Readings & Reflections: Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time & St. Peter Julian Eymard, August 3,2019

Born in 1811 A.D. in La Mure d’Isere, France, Peter Julian Eymard struggled against his father’s virulent anticlericalism to begin studies for the priesthood. Eventually he entered the Marist Order. In 1856 A.D. He founded the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. The priests devoted themselves to adoration and catechizing adults – many of them unemployed – who had not received First Communion. In later years, Peter suffered illness and criticism. He died in 1868 A.D. “The inner gift of self is the real gift,” Peter taught, “because then our Lord becomes our Savior… by giving us his own form of life.”

Herod believed himself by his vicious habits, trapped by his sinful promise. But the freedom and jubilee promised in Leviticus is fulfilled in Jesus: “You shall proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when every one of you shall return to your property, every one of you to your own family.” The preaching and martyrdom of John the Baptist points us to the One who liberates us from the debt of sin, the trap of our weakness, inviting us to return to our true family – the Blessed Trinity and the whole company of heaven.

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

“Lord, give me a strong conscience that I may recognize evil for what it is and repent for all the ways in which I may offend you. Help me to choose what is good and to reject what is contrary to your will. And help me to strive for holiness that I may please you in all things.” Amen.

Reading 1

LV 25:1, 8-17

The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai,
“Seven weeks of years shall you count–seven times seven years–
so that the seven cycles amount to forty-nine years.
Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month, let the trumpet resound;
on this, the Day of Atonement, the trumpet blast shall re-echo
throughout your land.
This fiftieth year you shall make sacred
by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants.
It shall be a jubilee for you,
when every one of you shall return to his own property,
every one to his own family estate.
In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee,
you shall not sow, nor shall you reap the aftergrowth
or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines.
Since this is the jubilee, which shall be sacred for you,
you may not eat of its produce,
except as taken directly from the field.

“In this year of jubilee, then,
every one of you shall return to his own property.
Therefore, when you sell any land to your neighbor
or buy any from him, do not deal unfairly.
On the basis of the number of years since the last jubilee
shall you purchase the land from your neighbor;
and so also, on the basis of the number of years for crops,
shall he sell it to you.
When the years are many, the price shall be so much the more;
when the years are few, the price shall be so much the less.
For it is really the number of crops that he sells you.
Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God.
I, the LORD, am your God.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 67:2-3, 5, 7-8

R. (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
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!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!

Alleluia, Alleluia. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness/ for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
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.”

Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him,
“It is not lawful for you to have her.” Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. 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.” The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – The Prophet John

God makes use of prophets not so much to predict the future but to be His spokesman and bring His messages to His people.

In Old Testament times, the likes of Isaiah, Zechariah and Jeremiah were called by the Lord to such prophetic office. Most often the people did not like them. They did not trust what they said. A lot of times, they persecuted them and they tried to stop what they had to do for the Lord. The prophets were considered troublemakers because they told the truth and exposed the reality in people and situations. Because they were obstacles in pursuing their sinful lives, they ignored them. But there were some who listened and hoped. Those who did God blessed and they found new life.

This was what happened to John, the Baptist, who spoke the truth about Herod’s illicit relationship with Herodias, the wife of his brother, Philip. Herod had John, the Baptist bound and incarcerated when he said: “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

Today, we still have prophets in our lives as each of us has been called by the Lord to speak the truth and bring His Good News to all. They may not be like Jeremiah who took the role of God’s emissary and prophet but they also speak the truth and reveal who we are and where we have failed in our lives. They may not be like John, the Baptist, who paved the way for our Lord Jesus, they may be our spouse, our children, our parents, our sibling, our brother/sister in community even a co worker. They can be anyone our Lord should decide to anoint. They may be just like us broken, wounded and sinful yet God can use them for His purpose.

If we are the one tasked by God to be His vessel of healing to others, we should be able to speak the truth to our neighbor in God’s love as it is in the Name of the Lord, our God that we speak and act! Amidst possible punishment, persecution or being ostracized, we need to speak the truth God wants us to proclaim. If we accept God’s truth and bring it to others, we are blessed with new life but more importantly we bring new life into the world!

