Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Matthew (14: 1-12) in which tells how Herod comes to arrest and kill John the Baptist. Fr Paul says today’s Gospel is Matthew’s version of the murder of John the Baptist. What we hear in the Gospel is the bizarre behavior of Herod. Firstly, Herod wants to kill John the Baptist. Secondly, Herod is afraid of John, who he believes is a Prophet. Thirdly, we hear he is captivated by dancer. Fourthly, we hear that he is drunk and in his drunken stupor, he is worried about the expectations of his guests. Herod displays this bizarre behaviour; he is all over the place; regardless of all this the decision is made and John the Baptist is executed. Fr Paul says, today, Herod is a figure we can reflect on because we can ask ourselves – ‘How do we respond when fears, desires and excesses occur in our lives?’