Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 327
Lectionary: 327
Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money
but be content with what you have,
for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:
The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money
but be content with what you have,
for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:
The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 27:1, 3, 5, 8B-9ABC
R. (1a) The
Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
For he will hide me in his abode
in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me in the shelter of his tent,
he will set me high upon a rock.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
For he will hide me in his abode
in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me in the shelter of his tent,
he will set me high upon a rock.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
AlleluiaSEE 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.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart,
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 6:14-29
King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
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.
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.
For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Jerome Emiliani, please
go here.
For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Josephine Bakhita,
please go here.
Meditation:
Herod's guilty conscience
Do
you ever feel haunted by a past failure or a guilty conscience? The Lord Jesus
came to set us free from the oppression of sin and guilt. King Herod, the most
powerful and wealthy man in Judea, had everything he wanted, except a clear
conscience and peace with God. Herod had respected and feared John the Baptist
as a great prophet and servant of God. John, however did not fear to rebuke Herod
for his adulterous relationship with his brother's wife, Herodias. John ended
up in prison because of Herodias' hatred and jealousy. Herod, out of impulse
and a desire to please his family and friends, had John beheaded. Now Herod's
conscience is pricked when he hears that some think that the Baptist has risen.
Guilt
and pride cripples - repentance and pardon heals
When Herod heard the fame of Jesus he supposed that John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded, had returned from the dead. Unfortunately for Herod, he could not rid himself of sin by ridding himself of the man who confronted him with his sin. Herod was a weak man. He could take a strong stand on the wrong things when he knew the right. Such a stand, however, was a sign of weakness and cowardice. The Lord gives grace to the humble, to those who acknowledge their sins and who seek God's mercy and pardon. His grace and pardon not only frees us from a guilty conscience, it enables us to pursue holiness in thought and action as well. God's grace enables us to fight fear with faith and to overcome the temptation to compromise goodness and truth with wrongdoing and falsehood.
When Herod heard the fame of Jesus he supposed that John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded, had returned from the dead. Unfortunately for Herod, he could not rid himself of sin by ridding himself of the man who confronted him with his sin. Herod was a weak man. He could take a strong stand on the wrong things when he knew the right. Such a stand, however, was a sign of weakness and cowardice. The Lord gives grace to the humble, to those who acknowledge their sins and who seek God's mercy and pardon. His grace and pardon not only frees us from a guilty conscience, it enables us to pursue holiness in thought and action as well. God's grace enables us to fight fear with faith and to overcome the temptation to compromise goodness and truth with wrongdoing and falsehood.
John
Chrysostom describes John's death as a crown:
In
what way, then, was this just man harmed by this demise, this violent death, these
chains, this imprisonment? Who are those he did not set back on their feet -
provided they had a penitent disposition - because of what he spoke, because of
what he suffered, because of what he still proclaims in our own day - the same
message he preached while he was living. Therefore, do not say: "Why was
John allowed to die?" For what occurred was not a death, but a crown, not
an end, but the beginning of a greater life. Learn to think and live like a
Christian. You will not only remain unharmed by these events, but will reap the
greatest benefits.(ON THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD 22.10)
Do
you rely on God's grace and help to choose his way of holiness and to reject
whatever would compromise your faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ?
"Heavenly
Father, form in me the likeness of your Son that I may imitate him in word and
deed. Help me to live the Gospel faithfully and give me the strength and
courage I need to not shrink back in the face of adversity and
temptation."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The Weakness of the Tyrant and the
Power of the Beheaded, by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)
"Note
well the weakness of the tyrant compared to the power of the one in prison.
Herod was not strong enough to silence his own tongue. Having opened it, he
opened up countless other mouths in its place and with its help. As for John,
he immediately inspired fear in Herod after his murder - for fear was
disturbing Herod's conscience to such an extent that he believed John had been
raised from the dead and was performing miracles (Mark 6:14-16)! In our
own day and through all future time, throughout all the world, John continues
to refute Herod, both through himself and through others. For each person
repeatedly reading this Gospel says: 'It is not lawful for you to have the wife
of Philip your brother' (Mark 6:18). And even apart from reading the Gospel, in
assemblies and meetings at home or in the market, in every place... even to the
very ends of the earth, you will hear this voice and see that righteous man
even now still crying out, resounding loudly, reproving the evil of the tyrant.