As God’s emissaries for His church and for one another, God is asking us today to be trustworthy and honest in all our dealings. He wants us to proclaim His Word when He said: “Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God. I, the LORD, am your God.

None of us would have the option of asserting perfect sinlessness. We need to admit and accept that we have somehow sinned. One way or the other, we may have unfairly treated another, disadvantaged a neighbor, all for our own benefit. We therefore ought to ask God’s forgiveness. We have to tell the whole truth first to ourselves and then confess our sins to God. We should be humble and ask God for His pardon. Unless we go back to the Lord with contrite and humble hearts, we are finished.

We may fail and stumble at times but God is with us. He will not allow us to suffer and be destroyed by our sinfulness. God is infinitely more patient and compassionate than the best parent who ever lived. We have to trust Him and take his hand. In the same light, we should be able to welcome those whom He has sent to us to reveal who we really and where we have failed.

Direction

We have to speak God’s truth in love. When we hear it, we need to follow it.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me the grace to discern your Word and truly apply it into my life. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Reflection 2 – Herod’s reaction to John the Baptist

Do you ever feel haunted by a past failure or a guilty conscience? King Herod, the most powerful and wealthy man in Judea, had everything he wanted, except a clear conscience and peace with God. Herod had respected and feared John the Baptist as a great prophet and servant of God. John, however did not fear to rebuke Herod for his adulterous relationship with his brother’s wife. He ended up in prison because of Herodias’ jealousy. Herod, out of impulse and a desire to please his family and friends, had John beheaded. Now his conscience is pricked when he hears that all the people are going to Jesus to hear his message of repentance and to see his mighty works. Herod is now haunted by the thought that the prophet he murdered might now be raised from the dead!

A sign of vanity and cowardice
Unfortunately for Herod, he could not rid himself of sin by ridding himself of the man who confronted him with his sin. Herod’s power and influence was badly flawed. He could take a strong stand on the wrong things when he knew the right. Such a stand, however, was a sign of weakness and cowardice. Where do you get the strength of will and heart to choose what is right and to reject what is bad?

God is our help and our strength
The Lord Jesus gives grace and help to the humble, to those who acknowledge their weaknesses and their sinfulness, and who look to God for his mercy and pardon, wisdom and strength. His grace and pardon not only frees us from a guilty conscience, it enables us to pursue holiness in every area of our lives, in our thoughts and intentions as well as our words and actions.

Fight fear with faith
God’s grace enables us to fight fear with faith and to overcome the temptation to compromise good with evil. Do you rely on God’s grace and help to choose his way of holiness and to reject whatever would weaken your faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ?

“Heavenly Father, form in me the likeness of your Son Jesus that I may imitate him in word and deed. Help me to live the gospel faithfully and give me the strength and courage I need to not shrink back in the face of hardship and temptation.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/aug3.htm

Reflection 3 – God Cares For You

Jesus . . . saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them. –Matthew 14:14

John the Baptist had been martyred by King Herod. John was Jesus’ cousin and friend, and his death must have touched Jesus deeply. I believe that’s why He sought refuge from the crowds. Matthew wrote, “He departed from there [His hometown and place of ministry] by boat to a deserted place by Himself” (14:13).

Jesus wanted to be alone to grieve, but the crowd pressed Him with their needs and wouldn’t let Him get away (v.13). Seeing the multitudes and their pain, Jesus was moved with compassion for them. Despite His own heartache, He began to heal their sick (v.14). He didn’t let His own grief keep Him from ministering to them.

Perhaps you’re a caregiver—a pastor, a teacher, a nurse, or a counselor. Maybe you’re a mother with small children or the spouse of an invalid. You have your own struggles, disappointments, heartaches—and no one seems to care about you.

But there is someone who cares. God does. He knows your sorrow as no one else does, and He understands the depths of your misery. You can give your cares to Him (1 Peter 5:7) and find in His presence His love, consolation, and the strength you need to move from your own grief to the grief of others. You can care for others because God cares for you.  —DHR  — David H. Roper

O yes, He cares; I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares. —Graeff

Because God cares for us, we can care for others (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 4 – Jeremiah does not deserve death

When Jeremiah gave his temple sermon, he said that if the people of Judah continue to disobey the Lord, not living according to the law and not listening to the words of the prophets, then the temple of the Lord and Jerusalem will be destroyed like the city of Shiloh. The first reaction of the people is not one of repentance, but rather of condemnation of Jeremiah. The people cry out: “This man deserves death”.

