† Quote of the Day "It is in the company of Jesus that you work for the glory of God." — St. John Baptist de la Salle Today's Meditation "When Mary's voice landed on the fetal ears of [John] the Baptist, he was called. He was sanctified. Mary was the voice of the Word. John was to become that voice, crying in the desert. He transformed his mouth into a sharp sword. John would clear the path with that sword. The path to each man's heart was filled with nettles and briars, overgrown with thorns and hardened by constant commerce. John would clear the way and prepare the ground...John did not begin by preaching. He prepared his preaching by silence." –Fr. Matthew Kauth, p.174
An excerpt from The Imitation of Saint Joseph Daily Verse
"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." — Isaiah 12:2 | St. John the Baptist was a cousin of Jesus, and his mission was to preach repentance to Israel in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. When John rebuked King Herod for his unlawful union with Herodias, his brother's wife, Herod had John imprisoned. On his birthday, Herod celebrated with a great feast as Salome, the daughter of Herodias, danced before his guests. Herod, pleased with Salome's performance, promised to give her whatever she asked for, even up to half his kingdom. On the advice of her wicked mother, Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod regretfully ordered the execution. St. John the Baptist is the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets, highly venerated by the Church. The feast of his martyrdom is August 29th. | Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist • Readings for the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist Reading 1 1 Cor 1:1-9 Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Sosthenes our brother,
to the Church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Responsorial Psalm PS 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 R. (1) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord. Alleluia Mt 5:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 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.
| Daily Meditation: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 He will keep you firm to the end. (1 Corinthians 1:8) The Corinthian church had its problems. Yes, they had decided to follow Jesus, and yes, they were gathering regularly for worship and fellowship. But they were a diverse group: Gentile and Jew, rich and poor, slave and freeman. And not surprisingly, they began to let divisions and rivalries form (1 Corinthians 1:10-16). One of the reasons St. Paul wrote this letter was to encourage them to overcome these divisions and come together in unity with Christ. Paul begins his letter by thanking God for bringing them to faith in Jesus. It is Christ who has given them all the gifts they need and who "will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:8). These new Christians would need to persevere in their faith—especially when it came to strengthening their unity. We can certainly identify with the Corinthians. In our families, our parishes, and in the Church at large, we want to get along and settle our differences peacefully and amicably. We know that we are united in Christ through Baptism, but we still find it difficult to actually live in unity. We all come to the table with different experiences, outlooks, and assumptions. We are all created with different gifts and temperaments. And most challenging of all, as fallen human beings, we all have blind spots, make mistakes, and fall to temptation. Paul knew this, and his advice to the Corinthians is as relevant to us as it was to them. As we read from this letter at Mass over the next three weeks, we can listen closely to his instructions to these early Christians and take them to heart. So what might Paul tell you today? When differences arise between you and other believers, don't be surprised or despair. Keep asking for the grace to be patient, and try to work out your differences. Pray for your fellow Christians who don't think as you do or who may even oppose or malign you. And when you find yourself tempted to give up, stay focused on the Lord and persevere. He will "keep you firm to the end"! "Father, I trust that you can help me work out my differences with my brothers and sisters in Christ." Psalm 145:2-7
Mark 6:17-29 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"The king (Herod) 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.........."_ end quote. | From a Spanish reflection Marcel:
"Rumours are rife in Galilee. They are talking not only about Jesus, but also about John the Baptist, whom Herod Antipas has arrested; according to the historian Josephus, for political reasons; according to the Gospel, for religious reasons." From Bishop Barron today:
"Though the fierce atheists of today profess that they would like to eliminate religious speech and religious ideas, secretly they love to listen as people speak of God. So I say to Christians and other believers: be ready for a good fight, and get some spiritual weapons in your hands. And I say to the atheists: I'll keep talking—because I know, despite your protestations, that your hearts are listening. " end quote Bishop Barron.
Today we remember the day St. John the Baptist was beheaded.
For what? If you look at secular news, they said it was because of "politics" and if you read the bible you will hear it was because of "religion". Notice, each one is driven by ideals or morals. We try to separate the two, but each person has ideals and morals, and so, it is impossible to separate the two at their fundamentals. Either your ideals are driven by self...or by God Himself. And that is the problem with secularism and communism and totalitarianism that is fueled by utilitarianism. All of these measure the person's worthiness by how much you can put out, and nothing to do with the dignity of the person.
What did St. John the Baptist say that cost him his head? He said what he believed by God's laws: "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." That wife hated him for it. Truth hurt. She was married before to the King's brother. She must've loved power. Herod loved pride, and she was prideful too.
How many people have you hated because they said something about you? To hate is to kill in the heart.
Our Lord weighs in heavily on this in the Gospel of Matthew: "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,n 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.'
22 But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment,o and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna." Word of the Lord.
Could St. John have saved himself? Could he have defended himself? He was put in prison. There was a glimmer of hope when King Herod would listen to him speak, he was intrigued. But then came the dance day when his daughter delighted him so much he swore he'd give her anything to which the girl ask her mom what to get...to which the mom asked for the head, the murder of John.
We don't hate like that do we? We aren't power hungry like that are we?
Right now, there are people intrigued, visiting churches. But, they will have friends that will kill their faith. A couple years ago, I had one teenager student in RCIA, I was teaching him for a year with others and then half a year one on one. Then he stopped coming. The next time I saw him, this high school student not only had moved away from his mom's house, but now had tattoos and no more interest in continuing the faith. His mom pleads for his return, to the faith, then home if he wants.
What is the point of all of this? It is a real battle. Faith is a battle, like a plant you must nurture and care for all day long. But then it will begin to give fruit in due time. The fruit of the Holy Spirit. The fruit that God wants to see. The fruit that feeds Heaven with delicacies. The fruit that God enjoys and one day we will all hopefully enjoy.
I ask that we pray for the conversion of communist countries, that Russia and China will convert to Christ. I ask that our prayers always include those that persecute us too.
If you are not being persecuted for your faith right now, then, why not?
You will find lots of negativity and people against you once you take the faith seriously. It is unsettling and unnerving. But once the light turns on, it changes everything.
May the Light Of Christ Jesus bless and shine the very distant, those lost across the world begin with our own little world inside of our hearts, for the very love of God. |  audio | WOW. How Awesome
Random Bible Verse 1
Galatians 5:22–23 [Galatians 5] 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
