Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts

Transcript

"Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak, he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him."

Welcome back to Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts. Today is Friday, February 6th, 2026, the Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions. Today we are joined by Justin Brown. Justin is a Catholic therapist licensed in Illinois and Texas.

In today's Gospel reading from Mark chapter 6 verse 20, we read, "Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak, he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him." As you hear this passage, you might relate to that fear of holiness the way Herod was. You might feel confused, like hearing the truth only makes my life more complicated. You might feel drawn to the good and at the same time terrified of it, wanting to stay close and wanting to run away as fast as you can. You might feel scared that if someone truly righteous came near you, they would expose your shame. You might feel convinced that closeness to God will reveal what is wrong with you, or prove that you are too unstable to be loved. You might feel the burdened belief that holiness always comes with judgment, punishment, or even the pressure to keep it all together. If you feel that way, the Scripture is speaking to you. Herod's fear of John did not come from truth. His fear came from living in a world inside himself that wasn't grounded in the reality of God. You might feel like you're living in that kind of world too, one where goodness is dangerous, where truth feels unsafe, where being seen feels like a threat instead of a blessing. But here is what is true: you are not in danger from holiness. Holiness is not here to punish you.

God's truth is not here to expose you. It is here to free you. John was righteous and holy, but he was also safe. He did not harm Herod. He did not condemn him. His holiness was actually an invitation, a steady light shining toward a different way of being. You might feel like light is dangerous because darkness has been familiar. You might feel that if goodness gets too close, it will do away with you. But the truth is that God's goodness does not eradicate. It restores. You might feel like you have to hide, but Scripture tells you you are fully seen by God with compassion, not condemnation. You might feel like you are too confused to draw near to God, but the Gospel shows that even someone as conflicted as Herod could not stop listening to the voice of holiness. You might feel like the truth will overwhelm you, yet Christ speaks truth the way a physician treats the sick with care, extreme patience, and his divine ability and desire to heal. Most importantly, you might feel worthless or beyond repair, but in God's eyes, you are worth the coming of Christ Himself. You are worth his attention, his gentleness, and his rescue. What is true, according to Scripture, is this. God does not approach you the way Herod feared. God approaches you the way Jesus always does, with mercy, with love stronger than your fear, and with the holiness that does not crush you but calls your heart home.

Once again, that was Justin Brown. Listeners are invited to contact him through his page at CatholicTherapist.com, which is linked in the description of this episode.

Let's end with our invocations. Our Lady, our Mother, Untier of Knots, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.