August 2, 2025
Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 406
Reading 1
The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai,
"Seven weeks of years shall you count–seven times seven years–
so that the seven cycles amount to forty-nine years.
Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month, let the trumpet resound;
on this, the Day of Atonement, the trumpet blast shall re-echo
throughout your land.
This fiftieth year you shall make sacred
by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants.
It shall be a jubilee for you,
when every one of you shall return to his own property,
every one to his own family estate.
In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee,
you shall not sow, nor shall you reap the aftergrowth
or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines.
Since this is the jubilee, which shall be sacred for you,
you may not eat of its produce,
except as taken directly from the field.
"In this year of jubilee, then,
every one of you shall return to his own property.
Therefore, when you sell any land to your neighbor
or buy any from him, do not deal unfairly.
On the basis of the number of years since the last jubilee
shall you purchase the land from your neighbor;
and so also, on the basis of the number of years for crops,
shall he sell it to you.
When the years are many, the price shall be so much the more;
when the years are few, the price shall be so much the less.
For it is really the number of crops that he sells you.
Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God.
I, the LORD, am your God."
Responsorial Psalm
R. (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
The earth has yielded its fruits;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus
and said to his servants, "This man is John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him."
Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison
on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,
for John had said to him,
"It is not lawful for you to have her."
Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people,
for they regarded him as a prophet.
But at a birthday celebration for Herod,
the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests
and delighted Herod so much
that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.
Prompted by her mother, she said,
"Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."
The king was distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,
he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.
His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl,
who took it to her mother.
His disciples came and took away the corpse
and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080225.cfm
Commentary on
Leviticus 25:1,8-17
Today in our second and last reading from the Book of
Leviticus, we read of the tradition of the Jubilee. The Jubilee was calculated
as happening at the end of seven times seven sabbatical years, in other words,
every 50 years. To arrive at this number, the preceding year of jubilee was included
in the count, and therefore this was more exactly the 49th year, the seventh
sabbatical year. The word ‘jubilee’ is derived from the Hebrew word yobel,
which means ‘ram’s horn’, because a horn was blown to announce the beginning of
the Jubilee.
The observance of the Jubilee began on the 10th day of the
seventh month, the feast of Atonement (Yom Kippur), when a horn or
trumpet blast was heard throughout the land. The main purpose of the Jubilee
was to restore social balance to the community. The year was to be made sacred
first of all by proclaiming freedom for all citizens. This involved the
restoration of both personal and economic freedom.
On the level of personal freedom, all Israelite slaves were
to be set free. On the level of economic freedom, all ancestral land was to be
given back to the original owner. For this purpose, everyone was told to return
to their own property and everyone to their family land.
The idea was to restore the social balance in a community
which was family-based and whose livelihood depended on the ownership of family
land. For various reasons, for which family members might or might not be
responsible, people might be forced to sell their land in order to survive and,
in more severe cases, might even have to sell themselves into slavery. The
purpose of the Jubilee was to have their ancestral property and status restored
to them.
This arrangement was also an attack on land monopolies,
which are denounced later on by the prophets. So Isaiah says:
Woe to those who join house to house,
who add field to field,
until there is room for no one,
and you are left to live alone
in the midst of the land! (Is 5:8)
And Micah says:
They covet fields and seize them,
houses and take them away;
they oppress householder and house,
people and their inheritance. (Mic 2:2)
Both prophets could be talking about situations in our own
contemporary societies.
Whether selling back or buying back alienated property to or
from the original owner, justice was to be observed and only a fair price
charged. The price was to be calculated on the basis of the number of years the
property had been held—a longer period meant a higher price, because, in effect
what was being sold back was not only the land, but also the harvests which it
yielded during that time.
In addition, during the Jubilee, there was to be no sowing,
reaping of after-growth or picking grapes from untrimmed vines. Only what was
taken directly from the field could be eaten and not any other produce from it.
