Welcome to my blog and peace be with you.
You will find here the Word of God assigned by
the Catholic Church to be read today. If we reflect prayerfully on it, we will
come to know the Truth and our life will blossom.
Today we remember the Beheading of St. John the
Baptist. Jesus called him the greatest of all born of a woman. He is was a man
who lived for God by witnessing to the truth. He paid the price by dying at the
hands of King Herod.
Saturday 29
August 2020
I was born to
bear witness to the truth
First reading
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ·
God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, to shame the wise
Take yourselves for
instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise
in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came
from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is
foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is
weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible
are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up
those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but
you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our
wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if
anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord. THE WORD OF THE LORD
Prayerful reflection
Made out of nothing by the goodness and love of God, what I
am before him. Can I give him anything? No, it is already his. Does he owe me
anything? No, because in myself I am nothing and he has given me everything I am
and have. Before him, I wait for his mercy. but I know he loves me and that is
why he created me. He wants me. My response should be, ‘Here I am - for you.’
I live in this fallen and sinful world. People are sinners,
that means, they do not live according to the mind and love of God, but
according to the mind and evil of the arch enemy of God, Satan. Then, no wonder
this life is full of suffering and sickness, pain, and misery. This all affects
me too. There is no way out of it, because I am immersed in it and will be
until I leave this world.
But, if I humbly acknowledge that I am nothing and open
myself in love to my Creator, then in his love he can use me to bring some joy,
and peace into this world, to help people be healed from their pain and
suffering. If like Mary, in my nothingness I offer myself to my Creator, then
he will use me to alleviate the anguish of those who suffer.
Am I willing to give up self, for the sake of God and my
brothers and sisters? This is to be made in the image and likeness of God.
Psalm
Psalm 32(33):12-13,18-21
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
They are happy, whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his own.
From the heavens the Lord looks forth,
he sees all the children of men.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
The Lord looks on those who revere him,
on those who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
Gospel
Mark 6:17-29
The beheading
of John the Baptist
Herod sent to have John arrested, and had him
chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had
married. For John had told Herod, ‘It is against the law for you to have your
brother’s wife.’ As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill
him; but she was not able to, because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to
be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him
speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.
An opportunity came on Herod’s birthday when he gave a banquet for the
nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in
Galilee. When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she
delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me anything
you like and I will give it you.’ And he swore her an oath, ‘I will give you
anything you ask, even half 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
straight back to the king and made her request, ‘I want you to give me John the
Baptist’s head, here and now, on a dish.’ The king was deeply distressed but,
thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break
his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguard with orders to
bring John’s head. The man went off and beheaded him in prison; then he brought
the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it
in a tomb. THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD
Prayerful reflection
We celebrate
the feast of John the Baptist today. He has
two feasts. One his birth on June 24th and now his death and entry
into God’s heavenly presence. This is as it should be. He was filled with the
Holy Spirit while in the womb. Jesus declared him to be the greatest of all
born of a woman. John is our model. He lived for the truth and died for the
truth. There was no compromise with him. He fulfilled perfectly the work God
gave him to do.
We need
to discover what work God has given us. We can find it in the responsibilities
of our state of life. If we fulfil these responsibilities with love for God and
human beings, we too will be accepted and honoured by God.
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