August 29, 2026 The Passion of Saint John the Baptist Gospel: Mark 6:17–29
Today is Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist. The recently published Missal tells us: The Gospels relate how Saint John fearlessly condemned the unlawful marriage of Herod Antipas to Herodias—she had previously been married to his half-brother. The enraged Herodias had imprisoned him. In a moment of weakness, Herod promised to grant the heart’s desire of Salome, the daughter of Herodias. She asked for the head of Saint John, which was promptly fetched for her. Thus the Precursor of the Lord preceded his Savior through his passion.
Today’s Gospel passage from Saint Mark presents us with the narrative of the martyrdom of John the Baptist. I would like to take this opportunity to offer some reflections.
In the beginning, before we had come to know Christ, the merciful God, just as He continually sent the Prophet Jeremiah (cf. Jer 26:1–9), never ceased to send to us our brothers and sisters who have received Baptism in Christ, been born anew in Christ, and, through receiving the Holy Spirit, share in Christ’s divine sonship, His kingly, priestly, and prophetic office. They come to us and, according to our capacity to understand, proclaim to us the Gospel of the Kingdom. They strive to meet our various needs in daily life to the best of their ability. Whenever we experience the warmth they bring us, we too, like them, receive the one Baptism and the one Holy Spirit. In the Most Holy Eucharist—which perpetually commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ—we listen to the word of God and receive the one Body of Christ and the one Blood of Christ from the chalice. From the Body and Blood of Christ, we draw abundant nourishment, receive strength, conquer death, and attain eternal life.
In Saint John the Baptist, we can see a prefiguration of the passion of Jesus. Herod wanted to put John to death, yet still sought to spare him. The same was true of our Lord Jesus Christ when He stood before Pilate’s judgment seat. Saint Mark the Evangelist records: “As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. And Pilate asked Him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ And He answered him, ‘You have said so.’ And the chief priests accused Him of many things. And Pilate again asked Him, ‘Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.’ But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate wondered.” (Mk 15:1–5). From this, it is not difficult to see that all that Saint John the Baptist endured on this day bears a striking resemblance to what Jesus experienced when He stood before Pilate and faced the judgment of a human tribunal. Herod imprisoned John because John, in accordance with the teaching of Moses, courageously reproved Herod (cf. Mt 14:4). Pilate judged Jesus according to all the procedures of a human court; the root cause, however, was that through His word and actions, Jesus revealed to the world a merciful God. The chief priests, elders, and scribes of the Jews, feeling their positions greatly threatened by all that Jesus had accomplished, sought to eliminate Him in order to preserve their own standing.
Dear brothers and sisters: Saint John the Baptist, undaunted by the power of Herod Antipas, remained ever faithful to the word of God. Even while imprisoned, he continued to explain the law of God to Herod Antipas, attempting to admonish him, until his martyrdom—thus giving us a living example. Today, we too are called to bear witness to Christ. When we bear witness to Christ, we must imitate the virtues of Saint John the Baptist, holding fast to the truth and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that we may all be conformed to Christ.
To be conformed to Christ, we must interiorize the spirit of the word of God. The spirit of the word of God is love. Love enables us not to hate those who harm us, but rather to recognize those brothers and sisters who are in urgent need of our proclamation of God’s word, those who are in need of our care, and those who are marginalized and urgently need us to listen to their needs. When we obey the teachings of the Savior and follow His instructions to draw near to the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the sick, the imprisoned, and the marginalized, we bring not only our own love and concern, but also the love of Jesus Christ and Saint John the Baptist. For we firmly believe that the God proclaimed by Jesus is utterly faithful and abundantly merciful, and He is ever ready to rescue.
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that your family may walk in the way of salvation and, attentive to what Saint John the Precursor urged, may come safely to the One he foretold, our Lord Jesus Christ. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
August 28, 2026 Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Gospel: Matthew 25:1–13
Today is Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.The recently published Missal tells us: Saint Augustine (354–430) was born in Thagaste (in present-day Algeria). Moved by the good example of his mother, he embraced the Manichaean heresy in his early years and fathered an illegitimate child. At the age of thirty-three, he was converted by grace and received Baptism from Saint Ambrose in Milan. He later became Bishop of Hippo Regius (present-day Annaba, Algeria). Devoting his life to writing and preaching, he vigorously defended Faith, becoming one of the most influential Doctors of the Church. The rule of religious life he established continues to inspire Augustinian Canons Regular, Friars, and Nuns to this day.
