROM HEROD

Herod Antipas

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,

and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,

“John has been raised from the dead”;

others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;

still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”

But Herod said, “John I beheaded.

Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”

And he kept trying to see him. (Luke 9:7-9)

The passage above was the gospel at mass this past Thursday. The celebrant, Fr. Edwin, pointed out in his homily the last sentence: “Herod kept trying to see Jesus.”

That little sentence is really worth reflecting on. This evil, pagan king is trying to see Jesus. The verb “trying” is in the imperfect tense in Greek, implying a repeated or continuous action in the past; this was not just a one time feeling for Herod. The verb has a few different meanings, another possible one is “desiring.”

And what about me? Could I honestly say that I myself keep "trying to see Jesus?” How badly do I “want to see Jesus?”

My faith tells me that God is constantly seeking me, pursuing me, inviting me to a relationship of intimacy with Him. But, do I do the same thing toward the Lord? Do I truly seek a close, intimate relationship with Jesus, or am I satisfied with saying routine prayers, and celebrating sacraments that give me grace? Although I may well be doing these things, but meanwhile the Lord keeps wanting to draw closer and closer to me in quiet meditation, in prayerful meditation on scripture, on self-sacrificing love of my brothers and sisters,

I can manage to keep God at a safe distance by doing lots of good works, and by reciting lots of prayers. But this is not the path that the Lord invites me to travel. He wants something a lot closer, a lot deeper: a relationship of love.

Back to the tetrarch Herod, who keeps trying to see Jesus. It seems a little odd to take this awful character as a model for my Christian life, but in his own way he is on to something. Maybe his example can shame me into seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus, and to keep seeking, to keep wanting to be closer to Him.