Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Lv 25:1, 8-17

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

R. (4) 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.
R. 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.
R. 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!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!

Alleluia Mt 5:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. 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.

From: Leviticus 25:1, 8-17

[1] The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai,

Rules About the Jubilee Year

[8] “And you shall count seven weeks’ of years, seven times seven years, so
that the time of the seven weeks of years shall be to you forty-nine years. [9]
Then you shall send abroad the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh
month; on the day of atonement you shall send abroad the trumpet throughout
all your land. [10] And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty
throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, when each
of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family. [11]
A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be to you; in it you shall neither sow, nor reap
what grows of itself, nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. [12] For it
is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat what it yields out of the field.

[13] “In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property. [14] And if
you sell to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one
another. [15] According to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy
from your neighbor, and according to the number of years for crops he shall sell
to you. [16] If the years are many you shall increase the price, and if the years
are few you shall diminish the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is
selling to you. [17] You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your
God; for I am the LORD your God.”

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Commentary:

25:1-7. Here we can see concern for the conservation of land, trying to ensure
that short-term productivity is not obtained at the cost of deterioration in the long
term. It is always made clear that the earth is a gift from God: therefore, God’s
sovereignty over the land has to be periodically acknowledged. This is the pri-
mary reason for these rules about allowing the land to lie fallow.

Exodus 23:10-11 also talks about the sabbatical year, but here there is reference
to additional reasons for it, to do with the welfare of the under-privileged. These
rules did not all have to be put into effect at the same time, because that might
have created a huge problem of generalized idleness. In the book of Maccabees,
for example, there are references to difficulties that arose at that time due to one
sabbatical year (cf. 1 Mac 6:49).

25:8-22. Here again the number seven, by being applied to the calendar, creates
a special situation. Now we have seven weeks of years, that is a run of forty-nine
years; and this leads to the following year, the fiftieth, being a jubilee year. The
rules about letting the land lie fallow are applied to the jubilee year; special clau-
ses are added, such as that to do with the redemption of property. So, in the ju-
bilee year, land acquired had to be returned to its original owner. This custom
meant that what in fact was sold was the usufruct of the land and its price would
be a function of the number of years’ use the buyer was getting.

Again, underlying this is the idea that the land is a divine gift which ought always
to revert to those to whom the Lord originally granted it. Even so, these regula-
tions were not obeyed very well. Thus, we find the prophets vigorously denoun-
cing the way some people built up land holdings to the detriment of others. The
basic reason for their complaint was not just a fine sense of social justice but
the fact that God’s rules were being violated (cf. Is 5:8; Mic 2:2).

Verses 14-15 here are [as in the Spanish edition, which is also in line with most
modern vernacular translations] divided differently from the Nev Vulgate division.

Verses 18-22 round off the previous passage and introduce what follows. They
remind people about the promises God makes to those who are faithful to his
commandments, and they are meant to encourage those who might be tempted
to think that God will not look after them if they have to face three years without
harvest (the sabbatical year, the jubilee year and the year after it, at the end of
which a harvest would be reaped). A provident God will ensure that those who
stay true to him will experience no want.

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 14:1-12

The Death of John the Baptist

[1] At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus; [2] and he
said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist, he has been raised from the dead;
that is why these powers are at work in him.” [3] For Herod had seized John and
bound him and put him in prison, for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s
wife; [4] because John said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” [5] And
though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held
him to be a prophet. [6] But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Hero-
dias danced before the company, and pleased Herod, [7] so that he promised
with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. [8] Prompted by her mother,
she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” [9] And the
king was sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be
given; [10] he sent and had John beheaded in the prison, [11] and his head was
brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. [12]
And his disciples came and took the body and buried it; and they went and told
Jesus.

