Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24 / Matthew 14:1-12
Whether it is in the Bible or in the lives of people in general, it cannot be denied that a spark of light remains, no matter how enveloping the darkness may be.
And the spark of light in the depths of the hearts of human beings longs for truth and beauty, goodness and justice.
And God will always stir the hearts of human beings to stand for justice and protect the innocent.
In the 1st reading, we heard that the priests and prophets seized Jeremiah and wanted the officials and the people to join them to pronounce a death sentence on Jeremiah.
Yet after hearing what Jeremiah had to say, the officials and the people came to Jeremiah's defence and protected him from being executed.
We can say that the spark of light in the hearts of the officials and the people stirred them to see the truth of the words of Jeremiah, and to stand on the side of justice and goodness.
Similarly, in the gospel, the heart of Herod was stirred when he heard about the reputation of Jesus, and it brought back memories of how he had unjustly ordered the execution of John the Baptist.
Yes, the spark of God's light will always stir the truth and beauty, goodness and justice in our hearts, especially in face of wickedness and evil.
It was by these stirrings that the prophet Jeremiah was saved. It was also in these stirrings that the memory of Herod was pricked as he recalled the death of John the Baptist.
May the light of God stir up the truth and beauty, goodness and justice in us so that we will walk humbly in the right path and do what is just and right.