In other words, fields were to be left fallow during this year. It was easier
to give back a fallow field to the original owner than one on which there was a
valuable crop which had been planted by the person who had been holding the
property.
All this seems a highly admirable arrangement and a model of
social justice, but it seems that it was only a late attempt to make the
sabbatical law—which had similar stipulations—more effective, and it does not
seem that this particular law was ever really observed.
The passage concludes by urging all to deal fairly with
their neighbour and stand in fear of their God:
…I am the Lord your God.
One is reminded of similar ideals for a just society which
one reads in the Acts of the Apostles. We are told that the new Christians
would bring forward their property and give it to the community for the shared
use of all. No one had any wealth which belonged to them privately. One couple,
who gave only part of their property claiming that it was all that they had,
was struck dead for their dishonesty (see Acts 5:1-10).
Although this ideal never really took root in the Church,
there is certainly much that could be done in parish communities to see that
those in need are helped by their brothers and sisters. Each of us needs to
seriously consider the many ways we can put the ideal of Acts into practice.
The Church has a great record of speaking about justice and
also, in many places, of doing justice, but we are a long way from perfection.
So we say:
“Let there be justice done on earth, and let it begin with
me.”
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Commentary on Matthew
14:1-12
Our reading is about the death of John the Baptist at the
hands of Herod. When Herod the Great died, his kingdom was divided among four
of his sons. One of them, the Herod of today’s Gospel (also known as Herod
Antipas), is called a “tetrarch”, meaning that he was the ruler of a fourth
part, or a quarter of a territory.
Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4 BC to 39
AD, that is, all during the life of Jesus and beyond. He is the same one who
wanted to see Jesus, and whom Jesus called “that fox”. He is the one to whom
Pilate sent Jesus during his trial. His rather painful and loathsome death is
described in Acts (12:20-23). Although only a tetrarch, Matthew calls him
‘king’ because that was his popular title among the Galileans and also in Rome.
It seems that, by all accounts, Herod was a nasty man and,
as revealed by today’s story, a weak and highly superstitious one as well. It
is striking that, even today, many seemingly powerful people are made insecure
by superstition (for example, needing to wear the same ‘lucky’ business suit or
only drive or ride in a particular model of car).
Herod was hearing extraordinary things about Jesus and he
came to the conclusion that Jesus was a reincarnation of John the Baptist whom
he had executed for reasons he knew very well to be totally wrong. Now here was
John’s spirit come back to taunt him, for he had killed God’s servant. This
leads to a retelling by Matthew of the events which led to John’s death.
John, who was no respecter of persons, had openly criticised
Herod for taking his half-brother Philip’s wife, Herodias, as his own partner.
This was in clear contravention of the Mosaic Law. Herod’s fault was not so
much in marrying a close relative, but for taking her as his wife when Philip
was still living and, at the same time, putting away the wife he already had.
It was already an extraordinarily incestuous family.
Herodias was a granddaughter of Herod the Great and therefore a niece of Herod
Antipas. First, she married another uncle, Herod Philip, who lived in Rome. He
was a half-brother, from a different mother, of Herod Antipas. It was on a
visit to Rome that Herod Antipas persuaded Herodias to leave her husband for
him. This, of course, was strictly forbidden by the Mosaic law:
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s
wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. (Lev 18:16)
Herod, doubtless under pressure from Herodias, had wanted to
rid himself of the embarrassment John was causing him, but was afraid to do
anything because, in the eyes of the people, John was a prophet and spoke in
the name of God.
Herodias got her chance on the occasion of Herod’s birthday.
Knowing her new husband’s weaknesses, she got her daughter to dance in his
presence. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the daughter was known as
Salome. She later married her granduncle, another Philip, and a son of Herod
the Great who ruled over the northern territories. He is mentioned by Luke.
Whether the dance was lascivious (as old Hollywood movies
have suggested) we do not know, but Herod was greatly taken by the performance.