Today’s Gospel passage from Saint Matthew continues to present to us Jesus’ parables concerning the Kingdom of Heaven. In this parable, we see a five-fold set of elements: the virgins, the bridegroom, the wedding feast, the lamps, and the oil. Though the relationship among these five elements may appear complex, it is quite clear to us, the people of the New Covenant.
In fact, the virgins (cf. Mt 25:1–5) refer to all brothers and sisters who, through the grace of Baptism in Christ, have been incorporated into Christ. They have crucified their mortal old self with Christ on the Cross, so that the body of sin might be destroyed (cf. Rom 6:6), and they are no longer slaves to sin. Led by the Holy Spirit, they have become children of God. Among these virgins, some are wise and some are foolish. They hold their lamps and await the bridegroom, who delays his coming (cf. Mt 25:5), so much so that they all become drowsy and fall asleep. The bridegroom they await is Christ. The lamps they hold are the virtue of hope, and the oil in the lamps is the penance they have done and all their good work. The wise virgins, while waiting for the bridegroom, have made ample preparation, so as to welcome Christ at any moment and enter the heavenly wedding banquet with Him. The foolish virgins are those who, though they long for the abode of eternal blessedness, fail to make ready. When the bridegroom arrives, they turn to the wise and prepared virgins seeking a remedy, and as a result, they forfeit the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of Heaven together with the wise (cf. Mt 25:6–10). For them, there is but one end: to be shut out of the Kingdom and cast into the outer darkness.
In the life of Saint Augustine, we see a living manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven spoken of by Jesus. He too once lived in the darkness of the world; the prince of this world hindered him from turning to God. His mother, Saint Monica, never ceased to pray for his conversion. The merciful Lord kindled in Augustine’s heart the bright lamp of faith. Following the light of the Holy Spirit, he came to understand the word of God with the eyes of faith. Through Baptism into Christ, his life was perfectly united with the life of Christ, and his heart was made one with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He tirelessly proclaimed the Kingdom of Heaven to this passing world, and his work The Confessions lays bare the spiritual journey of his conversion.
Renew in your Church, we pray, O Lord, the spirit with which you endowed your Bishop Saint Augustine that, filled with the same spirit, we may thirst for you, the sole fount of true wisdom, and seek you, the author of heavenly love. 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.
August 27, 2026 Memorial of Saint Monica Gospel: Gospel: Mt 23:27-32
Today is Thursday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time. Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Monica. The recently published Roman Missal tells us: Saint Monica (c. 331–387) was born in Tagaste (in present-day Algeria, then part of the Roman province of Africa). She married Patricius and was the mother of Saint Augustine. She prayed and suffered for the conversion of her son, and rejoiced wholeheartedly when she baptized him in 387. She died shortly afterward at Ostia, and her relics were transferred to Rome in the 15th century. The passage taken from the Gospel of Saint Matthew presents us with Jesus’ eschatological teaching. Let us try to understand it.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the owner of the house knew in which hour the thief was coming, he would stay awake and not let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.” (cf. Mt 24:42-44)
The “staying awake” that Jesus speaks of is meant to keep our spirit vigilant. How, then, can we do this? It is by associating with Him through prayer. When a person offers prayer to God, his spirit is with God. We know that God is living; in Him there is fullness of life. He is not a lifeless God, but a God full of vitality. The God who is rich in mercy will never allow one who freely communes with Him to become lifeless.
The image of the thief spoken of by Jesus is very common in the New Testament. Paul also uses this image in his letter to the Thessalonians, saying: “For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.” We also find it in 2 Peter: “The day of the Lord will come like a thief.” And in the Book of Revelation, in the letter that the Risen Lord writes to those who are not vigilant in the Church of Sardis: “I will come to you like a thief, at an hour you do not expect.”
Today, on the Memorial of Saint Monica, let us imitate her virtuous example, persevering always in vigilant prayer:
O God, who console the sorrowful and who mercifully accepted the motherly tears of Saint Monica for the conversion of her son Augustine, grant us, through the intercession of them both, that we may bitterly regret our sins and find the grace of your pardon. 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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