Dear People of God,
May the Lord give you peace. It is 05th August 2023. We celebrate the memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major. This is one of the four major basilicas in Rome. Happy feast of Our Lady of Snows.
Do we keep up the promises?
We reflect on Leviticus 25:1, 8-17; and the Gospel from Matthew 14:1-12.
In the first reading, we are instructed to remember and celebrate the year of Jubilee. The significance of the jubilee year, a year of liberation “par excellence,” which is at the end of seven weeks of years, the fiftieth year. The fiftieth year was of the most social importance. It is the year of liberation and the most favourable time of the Lord. It is the year the land is rested from ploughing and fertilising.
“For whoever enters God’s rest also ceases from his labours as God did from his. Let us, therefore, strive to enter that rest, that no one fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4, 6-11). It is the sacred time of God’s people. Honouring God through the rest by which we relate more closely to God and bringing the best of the gifts to God.
The day of rest on the week too pointing to that consolation improving the quality of our existence and reconnecting to our roots to our Creator, the source and summit of our energy and regrouping ourselves for the possible happiness extracted through the rest. Ultimately recognising God as the owner and the Creator of all that exists.
The responsorial Psalm acclaims, “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.” (Ps.66:4).
The Gospel presents us with the martyrdom of John the Baptist. Two things are on display. One is the sacrifice of a poor and holy man who died for speaking the truth and another is the rich arrogant man who splashed his promises in vain. When we stand up for truth, it will surely cost our very existence.
Do we not stand up for the truth? We have come to a time in our lives, we compromise lies over truth at times. We keep silent conveniently to protect our social standards, the so-called institutions and personal names allowing the lies and liars to have their final say.
It is time for the truth to be told even if it demands our lives. We too see the rash promises made by Herod cost the life of the righteous man.
In affluence, we make many promises. Some of the promises we make not only affect us now and it does harm the entire life of the other. May our lives reflect the goodness and truth of God always. May you have a good day.