The Courage to Trust in God. In today's Gospel of the passion of Saint John the Baptist, we encounter a pitiable man: Herod.
Dear Fathers, Friends in Christ,
1 Corinthians 1:17-25
Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11
Mark 6:17-29
Christian commitment seems an increasingly rare commodity in our time, yet it still flourishes.
If we examine what it is that motivates and sustains Christian commitment, we inevitably find love. Authentic love requires a certain maturity that is capable of sacrifice for another or others without any recompense: a love-inspired sacrifice that might be ignored, taken for granted, or even judged as self-serving.
At the extreme, where demonic forces prevail openly, committed Christians are tortured and put to death, an evil that cannot be relegated only to centuries past.
May the love that inspired the powerful commitment of St. John the Baptist, and the love that has sustained Christian martyrs throughout the ages, find a lasting place in our hearts.
"For I am certain that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor principalities,
neither the present nor the future, nor powers,
neither height nor depth, nor any other creature,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
that comes to us in Christ Jesus, our Lord."
(Romans 8:38-39)
Father Ed Bakker
Anglican Catholic Church / Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
Bendigo Australia
