From the responsorial psalm: “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. The Lord is my light and my salvation.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (today’s readings)
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.
Because John the Baptist addresses the wrong done by King Herod in marrying Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, Herodias holds a grudge that results in John’s gruesome beheading through the manipulation of her daughter. Regardless of the consequences and mortal costs of speaking up, John remains faithful to carrying out God’s commandments and teaching moral truths as a prophet. The consequences of Herodias’s grudge quickly disintegrates into the worst outcome. Saint Paul reminds us instead to follow Jesus who is the same today, yesterday, and forever: “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.” In our own lives, what is the cost of steadfast commitment to God’s truth, especially in the face of adversity?
God, help me keep in mind the words of Saint Paul as I move throughout the day. He says, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” He urges his us to remain free of love of money and to be content with what we have. Herodias made her daughter an accomplice in the murder of John the Baptist. Keep me on guard against sin but especially in causing others to sin. Give me the grace to recognize that nothing separates me from your love as I hold to my commitment to your truth and justice, fully aware of the cost of discipleship. “Though an army encamp against me, my heart will not fear; Though war be waged upon me, even then will I trust.” Be with me, Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.