In the presence of his courtiers and very likely having drunk too much wine, he
promised the girl he would give her anything she wanted, even half his kingdom.
Under the prompting of her mother, she asked for the head of John the Baptist
delivered on a dish. Herod was clearly appalled and also afraid, but he had
made his oath in the presence of a large number of people. He could not go
back. John was decapitated and his head delivered as requested. His disciples
came and buried the body and then went to tell Jesus.
There are echoes in this story of Jesus’ own death. He also
died because of the moral weakness of Pilate, who gave in to the threats of the
Jewish leaders for the sake of his own career. Jesus’ death, too, was the
result of blind hatred. And when he died his disciples arranged to have him
buried.
Undoubtedly John was a martyr. He died as a witness to truth
and justice in the service of God. Herod, on the other hand, put expediency and
his own convenience before truth and justice. He was in an immoral relationship
with a woman and he gave in to what he felt would be the criticism and perhaps
the derision of others. He had indeed made an oath, but it was one that, in the
circumstances, he was obliged not to observe.
With whom do I identify more? John the Baptist, the fearless
champion of truth and justice? Or Herod, the vacillator, the one who
compromised truth and justice because of pressure of opinion and his own
personal interests? I am sure all of us can think of times when we compromised
with what we knew was the good or right thing to do and took the line of less
resistance.
John is an example to us of integrity. And like him, we
have, each one of us, been called in our own way to be prophets, to be spokespersons
for God’s way. It may not always be easy.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/o1177g/
Saturday, August 2,
2025
Opening Prayer
God our Father and protector, without
you nothing is holy, nothing has value. Guide us to everlasting life by helping
us to use wisely the blessings you have given to the world.
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.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 14: 1-12
At that time Herod the tetrarch
heard about the reputation of Jesus and said to his court, 'This is John the
Baptist himself; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers
are at work in him.' Now it was Herod who had arrested John, chained him up and
put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. For John had
told him, 'It is against the Law for you to have her.' He had wanted to kill
him but was afraid of the people, who regarded John as a prophet. Then, during
the celebrations for Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before
the company and so delighted Herod that he promised on oath to give her
anything she asked. Prompted by her mother she said, 'Give me John the
Baptist's head, here, on a dish.' The king was distressed but, thinking of the
oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he ordered it to be given her, and sent
and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought in on a dish and
given to the girl, who took it to her mother.
John's disciples came and took the body and buried it; then
they went off to tell Jesus.
Reflection
Today’s Gospel describes the way in which John the Baptist was
the victim of corruption and of the arrogance of the government of Herod. He
was killed without a process, during a banquet of the king with the great of
the kingdom. The text gives us much information on the time in which Jesus
lived and on the manner in which power was used by the powerful of that time.
•
Matthew 14: 1-2. Who is Jesus for Herod. The
text begins by informing about the opinion which Herod had of Jesus: "This
is John the Baptist himself, he has risen from the dead, and that is why
miraculous powers are at work in him.” Herod tries to understand Jesus starting
from the fear which assailed him after murdering John. Herod was very
superstitious and hid his fear behind the ostentation of his riches and of his
power.
•
Matthew 14: 3-5: The hidden cause of the
murdering of John. Galilee, the land of Jesus, was governed by Herod Antipas,
the son of King Herod, the Great, from the year 4 BC until the year 38 AD,
after Christ. Forty-three years in all! During the time of the life of Jesus,
there were no changes of government in Galilee! Herod was the absolute Lord of
everything, he did not render an account to anyone, he did whatever passed
through his mind. Arrogance, lack of ethics, absolute power, without control
from the people! But the one, who commanded in Palestine since the year 63
before Christ, was the Roman Empire. Herod, in Galilee, so as not to be
dismissed, tried to please Rome in everything. Above all, he insisted on an
efficient administration which would bring riches to the Empire. His concern
was his own promotion and his security. For this reason, he refrained from any
type of subversion. Matthew says that the reason for murdering John was because
he had denounced
Herod, because he had married
Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Flavio Joseph, a Jewish writer of
that time, says that the true reason for the imprisonment of John the Baptist
was the fear of Herod that there would be a popular revolt. Herod like to be
called the benefactor of the people, but in reality, he was a tyrant (Lk 22:
25). The denunciation of John against Herod was the drop that caused the glass
to overflow: “It is against the Law for you to have her.” And John was put in
prison.
