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| “The Beheading of St. John the Baptist” by Carel Fabritius, c. 1640 |
Note: The Gospel for this memorial is Proper
Reading 1: 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13
We have been reassured about
you, brothers and sisters,
in our every distress and
affliction, through your faith.
For we now live, if you stand
firm in the Lord.
What thanksgiving, then, can
we render to God for you,
for all the joy we feel on
your account before our God?
Night and day we pray beyond
measure to see you in person
and to remedy the
deficiencies of your faith.
Now may God himself, our
Father, and our Lord Jesus
direct our way to you, and
may the Lord make you increase
and abound in love for one
another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your
hearts,
to be blameless in holiness
before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord
Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
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Commentary on 1
Thes 3:7-13
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:3-5a, 12-13, 14 and 17
R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will
sing for joy!
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children
of men.”
For a thousand years in your
sight
are as yesterday, now that it
is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. Fill us with your love,
O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days
aright,
that we may gain wisdom of
heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love,
O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Fill us at daybreak with your
kindness,
that we may shout for joy and
gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of
the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands
for us!
Prosper the work of our
hands!
R. Fill us with your love,
O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
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Commentary on Ps
90:3-5a, 12-13, 14 and 17
Psalm 90 is an
individual song of thanksgiving. In this
section the psalmist reflects on God’s immenseness and asks for God’s continued
presence in support of all activities.
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Gospel: Mark
6:17-29
Herod was the one who had
John the Baptist 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.
She 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 .
Herodias' 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?"
She 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.
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Commentary on Mk 6:17-29
The story of St. John the Baptist life from
St. Mark’s Gospel gives a concise picture of St. John’s
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Reflection:
We continue to marvel at
God’s plan for us as we are given the end of St.
John the Baptist. From the womb he was chosen to be a forerunner of Jesus
Christ. He was the one predicted by the prophets – the new Elijah who prepared
the way for Jesus’ mission on earth – the ultimate revelation of God in human
flesh. He preceded Jesus in life, in ministry, and, as we see in Mark’s Gospel,
his death at the hands of those he came to save.
In his martyrdom St. John St. Paul
And what practical lesson do
we take away from this “redefinition”; this incredible act that defies the
wisdom of the world and changes the perspective of those struggling to know
God? First, with intense humility, we thank God for giving us the faith needed
to understand how his love expressed itself through the sacrifice of His Son
foreshadowed by St. John’s St. John
We thank God for the examples
of St. John the Baptist and all the Saints who have gone before us in faith for
their examples of heroic fidelity to the Lord and their unswerving dedication
to passing on the message they were given. We pray today that our own examples
of faith will give encouragement to our brothers and sisters who, like St.
John, are persecuted for their faith and demonstrate for those who have not
heard the Lord’s call that his hand is our-stretched to them as well.
Pax
[2]
The picture used is “The
Beheading of St. John the Baptist” by Carel Fabritius, c. 1640
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible hyperlinked to the
Vatican.VA site with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were
developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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