Leviticus 25:1, 8-17 / Matthew 14:1-12
What others think about us and what they will say about us matters to us in varying degrees.
But it is quite unavoidable that what they think or what they say will affect us somehow.
Simply because we are not that stoic nor do we have stone-hard emotions that are unaffected by people's opinions about us.
In the gospel, we could see how many people were affected by just one sentence from John the Baptist.
He said to Herod: It is against the Law for you to have your brother's wife.
That sparked off a violent reaction in Herod and he wanted to kill John the Baptist. It also made Herodias scheme against John the Baptist and she looked for an opportunity to kill him.
Matters spiralled down tragically when Herodias prompted her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist, thus dragging the daughter into an immoral act.
And Herod, who could have put a stop to all this, simply cared more about what his guests would say and completed it by giving the order for John the Baptist's head.
A holy man got executed all because some people cared more about their reputation and the opinions of others.
That was a complete contrast from what the Lord told Moses in the 1st reading - to proclaim liberation and a jubilee, a time of rejoicing.
That can only happen when we heed what God told Moses: Let none of you wrong his neighbour, but fear your God; I am the Lord your God.
Indeed, when we stand upright before the Lord, we will not wrong our neighbour, nor be too concerned about what they will think about us.