He will never be silenced nor the reproof at all weakened by the passing of
time." (excerpt from ON THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD 22.8-9)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, MARK 6:14-29
Weekday
(Hebrews 13:1-8; Psalm 27)
Weekday
(Hebrews 13:1-8; Psalm 27)
KEY VERSE: "I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist" (v 25).
TO KNOW: When King Herod heard reports about Jesus, he believed that Jesus was John the Baptist, whom he beheaded, and now raised from the dead. John had denounced Herod's illicit marriage with Herodias, the wife of his half-brother (Lv 18:16,20: 21). Because of this, Herodias wanted to kill John. She found her opportunity during a banquet given in honor of her husband's birthday. When Herodias' daughter danced to the delight of her step-father, Herod offered the young girl anything she wanted. Herodias told her daughter to ask for the head of the Baptist. In giving his life for faithfully announcing the coming of God's kingdom, John's martyrdom prefigured Jesus' own death.
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, give me courage to defend the truth when others oppose me.
TO SERVE: Am I willing to protest injustice when I see it?
Optional Memorial of Saint Jerome Emiliani, priest
In 1511, Jerome Emiliani was a soldier when he was captured by Venetian forces and chained in a dungeon. He prayed to Our Lady for help. He was miraculously freed and he hung his chains on a church wall as an offering. Jerome was ordained in 1518, a year of the spotted-fever plague. He cared for the sick and housed orphans in his own home. At night he roamed the streets, burying those who had died unattended. He contracted the fever himself, but survived. Jerome founded six orphanages, a shelter for penitent prostitutes, and a hospital. Around 1532, Jerome and two other priests established a congregation, the Clerks Regular of Somasca, dedicated to the care of orphans and the education of youth. Jerome died in 1537 from a disease he caught while tending the sick. He was canonized in 1767. In 1928, Pius Xl named him the patron of orphans and abandoned children.
Optional Memorial of Saint Josephine Bakhita, virgin
Josephine was born to a wealthy Sudanese family, and given the name Bakhita, which means “fortunate.” She was kidnapped by slave-traders at age nine and was purchased in 1883 by an Italian consul who planned to free her. She accompanied him to Italy and worked for the family as a nanny. As an adult convert she joined the Church in 1890, and took the name of Josephine as a symbol of her new life. She entered the Institute of Canossian Daughters of Charity in Venice, Italy in 1893, serving for the next fifty years. Her gentle presence, her warm, amiable voice, and her willingness to help with any menial task were a comfort to the poor and suffering people who came to the door of the Institute. After her biography was published in 1930, she became a noted and sought after speaker, raising funds to support missions.Pope John Paul II visited Sudan and canonized her on October 1, 2000.
Friday 8 February 2019
Hebrews 13:1-8. Psalm 26(27):1-3, 5, 8-9. Mark 6:14-29.
The Lord is my light and my salvation – Psalm 26(27):1-3, 5,
8-9.
‘Give me John’s head on a dish.’
The delight of Herod’s guests with his daughter’s dancing would
have been overturned by what followed. It must have destroyed any party
atmosphere. Who would have had the stomach for dessert after her request that
John the Baptist’s head be severed?
We experience repugnance at such acts of brutality. But in our
day-to-day lives we are anaesthetised to acts of cruelty which occur at regular
intervals in modern society. What will we do with the feelings of repugnance we
feel when we are forced to face such barbarity up close? Will we commit
ourselves to the amelioration of injustices and to the transformation of social
relationships?
Saint Josephine Bakhita
Saint of the Day for February 8
(c. 1869 – February 8, 1947)
 |
| Stained Glass of St. Josephine Bakhita, Saint John Paul II Chapel, Mundelein | photo by Fr. Gaurav Shroff | flickr |
Saint Josephine Bakhita’s Story
For many years, Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was
always free and eventually that spirit prevailed.
Born in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan,
Josephine was kidnapped at the age of 7, sold into slavery and given the name
Bakhita, which means fortunate. She was resold several times,
finally in 1883 to Callisto Legnani, Italian consul in Khartoum, Sudan.
