Reading 1
Hg 1:1-8
On the first day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius,
The word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai
to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,
and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak:
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
This people says:
"The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD."
(Then this word of the LORD came through Haggai, the prophet:)
Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses,
while this house lies in ruins?
Now thus says the LORD of hosts:
Consider your ways!
You have sown much, but have brought in little;
you have eaten, but have not been satisfied;
You have drunk, but have not been exhilarated;
have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed;
And whoever earned wages
earned them for a bag with holes in it.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Consider your ways!
Go up into the hill country;
bring timber, and build the house
That I may take pleasure in it
and receive my glory, says the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Gospel
Lk 9:7-9
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
"John has been raised from the dead;
others were saying, "Elijah has appeared;
still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen."
But Herod said, "John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?"
And he kept trying to see him.
Meditation: Luke 9:7-9
Herod…was perplexed.” (Luke 9:7)
Herod was interested in Jesus. He had heard lots about him, quite possibly through his steward’s wife, Joanna (Luke 8:3). But even if Joanna stayed quiet, word would probably have made its way to his court. After all, Galilee was filled with rumors of storms miraculously calmed, the sick healed, demons expelled, and the dead raised!
With all of this data, Herod clearly decided who Jesus wasn’t. He wasn’t John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded, or Elijah, or another of the ancient prophets back from the dead. But Herod was having trouble deciding who Jesus was. He “kept trying to see him,” hoping that more and more exposure would help him solve the puzzle of this popular preacher from Galilee (Luke 9:9). In effect, Herod was saying, “Prove yourself to me,” even though he wasn’t willing to admit the truth that all the rumors about Jesus should have led him to.
So who is Jesus? Every time we recite the Creed, we profess to believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son and our Lord. Are you ready to take a stand based on that profession? Every day we face situations in which we must decide not to gossip; to avoid TV shows, movies, or Internet sites that incite greed, envy, laziness, or lust; to eat and drink in moderation; to give employers an honest day’s work; to keep anger in check, even when our teenager goes to school with our car keys in his pocket!
We don’t want to be people who merely know about Jesus. We want to be those who have eliminated doubt, who are willing to take a stand for godly things. Rather than continually asking God to prove himself and convince us, let us be those who hold fast to godly truths in our hearts and minds. And, on those days when our lives go against our profession of faith, we can declare, “Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross and rising from the dead for my forgiveness.”
So what will your decision be?
“Jesus, I don’t need any more convincing. I believe you are the Son of God, and I want my words and actions to declare that. Help me today to live my faith in you.”
No comments:
Post a Comment