The Pressure of Pleasing Others

Reflection Date: August 29, 2026 | Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist
Daily Readings: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Mark 6:17-29

Children of God:
August 29 is the feast of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. 

It is difficult to mention St. John the Baptist without also mentioning Herod.

However, the Bible mentioned several different rulers from the Herodian dynasty, so not every Herod in the New Testament referred to the same person. 

Number 1, Herod the Great: he was the king who ruled when Jesus was born, and Matthew associated him with the attempt to kill the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. 

Number 2, Herod Archelaus: he was one of Herod the Great’s sons and ruled Judea after his father’s death, but he was removed by the Romans and later disappeared from the biblical story. 

Number 3, Herod Philip: he was another member of the family and was associated with territories northeast of Galilee, while the Gospel traditions also referred to another Philip connected with Herodias and her daughter. 

Number 4, Herod Agrippa I: he was a grandson of Herod the Great and later became king over Judea, appearing in Acts as a persecutor of the early Christian community. 

Number 5, Herod Agrippa II: he was the son of Agrippa I, later heard the defense of Saint Paul before Roman authorities. 

There were therefore several Herods, and the Herodian family was marked by complicated political relationships, marriages, rivalries, and struggles for influence, making it a powerful backdrop for the New Testament stories.

And yes, there’s still Number 6, Herod Antipas: another son of Herod the Great, ruled Galilee and Perea and was the Herod who appeared in the story of John the Baptist and later in the trial of Jesus. He was the ruler who listened to John with a mixture of fascination and fear.

In the gospel of Mark, John confronted Herod because Herod married Herodias, the wife of his brother, and John told him that the relationship was unlawful. 

Herod feared John and recognized something unusual in him, yet he also allowed himself to be trapped by pride, pressure, and a reckless promise. 

During a banquet, Herodias’s daughter danced before the guests, and Herod made an extravagant promise to give her whatever she asked. 

When she requested the head of John the Baptist, Herod became distressed but still ordered the execution because he did not want to break his word in front of his guests.

John died because Herod placed his public image and political pressure above the truth he already knew.

With this backdrop, what inspirations can we get for today? 

First, doing what is right sometimes means being willing to disappoint people.

Herod knew that John was a righteous and holy man. 

He was disturbed by John’s words, but he also listened to him and seemed to recognize that John was speaking the truth. 

Yet when the pressure came, Herod chose to protect his reputation instead of protecting an innocent life. 

He lacked the courage to follow what he knew was right.

We experience smaller versions of that pressure in everyday life. 

We may know that a certain joke is offensive but laugh because everyone else is laughing. 

We may know that someone is being treated unfairly but remain silent because we do not want trouble. 

We may know that a decision is wrong but agree because we are afraid of disappointing our friends, colleagues, family members, or superiors. 

Sometimes the hardest person to disappoint is not another person but ourselves, especially when we want to maintain a particular image.

John the Baptist reminds us that conscience cannot always be negotiated. 

There are moments when doing what is right means saying no, even when saying yes would be easier. 

It may cost us popularity, convenience, approval, or even an opportunity. 

But a person who constantly sacrifices truth just to keep everyone happy eventually loses something more important: integrity.

Doing what is right sometimes means being willing to disappoint people.

Second, never make a promise that your conscience cannot afford to keep.

Herod’s terrible decision began long before John’s execution. 

It began with an irresponsible promise made in a moment of excitement and public pressure. 

He promised to give the girl whatever she asked, without knowing what she would request. 

When the request finally came, Herod found himself trapped by his own words.

This happens in ordinary life too. 

Sometimes we say yes too quickly because we want to impress people. 

We make commitments because we are excited, angry, pressured, or afraid to say no. 

Later, we discover that keeping the promise creates a conflict with what is right. 

A promise is valuable, but not every promise deserves to be kept when fulfilling it requires us to commit another wrong.

The better habit is to pause before committing ourselves. 

We can say, “Let me think about it,” instead of immediately saying yes. 

We can ask whether what we are promising is fair, realistic, and morally right. 

Herod’s tragedy reminds us that a moment of careless pride can create consequences that last far longer than the applause that produced it.

Never make a promise that your conscience cannot afford to keep.

As we reflect, we ask ourselves: When have I allowed the pressure of other people to influence a decision I knew was wrong? 

Am I more afraid of disappointing people than of disappointing my conscience? What promises, commitments, or quick decisions do I need to examine before they lead me into something I cannot defend honestly?

Children of God:
We can face the same temptation in much smaller ways when our desire to protect our image becomes stronger than our desire to do what was right.

John the Baptist reminds us that integrity sometimes requires courage. 

We do not always have to make everyone happy, and yes, it is okay to not please everybody. 

We do not always have to protect our image. 

What matters is that when the pressure comes, we remain faithful to what is true and good.