Thursday 22 September

Ecclesiasticus 1:2-11, Ps 90, Luke 9:7-9

Shallow ground

Herod is captivated by John the Baptist and the Christ. Yet he will not allow the Word to shake the foundations of his kingdom (Haggai 2:6). What Herod cannot have, he attempts to collect; like a wall of fine art or a library of beautiful books. Yet the Word cannot be so collected or preserved. Therefore, in Herod, the Word dies on the shallow path (Lk 8:12). The disciple does not read the Word; the Word reads the disciple.