TUESDAY OF 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Memorial (Mk 6:17-29)

TUESDAY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Memorial (Mk 6:17-29) The Word of God for Everyone Dear People of God, Today the Church is celebrating the beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Today's Word of God tells of King Herod beheading a prophet of God, that is, prophet John the Baptist. Saint John the Baptist was a very special prophet, who prepared the way for the Savior and called everyone to make the way straight to wait for the Son of God to come to earth as a man and to die in atonement for the sins of mankind. St. John the Baptist was a righteous prophet of God, who always walked in the truth. He dared to tell the truth, dared to condemn those who lived in injustice, condemn those who lived in sin and passion. In particular, he dared to warn King Herod, a very powerful king, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.' Through the actions of prophet John, the Baptist, God wants to tell everyone that in this world, people should only fear God and must do everything according to His will and that they should not be afraid of any power of the world. St. John the Baptist came into the world to call people to repent, turn from their path of sin, and return to God. He had the courage to speak out and expose the wrongdoing and sin of King Herod, only to be finally killed by the king. Indeed, Saint John was a righteous prophet and was always walking in the grace and light of God, so he did not fear death. Today, God's prophets must also follow the example of Saint John the Baptist, that is, to dare to speak up in the streets, to dare to speak up to defend the truth, to dare to speak up to expose the wrongdoings and sins of the leaders in the Church. God wants His prophets in this new age to be courageous, to dare to sacrifice their own lives for God's work and to dare to stand up for the truth. Only then is it pleasing to God. When coming to earth as a human, Jesus Himself also brought the truth to the world to drive out evil, to expose the sins of people, in order to help people realize their sins, repent, and return to God the Father for reconciliation. The Word of God today calls everyone to stay awake, to live and do what God the Father commanded, and not to go into the paths of sin, passion, hatred, division, and killing each other. For these evil things will lead man away from God and to eternal death. Like the image of King Herod, because of lust, power, and honor of the world, he killed the righteous prophet of God and sinned before God. God also says that those who sincerely convert, are determined to turn from the path of sin, return and make peace with God, and live a righteous life, will be loved, preserved, and protected by God Himself from Satan's temptations and captivity, and in the afterlife will enjoy the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven with Him. Thanks be to God. Amen.