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Commentary:

1. Herod the tetrarch, Herod Antipas (see the note on Mt 2:1), is the same He-
rod as appears later in the account of the Passion (cf. Lk 23:7ff). A son of Herod
the Great, Antipas governed Galilee and Perea in the name of the Roman empe-
ror; according to Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian (”Jewish Antiquities”,
XVIII, 5, 4), he was married to a daughter of an Arabian king, but in spite of this
he lived in concubinage with Herodias, his brother’s wife. St. John the Baptist,
and Jesus himself, often criticized the tetrarch’s immoral life, which was in con-
flict with the sexual morality laid down in the Law (Lev 18:16;20:21) and was a
cause of scandal.

3-12. Towards the end of the first century Flavius Josephus wrote of these same
events. He gives additional information—specifying that it was in the fortress of
Makeronte that John was imprisoned (this fortress was on the eastern bank of
the Dead Sea, and was the scene of the banquet in question) and that Herodias’
daughter was called Salome.

9. St Augustine comments: “Amid the excesses and sensuality of the guests,
oaths are rashly made, which then are unjustly kept” (”Sermon 10”).

It is a sin against the second commandment of God’s Law to make an oath to do
something unjust; any such oath has no binding force. In fact, if one keeps it—as
Herod did—one commits an additional sin. The Catechism also teaches that one
offends against this precept if one swears something untrue, or swears needless-
ly (cf. “St Pius V Catechism”, III, 3, 24). Cf. note on Mt 5:33-37.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
Leviticus 25:1,8-17 ©

The law of the jubilee year

The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. He said:

‘You are to count seven weeks of years – seven times seven years, that is to say a period of seven weeks of years, forty-nine years. And on the tenth day of the seventh month you shall sound the trumpet; on the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout the land. You will declare this fiftieth year sacred and proclaim the liberation of all the inhabitants of the land. This is to be a jubilee for you; each of you will return to his ancestral home, each to his own clan. This fiftieth year is to be a jubilee year for you: you will not sow, you will not harvest the ungathered corn, you will not gather from the untrimmed vine. The jubilee is to be a holy thing to you, you will eat what comes from the fields.

‘In this year of jubilee each of you is to return to his ancestral home. If you buy or sell with your neighbour, let no one wrong his brother. If you buy from your neighbour, this must take into account the number of years since the jubilee: according to the number of productive years he will fix the price. The greater the number of years, the higher shall be the price demanded; the less the number of years, the greater the reduction; for what he is selling you is a certain number of harvests. Let none of you wrong his neighbour, but fear your God; I am the Lord your God.’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 66(67):2-3,5,7-8 ©

Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you.

O God, be gracious and bless us

and let your face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth

and all nations learn your saving help.

Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and exult

for you rule the world with justice.

With fairness you rule the peoples,

you guide the nations on earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its fruit

for God, our God, has blessed us.

May God still give us his blessing

till the ends of the earth revere him.

Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you.

Gospel Acclamation	cf.Lk8:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are those who,

with a noble and generous heart,

take the word of God to themselves

and yield a harvest through their perseverance.

Alleluia!

Or:	Mt5:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy those who are persecuted

in the cause of right,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Matthew 14:1-12 ©

The beheading of John the Baptist

Herod the tetrarch heard about the reputation of Jesus, and said to his court, ‘This is John the Baptist himself; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’

Now it was Herod who had arrested John, chained him up and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. For John had told him, ‘It is against the Law for you to have her.’ He had wanted to kill him but was afraid of the people, who regarded John as a prophet. Then, during the celebrations for Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and so delighted Herod that he promised on oath to give her anything she asked. Prompted by her mother she said, ‘Give me John the Baptist’s head, here, on a dish.’ The king was distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he ordered it to be given her, and sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought in on a dish and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went off to tell Jesus.

