Daily TV Mass Saturday August 1, 2026

Fr. Gustave Ineza, OP

Transcript

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From the St. Ignatius Chapel at the Manresa Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Center in Pickering, Ontario. The National Catholic Broadcasting Council presents the Daily TV Mass.

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Welcome to the celebration of the Daily TV Mass. I am Father Gustav Ineza. The televising of this mass is made possible by the contributions from our donors. The first is Patricia Escrita from El Paso, Texas. For our brothers and sisters who have died, especially for her daughter, Monique Escrita Vadev, and parents, Jesus and Carnacion Escritia. Also for the souls that have no one to pray for them. May they rest in peace and may the Lord guide all nations toward unity, heal the wounds of division, and fill every heart with peace that only his love can give. The second is the Kavanagh family of Ontario. On the first anniversary of the death of their dear mother, Mary Teresa Kavanaugh, and for their cousin, Philip John Cavanagh, who died on December 20th, 2025. May God bless and guide all redemptorists, priests, and brothers on this feast day of their founder, St. Alphonsos Ligori. The Daily TV Mass Ministry is made possible by the generous contributions of all our donors and in a special way our monthly donors. We pray this month that Mary's Assumption renews our hope of one day sharing eternal life with her and her son. Our thanks to our donors for the gift of this Mass. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

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And with your spirit.

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Dear brothers and sisters, today the church commemorates St. Alphonsus de Gori, the founder of the Redemptorists. And we entrust our prayers to Him to pray for God's forgiveness. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy. May the Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Let us pray. O God, who constantly raised up in your church new examples of virtue, grant that we may follow so closely in the footsteps of the Bishop Saint Alphonsus in his zeal for souls as to attain the same rewards that are his in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

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Reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah. After Jeremiah had spoken all that the Lord had commanded, the officials of Judah came from the king's house and took their seat at the new gate of the house of the Lord. Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears. Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, It is the Lord who sent me to prophecy against this house and this city, all the words you have heard. Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will change his mind about the disaster that he has pronounced against you. But as for me, here I am in your hands, and do with me as seems good and right to you. I only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent blood upon yourselves and upon the city and its inhabitants. For in truth, the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears. Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God. But the hand of Haikum, the son of Shaphan, was with Jeremiah, so that he was not given over into the hands of the people to be put to death. The word of the Lord.

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Herod, the ruler, heard reports about Jesus, and he said to his servants, This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead, and for this reason, these powers are at work in him. For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because John had been telling him, It is not lawful for you to have her. Though Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd because they regarded John as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod so much that he promised an oath to grant her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter. The king was grieved. Yet out of regard for his oath and for the guests, he commanded it to be given. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought on a platter and given to the girl who brought it to her mother. His disciples came and took the body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. The Gospel of the Lord.

