“It shall be a jubilee for you...” – Leviticus 25:10

       Houdini was probably the most famous escape artist in the world. I’m not sure if this story is part legend and part history, but I find it utterly fascinating.

       Houdini boasted he could escape any jail cell in less than an hour. One day, a small town in the British Isles built a new jail cell and they were proud of it. “Come, give us a try,” they said to Houdini. He walked into the prison cell bristling with confidence. Once the jail cell was closed, Houdini took off his coat and went to work. From his belt, he got a flexible but tough 10-inch piece of steel. He started working on the lock.

       At the end of 30 minutes, his confident expression had faded. After two hours and totally exhausted, Houdini collapsed against the door, which swung open! The door had never been locked.

       It was locked only in one place: in his own mind. Which meant only one thing. It was firmly locked. Because whatever your mind says is locked — is locked. Even if it isn’t…

       Friend, you can get rid of your bad habits. You can be free from your addictions.

       But first you have to push it hard out of your mind. Then it shall be a jubilee for you — a fresh start. Bo Sanchez (bosanchez@kerygmafamily.com)

Reflection: What bad habits or addictions do you need to get rid of?

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, bishop and doctor of the Church, pray for us.

Today is the Feast day of St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists. He was a remarkable lawyer who became a priest after losing a court case through a very simple mistake. He had won his previous 40 or so cases. He saw a great need to reach out to the rural parishes that were often without priests due to lack of money. He began a very effective parish mission ministry, for which the Redemptorists are still well known. Let us pray for the success of these missions in deepening parishes in their faith.

Leviticus 25:1, 8-17

1 The Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 8 “Seven weeks of years shall you count — seven times seven years — so that the seven cycles amount to forty-nine years. 9 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. 10 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. 11 In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee, you shall not sow, nor shall you reap the after growth or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines. 12 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. 13 “In this year of jubilee, then, every one of you shall return to his own property. 14 Therefore, when you sell any land to your neighbor or buy any from him, do not deal unfairly. 15 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. 16 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. 17 Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God. I, the Lord, am your God.

P S A L M G

Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 7-8

R: O God, let all the nations praise you!

1 [2] May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. 2 [3] So may your way be known upon the earth; among all nations, your salvation. (R) 4 [5] May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity; the nations on the earth you guide. (R) 6 [7] The earth has yielded its fruits; God, our God, has blessed us. 7 [8] May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him! (R)

GOSPELADIN 

Let us never be like Herod who did not spare the life of John the Baptist, even if he knew that John had done nothing wrong. We should be careful about the promises we make, as they may come back to haunt us. We should also pray for the grace to stand up for the truth, especially when a person’s life is at stake. Herod was a people pleaser; he acted in order to make people like him. This is a superficial existence, as it means that we stand for very little other than our own popularity.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

1 Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus 2 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.” 3 Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 4 for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. 6 But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod 7 so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, 10 and he had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

think: Let us pray for the success of parish mission ministries in deepening parishes in their faith.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Maccabees 3-4

JOHN THE BAPTIST

It was a strange feeling when I entered the ruins of Machaerus on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. It was there that Herod Antipas gave in to the jealousy of Herodias and had John the Baptist decapitated. He had divorced his first wife, seduced Herodias, the wife of his half-brother, and brought her from Rome to Palestine, together with her daughter Salome. John had fearlessly rebuked Herod for the crimes he had committed — divorce and adultery — and had to pay for standing up for the truth.

       As I walked in the hot desert sun around the ruins of Herod’s palace, I admired more and more the moral strength of John. He knew that it was dangerous to rebuke a ruler like Herod, and yet, he spoke out because, as a man of God, he could not compromise God’s morals and laws.

       This made me reflect on our present time. I asked myself whether we still have enough people like John around us, people who are ready to die rather than compromise with our permissive society, which is becoming more and more secularized.

       We have witnessed how politicians and the media attacked the Church when She opposed the Reproductive Health Law. In a certain kebab restaurant in Quezon City, customers are reprimanded when they make the sign of the cross before eating.

       After 30 years in the Philippines, I am still waiting for the time when I could start the Mass with nobody coming late. People, even those with cars, just don’t care; they come any time. What would John the Baptist tell them?

       On October 24, 2013, Pope Francis said during his daily homily:        “Sometimes we say, ‘Christians at half-speed,’ who do not take their faith seriously... A little touch here and there, of Christian paint, a little ‘paint from the catechesis,’ but there is no true conversion inside. There is no conviction like St. Paul’s: ‘Everything I gave up and I consider garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.’” Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you have the moral strength of John? Are you ready to stand by your God-given morals with conviction and courage when faced with opposition?

Lord, my faith is weak. Often I compromise instead of standing up for the truth. Send me Your Holy Spirit so that I may become strong like John the Baptist.