Friday, August 04, 2006
Saturday 17th Week in Ordinary Time
August 5, 2006
Saturday 17th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II
JEREMIAH 26:11-16, 24
The priests and prophets said to the princes and to all the people,
"This man deserves death; he has prophesied against this city, as you
have heard with your own ears." Jeremiah gave this answer to the
princes and all the people: "It was the Lord who sent me to prophesy
against this house and city all that you have heard. Now, therefore,
reform your ways and your deeds; listen to the voice of the Lord your
God, so that the Lord will repent of the evil with which he threatens
you. As for me, I am in your hands; do with me what you think good and
right. But mark well: if you put me to death, it is innocent blood you
bring on yourselves, on this city and its citizens. For in truth it was
the Lord who sent me to you, to speak all these things for you to
hear." Thereupon the princes and all the people said to the priests and
the prophets, "This man does not deserve death; it is in the name of
the Lord, our God, that he speaks to us." So Ahikam, son of Shaphan,
protected Jeremiah, so that he was not handed over to the people to be
put to death.
MATTHEW 14:1-12
Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his
servants, "This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the
dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him." Now Herod had
arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him, "It is not
lawful for you to have her." Although he wanted to kill him, he feared
the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. But at a birthday
celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance
before the guests and delighted Herod so much that he swore to give her
whatever she might ask for. Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me
here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." The king was
distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,
he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.
His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it
to her mother. His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried
him; and they went and told Jesus.
REFLECTION
Today's Gospel recounts the murder of St. John the Baptist. John:
strong, courageous, a man of principle, God's fearless and faithful
servant, a hero larger than life-his head is violently torn from his
body, his blood mingled with the dirt and the filth on the cold, dark
dungeon floor. His executioners: a king whose weakness and timidity
yields to the demands of a willful and vengeful queen.
For this man and this woman, whose only greatness was the absolute
power they wielded, John is decapitated and his head is presented on a
tray by the queen's own daughter, in the presence of the king. The
brutality, the coarse viciousness that absolute power breeds! They
thought, of course, that they when they had John killed, they had also
blotted his name out of history; they thought that his name had died
with his person in the dungeon.
But John lives among us today, enshrined in the Gospels and in our
efforts to emulate him. So it is always. Those who must wield absolute
power because of their inner weakness and their inhumanity will always
be remembered solely by the men and women they martyred. Perhaps today
we should pray for our modern St. Johns, and also for our modern Herods
and their queens.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
-for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
-for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
-for the speedy recovery of Matthew C.
-Birthday: Merci Vicencio
-Birthday: Bishop Teodoro J. Buhain, D.D.
-In Memoriam (+): Odin Z. Suaco
- Birthday Thanksgiving of Shariya Moira YV M. Magallanes on her 6th
birthday
- Thanksgiving for Richie & Joain Magallanes' 7th Anniversary
- for the repose of the soul of Josephine Passe
- for the success of the upcoming CFC-CLP in Al-Khobar
-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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