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.”
67:2-3, 5, 7-8
Responsorial PsalmR. (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!
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.
Meditation: Matthew 14:1-12
“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” (Matthew 14:8)
Poor Herodias! In today’s reading we see her spinning an intricate web of deception around her husband Herod, her daughter Salomé, and her outspoken critic John the Baptist. You have to admit she was pretty clever. Because Herod felt cornered, an innocent man was put to death. The guests were in the dark about the whole thing so she didn’t look like the bad guy. Instead, John’s blood appeared to be on her daughter’s hands. In the end, Herodias got what she wanted.
Her web was cleverly woven, but think of the devastation it caused when everyone got tangled up in it. Her family was brought down, and a good man was killed. Could Herod ever trust her again? Surely he suspected that Herodias had some hand in the whole thing, even if it appeared to be Salomé’s idea. Did Salomé ever recover from the guilt over what she had done? And did killing John really soothe Herodias’ conscience? Did it really take care of the problem?
Isn’t the cost of sin always more than we bargain for? In her quest to silence John the Baptist, Herodias alienates her husband and daughter and draws a dark shadow over her own heart. She may have gotten what she wanted, but she paid a stunningly high price for it.
Can you think of a time when you had to pay dearly for a poor decision you made? Maybe you or someone close to you is still paying for it in some way or other. Maybe you see this story as a warning, telling you to think twice before following a scheme of your own.
Whichever is true, remember that no matter what the sin—whether it’s something you’ve done or something you’re contemplating—Jesus’ power is far greater. He can forgive the worst of all transgressions. He can untangle the most complex of webs. He can empower us against the strongest of temptations.
If you are still suffering from guilt over a past sin, take it to the Lord. If you’re struggling with a temptation, take it to the Lord. Don’t imagine for a minute that he won’t help you!
“Father, your grace is always enough for me. Please give me a pure heart today, and strengthen me against temptation.”
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