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 14
1.	AT that time Herod the Tetrarch heard the fame of Jesus.	In illo tempore audivit Herodes tetrarcha fama Jesu :	εν εκεινω τω καιρω ηκουσεν ηρωδης ο τετραρχης την ακοην ιησου
2.	And he said to his servants: This is John the Baptist: he is risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works shew forth themselves in him.	et ait pueris suis : Hic est Joannes Baptista : ipse surrexit a mortuis, et ideo virtutes operantur in eo.	και ειπεν τοις παισιν αυτου ουτος εστιν ιωαννης ο βαπτιστης αυτος ηγερθη απο των νεκρων και δια τουτο αι δυναμεις ενεργουσιν εν αυτω
3.	For Herod had apprehended John and bound him, and put him into prison, because of Herodias, his brother's wife.	Herodes enim tenuit Joannem, et alligavit eum : et posuit in carcerem propter Herodiadem uxorem fratris sui.	ο γαρ ηρωδης κρατησας τον ιωαννην εδησεν αυτον και εθετο εν φυλακη δια ηρωδιαδα την γυναικα φιλιππου του αδελφου αυτου
4.	For John said to him: It is not lawful for thee to have her.	Dicebat enim illi Joannes : Non licet tibi habere eam.	ελεγεν γαρ αυτω ο ιωαννης ουκ εξεστιν σοι εχειν αυτην
5.	And having a mind to put him to death, he feared the people: because they esteemed him as a prophet.	Et volens illum occidere, timuit populum : quia sicut prophetam eum habebant.	και θελων αυτον αποκτειναι εφοβηθη τον οχλον οτι ως προφητην αυτον ειχον
6.	But on Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before them: and pleased Herod.	Die autem natalis Herodis saltavit filia Herodiadis in medio, et placuit Herodi :	γενεσιων δε αγομενων του ηρωδου ωρχησατο η θυγατηρ της ηρωδιαδος εν τω μεσω και ηρεσεν τω ηρωδη
7.	Whereupon he promised with an oath, to give her whatsoever she would ask of him.	unde cum juramento pollicitus est ei dare quodcumque postulasset ab eo.	οθεν μεθ ορκου ωμολογησεν αυτη δουναι ο εαν αιτησηται
8.	But she being instructed before by her mother, said: Give me here in a dish the head of John the Baptist.	At illa præmonita a matre sua : Da mihi, inquit, hic in disco caput Joannis Baptistæ.	η δε προβιβασθεισα υπο της μητρος αυτης δος μοι φησιν ωδε επι πινακι την κεφαλην ιωαννου του βαπτιστου
9.	And the king was struck sad: yet because of his oath, and for them that sat with him at table, he commanded it to be given.	Et contristatus est rex : propter juramentum autem, et eos qui pariter recumbebant, jussit dari.	και ελυπηθη ο βασιλευς δια δε τους ορκους και τους συνανακειμενους εκελευσεν δοθηναι
10.	And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.	Misitque et decollavit Joannem in carcere.	και πεμψας απεκεφαλισεν τον ιωαννην εν τη φυλακη
11.	And his head was brought in a dish: and it was given to the damsel, and she brought it to her mother.	Et allatum est caput ejus in disco, et datum est puellæ, et attulit matri suæ.	και ηνεχθη η κεφαλη αυτου επι πινακι και εδοθη τω κορασιω και ηνεγκεν τη μητρι αυτης
12.	And his disciples came and took the body, and buried it, and came and told Jesus.	Et accedentes discipuli ejus, tulerunt corpus ejus, et sepelierunt illud : et venientes nuntiaverunt Jesu.	και προσελθοντες οι μαθηται αυτου ηραν το σωμα και εθαψαν αυτο και ελθοντες απηγγειλαν τω ιησου

1. At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of fame of Jesus.
2. And said to his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.
3. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.
4. For John said to him, It is not lawful for you to have her.
5. And when he would have put him to death, feared the multitude because they counted him a prophet.

GLOSS; The Evangelist had above shown the Pharisees speaking falsely against Christ's miracles, and just now His fellow-citizens wondering, yet despising Him; he now relates what opinion Herod had formed concerning Christ hearing of His miracles, and says, At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the fame of Jesus.

