Fr Ben Garren

Dear Siblings in Christ,

Today’s commemoration of the Beheading of John the Baptist always reminds me of the Sound of Music. The Von Trapp family, throughout the film and in real life, raised up their children's capacity to perform, for singing, dancing, and puppetry. This all occurred in the midst of choices as to what would be realized on account of this talent. Will marriage occur for greater status, or for love? Will the family flee, fight, or join the Nazis as they rise to power? Will their choices be about care and concern for their neighbor or about the pursuit of worldly ambitions?

What makes The Sound of Music and the Von Trapp story so popular is that at every opportunity they turned away from the pursuit of worldly ambition, of seeking power, of gaining status. The use of their talents was always oriented towards striving to better the world in some way. They may have made other choices at certain points along the same line, but their goal was consistent.

In the midst of the Herods we have a very different set of goals regarding the talent of their children. From the start there is a desire to increase status, gain more power, to give into their ambitions. Everything is a contest for a prize in the machinations of the state and within the family. The daughter’s performance is about such, the father offering a reward to her is about such, the conversation between mother and daughter is about such, the beheading of John the Baptist occurs on account of this. The same potential in a family turned to a very different end.

Many use this story as a chance to describe the Herods as lascivious, but what is going on is not uncommon for any family with a talented child. The much more important reflection is to ask to what ends are we using our talents? Are we more like the Von Trapps or the Herods? When we don't consistently turn our talents to love of our neighbor the end results too often involve harm, and even the death, of the bystander, innocent, and prophet. May we turn always towards love.

Pax,

—Ben