February
5, 2016
Memorial
of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
CAUTION: Narratives may not be suitable to young audiences. Parental guidance is advised. Violence appeared in the account is taken to show that zealous missionaries face even to the point death in proclaiming the Gospel.
Reading 1
2Like the choice fat of the sacred offerings, so
was David in Israel.[1] 3He
made sport of lions as though they were kids, and
of bears, like lambs of the flock. 4As
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.
5Since
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, 6Therefore
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 7and
subdued the enemy on every side. He
destroyed the hostile Philistines and
shattered their power till our own day.
8With
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, 9He
added beauty to the feasts and
solemnized the seasons of each year 10So
that when the Holy Name was praised, before
daybreak the sanctuary would resound.
11The
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
31God’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!
47The
LORD live! And blessed be my Rock! Extolled
be God my savior. 50Therefore
will I proclaim You, O LORD, among the nations, and
I will sing praise to your name.
R.
Blessed be God my salvation!
51You
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!
Alleluia 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
14King
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.”[2][3]
15Others were saying, “He is Elijah”; still
others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”
16But
when Herod learned of it, he said, “It is John whom I beheaded. He has been
raised up.” 17Herod 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.[4]
18John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s
wife.”
19Herodias
harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.[5]
20Herod 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.
21Herodias
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.
22His
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.” 23He even swore many things to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of
me, even to half of my kingdom.”
24She
went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” Her mother replied,
“The head of John the Baptist.” 25The 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.”
26The
king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not
wish to break his word to her. 27So he promptly dispatched an executioner with
orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. 28He
brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The
girl in turn gave it to her mother. 29When his disciples heard about it, they
came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Notes on Readings:
[1] Sirach 47:1-11 - David, a youthful
and fearless warrior, the favorite of all Israel, by defeating Goliath, the
boastful Philistine giant, removed the people's disgrace and greatly
strengthened their power (Sirach 47:1-7). With his whole being he loved and praised God, and his
devotion to divine worship led him to develop a liturgical cult. David fell
into sin, but repenting, received pardon from God and the promise of an
everlasting kingdom (Sirach 47:8-11).
[2] Mark 6:14-16 - The various opinions about Jesus anticipate
the theme of His identity that reaches its climax in Mark 8:27-30.
[4] Mark 6: 17-29 - Similarities are to be noted between
Mark's account of the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist in this
pericope, and that of the passion of Jesus (Mark 15:1-47). Herod and
Pilate, each in turn, acknowledges the holiness of life of one over whom he
unjustly exercises the power of condemnation and death (Mark 6:26-27 ; 15:9-10, 14-15). The hatred of Herodias toward John parallels that of the Jewish leaders
toward Jesus. After the deaths of John and of Jesus, well-disposed persons
request the bodies of the victims of Herod and of Pilate in turn to give them
respectful burial (Mark 6:29; 15:45-46).
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Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.