Reading 1 Sir 47:2-11
so was David in Israel.
He made sport of lions as though they were kids,
and of bears, like lambs of the flock.
As a youth he slew the giant
and wiped out the people’s disgrace,
When his hand let fly the slingstone
that crushed the pride of Goliath.
Since he called upon the Most High God,
who gave strength to his right arm
To defeat the skilled warrior
and raise up the might of his people,
Therefore the women sang his praises,
and ascribed to him tens of thousands
and praised him when they blessed the Lord.
When he assumed the royal crown, he battled
and subdued the enemy on every side.
He destroyed the hostile Philistines
and shattered their power till our own day.
With his every deed he offered thanks
to God Most High, in words of praise.
With his whole being he loved his Maker
and daily had his praises sung;
He set singers before the altar and by their voices
he made sweet melodies,
He added beauty to the feasts
and solemnized the seasons of each year
So that when the Holy Name was praised,
before daybreak the sanctuary would resound.
The LORD forgave him his sins
and exalted his strength forever;
He conferred on him the rights of royalty
and established his throne in Israel.
Responsorial Psalm PS 18:31, 47 and 50, 51
God’s way is unerring,
the promise of the LORD is fire-tried;
he is a shield to all who take refuge in him.
R. Blessed be God my salvation!
The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
Therefore will I proclaim you, O LORD, among the nations,
and I will sing praise to your name.
R. Blessed be God my salvation!
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed,
to David and his posterity forever.
R. Blessed be God my salvation!
Alleluia See Lk 8:15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart,
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 6:14-29
and people were saying,
“John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
Others were saying, “He is Elijah”;
still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”
But when Herod learned of it, he said,
“It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”
Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
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.
Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers,
and the leading men of Galilee.
His own daughter came in and performed a dance
that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
Her mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once on a platter
the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner
with orders to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter
and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
TIME WARP?
"The Lord forgave him his sins and exalted his strength forever." –Sirach 47:11
Herodias hated St. John the Baptizer for pointing out that she was an adulteress (Mk 6:18-19). When she said she wanted John's head, her daughter took her very literally, added on to her request, and asked Herod: "I want you to give me, at once, the head of John the Baptizer on a platter" (Mk 6:25). Herod granted her request. So a waiter walking around with John's head on a platter may have been part of the "entertainment" at Herod's birthday party.
To put it mildly, Herod was warped. He was warped in and by adultery, and in and by murder. When Herod later heard of Jesus, he projected his perversion and misidentified Jesus. "Herod exclaimed, 'John, whose head I had cut off, has been raised up!'" (Mk 6:16) Satan had twisted the mind and heart of Herod for many years, through sin after horrible sin, from adultery to murder, so that when Herod heard of Jesus, he would certainly jump to the wrong conclusion and live a Christ-less existence forever.
At this moment, many of us are being blinded, numbed, and warped by sin. In the near future, we may have our best or even last chance to recognize Jesus as our Lord and God. Repent now. Begin to return to reality. Jesus is coming soon. Don't miss Him.
| PRAYER: | Father, "I want to see" (Mk 10:51). |
| PROMISE: | "With his every deed he offered thanks to God Most High, in words of praise. With his whole being he loved his Maker and daily had His praises sung." –Sir 47:8 |
| PRAISE: | St. Agatha accounted all as loss except preserving her Christ-filled relationship. When offered a chance to escape martyrdom by becoming a prostitute, she exclaimed: "Christ alone is my life and salvation," and was executed as a martyr. |
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