Speak Less but Listen More.

Homily for August 5, 2017

The story of how John the Baptist was killed is not directly reported in the Bible instead it comes as a parentheses to the story of how Herod heard of the fame of Jesus and considered him to be John the Baptist who had come back to life.

Herod really felt very sorry for what he did. He made the promise in over-excitement but go the shocker of his life when the little girl mentioned she wanted the head of John the Baptist as her price for dancing.

Herod knew immediately that he killed an innocent man. His conscience would not let him rest from that moment on. So, when he got to hear about Jesus, he felt some peace again by trying hard to convince himself that Jesus is the incarnation of John the Baptist.

Dear friends if you recall, as kids while growing up, we were taught that it is wrong to talk while eating. Some of us were even told strange things just to prevent us from talking while eating; things such as: if you talk and eat, the food will enter your nose and come out of your ear. (funny right).

However, now that I am grown, I see a lot of sense in it. Indeed, it is very bad to talk while you are eating. Yes, it is bad to talk while eating not because the food will enter your nose but because it is almost impossible to control your speech in that state of excitement.

That moment when food is entering your mouth and possibly drink, the sweetness of the food and the joy of the drink tends to weaken us making it more difficult for us to really exercise proper control of ourselves. And if we get talking during this moment, we end up saying things we are not supposed to say or we end up making promises we cannot fulfil.

Don’t fall into this kind of trap. If there is anytime you must shut your mouth, it is when you are really really excited.

Words are powerful. When spoken, we can never take them back. Words remain thoughts in your head but the moment they come out of your mouth, they are given life just like little babies. Having left your mouth, they can’t go back again and no one can turn back the hands of time.

Learn from Herod. Speak less but listen more. Herod wished that Jesus was John the Baptist back to life, he wished he could undo his crime and wash the blood in his hands but it was just too late. Think before your speak otherwise, it might be too late.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, grant me an increase of self-control. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of the 17^th week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Leviticus 25:1-17 and Matthew 14:1-12).