20250829 PROPHETIC LEADERSHIP
29 August 2025, Friday, Beheading of St John the Baptist
First reading |
Jeremiah 1:17-19 |
Stand up and tell them all I command you; do not be dismayed at their presence
The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying:
‘Brace yourself for action.
Stand up and tell them
all I command you.
Do not be dismayed at their presence,
or in their presence I will make you dismayed.
‘I, for my part, today will make you
into a fortified city,
a pillar of iron,
and a wall of bronze
to confront all this land:
the kings of Judah, its princes,
its priests and the country people.
They will fight against you
but shall not overcome you,
for I am with you to deliver you –
it is the Lord who speaks.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 70(71):1-6,15,17 |
My lips will tell of your help.
In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, free me:
pay heed to me and save me.
My lips will tell of your help.
Be a rock where I can take refuge,
a mighty stronghold to save me;
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
Free me from the hand of the wicked.
My lips will tell of your help.
It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, since my youth.
On you I have leaned from my birth,
from my mother’s womb you have been my help.
My lips will tell of your help.
My lips will tell of your justice
and day by day of your help.
O God, you have taught me from my youth
and I proclaim your wonders still.
My lips will tell of your help.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt5:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy those who are persecuted
in the cause of right,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 6:17-29 |
The beheading of John the Baptist
Herod sent to have John arrested, and had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had married. For John had told Herod, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him; but she was not able to, because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.
An opportunity came on Herod’s birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee. When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.’ And he swore her an oath, ‘I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’ The girl hurried straight back to the king and made her request, ‘I want you to give me John the Baptist’s head, here and now, on a dish.’ The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John’s head. The man went off and beheaded him in prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
PROPHETIC LEADERSHIP
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JEREMIAH 1:17-19; MARK 6:17-29]
Being a leader is one thing, but being a prophetic leader is another. There are leaders, and then there are leaders. Some excel at their work and fulfil their tasks efficiently. They are resourceful, have lots of initiative in helping to grow the organisation, are reliable and professional. However, leaders are also called to undertake the more challenging responsibility of ensuring integrity and honesty in their work and among their staff. They are called to champion the truth and act with justice and wisdom. It is perhaps this ability that distinguishes prophetic leadership from leadership that is merely good or efficient.
As leaders, we are often called to be consistent in our positions and to act with integrity, guided by ethical and moral principles. Yet speaking the truth can sometimes upset those in power, as it may challenge their integrity or hinder their pursuit of what they believe will bring success. Some leaders resort to all kinds of means–even unscrupulous ones–to gain the upper hand in a situation. Unfortunately, not many leaders today act with integrity consistently, because doing so can sometimes cost them everything. In its place, leaders often turn to pragmatism in a world where right and wrong can be argued from different perspectives. Indeed, the rules governing the global order have been twisted and reshaped according to the interests of powerful nations. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to discern what is truly right or wrong, or what constitutes a genuine rules-based order. The so-called “rules-based order” is often perceived as biased in favour of powerful nations and used as a tool to maintain global dominance.
This was the case of King Herod in today’s Gospel. He knew the right thing to do, yet he was weak both personally and politically. St Mark, the Evangelist, presents him as a conflicted individual, unable to make a level-headed decision on important matters that involved the lives of innocent people. On a personal level, he was afraid of Herodias’ outburst and the potential rupture of their relationship if he did not do anything to silence John the Baptist’s public reprimand on their irregular marital arrangement. As supposed Jews, their open violation of the law was a disgrace to their positions as king and Tetrarch. Yet Herod recognized that John was speaking the truth and was not in the wrong. This internal conflict is evident: on one hand, he needed to appease Herodias; on the other, “he was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he heard him speak, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.”
On the political level, Herod pretended to act as if he was very generous and possessed immense power to do anything. In his pride, impetuosity, and perhaps lust, he sought to impress Herodias’ daughter and his guests, and thoughtlessly promised her anything she asked–even up to half of his kingdom. However, he failed to perceive the viciousness of Herodias in instigating her daughter to demand the head of John the Baptist. Having made the promise, he relented–not out of moral integrity, but because his pride got the better of him. Although “he was deeply distressed, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguards with orders to bring John’s head.” Herod should have acted rightly, rather than executing John the Baptist according to his whims and desires.
This is in contrast to John the Baptist, who, like Jeremiah, spoke the truth regardless of the situation, even when it involved moral failings or offences committed by those in positions of authority. John was true to himself and faithful to the Word of God. He would never speak anything that God did not permit; he spoke the truth without fear or favour to anyone. This was because he had no self-interest, and nothing to gain personally from what he said. He spoke only because it was the truth and what God demanded of His people. John was a mouthpiece of God, faithful to his prophetic calling, and could not deny his identity as a prophet.
This was also the case of the prophet Jeremiah in the first reading. He was asked by the Lord to warn His people and the leaders to repent, or else they would be overrun by the Babylonians. In speaking the truth, however, Jeremiah was accused of treason, charged with discouraging the people from fighting against the Babylonians. Meanwhile, the false prophets told the people what they wanted to hear–that they would be safe from foreign armies and continue to prosper. By doing so, the leaders and false prophets offered false hope. Jeremiah, in contrast, was rejected by his own people and even his family, condemned as a traitor, even though he sought only to save his people from destruction.
Indeed, sometimes it does not pay for leaders to speak the truth. Instead of gratitude, they face opposition, criticism, and condemnation because their words challenge popular opinion. Few leaders today dare to express publicly opinions that are not politically correct, because people simply do not want to hear them. As a result, many leaders do not lead; they seek cheap popularity by affirming what people want, even when they foresee that it will lead to disaster. But by that time, they will no longer be in power, and they might as well enjoy the prestige and popularity while they can. When the consequences eventually unfold, which may take years, they will be long gone and will not face them. What kind of conscience they live with is hard to know, but most likely, they share the same inner conflicts as Herod–fearing that if they speak or act rightly, they will be condemned or deposed by the people.
As leaders, we are called to act like John the Baptist and Jeremiah. We must remain true to the Word of God which we have received, and speak the truth, even when it is very difficult and unpopular. God said to Jeremiah–and to us as well: “Brace yourself for action. Stand up and tell them all I command you. Do not be dismayed at their presence, or in their presence I will make you dismayed.” We must choose either to remain faithful to ourselves, ready to face the dismay of our listeners, or to be dismayed in conscience, knowing that we have failed them and neglected our duty as prophetic leaders. We must remember what the Lord said: “For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mk 8:36-38).
How, then, can we find the strength and courage to witness to the truth, even at the cost of our lives, like John the Baptist? The Lord promises to be with us. “For my part, today will make you into a fortified city, a pillar of iron, and a wall of bronze to comfort all this land: the kings of Judah its princes, its priests and the country people. They will fight against you but shall not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you – it is the Lord who speaks.” Indeed, God will be with us, and He will vindicate us – perhaps not now, but time will show that we have been true to ourselves. Jeremiah and John the Baptist were vindicated at death. But few of us are willing to endure discrimination, rejection and suffering for the sake of truth.
Alas, this is the price of prophetic leadership. If we want to stand tall before all men, we must first be strong in Him. With the psalmist, we seek God’s justice, not human justice. God’s justice is not the justice of the world. We might seem foolish in the eyes of the world, but God will grant us deep peace and joy. We can pray, “In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me, free me: pay heed to me and save me. Be a rock where I can take refuge, a mighty stronghold to save me; for you are my rock, my stronghold. Free me from the hand of the wicked.” So we pray, that we will not just be leaders but prophetic leaders, always serving the greater good of those entrusted to our care. We should not put our interests above the real good of our people.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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