Jeremiah defends himself saying the the Lord sent him to prophesy against the temple, the house of the Lord, and the city of Jerusalem. Jeremiah’s message is simple: reform your ways and your deeds; listen to the voice of the Lord, so that the Lord will repent of the evil with which he threatens you. Jeremiah declares his innocence, and that if the people carry out their judgment, then they will bring innocent blood upon themselves.

Once again, the story of Jeremiah looks forward to the trial of Jesus. Pilate declares himself innocent of Jesus’ blood. And all the people answered: “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:25). The outcome of Jeremiah and Jesus are different. When Jeremiah declares his innocence, the people immediately switch their cry: “This man does not deserve death”. When Pilate declares the innocence of Jesus, the people, led by the chief priests and elders, cry out: “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (Mark 15:13-14; Luke 23:21).

We see another contrast between Jeremiah, who was saved, and John the Baptist, who was killed by Herod. Both Jeremiah and John preached the truth. Jeremiah revealed the people’s disobedience; John revealed Herod’s unlawful union with Herodias. Just as Jeremiah was apprehended; John was arrested and thrown into prison. Herod did not kill John the Baptist, because many people regarded him as a prophet of the Lord.

Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When Herod heard John, he was much perplexed, and yet heard John gladly (Mark 6:20). Just as Pilate didn’t want to hand Jesus over; Herod didn’t want to hand John over. Both men, however, gave into pressure. Pilate feared Rome; Herod felt obliged to fulfill his oaths in the presence of his guests.

In the end, Jeremiah’s life points to Jesus’ persecution and rejection. He will be thrown into the pit and rescued. John the Baptist, on the other hand, is Jesus’ forerunner in life and in death. John was persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and to him belongs the Kingdom of heaven, inaugurated by Jesus Christ. – Read the source text:http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/daily-homily-jeremiah-does-not-deserve-death

Reflection 5 – Who will ‘speak truth to power’?

In A Man for All Seasons, one of the king’s supporters is trying to get the king’s chancellor, Thomas More, to “sign on” with the others who have supported Henry VIII’s claim that the marriage should be annulled. Norfolk bursts out, “I’m not a scholar. I don’t know whether the marriage was lawful or not, but, damn it Thomas, look at these names! Why can’t you do as I did and come with us – for fellowship?” Thomas replies, “And when we die, and you are sent to heaven for doing your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not doing mine, will you come with me – for fellowship”? More stood firm on his principles and was beheaded.

In today’s gospel (Mt 14:1-12) we hear of another principled man who was beheaded after having been embroiled in a controversy over an “irregular” marriage. John the Baptist had made it clear to Herod that his marriage to the wife of his (still living) brother was an abomination.

A phrase that is often used to characterized the principled, prophetic stance of those like John the Baptist and Thomas More is “speaking truth to power.” We might do well to consider whether, in the midst of all the election year rhetoric, anyone is speaking with a truly prophetic voice. Catholics of an older generation will remember the pointed criticisms of those in power leveled by Dorothy Day, Dan Berrigan, and Thomas Merton. Where are voices like that today?

Perhaps we are being called upon, as ordinary citizens, to speak up against the accepted wisdom that condones pre-emptive war, that sees imprisonment and state-sponsored execution as means of solving the problem of crime, that allows the wealthiest in our society to prosper at the expense of those at the bottom of the economic ladder, that continues to ignore the violence being done to the environment so that our society might live more comfortably. There are powerful, entrenched forces behind all of these misguided policies. Who will speak a prophetic word of truth to them? (Source: Jim Johnston, Weekday Homily Helps. Ohio: St. Anthony Messenger Press, August 2, 2008).

Reflection 6 – How John the Baptist Prepared for Death?

