I got redundated. Fortysomething and busted—it was depressing. And it wasn’t supposed to happen to me. But it did. My wife worried, my mother-in-law panicked, and my Starbucks barista was devastated.

reflect

In life, what have you allowed yourself to be enslaved to? What can you do to free yourself from this bondage?

Lord, thank You for reminding me to rest, to let go, to forgive, to love. Show me, Lord, how else I can create heaven here on earth. Amen.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, priest, pray for us.

The jubilee year is an important concept for us and the world. There is wisdom in allowing fields to lie fallow and let the soil rejuvenate. It is also important for us to rest and spend time to reflect on the direction we are heading.

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 aftergrowth 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 him; 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.”

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

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

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

Gospel | | Matthew 14:1-12

Saint Ignatius, whose feast we celebrate today, was a man on a mission who was not discouraged by losses in a battle. After the Battle of Pamplona, he had set his mind to follow Jesus and forsake the world. He had many ups and downs but he persevered through them and laid the foundation for the Jesuit Order. Like other saints, Ignatius experienced rejection even by the Church authorities. But even that could not stop him. Let us pray for the grace to imitate his courage and perseverance and fulfill God’s call for us.

Gospel Acclamation

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.

“God did everything to get Herod’s attention . . . But he refused to listen. He chose his puny dynasty over Christ. He died a miserable old man.” (Max Lucado)

Read the Bible in one year! Read ESTHER A - 4 today.

A Foolish Oath

With a copy of the Antiquities of the Jews by the first century Jewish historian Josephus in my hand, I climbed up the ruins of the Fortress of Machaerus. Around me was nothing but desert—no tree, no plants, only sand and stones—and down there was a lake called the Dead Sea. It was in this desolate place that John the Baptist was held prisoner for two years until Herod Antipas made his most foolish oath that cost John his life.

This son of King Herod the Great was no better than his ruthless father. To be told by John that it was not lawful to live with his half-brother’s wife, Herodias, was enough for him to incarcerate the fearless man of God. Watching the lascivious dance of Salome, he forgot everything that was right. He allowed his conscience to be manipulated by his senses, which caused him to commit an even worse sin—the murder of a prophet.

The story about the martyrdom of John the Baptist was surely included in the Gospel because of John’s death and the lessons it gives us. First, John the Baptist tells us something important: to stand up for the truth and speak out courageously, even in front of one who is in authority—was, is, and will always be risky. Yet, this is what the prophets of old did, what Jesus did, and what He asks us to do. It cost John his head and brought Jesus to the Cross, but if we want to be real followers of the Lord, we have to follow their example courageously.

Second, Herod makes us aware how easily we can be carried away by lust and by our senses. Once aroused, they can rob us easily of sound reason and cause us to make decisions we would later regret. The foolish oath of Herod Antipas is the best example.

Third, the world looks at Herod, Herodias, and Salome without scorn. But the one they scorned is honored as a great saint. It is worthwhile not to follow those whom the world loves and honors in spite of their shady deeds. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

reflection questions

Do you have the courage of John the Baptist to stand up for the truth in public?

Lord, send me the Holy Spirit whenever I have to stand up for the truth so that I will never fail You. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ____________________________