The Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Brothers,
you who have been called by God, take a good look:
among you, there are not many who are wise in human terms,
nor powerful people or of noble birth.
    On the contrary, what is foolish in the world,
this is what God has chosen,
to put the wise to shame;
what is weak in the world,
this is what God has chosen,
to put to shame what is strong;
    what is humble in origin, despised in the world,
what is not,
this is what God has chosen,
to reduce to nothing what is;
    so that no human being may boast before God.
    It is by God’s doing that you are in Christ Jesus,
who has become for us wisdom from God,
righteousness, sanctification, redemption.
    Thus, as it is written:
Let the one who wants to boast,
boast in the Lord.

        – The word of the Lord.

Blessed is the people whose Lord is God,
blessed the nation he has chosen for his own!
From heaven, the Lord looks down:
he sees the human race.

God watches over those who fear him,
who place their hope in his love,
to deliver them from death,
to keep them alive in times of famine.

We await our life from the Lord:
he is for us a help, a shield.
The joy of our heart comes from him,
our trust is in his most holy name.

          At that time,
  Herod had given orders to arrest John the Baptist
and chain him in prison,
because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,
whom he himself had taken as wife.
  Indeed, John said to him:
"It is not lawful
for you to have your brother’s wife."
  So Herodias had a grudge against John,
and she tried to have him killed.
But she was unable to do so
  because Herod was afraid of John:
he knew that he was a righteous and holy man,
and he protected him;
when he had heard him, he was greatly puzzled;
yet he liked to listen to him.

          Then an opportune moment came
when, on his birthday,
Herod gave a banquet for his courtiers,
for the military leaders and the notable men of Galilee.
  The daughter of Herodias came in and danced.
She pleased Herod and his guests.
The king said to the young girl:
"Ask me for whatever you want,
and I will give it to you."
  And he swore to her:
"Whatever you ask of me, I will give you,
even up to half of my kingdom."
  She went out then and said to her mother:
"What should I ask for?"
Herodias replied:
"The head of John the Baptist."
  At once the young girl hurried back to the king
and made this request:
"I want you to give me right now,
on a platter, the head of John the Baptist."
  The king was deeply distressed;
but because of his oath and his guests,
he did not want to refuse her.
  Immediately he sent a guard
with orders to bring John’s head.
The guard went and beheaded John in the prison.
  He brought the head on a platter,
gave it to the young girl,
and the young girl gave it to her mother.

          When they heard about this,
the disciples of John came and took his body
and laid it in a tomb.

          – Let us acclaim the Word of God.