Thursday, February 3, 2022

MASS READINGS & GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Friday - February 04, 2022


Friday - February 04, 2022


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"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier."

--St. Teresa of Calcutta


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TODAY'S READINGS

February 4, 2022

FRIDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Lectionary: 327

 

Reading 1                                                    

                                                                        Sir 47:2-11

 

Like the choice fat of the sacred offerings,

            so was David in Israel.

He made sport of lions as though they were kids,

            and of bears, like lambs of the flock.

As a youth he slew the giant

            and wiped out the people’s disgrace,

When his hand let fly the slingstone

            that crushed the pride of Goliath.

Since he called upon the Most High God,

            who gave strength to his right arm

To defeat the skilled warrior

            and raise up the might of his people,

Therefore the women sang his praises,

            and ascribed to him tens of thousands

            and praised him when they blessed the Lord.

When he assumed the royal crown, he battled

            and subdued the enemy on every side.

He destroyed the hostile Philistines

            and shattered their power till our own day.

With his every deed he offered thanks

            to God Most High, in words of praise.

With his whole being he loved his Maker

            and daily had his praises sung;

            He set singers before the altar and by their voices

                        he made sweet melodies,

He added beauty to the feasts

            and solemnized the seasons of each year

So that when the Holy Name was praised,

            before daybreak the sanctuary would resound.

The Lord forgave him his sins

            and exalted his strength forever;

He conferred on him the rights of royalty

            and established his throne in Israel.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  18:31, 47 and 50, 51

 

R.        (see 47b)  Blessed be God my salvation!

 

God’s way is unerring,

            the promise of the LORD is fire-tried;

            he is a shield to all who take refuge in him.

R.        Blessed be God my salvation!

The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!

            Extolled be God my savior.

Therefore will I proclaim you, O LORD, among the nations,

            and I will sing praise to your name.

R.        Blessed be God my salvation!

You who gave great victories to your king

            and showed kindness to your anointed,

            to David and his posterity forever.

R.        Blessed be God my salvation!

 

Alleluia                                                                      Lk 8:15                      

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart,

and yield a harvest through perseverance.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 6:14-29

 

King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,

and people were saying,

“John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;

that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”

Others were saying, “He is Elijah”;

still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”

But when Herod learned of it, he said,

“It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”

 

Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison

on account of Herodias,

the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.

John had said to Herod,

“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

Herodias harbored a grudge against him

and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.

Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,

and kept him in custody.

When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,

yet he liked to listen to him.

Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,

gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers,

and the leading men of Galilee.

His own daughter came in and performed a dance

that delighted Herod and his guests.

The king said to the girl,

“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”

He even swore many things to her,

“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,

even to half of my kingdom.”

She went out and said to her mother,

“What shall I ask for?”

Her mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”

The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,

“I want you to give me at once on a platter

the head of John the Baptist.”

The king was deeply distressed,

but because of his oaths and the guests

he did not wish to break his word to her.

So he promptly dispatched an executioner

with orders to bring back his head.

He went off and beheaded him in the prison.

He brought in the head on a platter

and gave it to the girl.

The girl in turn gave it to her mother.

When his disciples heard about it,

they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

 

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Making a Difference

What kind of reputation do you have? Have you ever felt a need to defend it? If your Christian lifestyle is so obvious that your example challenges others to change, those who don't want to change are trying to "cut you down to size", belittling you in order to stop feeling the challenge.

 

Such was Herod's reason for cutting off the head of John the Baptist in today's Gospel reading. What an honor to be ranked with the likes of him: condemned because of our holiness!

 

In today's first reading, we hear a posthumous acclamation of King David's reputation. What will people say about you when you're dead? At your funeral, will they share stories about the difference you made in this world? How many people will show up, not because they're relatives who have to be there, but because you touched them with the love of Jesus?

 

Regardless of what you've done wrong, regardless of how you've failed, regardless of what you regret, if you've grown from it and if others have met Jesus when they encountered you, your faith and love is what they will remember.

 

How many other souls will know Jesus better because of the impact you've made? There's no way of knowing this until after you die. I'm looking forward to the party that Jesus will throw at the great banquet for my Homecoming; I'm going to say: "Okay, who of you are here because of something I've done? Stand in line and introduce yourselves to me. I want to meet you!" What a fun reunion that will be!

 

Any loving gesture that we give to others is the touch of Jesus. Daily, we have many encounters that can potentially change lives. Don't be discouraged by the invisibility of some of these changes. Don't be mistaken by a lack of evidence. Never assume that some of your loving gestures are too small to make a difference. Even a smile can give Jesus to others. A kind word to someone who's frustrated, a helping hand to someone who's tired, and a pat on the back of someone who's feeling low -- these can make a difference that could affect their eternal souls.

 

Pray this with me: To follow Your ways, Lord, means giving up everything for You. It means leaving behind what dies in this life. It means walking towards the eternal abundance You provided on the cross for me. Give me the strength I need to say "yes", even though it is sometimes difficult. Amen.

 

See you at the party in heaven!

 

Today's Prayer

 

To follow Your ways, Lord, means giving up everything for You. It means leaving behind what dies in this life. It means walking towards the eternal abundance You provided on the cross for me. Give me the strength I need to say "yes", even though it is sometimes difficult. Amen.


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    God Bless You.....
    The Rosary Family

    The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”

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