But you might still insist: “Who knows what will be my lot? Maybe I will die an unhappy death!” Let me ask you: “What causes a bad death?” Only sin! We should then fear only sin, not death. If you desire not to fear death, then lead a holy life. The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation…. Those who fear the Lord will have a happy end(Sir 1:9,11).

Father Colombiere held it to be morally impossible for a person who was faithful to God during life to die a bad death. And, before him, Saint Augustine wrote: “He who has lived well cannot die badly. He who is prepared to die fears no death however sudden.”

Those who offer their death to God make the most perfect act of divine love possible, because by cheerfully accepting the kind of death which God is pleased to send them, when and how God sends it, they are just like the holy martyrs who died for the sake of the faith and out of love for Jesus.

So then, let us live our life only to advance in divine love. The level of our love for God at the time of our death will be he level of our love for him throughout our happy eternity (Source: St. Alphonsus Liguori, +1787 A.D., Magnificat, Vol. 17, No. 6, August 1,2015, pp. 28-29).

Reflection 7 – The Passion of John the Baptist

“Today while the virtue of John and the ferocity of Herod are related to us, our innards were shaken, our hearts trembled, our sight grew dim, our mind became dull, our hearing deserted us. For is there anything within human sensation that remains undisturbed when a large amount of vice destroys a large amount of virtue?

“Herod, it says, apprehended John, and had him bound, and put in prison(Mt 14:3). John was the school of the virtues, the instructor of life, the model of sanctity, the pattern of morality, the mirror of virginity, the epitome of purity, the example of chastity, the way of penitence, the pardon of sins, the discipline of faith. John was greater than a human being, equal to the angels, the apex of the law, the seed of the Gospel, the harbinger of the Apostles, the silence of the prophets, the lamp of the world, the herald of the Judge, the forerunner of Christ, the preparer of the Lord, the witness of God, the mediator of the whole Trinity.

“But Herod is the very one who desecrated the Temple, ruined the priesthood, disturbed its proper order, profaned the kingdom, corrupted anything that had to do with religion, the Law, life and morals, faith, and discipline. Herod was ever an assassin toward his fellow citizens, a brigand toward people of any distinction, a ravager toward his allies, a robber toward those of his own household, a killer of the common folk, a murderer of his children, a slayer of foreigners, a parricide towards his own, drenching the land with gore in his blood-thirstiness. And so it is that he gulped down the hallowed blood of John from his enormous cup of cruelty.” (Source: St. Peter Chrysologus, +450 A.D., Magnificat, Vol. 18, No. 5, July 2016, pp. 406-407).

Reflection 8 – Die for the Truth

In what ways have people tried to behead you? Let’s put that another way: Who is your head? As a Christian who desires to follow the ways of the Lord, Christ is your head of course. Who has tried to separate you from Christ? Or from the truths that Christ taught?

Perhaps there are family members who don’t like having you in their lives because of the strength of your faith. By cutting you out of their lives, they are in effect trying to cut Jesus out of their lives. Perhaps it is a family member or friend who wants you to make moral compromises; we live in a world that is increasingly pressuring Christians to accept the lies about worldly ways that contradict the ways of God. Perhaps it is a co-worker who has affected your reputation on the job by making false accusations against you, because you refuse to be afraid of being known as a faithful follower of Christ.

But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. 

This Saturday’s responsorial Psalm is a great prayer for when we feel afflicted by persecution, as are many of the Psalms. And the key verse is the revelation of the cure for such pain: We praise God despite and in the face of the sufferings inflicted upon us by those who do not agree with us about our faith. Not only does praise make demons flee, it also lifts are spirits. If we have to force ourselves to overcome sadness or feeling hurt by praising God, then force ourselves we must do (Source: Terry Modica, Good News Ministries).

The passion of John the Baptist

In this Saturday’s Gospel reading, we see a man, passionate for the Truth, in full action! Not only preaching, but demonstrating, with his way of living, what a life of total surrender to the Lord is like. He even dressed himself in camel skin, ate honey and grasshoppers! That is passion!

But even more. His love and his passion led him not only to announce the Savior, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, with his life and his words, but to denounce the lie, the corruption and the sin, right in the face of the very sinner: the tetrarch Herod, a corrupt official who abused his power, and his wife Herodias, who hated John because he constantly reminded the king that it was not “lawful” to have her, since Herodias was his brother’s wife.

