September 24

 

Herod Sought to See Jesus
Today's Gospel: Luke 9:7-9

Image created using Google AI Image Creator.

Today's Gospel: Luke 9:7-9
(Herod Sought to See Jesus)


"Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen. Herod said, 'John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?' And he sought to see him."

Reflection:

Herod was riddled with guilt and hearing about Jesus, brought out that guilt in a way that really affected him. It is guilt that will convince you the past is here to chase you down and call you out. Herod sought Jesus out of fear buried in that guilt, it wasn’t faith, and that's the trap so many people fall into. We wait until we're desperate before we are seeking God in our lives, when He's been here, waiting all along. Today the Church also remembers Saint Gerard Sagredo, a monk who went to Hungary and gave twenty-five years to build a Christian nation, sadly only to be murdered by a pagan uprising the moment his king died. For one violent season in Hungary, it looked like nothing had changed at all. Was this the result of Saint Gerard’s whole life’s work, did it add up to nothing?

But it wasn't nothing; everything changed, within a generation, Hungary was thoroughly Christian, and Gerard was canonized right alongside the king he'd served. Ecclesiastes asks what a man gains from all his toil under the sun, and on the day, Gerard died rolling down a hill in a barrel, the answer must have seemed bleak. It wasn't. His death became the price of something greater, like Our Lady of Ransom, a devotion born from believers giving everything to free captive souls. Gerard's life was spent, quite literally, to ransom a nation from the darkness it had barely left behind. That's what Jesus does for every one of us, if we let Him, He pays what we cannot, to free us from sin we cannot free ourselves from.

So don't wait for guilt to drive you toward God the way it drove Herod. Seek Jesus now, in prayer, in the Mass, in confession, in the slow and often unglamorous work of just staying faithful. Herod admired John but let fear be his only motive for seeking the truth. Gerard took the long view and trusted the fruit would come, even if he never saw it.

What patient, faithful work have you nearly given up on because the world around you still looks unchanged? And when Jesus finally stands in front of you asking the same question, He asked Herod's Judea, "Who do you say I am, will fear be the only thing that brought you there, or will it be love?"

 

Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely shared.

Location: Tonawanda, NY 14150, USA

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Consider Becoming a Rosary Maker Have you ever wished to make a meaningful difference in the world, while deepening your own spiritual journey? If so, we invite you to join Our Lady's Rosary Makers Ministry here at the Fatima Shrine in Lewiston NY. We are more than just a group - this is a calling, we are a community, and this is a way to bring light into the lives of others while strengthening your own faith. Plus it's a whole lot of fun, you may even become addicted to Making Rosaries. Discover the Joy of Rosary Making Rosary making is a profoundly rewarding activity that combines creativity with devotion. As you craft each Rosary Bead, you're not just making a rosary you're creating a tool for prayer, a symbol of hope, and a bridge to God for someone in need. Each Rosary carries the potential to touch lives, to comfort the sick, to uplift the weary, and to inspire the faithful. Aren't you curious? A Gift That Keeps on Giving Our Rosary Makers Ministry is dedicate...
Read more
Image
The Dome Basilica at The Fatima Shrine: Capturing Sunrise & Sunset The Basilica The construction of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima Basilica was started in 1963 and completed in 1965. This unique church measures 100 feet in diameter and 55 feet high. The dome is covered with a layer of glass and one of plexiglass depicting a contour of the Northern Hemisphere upon which rests a beautiful statue of Our Lady Fatima. The Barnabite Fathers wanted to express an architectural form that Our Lady is very much in the midst of the world helping humanity to reach the Lord. Our Lady of Fatima: Top of The Dome Two flights of stairs, consisting of 63 steps each, led to the top of the dome, for where one enjoys a beautiful view of the shrine grounds and surrounding hills. The large statue of Our Lady of Fatima is 13 feet high and weighs 10 tons. It was sculptured in Vermont Granite. The grayish color of the stone disappears at night under the spotlights, and the statue seems to beam as a star fo...
Read more

An Invitation To Read My Story - My Testimony

Image
An Invitation To Read My Story (1983) My Testimony and How Sharing The Rosary Has Become My Life's Focus My testimony begins with that life-changing weekend in 1983 when God intervened dramatically through the car accident on the Garden State Parkway (in New Jersey). What strikes me most in recalling it is the vivid detail of those "hands holding us in the air" during the violent rollover - a supernatural protection that I, as a self-proclaimed atheist at the time, couldn't explain away. Even in my initial resistance, crying out "Why did you save me???", there was already the seed of recognition that something beyond mere chance had occurred. The way God persistently pursued me through the next stage is remarkable. Through my mother's gentle invitation to the prayer meeting at St. Patrick's Church, I was led to a pivotal moment - standing in that center aisle with arms outstretched, mirroring Christ's posture on the cross. The physical sensation ...
Read more