Two years later, he took Josephine to Italy and gave her to his
friend Augusto Michieli. Bakhita became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli, whom
she accompanied to Venice’s Institute of the Catechumens, run by the Canossian
Sisters. While Mimmina was being instructed, Josephine felt drawn to the
Catholic Church. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name
Josephine.
When the Michielis returned from Africa and wanted to take
Mimmina and Josephine back with them, the future saint refused to go. During
the ensuing court case, the Canossian Sisters and the patriarch of Venice
intervened on Josephine’s behalf. The judge concluded that since slavery was
illegal in Italy, she had actually been free since 1885.
Josephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in
1893 and made her profession three years later. In 1902, she was transferred to
the city of Schio (northeast of Verona), where she assisted her religious
community through cooking, sewing, embroidery, and welcoming visitors at the
door. She soon became well loved by the children attending the sisters’ school
and the local citizens. She once said, “Be good, love the Lord, pray for those
who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!”
The first steps toward her beatification began in 1959. She was
beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later.
Reflection
Josephine’s body was mutilated by those who enslaved her, but
they could not touch her spirit. Her Baptism set her on an eventual path toward
asserting her civic freedom and then service to God’s people as a Canossian
Sister.
She who worked under many “masters” was finally happy to address
God as “master” and carry out everything that she believed to be God’s will for
her.
LECTIO DIVINA: MARK 6:14-29
Lectio Divina:
Friday, February 8, 2019
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord our God,
help us to love You with all our hearts
and to love all people as You love them.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
help us to love You with all our hearts
and to love all people as You love them.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) GOSPEL READING - MARK 6:14-29
King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
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.
3) REFLECTION
• The Gospel today describes how John the Baptist was victim of
the corruption and of the arrogance of the government of Herod. He died without
being judged by a tribunal, in the course of a banquet given by Herod with the
great men of the kingdom. The text gives us much information about the time of
the life of Jesus and on the way in which the powerful of the time exercised
power. From the beginning of the Gospel of Mark we perceive or see a situation
of suspense. He had said, “After John had been arrested, Jesus went into
Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God!” (Mk 1:14). In today’s Gospel, almost
suddenly, we know that Herod had already killed John the Baptist. Therefore,
the reader asks himself, “What will he do now with Jesus? Will He suffer the
same destiny? Rather than drawing up a balance of the opinions of the people
and of Herod on Jesus, Mark asks another question, “Who is Jesus?” This last
question grows throughout the Gospel until it receives the definitive response
from the centurion at the foot of the Cross: “Truly, this man was the Son of
God!” (Mk 15:39)
• Mark 6:14-16. Who is Jesus? The text begins with a balance on the opinions of the people and of Herod on Jesus. Some associated Jesus with John the Baptist and with Elijah. Others identified Him with a prophet, that is, with someone who spoke in the name of God, who had the courage to denounce the injustices of the powerful and who knew how to animate the hope of the little ones. People tried to understand Jesus starting from the things that they themselves knew, believed, and hoped. They tried to make Him fit into the familiar criteria of the Old Testament with its prophecies and its hopes, and of the tradition of the ancients, with their laws. But these criteria were not sufficient. Jesus could not fit in those criteria. He was much greater!
• Mark 6:17-20. The cause for the killing of John. Galilee, the land of Jesus, was governed by Herod Antipas, the son of King Herod the Great, from the year 4 BC up to the year 39 after Christ. In all, 43 years! During the whole lifetime of Jesus, there had been no change in the government of Galilee! Herod Antipas was the absolute lord of everything; he listened to no one and did whatever he pleased! But the one who really commanded in Palestine, from the year 63 BC, was the Roman Empire. Herod, in order to not be removed from office, tried to please Rome in everything. He insisted above all on an efficient administration which would provide income for the Roman Empire. The only thing that concerned or worried him was his security and promotion. This is why he repressed any type of subversion. Flavius Josephus, a writer of that time, says that the reason for the imprisonment of John the Baptist was Herod’s fear of a popular revolt. Herod liked to be called benefactor of the people, but in reality he was a tyrant (Lk 22:25). John’s denouncement of him (Mk 6: 18) was the drop which filled up the cup, and John was thrown into prison.
