even to half of 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 back to the king's presence and made her request,
"I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist."
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head. Mark 6
Afraid to embarrass himself in front of his guests, a drunken King Herod accedes to Salome's evil request. Jesus' cousin, the son of Elizabeth's dotage, who spoke the truth so fearlessly, the man whose preaching even fascinated Herod loses his head because of jealousy and foolish social pressure.
We pray that we may always keep our wits and our wisdom and never ever act out of jealousy or embarrassment.
