St Paul Miki and Companions — The Cost of a Faithful Voice

Today’s readings are unsettling
because they strip away any illusion
that faith can be lived safely
when it speaks the truth.

They show us what happens
when holiness is admired at a distance
but resisted when it challenges power.

In the first reading from Sirach, we hear praise of King David.

David is remembered
not first as a ruler,
but as a man who praised God.

“He placed singers before the altar.”
“He gave thanks.”
“He loved his Maker with all his heart.”

David’s greatness did not come
from military success alone.
It came from a heart
oriented toward God.

And yet, we know David was flawed.
He sinned gravely.
But he repented.

Sirach praises David
because he returned to God
when confronted with the truth.

That detail matters
when we turn to the Gospel.

In Mark,
we meet another ruler —
Herod.

Herod also listens
to a holy man.

John the Baptist speaks the truth.
He names Herod’s sin plainly.

And Herod is fascinated.

Mark tells us
that Herod liked to listen to John,
even though he was perplexed by him.

This is one of the most dangerous spiritual states:
to enjoy hearing the truth
without obeying it.

Herod does not repent.
He delays.

He protects his image.
He fears opinion.

And eventually,
the truth becomes too costly.

At a moment of pride and weakness,
Herod chooses death over conversion.

John’s voice is silenced
not because it was false,
but because it was faithful.

The tragedy of this Gospel
is not only John’s martyrdom.

It is Herod’s refusal to change.

This brings us to St Paul Miki and his companions.

They lived in Japan
at a time when Catholicism
was spreading quietly but deeply.

Paul Miki was a Jesuit.
He was educated, articulate, and respected.

When persecution came,
he was arrested with others —
priests, religious, and laypeople,
young and old.

They were marched for weeks,
mocked publicly,
and finally crucified.

From the cross, Paul Miki preached.

He forgave his executioners.
He proclaimed Christ to the very end.

Unlike Herod, the authorities in Japan
were not confused by the Gospel.

They understood it clearly — and rejected it.

Paul Miki did not bargain.
He did not retreat into silence.
He did not protect himself.

He spoke. And he died.

This is where today’s readings converge.

David heard the truth and repented.
Herod heard the truth and resisted.
Paul Miki heard the truth and gave his life for it.

The Gospel forces a question on us:

What do we do when the truth becomes inconvenient?

Not when it is inspiring.
Not when it is comfortable.

But when it asks something of us.

Most of us will never face martyrdom.

But we know the smaller tests:
the moment we stay silent,
the moment we soften the truth,
the moment we choose approval over integrity.

John the Baptist lost his head
because he would not lie.

Paul Miki lost his life because he would not deny Christ.

Their witness exposes the illusion
that faith can be private
and consequence-free.

The Gospel always costs something.

Sirach reminds us
that praise offered to God
is meant to shape life,
not merely to decorate it.

Herod reminds us that delay hardens the heart.

Paul Miki reminds us
that faith spoken clearly
has power —
even when it seems defeated.

Today we ask not for heroic courage,
but for honest fidelity.

To speak truth without fear.
To repent when we are confronted.
To follow Christ
even when silence would be easier.

May St Paul Miki and his companions
intercede for us,
that we may never be content
to admire holiness from afar,
but have the courage
to live it —
whatever the cost.