February 8, 2013

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Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 327

Reading 1 from St. Paul's epistle to the Hebrews
Heb 13:1-8

Let brotherly love continue.

St. Paul instructs us to love one another.

Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.

 And to be friendly to all who cross our path.  Because we never know when we will be visited by Divine messengers.  I believe this is a direct reference to Tobit, one of the Deuterocanonical books.  IN that book, the Angel Rafael was treated hospitably by Tobit and Rafael in turn saved his son and restored his vision.

Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.

The Christian message is again repeated.  Jesus Christ said:
Matthew 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.

St. Paul instructs us to keep our marriage vows and be chaste in our marriage.

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.

And we should be grateful for what we have and satisfied.  As Scripture says:
Matthew 6:33
King James Version (KJV)
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Thus we may say with confidence:
The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?

He is quoting the Psalm:

Psalm 23

King James Version (KJV)

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort 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.

And then he instructs us to listen to and obey our teachers in the Church.  And to follow their example. Because they are followers of Christ.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 27:1, 3, 5, 8b-9abc

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
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.

God protects those who love Him.

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.

No matter how bleak things look, we must always trust in God.

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.

Because God will protect us in the day of trouble.

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.

We need to seek God always and in faith, do His will and He will not cast us away.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark
Mk 6:14-29

King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
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.”

The people of Israel had heard the wonderful deeds of Jesus Christ and were wondering if the promises of God were about to come true.  Had Elijah come back as Malachi had said?  or was this the prophet that Isaiah had prophecied about?

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.

King Herod had also heard and wondered if St. John the Baptist, whom he beheaded, had come back to life.

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.

St. John had rebuked Herod for having an adulterous relationship with his own brother's wife.  And she whom Herod was having this adulterous relationship with, wanted to kill St. John for this.

Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.

Herod was afraid fo St. John because he knew that St. John was a man of God.

When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.

St. John's words confused Herod.  Perhaps reaching his soul.  But Herod liked St. John.

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.

One day, the adulterous woman had an opportunity.  Her daughter by Herod performed a dance which 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.”

To reward her, Herod offered the girl anything she wanted.

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 young girl didn't know what to ask for and went to her mom for advice.  And her mom asked for the life of St. John.  

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.

Herod didn't want to do it, but he had made a public pledge and felt trapped.  Therefore he had St. John beheaded and gave the girl his head on a platter.

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.

In turn, the girl gave it to her mother.  When St. John's disciples heard, they asked for his body and laid it to rest.