August 1, 2026 Saint Alphonsus Gospel: Matthew 14:1-12
Today is Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time. Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Alphonsus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. The recently published Roman Missal tells us: St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) was born in Naples, Italy. After studying law, he received the divine call and was ordained a priest. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), dedicating himself to preaching the Gospel and directing missionary activities. In 1762, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Sant’ Agata dei Goti. He suffered greatly from illness throughout his life and endured divisions within his religious order. His prolific writings, especially his treatises on moral theology, earned him the honorific title of Doctor of the Church.
Today, the Scripture passage taken from the Gospel of Matthew recounts to us the martyrdom of John the Baptist. I would like to continue offering some reflections.
Sometimes, we too, like Herod, feel doubtful about all that John the Baptist did. We feel doubt, and even perplexity, because at that time, we look upon John the Baptist according to the logic of this present world, and we may even despise what he says, his clothing, and the worldview, outlook on life, and values he adheres to. I think Herod, when he heard John the Baptist accusing him of unlawfully taking the wife of his brother Philip, probably thought in this way as well. Yet, in his heart, he still respected John and wanted to protect him. However, in the end, he was weak like us, having various flaws, because he refused to accept the Kingdom of God preached by Jesus Christ, and refused to live according to what Jesus Christ taught.
In fact, when we had not yet known Christ, Christ the Lord, rich in mercy, just as He sent the prophet Jeremiah (cf. Jer 26:1-9), constantly sends to us our brothers and sisters who have received baptism into Christ, been reborn in Christ, and through receiving the Holy Spirit of God, share in Christ’s divinity, and in His offices of King, Priest, and Prophet. They come to our side, and according to our capacity for understanding, proclaim to us the Gospel of the Kingdom. They fulfill our various needs in life to the best of their ability. Whenever we experience the warmth they bring us, we too will become like them: receiving the same Baptism, the same Holy Spirit; in the Eucharist—which perpetually commemorates the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ in its fullness—listening to the Word of God, and receiving the Body of the same Christ, and the Blood of Christ in the same chalice. And from the Body and Blood of Christ, we draw abundant nourishment, gain strength, conquer death, and obtain eternal life.
We often forget that we are Christians, even thinking that being a Christian is merely a title, thus forgetting the precious gift God has bestowed upon us—our vocation. Because we almost forget Christ, who is infinitely merciful, and who sacrificed Himself on the Cross in order to save us from sin, so that through His sacred Blood poured out on the Cross, we might be reconciled with the Father and with the world He created. Whenever we stumble and fall in worldly matters in our daily lives, we are adding to the sufferings of Christ. Sometimes, we even resemble the crowd in the synagogue of Jesus’ hometown, despising the truth of the Kingdom of God revealed to us by God through His Church, built upon the rock of St. Peter (cf. Mt 16:18-19). Because, like Herodias, we follow the foolish impulses of the flesh; not only do we plunge ourselves into death, but through our neighbors, we also take away the lives of others (cf. Mt 13:6-8) and take pleasure in it.
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ! What we ought to seek first is the Kingdom of God and the freedom of the children of God. Let us always follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that we may live within all the graces God has bestowed upon us and no longer be negatively affected in our faith by the ruler of this world and his agents. Whenever we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we live in the abundant grace of Christ, the Light of the World. Through receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, we draw abundant graces from the treasury of Christ’s grace. After receiving all that Christ bestows upon us, we ought to live out the joy of the Gospel in our lives, so that everyone, through all that we do, may feel God’s abundant love for them in their daily lives. Together with us, on this land flowing with milk and honey—upon which St. John and countless holy Martyrs and Blessed have shed their blood—and like innumerable predecessors, let us courageously proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom to the world and lead all people back to God.
O God, who constantly raise up in your Church new examples of virtue, grant that we may follow so closely in the footsteps of the Bishop Saint Alphonsus in his zeal for souls as to attain the same rewards that are his in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
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