If we could ask each character in today's gospel passage, who was responsible for the death of John the Baptist, they may come out with rather strange answers.
Herod would say that it was not him, because he must honour a public pledge. After all the girl could have asked for something else.
Herodias might say that John the Baptist deserved what he got for opening his mouth and criticizing authorities. After all, criticizing authorities meant danger and he brought this danger onto himself.
The girl would say that she was only doing what she was told; how could she disobey her mother.
And in all this deliberation, no one would obviously admit responsibility and would also point fingers at others.
Yet the crux of the matter is that someone is harmed and eventually lost his life.
What we will come across every day is not as serious as people losing their lives.
But what we will face every day is that we are indifferent to the good we can do because we think that there will be someone else who will do it.
Maybe this story will help us understand this situation.
It's a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody
wouldn't do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when actually Nobody asked Anybody.
The story sounds funny but that may the story of our lives.
The story sounds funny but that may the story of our lives.
Let us take the responsibility to do good today so that tomorrow can be better.