Herod is being told that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead.

Herod is filled with fear and curiosity. He “kept trying to see Jesus”.

Not because he was moved by their teachings.

Why he has to see Jesus in person. John and Jesus haunted him.

This was the case of King Herod. He was held captive by his own insecurity.

Sts. Cosmas & Damian, martyrs

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Ecclesiastes 1:2-11

All is meaningless-says

 The business man and customs collector of Capernaum.

Matthew is also known as Levi in the Gospels.

Saint Matthew was the son of Alphaeus. Is one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. As one of the four.

Matthew as a tax collector who, while sitting at the "receipt of custom" in Capernaum, was called to follow Jesus.

He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him”. There was no hesitancy. In an instant, the tax collector’s life changed.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13

Therefore, I, the prisoner of Christ,

Many saints who, in their unstoppable energy doing the work of God, are not rewarded.

Instead, they are shamed to the point of being persecuted.

These harsh returns, however, do not weaken their energy springing from God’s power.

Believers started to follow and were able to do the same.

Under the same Spirit do contemporary healers operate now and all were made possible because faith is abounding in them.

The Gospel for today invites us to let Jesus work in our daily lives.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

 Proverbs 30:5-9

Every word of God is true,

 “In our challenging tiles, it is vital to learn the art of honest conversations,

dialogue, communal discernment, consensus building,

and walking together as pilgrims toward the direction

that the Lord indicates through the signs of the times.”

                                                       Fr. Mathew Vattamattam, CMF Superior General
                                                                             Congregation of Missionaries,

St. Andrew Kim Taegón, priest & martyrs/ St. Paul Chong Hasang & companions, martyrs

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊      

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Well, then,

 “THOSE WHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND DO IT.”

Jesus established a determinant that goes beyond biological relationship, that is,

the bearing and the keeping of the word of God.

this is the one thing that connects and brings us into close relationship with Christ.

Hearing and keeping God’s word means taking Jesus in our life.

When this happens, Christ takes possession of us and assumes a central place.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13

In the hands of Yahweh,

 Here lies the big difference: the Pharisee pays more attention to the perfume and hair.

Jesus pays more attention to the tears. He sees remorse and longing for renewal.

The Pharisee reads the woman’s gesture as seduction; Jesus reads it as begging for God’s forgiveness and love.

Forgiveness brings peace; it heals the wounded heart and restores the broken relationship.

She was reconnected back to her God and restored to a new “life.”

St. Januarius, bishop and martyr

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

1 Corinthians 15:1-11*

Let me remind you,

Prayer, good works, endurance and patience, that keep the light of love in us shining.

Having this light, then, shining in our life is to be a witness to the power and love of God.

And so, light your lamp. Make others see your lamp, that in seeing your good works,

they may give praise to the Father who is the source of the light we transmit.

 St. Pio of Pietrelcina, priest

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Proverbs 3:27-34

Do not hold back from

 Both John and Jesus could be described as children of Wisdom,

whose origin is God himself.

Those who can see the hand of God in the lives of John and Jesus are also children of Wisdom.

Those who adamantly refuse to see God are not.

we become its children when we actively promote justice, love and peace,

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13

Be that as it may,

 Jesus begins to prepare His disciples about His impending passion, death and resurrection but His disciples do not understand.

They needed an almighty God who conquers enemies, not one who suffers and dies. And why should it happen?

Do not despair of my silliness, Lord. Go on teaching me.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

Wisdom 2:12, 17-20

Let us set a trap for the righteous,

 Nain is a small town in the far south of the district of Galilee,

maybe two days from Capernaum.

God’s creative love embraces and is within all creation;

God has profound knowledge and “feeling” of all creatures’ pain and suffering.

He now looks like a man of sorrows.

He alone sees Her pain and decides to comfort her.

St. Robert Bellarmine, bishop & doctor/ St. Hildegard of Bingen, virgin & doctor

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31a

As the body is one,