Scripture Readings for Friday, February 6, 2026

Sirach 47: 2-11, Psalm 18: 31, 47, 50-51, Mark 6:14-29

Based on Biblical writing style, the story of John the Baptist’s beheading placed between the sending and return of Jesus’ disciples is meant to send the message that discipleship may well lead to a similar fate. For me the question is how does our first reading of King David with all his glorious achievements fit with the gruesome story of John’s beheading? Especially when the Psalm claims, “the LORD … is a shield to all who take refuge in him.” Clearly that didn’t work out so well for John the Baptist or Jesus, if you think about it.

The other element today is the feast of St. Paul Miki and companions. These were Japanese martyrs in the late 16^th century. They were caught up in the anti-Catholic uprising in Japan during that time.

I think Mark’s message is the important one. Discipleship, living as Jesus did, in the past could lead to losing one’s life in absolute concrete reality. That’s certainly what happened to the Japanese Jesuits, Franciscans and lay people who died because of their Christian faith. However, for most of us that’s probably not such an immediate probability or threat. What is the issue today?

Perhaps what is relevant is what is involved in discipleship in the first place. What ties the story of the Baptist with the story of David is the clear, steadfast commitment that made them who they were. It is what made this group Japanese men martyrs for their Christianity. In each case these people are living out of a conviction, a belief that holds the meaning of their lives. This is about following what you believe makes life worth living. A dedication for which you’ll risk everything. That I think is a relevant question for us today. Is there something we believe in that shapes how we decide to live. Let’s not make it about dying. Let’s consider what living is for.

My sense is our lives today are often overloaded with ambiguity. Although I’m not sure it ever was any different. Life probably has never been an array of clear black and white choices. The challenge is to seek out what I’m going to trust as true and then live accordingly. I think one of the biggest challenges to doing that is not framing the question but being willing to choose an answer. Too often it’s easier to avoid facing the issues that bother us. We turn away, say we need more information, or we’re simply afraid of what will happen if we take any step outside our current comfort zone.

David fits in here because he is the model of the ultimate free human being. In biblical times that meant he had to be a king so he could wield power and achieve success in everything he did. That’s what we’re told in today’s first reading. The story says however that this king was subject to Israel’s God and this king also could make mistakes and was forgiven by his God. This person who had total freedom to live as he wanted had an unrelenting commitment to God, to something outside himself.

Today we could find lots of things to warrant our commitment. Perhaps of all the Christian possibilities, it is good enough to recognize that these readings offer a view of a commitment to something outside of ourselves. Whether it’s David’s commitment to his God, St. Paul Miki’s commitment to spreading Christianity, John the Baptist’s commitment to preparing the way for Jesus or Jesus’ commitment to showing us what God looks like in this life, each made a choice and lived by it, no matter the consequences. The question is, what will we live for?