Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist - Mk 6:17-29 - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

"I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist." (Mk 6:25)

READING OF THE DAY

A reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians

1 Cor 1:1-9

Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

and Sosthenes our brother,

to the Church of God that is in Corinth,

to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,

with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

their Lord and ours.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always on your account

for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,

that in him you were enriched in every way,

with all discourse and all knowledge,

as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,

so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift

as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He will keep you firm to the end,

irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is faithful,

and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark

Mk 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.

Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist-Mk 6:17-29

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

The Word of God for Everyone

Dear People of God,

Today the Church celebrates the beheading of Saint John the Baptist. In today's Word of God, King Herod beheads John the Baptist, a prophet of God. Saint John the Baptist was a very special prophet, the one who prepared the way for the Savior. He called on people to prepare the way to wait for the Son of God to come to earth as a human being and die 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 condemn those who lived unjustly, to condemn those who lived in sin and passion. In particular, He dared to warn King Herod, a very powerful king, that: "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Through the work of the prophet John the Baptist, God wanted to tell everyone: In this world, people only fear God and must do everything according to His will, not fear any power of the world.

Saint John the Baptist came to the world to call everyone to repent, to abandon the path of sin, and to return to God. He courageously spoke out to expose the wrongdoings and sins of King Herod, and in the end, he was killed by the king. Indeed, Saint John was a righteous prophet, always walking in the grace and light of God, so he was not afraid of death.

Today, God's prophets must also follow the example of Saint John the Baptist: daring to speak out courageously in the streets, among secular and even divine power; dare to speak up to defend the truth, dare to speak up to expose the wrongdoings and sins of the leaders in the Church. God wants His prophets in this new era to be courageous, to dare to sacrifice their own lives for God's work, to stand up for the truth, defend the truth. Only then will God be pleased. When Jesus came to earth as a human, He brought truth to the world to dispel evil, to expose the evil sins of mankind, to help mankind realize their sins, and to repent and return to make peace with God the Father.

In the Word of God today, God calls on everyone: to be awake, live, and follow the teachings of God the Father: do not go down the paths of sin, passion, hatred, division, and killing each other. Because these evil things will lead people away from God and lead to eternal death; like the image of King Herod, because of his passion for lust, power, and worldly honor, killed a righteous prophet of God, committing a terrible sin before God.

God also said: those who truly repent, determined to abandon the path of sin and return to make peace with God and live a righteous life will be loved, preserved, and protected by God against the temptations and imprisonment of Satan, and in the afterlife will enjoy the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven with Him.

Thanks be to God. Amen.