A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 9:7-9
(Glory to you, O Lord!)
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
“John has been raised from the dead”;
others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;
still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
But Herod said, “John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”
And he kept trying to see him.
The Gospel of the Lord (Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!).
Reflection: To live simply and humbly with God
Today we hear of the Gospel reading that pertains to the great puzzlement of Herod the tetrarch as to who Jesus is, as he feared that John the Baptist may have been raised from the dead. A little back story. Herod was the governor of Galilee and Perea, and he put John the Baptist in prison for saying that it was unlawful for him to marry Herodias, the wife of his brother. Herod liked listening to John, but he refused to change his ways and humble himself before God. Later, he regrettably had John the Baptist beheaded at the behest of his wife, because of his pride and some promises that he could not break. This same pride also led later to Herod’s demise as shared in the book of Acts as he refused to give glory to God.
Herod’s ways and pride could be compared to a person’s desire to possess anything and everything of this world. The insatiable desire to satisfy the senses, of seeing more, to hear more, to consume more, to possess more and more material things, to brag of possessions and achievements, including having more and more prestige without being satisfied with the blessings received. Seemingly unable to reach contentment as to what is really needed life, and not sharing gratitude and giving glory to God.
And what is really needed in life? The book of the prophet Micah says it best as shared on chapter 6:8,
“You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.”
In other words, live lives to share kindness, mercy and compassion, to live simply and walk humbly with God. May this be our daily mantra to live the rest of our days guided by the Holy Spirit…to respond to Jesus daily call to holiness… to humbly love one another.
Action for the Day:
In silent prayer, recognize all the blessings in life that we have received from God, and humbly give thanks. Heavenly father, we are nothing without you. Thank you for loving us and for allowing us to be one of your many many multitudes of creation. All we have are yours. All our abilities, our ways, our gifts, all we possess and have, what we owe and own are from you alone. Guide us through your spirit to humbly share our blessings throughout the rest of our days. Thank you, Lord Jesus for your presence in our hearts.
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