Thursday of the Twenty-fifth week in Ordinary Time

by Daily Gospel | Source: Daily Gospel

Book of Haggai 1:1-8.

On the first day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak:
Thus says the LORD of hosts: This people says: "Not now has the time come to rebuild the house of the LORD."
(Then this word of the LORD came through Haggai, the prophet:)
Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?
Now thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways!
You have sown much, but have brought in little; you have eaten, but have not been satisfied; You have drunk, but have not been exhilarated; have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed; And he who earned wages earned them for a bag with holes in it.
Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways!
Go up into the hill country; bring timber, and build the house That I may take pleasure in it and receive my glory, says the LORD.

Psalms 149(148):1-2.3-4.5-6a.9b.

Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song, a hymn in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker, the people of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them praise his name in festive dance, make music with tambourine and lyre.
For the LORD takes delight in his people, honors the poor with victory.

Let the faithful rejoice in their glory, cry out for joy at their banquet,
With the praise of God in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hands,
To execute the judgments decreed for them-- such is the glory of all God's faithful. Hallelujah!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 9:7-9.

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, "John has been raised from the dead" ;
others were saying, "Elijah has appeared"; still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen."
But Herod said, "John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" And he kept trying to see him.

Commentary of the day
Saint John Damascene (c.675-749), monk, theologian, Doctor of the Church
On the Orthodox Faith, I, 1

Herod kept trying to see Christ

«No one has ever seen God. The only Son who is at the Father's side, has revealed hom» (Jn 1,18). Divinity is inexpressible and incomprehensible: «No one knows the Father except the Son, and no one knows the Son except the Father» (cf. Mt 11,27) and, similarly, the Holy Spirit knows what is of God... But following this original, blessed divine knowledge, no one has ever known God except those to whom God has revealed himself...

Nevertheless, God does not leave us in total ignorance since each one of us possesses the knowledge (sown by him) that God exists. Creation itself, by its cohesiveness and direction, proclaims the splendor of the divine nature (Rm 1,20). Then the Law and the prophets and, afterwards, his only Son, the Lord, «our God and Savior Jesus Christ» (2Pt 1,1), have made known the knowledge of God according as we can understand it. That is why we receive and understand and give ourselves to everything handed on to us by the Law and prophets, the apostles and evangelists. We fix our devotion on that and do not look beyond it.

God is good; he sees to it that all is well... Since he knows everything and provides what is suitable for each, he has revealed to us what we need to know and kept from us what we cannot bear. Let us be content with this, then, and remain in it.

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