Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 6, 2026
King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
and people were saying,
“John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
Others were saying, “He is Elijah”;
still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”
But when Herod learned of it, he said,
“It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”
Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers,
and the leading men of Galilee.
His own daughter came in and performed a dance
that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
Her mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once on a platter
the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner
with orders to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter
and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Reflection
Last summer, my wife and our seven children lived in Guadalajara, Mexico, where I was teaching a course at a local university. There, we made a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Zapopan. In a side hallway, I was intrigued by a painting depicting scenes from the life of the first Mexican saint.
Philip of Jesus, the son of Spanish immigrants, tried to join the Franciscans in Mexico, but was soon repelled by their simplicity, as he was too attached to riches and the pleasures of life. After a few years of dissipation and listlessness, his father sent him to Manila to pursue business interests. There, he heard the call from Jesus to “take up your cross and follow me” (Mt. 16:24), and he was accepted by the religious order, which sent him back to Mexico to be ordained a priest.
God had other plans. His ship was sent off course by a storm and wrecked off the coast of Japan. The castaway Philip wasted no time; God wanted him to proclaim the truth of the Gospel there. Seven months later, on February 6th, 1597, he was crucified along with Paul Miki and twenty-five other Christians.
God used the accidental shipwreck to make known a different plan; yet, Philiip did not accidentally become a saint. God’s providence orchestrates “accidents” in our lives to place us where we need to be to proclaim Jesus Christ. These ordinary places—the home, the office, the classroom, the checkout line—are where God asks us to encounter others and to speak the truth in love.
Many centuries earlier, St. John the Baptist spoke the truth in love in a place he least expected. Where has God put us today to spread the joy of knowing Jesus and living in the truth? Will we take the adventurous risk to respond? If the truth is worth dying for, then it surely must be worth living for. But there is a cost to discipleship, and we won’t become saints by accident.
Prayer
O God of our longing, you sent John the Baptist to proclaim your kingdom amid our human divisions. Even in his horrific death, John foreshadowed the path of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection. May we hear the message of Jesus Christ with intrigue and hope. May the voice of love speak beyond our earthly grudges and instincts of violence. May hope ring out in our world as to imitate John the Baptist and point our lives in the direction of Jesus, the Christ. Amen.
Saint of the Day
In the 1540s, St. Francis Xavier introduced Christianity to people in Japan. A generation later, Paul Miki was born and raised in the faith, one of the first fruits of the seeds planted by the great Jesuit missionary.
By the 1580s, there were more than 200,000 converts to Christianity in Japan, and the Japanese emperor felt threatened by the new religion. He banished Catholics in 1587, but the Jesuits who continued to serve the faithful there went into hiding and worked in secret.
Paul was born the son of a Japanese military leader and educated by these Jesuits. He wanted to become a priest and began studies. Just before his ordination, the emperor began violently persecuting Christians. Despite this, Paul decided to continue his ministry and was known for his eloquent and intelligent preaching.
Under this persecution, Paul and 25 other men and boys—Jesuits, Franciscans, and lay people—were arrested and condemned to execution. They were forcibly marched 600 miles throughout Japan so as to be an example to other people. Villagers abused them as they passed by, but the Christians sang the Te Deum, an early Christian hymn of praise.
By the time the group entered Kyoto, their ears had been severed and blood streamed down their necks. The sight of these suffering Christians inspired sadness and compassion among the witnesses, many of whom were moved to become Christians themselves. The Christians were then taken to a hill near Nagasaki and tied to crosses. Executioners killed the martyrs by stabbing them in the stomachs with swords.
As he was awaiting death, Paul said, “The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason that I die. I believe that I am telling the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ's example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.”
Indeed it did. St. Paul Miki and his companions were the first martyrs of Japan, and their example sustained the Christian community there with courage, even as it survived underground for 300 years. The story of St. Paul Miki’s martyrdom and his image are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program. To learn more about these martyrs, you can watch this short video.
St. Paul Miki and Companions, martyrs whose example encouraged Christians in Japan—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Paul Miki is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.