Reading 1
1 Thes 4:13-18
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep,
so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
so too will God, through Jesus,
bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command,
with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God,
will come down from heaven,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left,
will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, console one another with these words.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 96:1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12, 13R. (13b)
The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Gospel
Mk 6:17-29
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist 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.
She 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.
Herodias’ 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?”
She 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.
Meditation: Mark 6:17-29
The Martyrdom of John the Baptist
Give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist. (Mark 6:25)
We probably have many questions about the end of the world or the end of our own lives. When will the end come? How will it happen? What will heaven be like?
John the Baptist had questions like these as well. He had spent years preparing people for the coming Messiah, and all the signs pointed toward nothing but hope and promise. The kingdom was at hand! God was coming to rule! A new era of peace was on the horizon! And yet, for all his preaching and dedication, he ended up alone in prison. Was Jesus really the one? Then where was the kingdom? Was it really just around the corner, or had John been wrong all along?
John even sent messengers to ask Jesus these questions, but the answers he got back were not altogether clear-cut. In the end, John was beheaded before he saw the fulfillment. The last prophet of the Old Testament, he sensed that a new age was dawning, but he didn’t live to see it.
Stories like John’s can be unsettling. Why would God let John die before seeing his dreams fulfilled? Hadn’t he suffered enough out there in the desert and then in prison? Couldn’t God have given him some reward for all his faithfulness?
While we may never know the full answer, today’s first reading gives us a few glimpses. Paul assures us that death isn’t the final word. He promises that those who have died in faith will arise at the Second Coming. And he tells us that we can find consolation, hope, and even joy as we let these truths sink into our hearts.
We can be sure that, despite his unanswered questions, John the Baptist died a heroic, faith-filled death. He trusted that death wasn’t the final word for himself. He believed, even when he couldn’t see. And because of his faith, he remains a shining example to all of us as we face our own unanswered questions.
“Lord Jesus, thank you for defeating death. I want to be united with you forever!”
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