martyr – lectiodiv.com

Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr

From the responsorial psalm: “O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 11:27-33)

Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him and said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”

Approaching Jesus with a question that stems from hostility, the Jewish leaders find the tables turned on them when Jesus asks them to answer a question first. In the same chapter of Mark, Jesus has just cleansed the temple area, overturning the tables of the money changers, driving out people who had turned his Father’s house into a marketplace. Their question focuses on Jesus’ authority to do this, to teach the word of God, and to perform miracles. Yet, in discussing what answer to give, they find themselves caught between accepting the truth of John’s heavenly authority and fear of the crowd, who believed that John was a prophet. Thus, they refuse to answer Jesus’ question, more concerned about self-protection and their own authority than seeking the truth through honest dialogue with Jesus. What does this say about how we live our lives today?

God, how far am I willing to go to seek out Jesus’ authority and respond to that honest realization? Help me see in the teachings of Jesus and in his redemptive work his divine identity and mission. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” the Gospel acclamation says, “giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Give me the grace to come to a genuine understanding that your Son is who he says he is and by that has authority.

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.

Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 6:17-29)

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.

In today’s Gospel, Mark relates the story of John the Baptist’s execution by Herod. The forerunner, the herald of Jesus’ ministry, is beheaded for preaching repentance and baptism. As Herod throws a party for himself on his birthday, Herodias’s daughter dances for him and his guests. “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you,” Herod tells her after she dances. “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” Prompted by her mother, Herodias’s daughter asks for the head of John the Baptist, and she and Herodias get what they ask for. As the one who prepares the way of Jesus, John suffers in prison and dies a martyr’s death in a baptism of blood.

God, help me be ready when courage is needed to uphold my faith and commit to proclaiming the truth. John’s life and death were marked by decreasing so that your Son might increase, a precursor to Jesus who prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah. Help me recognize in John’s martyrdom the absolute dedication of his mission, and give me the grace to put aside my own sense of propriety and be a bold witness to Christ, who is truth itself.

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” Saint John the Baptist, 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.

Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. . . . Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the crowds press in on Jesus, and he warns the crowd and the disciples of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Whatever they do in darkness, Jesus says, will be revealed; whatever they say will be proclaimed from the housetops. Be afraid, Jesus says, of those who have power to kill not the body but the soul. And twice in the passage Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.” By comparing his disciples—and by extension all of humanity—to sparrows sold in a marketplace, Jesus would seem to be expressing the little worth of human lives and all of life’s torments. Instead, the comparison expresses God’s tender love for us in every single dimension of our lives. When sin disrupts that relationship, the Sacrament of Reconciliation restores us through grace to God’s constant presence.

God, help me understand the depth and breadth of your love. It is so great that I would venture to see it in only one aspect, in one splinter of my life as it is lived. How is it present in my relationship with my family? Where is that depth and breadth when others share their fears and concerns with me? “Do not be afraid,” Jesus says. Let me be a living means of that message. Nothing escapes the notice of God.

Lord, let me be aware today that in your great love that you take notice of my coming and my going and my inmost thoughts. Let that awareness bring me joy that is visible to others for the sake of your glory.

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.

Readings

Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

The Gospel reading says that Mary and Jesus’ brothers—from Greek, adelphoi, or member of the same religious community—could not join him because of the crowd. Jesus was told that by someone who remains unknown. Did that person believe that Jesus’ mother and brothers had privileged access to him, despite the crowd? By his reply, in no way does Jesus diminish the role of his mother or brothers by saying those who hear the word of God and act on it are his mother and brothers. Are there times when I believe I have privileged access to Jesus, even without hearing and doing his will?

Thank you, God, for the clarity of your Son’s statement. Hear your word and act on it. Hear and act. Without the burden of guilt and shame, I desire to hear and do your will throughout the day. If I were to act only out of guilt or out of shame in recovering from a misstep, I can’t say that is desire to be in your presence. I sometimes believe I am better at identifying what your will is not than what it is. Help me understand how to avoid turning in the wrong direction so that I can keep you in my line of sight and recognize what is your will.

Just as Mary and Jesus’ brothers desired to join him, I also desire to put myself in your presence. Let nothing impede that today; let me hear and act. Stay with me, Lord, and let me know your outlandish love for 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.

Readings