CHRYS; It is not without reason that the Evangelist here specifies the time, but you may understand the pride and carelessness of the tyrant inasmuch as he had not at the first made himself acquainted with the things concerning Christ, but now only after long time. Thus they, who in authority are fenced about with much pomp, learn these things slowly, because they do not much regard them.

AUG; Matthew says, at that time, not on that day, or, In that same hour; for Mark relates the same circumstances, but not in the same order. He places this after the mission of the disciples to preach, though not implying that it necessarily follows there; any more than Luke who follows the same order as Mark.

CHRYS; Observe how great a thing is virtue; Herod fears John even after he is dead and philosophizes concerning the resurrection; as it follows, And he said to his servants, This is John the Baptist he is risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works are wrought in him.

RABAN; From this place we may learn how great the jealousy of the Jews was; that John could have risen from the dead, Herod, an alien-born, here declares, without any witness that he had risen: coming Christ, whom the Prophets had foretold, the Jews referred to believe, that He had not risen, but had been carried away by stealth. This intimates that the Gentile heart more disposed to belief than that of the Jews.

JEROME; one of the Ecclesiastical interpreters asks what caused Herod to think that John was risen from the dead; as though we had to account for the errors of an alien, or as though the heresy of metempsychosis was at all supported by this place - a heresy which teaches that souls pass through various bodies after a long period of years - for the Lord was thirty years old when John was beheaded.

RABAN; All men have well thought concerning the power of the resurrection, that the saints shall have greater power after they have risen from the dead, than they had while they were yet weighed down with the infirmity of the flesh; therefore Herod says, Therefore mighty works are wrought in him.

AUG; Luke's words are, John have I beheaded who is he of whom I hear such things? As Luke has was represented Herod as in doubt, we must understand, rather that he was afterwards convinced of that which commonly said - or we must take what he here says to his servants as expressing a doubt - for the admit of either of these acceptation.

REMIG; Perhaps some one may ask how it can be here said, At that time Herod heard, seeing that we have long before read that Herod was dead, and that on that the Lord returned out of Egypt. This question is answered if we remember that there were two Herods. On the death of the first Herod, his son Archelaus succeeded him, and after ten years was sent into exile to Vienne in Gaul. Then Caesar Augustus gave command that the kingdom should be divided into tetrarchies, and gave three parts to the sons of Herod. This Herod then who beheaded John is the son of that greater Herod under whom the Lord was born; and this is confirmed by the Evangelist adding the tetrarch.

GLOSS; Having mentioned this supposition of John's resurrection, because he had never yet spoken of his death, he now returns, and narrates how it came to pass.

CHRYS; And this relation is not set before us as a principal matter, because the Evangelist's only object was to tell us concerning Christ, and nothing beyond, unless so far as it furthered this object. He says then, For Herod had seized John, and bound him.

AUG; Luke does not give this in the same order, but where he is speaking of the Lord's baptism, so that he took beforehand an event which happened long afterwards. For after that saying of John's concerning the Lord, that His fan is in His hand, he straightway adds this, which, as we may gather from John's Gospel, did not follow immediately. For he relates that after Jesus was baptized, He went into Galilee, and thence returned into Judaea, and baptized there near to the Jordan before John was cast into prison. But neither Matthew nor Mark have placed John's imprisonment in that order in which it appears from then own writings that it took place; for they also say that when John was delivered up, the Lord went into Galilee, and after many things there done, then by occasion of the fame of Christ reaching Herod they relate what took place in the imprisonment and beheading of John.

The cause for which he had been cast into prison he shows when he says, On account of Herodias his brother's wife. For John had, said to him, It is not lawful for you to have her.

