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. † 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 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 Sabina Of Rome St. Sabina (d. 126 A.D.) was a wealthy Roman noblewoman, a widow and the daughter of Herod Metallarius. She was converted to Christianity by her virtuous female slave, St. Serapia, a devout Christian from Antioch who entered into voluntary slavery with Sabina after forsaking marriage and consecrating herself to Christ. Following her conversion, St. Sabina's home became a secret meeting place for Christians where the sacraments were celebrated. St. Serapia was discovered to be a Christian and was burned alive and beheaded. St. Sabina recovered Serapia's body and buried it in a tomb. Within the same year St. Sabina was also killed for her faith and buried alongside Serapia. After Christianity was legalized in the 5th century, a basilica was built over St. Sabina's home on Aventine Hill. Originally dedicated to both saints, it is known today as Santa Sabina, one of Rome's most ancient churches. St. Sabina's feast day is August 29th.
Find a devotional for this saint | Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist • Readings for the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist Reading 1 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 Brothers and sisters,
we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us
how you should conduct yourselves to please God–
and as you are conducting yourselves–
you do so even more.
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. This is the will of God, your holiness:
that you refrain from immorality,
that each of you know how to acquire a wife for himself
in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion
as do the Gentiles who do not know God;
not to take advantage of or exploit a brother or sister in this matter,
for the Lord is an avenger in all these things,
as we told you before and solemnly affirmed.
For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness.
Therefore, whoever disregards this,
disregards not a human being but God,
who also gives his Holy Spirit to you. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 97:1 and 2b, 5-6, 10, 11-12 R. (12a) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory. R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful ones;
from the hand of the wicked he delivers them. R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name. R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just! Alleluia Matthew 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 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.
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Mark 6:17-29 Herod . . . was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. (Mark 6:20) Perplexed indeed! Herod certainly wasn't used to hearing someone speak against him with the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It's no wonder that he was so fascinated with John the Baptist, whose martyrdom we celebrate today. Maybe John was getting through to him at some level. But at the fateful banquet recounted in today's Gospel, Herod let his pride trip him up. He didn't want to execute John, but he felt trapped (Mark 6:26). And so John gave up his life—a foreshadowing of the way Jesus would also be executed. But it wasn't just John's death that pointed to Jesus; his entire life served as a witness to him. His entire ministry was focused on making Jesus "known to Israel" (John 1:31). Everything he did—preaching repentance, baptizing people, and challenging those who abused their power—pointed to Jesus. Even today, he continues to "prepare the way of the Lord" (Luke 3:4). How is John calling you to prepare the way for Jesus? Do his words and his witness leave you perplexed? Maybe you have felt challenged by his call to repentance. Or maybe his example of courage and self-denial has inspired you to live more boldly for the Lord. Or perhaps you can relate to his uncertainty when he sent a message to Jesus, asking, "Are you the one?" (Matthew 11:3). Wherever you are right now, consider how you can take one more step that will open your heart to Jesus more deeply. If you have felt lukewarm in prayer, remember that you have been baptized "with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16). If you are struggling with temptation or the call to deny yourself, ask the Lord to give you resolve. If you are too focused on your own desires, remember John's profession: "He must increase; I must decrease" (John 3:30). No matter how the Baptist's witness touches you today, ask the Holy Spirit to help you follow the example of this hero and herald. "St. John, forerunner of the Lord, pray that I may receive a double portion of your courage and conviction today!" 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 10-12 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "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.........." Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, today's Gospel tells of the death of John the Baptist. Herod had arrested John, from whom Jesus had sought baptism, and put him to death. The arrest and death of John the Baptist were signals for Jesus. Immediately after the arrest, Jesus withdraws to Galilee and commences his own ministry of preaching and healing. Are these two events just coincidentally related? Hardly. Jesus read the arrest of John as a kind of signal that he was to begin. We must remember that Jesus, like any Jew of his time, would have read the world through the lens of the Sacred Scriptures. They were the interpretive framework for everything. It was a commonplace of the prophets and the Psalms and parts of the Torah that the era of the messiah would be preceded by a time of tribulation, when the opponents of God would rise up to counter God's purposes. Jesus saw this in the arrest of John. This great national figure, this prophet to Israel, was arrested and eventually killed by the enemies of God—and he took it as a signal that his own messianic work should begin. " end quote.
King Herod was perplexed by Saint John the Baptist, something intrigued him. But it wasn't enough...to spare his life. It bothered him, but still..."off with his head".
Herodias wanted St. John dead.
The neutrality of Herod allowed it to happen.
Our calling then is twofold here.
Be like Saint John the Baptist, paving the way for Christ, preparing hearts to receive Him...light and salvation.
And not to be neutral. Sure we allow good things to happen if we are neutral, but at the same time, we allow bad things to happen, and sometimes, the bad outweighs the good...if only we knew how bad...the bad can get! No sin is to be taken lightly.
Our Lord said that we need to be strong to enter the narrow gate, strong in purity, holiness, obedience, the very love of God the Father, surrendering all...even your life if necessary...for the Holy Will of God to be done.
You are reading this now and you are called. You are hearing what God desires, and what God desires is good.
Herodias is now infamous for calling on the death of Saint John.
Herod infamous for being neutral.
And Saint John the Baptist, now known as the one who sparked the ministry of Jesus by giving His life for the truth....and the truth has a name...Jesus.
The ending prayers of daily Mass today said the words of John the Baptist: "I must decrease, that He may increase".
These words became true when he paid the ultimate price...martyrdom.
And for the next 2,000 years many more would be beheaded for Christ, and the Catholic Church, the very Church Christ has founded on the Apostles and His very Body, Blood, soul, and divinity. We are reminded in the book of Hebrews: "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood". But the Holy Lovers of Jesus shed their blood, sweat, and tears all the way to Heaven. Saint John the Baptist, Pray for us! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 15:29 " The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous."
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