Of course, such “indiscretion” was not going to go unpunished. Faced with such brazenness, Herod sent him to prison to silence him and thus no longer listen to his criticisms. But he did not succeed! (They will also try to silence Paul in the same way, some years later, but this won’t succeed either.)

John the Baptist, although he was in prison, remained an accusatory “presence”. His very existence was a constant reproach, not so much for Herod because, in spite of everything, he was fascinated by the words of John (see Mark 6:20), but for Herodias, who, filled with hatred, was looking for a way to kill him.

John was passionate, and nothing mattered more than the Truth. His personal encounter with Jesus in his mother’s womb, his relationship with God and his life of prayer made him a man totally devoted to his Lord, to his God, to Truth! For him the Truth was the most beautiful and worthy of being loved. And it is because of that Truth that he died.

Saint Bede, a monk of the 9th century (Hom. 23: CCL122, 354), said: “… John was not ordered to deny Jesus Christ, he was only ordered to silence the truth.”

A person passionate about the Truth cannot keep it quiet. Truth is his guide, his light, the air he breathes. He can only live to serve the Truth and surrender to it. And Jesus Christ is the Truth.

How passionate are we for the Truth? How passionate are we for Jesus Christ? There are places in the world where Christians are being sacrificed, where they are being beheaded, like John, for following Jesus Christ. This may not be our extreme reality, but how much of a martyr we are sometimes for following that Truth!

Those of us who are passionate about Jesus Christ, the Truth, will always be persecuted and some people will want to silence us — often our own family members! Our mere presence is upsetting to many. More than one person would like to make us disappear from the earth so they can feel free to continue with their abuses, corruption, and sins.

But just like John the Baptist and Paul and so many others who could not be silenced even when beheaded, they won’t be able to shut us up either. By the grace and strength of God, we must be the torch always on, the right word to announce and denounce. But also, as the Master taught us, we must do it while loving them. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to love those who want to keep us quiet, to teach us to give our lives and pain for those who do not love us, because he loves us all equally.

May we say as our Lord taught us: “Forgive them, Father. They do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23, 34).

How can we know when to speak the truth boldly and when to keep quiet? Especially on matters of Christian faith, salvation through Jesus Christ, and moral values! That’s the topic of this video, based on John 5:31-47.

Reflection 9 – St. Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868 A.D.)

Born in La Mure d’Isère in southeastern France, Peter Julian’s faith journey drew him from being a priest in the Diocese of Grenoble (1834) to joining the Marists (1839) to founding the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (1856).

In addition to those changes, Peter Julian coped with poverty, his father’s initial opposition to Peter’s vocation, serious illness, a Jansenistic overemphasis on sin and the difficulties of getting diocesan and later papal approval for his new religious community.

His years as a Marist, including service as a provincial leader, saw the deepening of his Eucharistic devotion, especially through his preaching of Forty Hours in many parishes.

Inspired at first by the idea of reparation for indifference to the Eucharist, Peter Julian was eventually attracted to a more positive spirituality of Christ-centered love. Members of the men’s community, which Peter founded, alternated between an active apostolic life and contemplating Jesus in the Eucharist. He and Marguerite Guillot founded the women’s Congregation of the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament.

Peter Julian Eymard was beatified in 1925 and canonized in 1962, one day after Vatican II’s first session ended.

Comment:

In every century, sin has been painfully real in the life of the Church. It is easy to give in to despair, to speak so strongly of human failings that people may forget the immense and self-sacrificing love of Jesus, as his death on the cross and his gift of the Eucharist make evident. Peter Julian knew that the Eucharist was key to helping Catholics live out their Baptism and preach by word and example the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Quote:

“The Eucharist is the life of the people. The Eucharist gives them a center of life. All can come together without the barriers of race or language in order to celebrate the feast days of the Church. It gives them a law of life, that of charity, of which it is the source; thus it forges between them a common bond, a Christian kinship” (Peter Julian Eymard).

Read the source:  http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1929&calendar=1

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