Daily Readings Reflection for 2/4/11

Scripture: Feb.4. Lectionary # 327. Hebrews 13:1-8. Psalm 27:1.3.5.8-9.
Mark 6:14-29

One of the most profound and tantalizing verses in the New Testament comes
from today's reading: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and
forever." (Heb.13:8). This divinely inspired thought encourages us day by
day to continue our pilgrimage of faith by following Jesus our pioneer. We
are his disciples and we walk, run, and at times stumble in our following
the Lord Jesus Christ. We too can look at the past and see how far we have
come along the road that he has traveled. That was the beginning of our
journey that started with our baptismal commitment. The present is the
actual living out and walking with the Lord now, one step at a time, one
day at a time in the sacred and sacramental moments of the present. For
the days to come and the years ahead of us we have hope for always being on
the way and journey with Jesus no matter what we undergo. Jesus invites us
to keep on coming to him while he leads us closer and closer to the goal of
our life as humans lived out fully in union with him. Jesus is at the right
hand of God as our highpriest and our sole mediator between God and
ourselves. All times and events belong to him in our faith journey and he
always has and will belong to God and is God, the Word who came and dwelt
among us showing us the way to God the Father. He is the beginning and the
end; the Alpha and the Omega, the Alef and the Tau.

Psalm 27 helps us to pray and to invoke Jesus as our light and our
salvation. We are not to be afraid as he often has told us and tells us
again and again.

Mark gives us the graphic description of the beheading of John the Baptist
who witnessed to the person of Jesus as Messiah and who suffered martyrdom
because of jealousy, adultery, lust and human respect. Herod Antipas made
the bad decision to live up to a stupid and foolish promise that involved
all the above sins as its backdrop. The lamp that John the Baptist was is
extinguished and now Jesus is our LIght. We take some moments to mourn the
demise of this last great prophet and martyr who shed his blood for the
Christ. Amen.