MEMORIAL OF THE PASSION OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST - Gospel (Mk 6:17-29) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- 4 days ago
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FIRST READING - 1 Thess 4:1-8
"This is the will of God, your holiness."
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians
1 Finally, brothers, 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. 2 For you know what instructions[a] we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
3 This is the will of God, your holiness: that you refrain from immorality, 4 that each of you know how to acquire a wife for himself in holiness and honor, 5 not in lustful passion as do the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 not to take advantage of or exploit a brother in this matter, for the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you before and solemnly affirmed. 7 For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. 8 Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who [also] gives his holy Spirit to you.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mk 6:17-29
“I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
✠From the Gospel according to Mark
17 Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. 18 John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 Herodias[a] harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. 20 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. 21 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. 22 Herodias’s 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.” 23 He even swore [many things] to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 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.” 26 The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. 27 So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. 28 He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
MEMORIAL OF THE PASSION OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST - Gospel (Mk 6:17-29)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist. The Word of God today recounts the event in which King Herod beheaded a prophet of God—namely, the prophet John the Baptist. Saint John the Baptist was a very special prophet, the one who prepared the way for the Savior and called everyone to straighten their paths in order to welcome the Son of God, who came to earth, became man, and died to redeem humanity.
Saint John the Baptist was a righteous prophet of God, a prophet who always walked in truth and righteousness. He dared to speak the truth, to denounce those who lived unjustly, and to condemn those living in sin and passion. In particular, he dared to raise his voice to warn King Herod—a king of great power—saying: “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Through the actions of the prophet John the Baptist, God wants to make known to all people: In this world, one must fear only God alone and must do everything according to His holy will, and must not fear any worldly power.
Saint John the Baptist came into the world to call everyone to repentance, to turn away from the path of sin and return to God. He courageously spoke out to expose the wrongdoing and sin of King Herod, and in the end, he was killed by the king. Indeed, Saint John was a righteous prophet, who always walked in the grace and light of God. As a result, he was not afraid of death.
Today, the prophets of God must also follow the example of Saint John the Baptist: daring to courageously speak out in the midst of the streets, in the face of secular power and even ecclesiastical authority; daring to speak out in defense of the truth, daring to speak out to expose the wrongdoings and sins of leaders within the Church.
God desires that His prophets in this new era must be courageous, willing to sacrifice even their own lives for the plan of God, daring to stand up in defense of truth, in defense of righteousness. Only in this way can they be pleasing to God.
Jesus Himself, when He came to earth and became man, also brought truth and righteousness into the world to drive out evil, to expose the wicked sins of mankind, so as to help the people recognize their sins and repent, returning to reconciliation with God.
The Word of God today calls everyone to be vigilant, live, and act according to the Word of God’s command; do not walk on the paths of sin, passion, hatred, division, and killing one another. For such evils will lead people far from God and to eternal death—like the image of King Herod, who, because of lust, worldly power, and honor, killed a righteous prophet of God and committed a grave sin before God.
God also reveals that those who truly repent, determined to abandon the path of sin and return to reconciliation with God, and live a righteous life, will be loved, guarded, and protected by God Himself from the temptations and captivity of Satan. In the life to come, they will enjoy the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven with Him.
Thanks be to God. Amen
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