The WORD
today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/020317.cfm)
reminds me that I should continue to trust and have faith in God, no matter
what happens.
We have seen a lot of times how
God’s power saves his followers - Jonah and the whale, Daniel and the lion, the
three men in the fiery furnace, Peter and the angel leading him out of prison,
and even Abraham and his son Isaac. We have seen how God does the impossible in
seemingly impossible situations. There’s no question in that, however, it does
not happen all the time.
In
the gospel, we see how John the Baptist died. His head was cut off, as
requested by Herodias’ daughter. OF course, there were a lot of ways God could
have saved him. His death does not mean God loves him less, or God’s power is
not enough for him. Rather, this means that John has done his part, and God
loves him so much that he wants John to be with him in his kingdom. He was
probably happy with the life John lived, how faithful he as until the very end,
and he gave him the eternal rest he deserves.
God wants us to
be faithful to him, no matter what situation we are faced with.
In
our lives, God has been saving us through little and big ways. However, this
does not mean we will be free from sufferings and challenges. Like John, there
will come a time when we will be imprisoned and will experience the challenges
of the world, because we are not of the world, but followers of God. And
inevitably, we will experience what John did, leaving the earth. This should
not scare us, but rather, excite us… because the only way we can be with God in
his kingdom is if we leave this earth. And as we wait for this final exit, we
should be like John who was faithful until the end, not stopping his love and
service to God, no matter how tough and dangerous the situation may be.
May
we continue to trust in God no matter what situation we may be in, and be
faithful to him until the very end.
Father God,
Thank you for
today. Thank you for another day to live! Lord, thank you for reminding me how
loving and powerful you are. Lord, sorry for the times I lose my faith in you.
Sorry for being mad at you when I don't get what I pray for. I pray that even
if I don’t feel your power and I experience challenges in this earth, I may
always remain faithful to you. Help me live like John, whose love for you was
greater than the fear and danger in this world. And I pray that when the time
comes that you call me from this earth, I may be ready and excited. I will do
my best to be faithful to you until the end. Amen.
Blessed
day!
In
Christ,
-g-
February 3, 2017
Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 327
Reading 1 Heb13:1-8
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money
but be content with what you have,
for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:
The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:1, 3, 5, 8b-9abc
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
For he will hide me in his abode
in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me in the shelter of his tent,
he will set me high upon a rock.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Alleluia Lk 8:15
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart,
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 6:14-29
and people were saying,
"John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;
That is why mighty powers are at work in him."
Others were saying, "He is Elijah";
still others, "He is a prophet like any of the prophets."
But when Herod learned of it, he said,
"It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up."
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.
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.
Herodias 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.
His 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?"
Her mother 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.
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