JEROME; The old history tells us, that Philip the son of Herod the greater, the brother of this Herod, had taken to wife Herodias daughter of Aretas, king of the Arabs; and that the father-in-law, having afterwards cause of quarrel with his son-in-law, took away his daughter, and to grieve her he husband gave her in marriage to his enemy Herod. John the Baptist therefore, who came in the spirit and power Elias,, with the same authority that he had exerted over Ahab and Jezebel, rebuked Herod and Herodias, because that they had entered into unlawful wedlock; it being unlawful while the own brother yet lives to take his wife. He preferred to endanger himself with the King, than to be forgetful of the commandments of God in commending himself to him.

CHRYS; Yet he speaks not to the woman but to the husband, as he was the chief person.

GLOSS; And perhaps he observed the Jewish Law, according to which John forbade him this adultery. And desiring to kill him, he feared the people.

JEROME; He feared a disturbance among the people for John's sake, for he knew that multitudes had been baptized by him in Jordan; but he was overcome by love of his wife, which had already made him neglect the commands of God.

GLOSS; The fear of God amends us, the fear of man torments us, but alters not our will; it rather renders us more impatient to sin as it has held us back for a time from our indulgence.

6. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.
7. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
8. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.
9. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meal, he commanded it to be given her.
10. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
11. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
12. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

GLOSS; The Evangelist having related John's imprisonment. Proceeds to his putting to death, saying, But on Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst.

JEROME; We find no others keeping their birthday besides Herod and Pharaoh, that they who were alike in their wickedness might be alike in their festivities.

REMIG; It should be known that it is customary not for rich only but for poor mothers also, to educate their daughters so chastely, that they are scarce so much as seen by strangers. But this unchaste woman had so brought up her daughter after the same manner, that she had taught her not chastity but dancing. Nor is Herod to be less blamed who forgot that his was a royal palace, but this woman made it a theater; And it pleased Herod, so that he swore with an oath that he would give her whatsoever she should ask of him.

JEROME; I do not excuse Herod that he committed this murder against his will by reason of his oath, for perhaps he took the oath for the very purpose of bringing about the murder. But if he says that he did it for his oath's sake, had she asked the death of her mother, or her father, would he have granted it or not? What then he would have refused in his own person, he ought to have rejected in that of the Prophet Isidore; In evil promises then break faith. That promise is impious which must be kept by crime; that oath is not to be observed by which we have unwittingly pledged ourselves to evil. It follows, And she being before instructed of her mother said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.

JEROME; For Herodias, fearing that Herod might some time recover his senses, and be reconciled to his brother, and dissolve their unlawful union by a divorce, instructs her daughter to ask at once at the banquet the head of John, a reward of blood worthy of the deed of the dancing.

CHRYS; Here is a twofold accusation against the damsel, that she danced, and that she chose to ask an execution as her reward. Observe how Herod is at once cruel and yielding; he obliges himself by an oath, and leaves her free to choose her request. Yet when he knew what evil was resulting from her request, he was grieved, And the king was sorry, for virtue gains praise and admiration even among the bad.

JEROME; Otherwise; It is the manner of Scripture to speak of events as they were commonly viewed at the time by all. So Joseph is called by Mary herself the father of Jesus; so here Herod is said to be sorry, because the guests believed that be was so. This dissembler of his own inclinations, this contriver of a murder displayed sorrow in his face, when he had joy in his mind. For his oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meal, he commanded it to be given. He excuses his crime by his oath, that his wickedness might be done under a presence of piety. That he adds, and them that sat at meal with him, he would have them all sharers in his crime, that a bloody dish might be brought in a luxurious feast.

CHRYS; If he was afraid to have so many witnesses of his perjury, how much more ought he to have feared so many witnesses of a murder?

REMIG; Here is a less sin done for the sake of another greater; he would not extinguish his lustful desires, and therefore he betakes him to luxurious living; he would not put any restraint on his luxury, and thus he passes to the guilt of murder; for, He sent and beheaded John in prison, and his head was brought in a charger.

