Tag: Herod

“His heart was moved with pity for them.” | Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 6:30-34, today’s readings)

When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

After the apostles return to Jesus and report all that they accomplished and taught, Jesus recognizes their need for rest and retreat after a round of strenuous ministry. He invites them to come away to “a deserted place and rest a while.” But as they try to find a secluded place, a large crowd follows them. The compassion Jesus reveals his boundless empathy and care for his people, and he provides for their needs with the comfort of his presence and teachings. As his followers, it is no stretch to say that the disciples see and follow Jesus as he once again does the work of God among the crowds.

God, in the midst of the day’s events, help me remember that you are always at my side. Just as Jesus invited the disciples to retreat from their busy ministry to restore their spirit, help me recognize when I need to step back and consciously choose to rest. Through your grace, teach me to respond to the needs of other as an instrument of your peace. Help me think about the words of Saint Paul from the first reading: “Through Jesus, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

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.

Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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.

And he kept trying to see him. | Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 9:7-9)

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, “John has been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.” But Herod said, “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see him.

In encountering John the Baptist, Herod heard the words of one of the greatest prophets and then beheaded him. Herod’s view of reality was severely limited because of what he refused to hear and take in. Just as he kept trying to hear John the Baptist before killing him, he kept trying to see Jesus even as he sought to have him killed. Eventually paving the way for Jesus’ crucifixion as he meets and mocks him, Herod stands before Jesus but even in that moment fails to see him. What we hear in the first reading describes Herod’s spiritual condition after hearing John and seeing Jesus: “The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.”

God, help me see the futility of confidence in my plans and comfort in my possessions. Teach me to number my days aright that I may gain wisdom of heart. If I look at Herod and see only his complete failure to recognize the Son of God standing in front of him, I have missed something greater. In all the toil and labor of a lifetime, what good is there in it unless the futility of it all causes me to remain faithful to you in hearing and doing what pleases you? What else lasts or matters? “I am the way and the truth and the life,” I hear Jesus say. Lord, let me take refuge in you. Saints Cosmas and Damian, pray for us!

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.

“This man is John the Baptist.” | Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! For the LORD hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.” Lord, in your great love, answer me.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 14:1-12)

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.”

In today’s Gospel, King Herod hears about the ministry and miracles of Jesus and mistakenly believes that Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead. Herod had previously imprisoned and eventually beheaded John the Baptist because Herodias wanted John killed. Matthew uses this story to explain how John the Baptist was beheaded, and it highlights the consequences of Herod’s ruthlessness. At his birthday celebration, quite possibly drunk, he swore to the girl that he would give her whatever she asked. He became distressed when she asked for John’s head and by upholding pride was trapped into following through on his promise before his guests.

God, help me understand the ruinous consequences of pride, the deadly sin of refusing to let go of power, honor, or wealth. There is something more to the story of Herod that I want to call to mind and keep with me today. Herod arrested John the Baptist because he had openly criticized his unlawful marriage to Herodias, who was his brother’s wife. So deeply has sin and dysfunction distorted Herod’s reasoning, that he believed Jesus was John risen from the dead, as if he were a ghost who had come back to haunt him. Keep me in your care, Lord; guide me in your ways and keep me from sin and its deadly consequences. Lord, in your great love, hear and answer me.

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.

Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 9:7-9)

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, “John has been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.” But Herod said, “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see him.

In today’s Gospel, Herod had heard about Jesus and was puzzled by the various rumors going around. Had John come back to life? Had Elijah or one of the ancient prophets appeared? But Herod knows that he had already beheaded John, so he wondered who this Jesus was. As Luke tells us, Herod was unable to understand Jesus’ divinity and his miraculous works, so he kept trying to see him. Based on one’s religious upbringing or individual experiences, puzzlement and speculation exist today about Jesus—who he is and what his mission was. Elsewhere in the Gospel, is it any wonder that Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

God, help me understand that at times little distance exists between Herod’s perception of you and mine. When I am unable to see you in the course of a day, I tend toward perplexity and modern-day skepticism. Who is this Jesus, and what is this I hear about him? When I am not able to see you, Lord, what particular obstacle is in my way? When the one, ultimate explanation of causes doesn’t satisfy—that you alone are God—and instead I find myself searching among signs pointing to signs, come to my aid. Give me the grace, Lord, to hear your voice and come back to you with my whole heart. I have known your love; keep me in your care. As the responsorial refrain says, “The Lord takes delight in his people.”

From the Gospel acclamation: “I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.” Lord Jesus Christ, let me live in your truth!

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.

Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 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.”

Today’s Gospel begins Matthew’s fourteenth chapter, where he describes the puzzlement people felt over witnessing Jesus’ miracles. Like the people of Nazareth, Herod speculates what this might mean and from what source Jesus derives his power. Concluding that Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead, he is drawn back to the fear that led him into beheading John to save face in front of his guests at his birthday celebration. Herod’s actions foreshadow the treatment Jesus receives at his coming Passion and death, which he endured to destroy death and give us eternal life.

God, I am not as unlike Herod as I would like to believe. Herod responded out of fear, and so do I; he acted to save face and uphold his authority, and so have I. He was a sinner, and so am I. In the last words of today’s Gospel, there is comfort knowing that Jesus your Son received the abominable news of John’s beheading and took it all in. In his Passion and death, he took on our sins; by his resurrection, he restored life. Lord, help me not be so afraid of what is to come, which often doesn’t come to pass. Give me courage today to trust in your providence, to be a witness to you even in the face of opposition and persecution.

From the responsorial psalm: “The earth has yielded its fruits; God, our God, has blessed us. May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him!” Lord of heaven and earth, be my strength!

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.