Sunday, August 28, 2005
MEMORIAL, BEHEADING OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, MARTYR
AUGUST 29, 2005
MEMORIAL, BEHEADING OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, MARTYR
MONDAY 22ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR I
1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who
have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have
no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God,
through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we
tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are
left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who
have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with
the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down
from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are
alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, console one
another with these words.
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.
REFLECTION
John the Baptist, whose martyrdom we celebrate today, was a
prophet. At God's prompting, he spoke uncomfortable truths, even
though he knew his preaching would earn for him the bitter hatred of
those who held the power of life and death over him. Thus he
criticized Herod for marrying his brother's wife, thereby earning a
vindictive woman's undying enmity. And so he suffered martyrdom.
All the baptized were anointed prophets on the day of their
baptism. We are called, therefore to bear witness both in word and
action to the values of Christ. Bearing witness to Christ's values
today can have uncomfortable, even painful, results, ranging from
patronizing smiles to bitter revulsion, from annoyed irritation to
fierce anger, from strained feelings to friendships rejected.
There's very little chance today, that we will be asked to put our
lives on the line in defense of Christ's values. Living by and
defending Christian values, nonetheless, can be costly. For the
businessman it may mean loss of income: he will reject deals, which
involve corruption, or which require him or his staff to be procurers
for wealthy clients. Parents will have to reject career promotions
when these will deny them the time they should give to the formation of
their children. Young people will give prophetic witness resisting
peer pressure, which can be most compelling, as it pushes them toward
the use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs or sex.
It's not easy to be a prophet.
PRAYER
"Lord Jesus Christ, give me faith, boldness, and courage to stand firm
in the truth of the gospel and to not waver in my testimony of the
faith. Give me hope and joy in the promise of everlasting life with you
in your kingdom."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the personal intentions of Jane Figuerres-Guillermo.
- for the safe travel of Lydia and JP
- for the personal intentions of the Pe Family
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Antonio D. Marcos, Jr. Eternal
rest grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest
in peace.
- for the special intentions of the Autor family.
- for the speedy recovery of Antonio.
- healings for Judy, Nathan, Binnie's sister, Rich M, Paula, Lloyd,
Mary, Ann, Dawn, Edith, Harry & Alan.
- for a safe trip for Vera & B.
- for the safekeeping of the sons of EJ. For the healing of EJ's
mother.
- for the speedy recovery of Amy.
- for the personal intentions of Elizabeth.
- for the good health & special intentions of Elsa & Paolo.
- for the special intentions of Donna.
- for Alex and Reggie to have a stable job.
- for healing of Susan and for peace in her country Kenya
- for of personal intention of Gloria Santos and for the approval of
visa application for her family's immigration to Canada.
- for the successful Christian life program of CFC South B3A starting
on Sept 3.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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