Today, 22nd of February, we celebrate
The Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle
Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
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,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
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.
Thus we may say with confidence:
The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to 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.
R./ 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dear brothers and sisters, peace and blessings to you.
Timeless Advice for Eternal Life
The first reading offers valuable life advice, just as relevant today as it was in the first century. Because «Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.»
The Danger of Pride and the Cost of Truth
The Gospel reminds us of the dangers of pride.
How many times have we made wrong decisions simply because of our pride? Sometimes we do what we shouldn’t or fail to do what is right, just to protect our image or because of what others might say.
This is exactly what happened to Herod.
Even though he respected John the Baptist and enjoyed listening to him, he chose to execute him rather than break his promise and risk losing face. Pride mattered more than doing what was right.
Lessons from John the Baptist
A couple of final thoughts:
And finally, John the Baptist was killed for telling the truth.
We don’t need to wear camel skins or eat locusts like John, but throughout the day, we may have moments where we must stand for what is right.
It won’t always be easy, but we can look to Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Your brother in faith,
Alejandro Carbajo, C.M.F.Lord, our God,
John the Baptist spoke without fear
to the high and the mighty,
that they too, were bound by God’s laws.
He risked his life for what is right and good.
Let him inspire us too
to let your word become flesh and blood in us
by taking the risks of our faith
and living as we believe.
Let this be the way in which we prepare
the fuller coming among us
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
First Reading Introduction: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The letter to the Hebrews gives today to the Christian community a set of moral exhortations. Perseverance in the faith means particularly perseverance in love, the basis of all morality.
Gospel Introduction: It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.
With the death of the Baptist ends the life of the last prophet of God of the Old Testament, who, as the hinge between the Old and the New Testaments, had prepared the way for the Lord’s coming. He died as a suffering servant of God, a new Elijah, who stood up to kings and infamous queens.
– Lord, give us great men and women, even great children, to inspire all of us on how to live our faith consistently, we pray:
– Lord, you know how timid we are. Help us to take the Gospel of your Son Jesus, seriously by letting your Spirit give us the insight and courage of prophets, we pray:
– Lord, you see how harsh we often are. Let the gentleness and compassion of good persons give us warm and understanding hearts, we pray:
Lord our God,
these are only simple gifts,
a piece of bread and a bit of wine.
Accept them and give us instead
your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the Spirit and his fire,
change us, timid people
into signs to everyone and all
of your tenderness and mercy,
your justice and your peace,
that we may bring into our world
the life and message of Jesus, our Lord.
God of our hope and future,
your Spirit of wisdom and strength
was alive in Jesus, your Son.
Pour out the same Spirit on us too,
that we may bear witness today
to your faithfulness and love.
And give us always people inspired by you,
prophets like John the Baptist,
to wake us up when we are self-satisfied
and to inspire us to prepare the way
for the full coming of Jesus Christ,
our Savior and our Lord.
Like John the Baptist, we can and should show others the road to Christ and prepare the way for his full coming. This will happen only if we ourselves take his Gospel seriously, if the Lord becomes visible in us, his goodness, his compassion, his love. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
