Catholic Daily Mass Readings and Reflection for today I Saturday August 5 2023

 Daily Mass Readings for Saturday, 5 August 2023

First Reading: Leviticus 25: 1, 8-17

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

Alleluia: Matthew 5: 10

Gospel: Matthew 14: 1-12

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."

Responsorial Psalm

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

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.

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.

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!

O God, let all the nations praise you!

Alleluia

Mt 5:10

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia, alleluia.

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.

Herod the tetrarch, one of three brothers and a sister who became 1st-century rulers after their father, Herod the Great, died in 4 B.C. Herod governed much of the territory west of the Sea of Galilee, which was the territory in which Jesus spent most of His time during His public ministry. He also ruled a territory just east of the Dead Sea, where he imprisoned and ultimately killed John the Baptist. Herod was known for being a busy builder and was prominently known for his role in the deaths of Saint John the Baptist and Jesus.

After killing Saint John the Baptist, Herod heard about the reputation of Jesus, who was traveling throughout Herod's territory preaching and performing many mighty deeds. Word spread fast about Jesus, and Herod seemed to think that Jesus must have been John the Baptist raised from the dead. This strange statement is a result of Herod's passions and desire for power, possibly due to his fear of John the Baptist.

Regret, fear, and guilt are common effects of a conscience that is in conflict. Herod's example serves as a good example of what happens when we do not resolve that conflict within ourselves. The only way to resolve the interior confusion of a conflicted conscience is to humbly submit to the truth. Imagine if Herod would have repented and sought out Jesus, confessing his sins, and begged for forgiveness. Instead, we have the witness of a man who has gone astray and remained obstinate in his sin.

Reflecting on Herod's unholy witness serves as a reminder that God can use all things for His glory and use the example of Herod to reveal any similar tendency. If you struggle with regret, fear, and guilt, seek the truth by admitting any long-lasting sin you need to resolve and allowing the mercy of God to enter in to set you free.

In Jesus' name, I trust in You, who desires that all people experience freedom from the sins of the past and desires to penetrate our hearts and bring resolution and peace.