• Mark 6:21-29: The murder plot. The anniversary and the banquet of the feast, with dancing and orgies! This was an environment in which the alliances were plotted. In attendance were “the great of the court, the officials and important people from Galilee”. In this environment the murder of John the Baptist was plotted. John, the prophet, was a living denouncement in this corrupt system. This is why he was eliminated under the pretext of personal vengeance. All this reveals the moral weakness of Herod. So much power accumulated in the hands of a man who did not control himself! Under the enthusiasm of the feast and of the wine, Herod swore lightly to give something to the young dancer. And superstitious as he was, he thought that he had to maintain his oath. For Herod, the life of his subjects counted nothing, had no value. He used them as he wanted and decided what to do with them just as he decided where to place the chairs in his house. Mark gives an account of how things happened and lets the community draw its own conclusions.
• Mark 6:14-16. Who is Jesus? The text begins with a balance on the opinions of the people and of Herod on Jesus. Some associated Jesus with John the Baptist and with Elijah. Others identified Him with a prophet, that is, with someone who spoke in the name of God, who had the courage to denounce the injustices of the powerful and who knew how to animate the hope of the little ones. People tried to understand Jesus starting from the things that they themselves knew, believed, and hoped. They tried to make Him fit into the familiar criteria of the Old Testament with its prophecies and its hopes, and of the tradition of the ancients, with their laws. But these criteria were not sufficient. Jesus could not fit in those criteria. He was much greater!
• Mark 6:17-20. The cause for the killing of John. Galilee, the land of Jesus, was governed by Herod Antipas, the son of King Herod the Great, from the year 4 BC up to the year 39 after Christ. In all, 43 years! During the whole lifetime of Jesus, there had been no change in the government of Galilee! Herod Antipas was the absolute lord of everything; he listened to no one and did whatever he pleased! But the one who really commanded in Palestine, from the year 63 BC, was the Roman Empire. Herod, in order to not be removed from office, tried to please Rome in everything. He insisted above all on an efficient administration which would provide income for the Roman Empire. The only thing that concerned or worried him was his security and promotion. This is why he repressed any type of subversion. Flavius Josephus, a writer of that time, says that the reason for the imprisonment of John the Baptist was Herod’s fear of a popular revolt. Herod liked to be called benefactor of the people, but in reality he was a tyrant (Lk 22:25). John’s denouncement of him (Mk 6: 18) was the drop which filled up the cup, and John was thrown into prison.
• Mark 6:21-29: The murder plot. The anniversary and the banquet of the feast, with dancing and orgies! This was an environment in which the alliances were plotted. In attendance were “the great of the court, the officials and important people from Galilee”. In this environment the murder of John the Baptist was plotted. John, the prophet, was a living denouncement in this corrupt system. This is why he was eliminated under the pretext of personal vengeance. All this reveals the moral weakness of Herod. So much power accumulated in the hands of a man who did not control himself! Under the enthusiasm of the feast and of the wine, Herod swore lightly to give something to the young dancer. And superstitious as he was, he thought that he had to maintain his oath. For Herod, the life of his subjects counted nothing, had no value. He used them as he wanted and decided what to do with them just as he decided where to place the chairs in his house. Mark gives an account of how things happened and lets the community draw its own conclusions.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
Do you know the cases of people who have died victims of
corruption and of the dominion of the powerful? Do you know people in the
community and in our Church who are victims of authoritarianism and an excess
of power?
• Herod, the powerful who considered himself the owner of life and death of the people, was a great superstitious man and feared John the Baptist. He was a coward before the great, a corrupt man before the girl. Superstition, cowardice, and corruption characterized the exercise of Herod’s power. Compare this with the corrupt power today in the various levels of society.
• Herod, the powerful who considered himself the owner of life and death of the people, was a great superstitious man and feared John the Baptist. He was a coward before the great, a corrupt man before the girl. Superstition, cowardice, and corruption characterized the exercise of Herod’s power. Compare this with the corrupt power today in the various levels of society.
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
This God, His way is blameless;
the word of Yahweh is refined in the furnace,
for He alone is the shield of all who take refuge in Him. (Ps 18:30)
the word of Yahweh is refined in the furnace,
for He alone is the shield of all who take refuge in Him. (Ps 18:30)
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