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| “Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” (detail) by Caravaggio, 1608 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Note: for this memorial,
the Gospel from the proper of the saint is used.
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
St. Paul speaks
to the Thessalonians in a conversational tone. He first thanks God for their
faithfulness in the face of difficulties. He then offers a prayer, asking God
to increase their love for each other and others using one of the Lord’s
sayings (Love one another as I have loved you). It is clear from
his prayerful lament that he greatly desires to continue his instruction with
them, instruction that was interrupted when he was forced to leave hurriedly (Acts 17:5-10). By way of example, he reminds them that even he must
depend upon God to allow him to return, and that it is only through God’s grace
that his teaching and preaching will be efficacious.
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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 immensity and asks for God’s continued presence in support of all the
singer's 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's
life from St. Mark’s Gospel gives a concise picture of St. John’s end.
Especially here we note the similarities between the passing of St. John and
the passion of Jesus in Mark 15:1-47 . The
rationale in both cases was the anger and guilt felt at the truth proclaimed;
in the case of John the guilt of Herodias; in the case of Jesus, the Jewish
leaders'.
Both Herod and Pilot acknowledge
the holiness of the ones they are to put to death. In both cases following the
executions, faithful followers insure the body is given a respectful burial.
St. Matthew’s Gospel gives a more complete introduction of Herod and Herodias
(see Matthew
14:1-3). The actual account presented here is done as a flashback as
Herod questions the identity of Jesus whose disciples have just been sent into
his region with great authority.
CCC: Mk 6:17-29 523
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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, in his death at the hands of those
he invited to repent and return to the path to God’s Kingdom.
In his martyrdom St. John the
Baptist shared in Christ’s victory. Victory? One might think that being
beheaded by a lecherous, hedonistic, and sadistic ruler like Herod was not a
victory. Yet, as St. Paul points out in his First Letter to the Corinthians,
Jesus used the cross to redefine victory. His death became a defeat for death,
for all those who lay aside the wisdom of the world and have faith.
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 own death. We see in the events that unfold in the
Gospel that we must not expect the world to welcome the love we offer as
followers of Christ. We know Jesus obediently followed St. John in
death at the hands of his captors.
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 outstretched to them as well.
Pax
[1]
The picture used is “Beheading of Saint John the
Baptist” (detail) by Caravaggio, 1608.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
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