February 4
Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
7:45 AM – John McNamara / Family
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
Sirach 47:2-11
Like the choice fat of the sacred offerings, so was David in Israel. He made sport of lions as though they were kids, and of bears, like lambs of the flock. As a youth he slew the giant and wiped out the people’s disgrace, When his hand let fly the slingstone that crushed the pride of Goliath. Since he called upon the Most High God, who gave strength to his right arm To defeat the skilled warrior and raise up the might of his people, Therefore the women sang his praises, and ascribed to him tens of thousands and praised him when they blessed the Lord. When he assumed the royal crown, he battled and subdued the enemy on every side. He destroyed the hostile Philistines and shattered their power till our own day. With his every deed he offered thanks to God Most High, in words of praise. With his whole being he loved his Maker and daily had his praises sung; He set singers before the altar and by their voices he made sweet melodies, He added beauty to the feasts and solemnized the seasons of each year So that when the Holy Name was praised, before daybreak the sanctuary would resound. The Lord forgave him his sins and exalted his strength forever; He conferred on him the rights of royalty and established his throne in Israel.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 18:31, 47 and 50, 51
R. (see 47b) Blessed be God my salvation!
God’s way is unerring,
the promise of the LORD is fire-tried;
he is a shield to all who take refuge in him.
R. Blessed be God my salvation!
The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
Therefore will I proclaim you, O LORD, among the nations,
and I will sing praise to your name.
R. Blessed be God my salvation!
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed,
to David and his posterity forever.
R. Blessed be God my salvation!
Gospel Acclamation
See Luke 8:15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart,
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mark 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.” 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. 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. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. 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. 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.” 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 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. 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.
“Blessed be God my salvation!”
Reflection
“A girl dances, a mother rages, there is rash swearing in the midst of the luxurious feast, and an impious fulfillment of what was sworn.” —St. Augustine
It seems, not only from St. Augustine but also from St. Ambrose, St. John Chrysostom and others who have commented on our gospel passage today, a significant concern for our lives is the multiplying effect of sin. Sin breeds more sin and more sin can breed worse sin. It’s good for us to be reminded from time to time, that even the little things in our life that might not seem sinful or very detrimental to our lives actually can add up over time. The risk is the development of dispositions within us interiorly that slowly and slowly make us numb to the effects of our own selfish tendencies. Soon these dispositions within us manifest in our actions.
Unfortunately, that’s what can happen when we are unaware of our own personal need to grow in virtue. Things like gossip, detraction, rash judgments, harboring anger etc. can all nurture within us a hardness of heart without us ever really recognizing it. The longer things like these go on, the harder it is to ever recover. We can bring sins to Confession, but we can be stuck or struggle to ever implement something concrete for building up virtue in us, rather than continuing with our vices.
Given it’s Friday, let’s pray for the grace to not only receive but to be transformed by God’s mercy. That when Jesus offers us his mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we actually can, with the help of his grace, grow in virtue and holiness and overcome sin in a way that reflects how transformative God’s mercy is to the world around us. Because ultimately, we are not without hope. And the other consoling piece that we will see vividly on display in our Sunday readings, the Lord calls and uses imperfect, unexpected, and unlikely instruments (us!) to accomplish his work in this world. God can use our weakness, our littleness (to use St. Thérèse’s language) and work with it for his designs. Yet the more he invites us, the more our 'littleness' transforms us in holiness to be the disciples he is calling us to be.
Peace,
Fr. Foley
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