JEROME; We read in Roman history, Hieron that Flaminius, a Roman general, sitting at supper with his mistress, on her saying that she had never seen a man beheaded, gave permission that a man under sentence for a capital crime should be brought in and beheaded during the entertainment. For this he was expelled the senate by the censors, because he had mingled feasting with blood, and had employed death, though of a criminal, for the amusement of another, causing murder and enjoyment to be joined together. How much more wicked Herod, and Herodias, and the damsel who danced; she asked as her bloody reward the head of a Prophet, that she might have in her power the tongue that reproved the unlawful nuptials.

GREG; But not without most deep wonder do I consider, that he who in his mother's womb was filled with the spirit of prophecy, than whom there arose not a greater among them that are born of w omen, is cast into prison by wicked men, and is beheaded because of the dancing of a girl, and that a man of such severe life dies for the sport of shameful men. Are we to think that there was any thing in his life which this so shameful death should wipe away? God thus oppresses His people in the least things, because He sees how He may reward them in the highest things. And hence may be gathered what they will suffer whom He casts away, if He thus tortures those He loves.

ID; And John is not sought out to suffer concerning the confession of Christ, but for the truth of righteousness. But because Christ is truth, he goes to death for Christ in going for truth. It follows, And his disciples came, and took up his body, and buried it.

JEROME; By which we may understand both the disciples of John himself, and of the Savior.

RABAN; Josephus relates, that John was sent bound to the castle of Mecheron, and there beheaded; but ecclesiastical history relates that he was buried in Sebastia, a town of Palestine, which was formerly called Samaria.

CHRYS; Observe how John's disciples are henceforth more attached to Jesus; they it is who told Him what was done concerning John; And they came and told Jesus. For leaving all they take refuge with Him, and so by degrees after their calamity, and the answer given by Christ, they are set right.

HILARY; Mystically, John represents the Law; for the Law preached Christ, and John came of the Law, preaching Christ out of the Law. Herod is the Prince of the people and the Prince of the people bears the name and the cause of the whole body put under him. John then warned Herod that he should not take to him his brother's wife. For there are and there were two people, of the circumcision, and of the Gentiles; and these are brethren, children of the same parent of the human race, but the Law warned Israel that he should not take to him the works of the Gentiles and unbelief which was united to them as by the bond of conjugal love. On the birthday, that is amidst the enjoyments of the things of the body, the daughter of Herodias danced; for pleasure, as it were springing from unbelief, was carried in its alluring course throughout the whole of Israel, and the nation bound itself thereto as by an oath, for sin and worldly pleasures the Israelites sold the gifts of eternal life.

She (Pleasure), at the suggestion of her mother Unbelief, begged that there should be given her the head of John, that is, the glory of the Law; but the people knowing the good that was in the Law, yielded these terms to pleasure, not without sorrow for its own danger, conscious that it ought not to have given up so great glory of its teachers. But forced by its sins, as by the force of an oath, as well as overcome by the fear, and corrupted by the example of the neighboring princes, it sorrowfully yields to the blandishments of pleasure. So among the other gratifications of a debauched people the head of John is brought in a dish, that is by the loss of the Law, the pleasures of the body, and worldly luxury is increased. It is carried by the damsel to her mother; thus depraved Israel offered up the glory of the Law to pleasure and unbelief. The times of the Law being expired, and buried with John, his disciples declare what is done to the Lord, coming, that is, to the Gospels from the Law.

RABAN; Otherwise; Even at this day we see that in the head of the Prophet John the Jews have lost Christ, who is the head of the Prophets.

JEROME; And the Prophet has lost among them both tongue and voice.

REMIG; Otherwise; The beheading of John marks the increase of that fame which Christ has among the people, as the exaltation of the Lord upon the cross marks the progress of the faith; whence John had said, He must increase, but I must decrease.

Catena Aurea Matthew 14

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Joyful Mysteries

(Mondays and Saturdays)

1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]
2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]

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August 3 2019

Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Lv 25:1, 8-17

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

Alleluia Mt 5:10

Gospel Mt 14:1-12

Readings at Mass