•
Matthew 14: 6-12: The plot of the murderer. An
anniversary and a festive banquet, with dances and orgy! Mark says that in the
feast were “the great of the court, the officials and the important people of
Galilee” (Mk 6: 21). This is the environment in which the murdering of John the
Baptist is planned. John, the prophet, was a living denunciation of that
corrupt system. This is why, he was eliminated with the pretext of a problem of
personal revenge. All this reveals the moral weakness of Herod. So much power
accumulated in the hands of one man incapable to control himself! In the
enthusiasm of the feast and of the wine, Herod makes a promise by oath to
Salome, the young dancer, daughter of Herodias. Superstitious as he was, he
thought that he had to maintain this oath, and respond to the caprice of the
girl; and because of this he ordered the soldier to bring the head of John on a
tray and give it to the dancer, who then gave it to her mother. For Herod, the
life of his subjects was worthless. He disposes of them as he disposes of the
staircases in his house!
The three characteristics of the government of Herod: the
new Capital, large estates, and the class of functionaries:
•
The New Capital. Tiberiade was inaugurated when
Jesus was only 20 years old. It was called like that in order to please
Tiberius, the emperor of Rome. It was inhabited by the lords of the earth, the
soldiers, the policemen, the unscrupulous judges (Lk 18: 1-4). The taxes and
the products of the people were channeled toward it. It was there that Herod
made his orgy of death (Mk 6: 21-29). Tiberiades was the city of the palaces of
the King, where those who wore soft, delicate dresses lived (cf. Mt 11: 8). It
is not known by the Gospels that Jesus entered this city.
•
The large estates. Scholars say that during the
long government of Herod, the large estates grew causing harm to community
property. The Book of Henoch denounces the lords of the land and expresses the
hope of the little ones: “And then the powerful and the great will no longer be
the lords of the land.” (Hen 38: 4). The ideal of ancient times was the
following: “Each one will peacefully sit under his vine and nobody will
frighten them” (1 Mac 14: 12; Mi 4: 4; Zc 3: 10). But the politics of the
government of Herod made this ideal impossible.
•
The class of functionaries. Herod created a
whole class of functionaries faithful to the project of the King: the Scribes,
the merchants, the lords of the land, the officers of the market, the tax
collectors, the militia, the policemen, the judges, the local heads,. In every
village there was a group of persons which supported the government. In the
Gospels, some Pharisees appear together with the Herodians (Mk 3: 6; 8: 15; 12:
13), and that shows the alliance between the religious power and the civil
power. The life of the people in the villages was very controlled, both by the
government and by the religion. Much courage was necessary to begin anything
new, as John and Jesus did! It was the same thing as attracting to self the
anger of the privileged ones, both from the religious and the civil powers.
Personal Questions
•
Do you know any persons who died victims of
corruption and domination of the powerful? And here among us, in our community
and in the Church, are there victims of authoritarianism and of the abuse of
power?
•
Herod, the powerful, who thought he was the lord
of life and death of people, was a coward before the great and a corrupt
flatterer before the girl who danced. Cowardice and corruption marked the
exercise of the power of Herod. Compare all this with the exercise of religious
power and civil orgy, in the different levels of society and of the Church.
Concluding Prayer
The humble have seen and are glad.
Let your courage revive, you who seek God. For God
listens to the poor, he has never scorned his captive people. (Ps 69: 32-33)
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