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Praise you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Dear brothers and sisters, the word of God today places before us two figures who have in common, so much in common, the prophet Jeremiah and John the Baptist. They lived centuries apart, but they shared the same mission, the same courage, and almost the same fate. Both were called by God to speak the truth. Both challenged people who preferred comfortable lies. Both found themselves threatened because they dared to comfort to confront powerful interests. Their stories remind us that fidelity to God often comes at a price. In the first reading, Jeremiah stands before the leaders of Jerusalem. The priests and prophets accuse him and demand his death. Why? Not because he had committed a crime, but because he had spoken a message that they did not want to hear. Jeremiah has warned the city that injustice, corruption, and infidelity would lead it to disaster. Rather than examine their conduct, the leaders seek to silence the messenger. It is easier to eliminate the prophet than to change one's ways. Jeremiah's response is remarkable. He does not defend himself by appealing to his own power. He simply says it was the Lord who sent me. He places his life entirely in God's hands. As for me, I am in your hands. Do with me what you think good and right. He knows that the truth is more important than personal safety. He knows that a prophet's task is not to be popular, but to be faithful. And the gospel presents a similar scene. John the Baptist has challenged King Herod over his unlawful relationship with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Like Jeremiah, John speaks not out of personal hatred, but out of fidelity to God's law. He is not trying to humiliate Herod. He's trying to call him to conversion. Yet speaking the truth power, speaking truth to the power, is really welcome. John is imprisoned and eventually he is killed. What is striking in today's gospel is the absurdity of the events that led to his death. John the Baptist, the greatest prophet of his generation, loses his life because of a banquet, a dance, wounded pride, and a reckless oath. Herod knows that killing John is wrong. The Gospel says he is distressed, yet he fears losing faith before his guests. A silly promise made in the moment of vanity becomes a death sentence for an innocent man. And this reveal something important about the nature of persecution. We often imagine persecution as the result of grand ideological battles. Sometimes it is. But very often, persecution arises from something much more ordinary: pride, selfishness, wounded egos, personal interests, fear of losing power, or the whims of those who hold authority. Throughout history, countless innocent people have suffered because someone powerful wanted to preserve an image, protect a privilege, avoid embarrassment, or satisfy a personal desire. The stories of Jeremiah and John the Baptists are therefore not only ancient stories. They continue to unfold in our world today. Christians who dare to challenge unfair and corrupt systems often find themselves in similar situations. Men and women who speak for the voiceless, who expose wrongdoings, or who defend the dignity of the vulnerable frequently pay a price. Think of the employee who dares to defend a co-worker who is being bullied by an unjust supervisor. Instead of receiving gratitude, that person may become a target as well. Think of those who intervene when abuse is ignored, when vulnerable people are exploited, or when discrimination is tolerated, or when corruption is accepted as normal. Often they are labeled as troublemakers, isolated, marginalized, or pushed aside. Their experience is not far removed from that of Jeremiah standing before hostile leaders or John sitting in Herod's prison. The history of the church provides many examples, and recent generations have witnessed pastors and church leaders who spoke truth with courage and endured opposition because of it.

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St.

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Oscar Romero denounced violence, oppression, and the abuse of the poor, and he paid with his life. St. John Paul II challenged both communist oppression and the excesses of materialism, often facing fierce resistance. Pope Francis repeatedly called attention to the plight of migrants, the poor, and victims of economic injustice, provoking criticism from many quarters. And Pope Leo has started to suffer the same. Whether one agrees with every position they took is not the point. What matters is that they understood that the gospel must sometimes challenge the powerful rather than seek their approval. Yet today's readings are not simply about heroic individuals. They are also about us. Most of us will never stand before kings or governments. Most of us will never become famous prophets. But every Christian will eventually face moments when silence is safer than truth, when conformity is easier than courage, and when self-interest seems more attractive than justice. At this moment, dear brothers and sisters, Jeremiah and John the Baptist become our teachers. They remind us that faithfulness is not measured by success but by integrity. They remind us that discipleship sometimes requires us to stand with those whom society overlooks. They remind us that the kingdom of God advances whenever ordinary believers refuse to participate in injustice, refuse to remain silenced before abuse, and refuse to sacrifice truth to convenience. The good news is that neither Jeremiah nor John suffered alone. God was with them. Jeremiah was protected through the intervention of Ahikem. John was not abandoned in death, for his witness prepared the way for Christ whose resurrection would reveal that truth cannot ultimately be silenced. Today let us pray for the courage to be faithful witnesses in our own time. Let us pray for those who suffer because they defend the weak, expose corruption, or speak uncomfortable truths. And let us ask for the wisdom to recognize that every act of justice, every defense of the vulnerable, and every refusal to cooperate with wrongdoing is the participation in the prophetic mission of Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and ultimately Jesus Christ Himself. Amen. Let us bring our prayers and petitions to God. For all those in our Daily TV Mass Prayer Intentions book, we pray to the Lord.

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Lord hear our prayer.

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We pray this month that Mary's assumption renews our hope of one day sharing eternal life with her and her son. We pray to the Lord.

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Lord hear our prayer.

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These prayers and those we keep in our hearts, we bring them to God and we ask God to grant them through Christ our Lord. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you, fruit of the earth and work of human hands, that you become for us the bread of life. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness you have received the wine we offer you, the fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become a spiritual drink. Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Almighty Father.

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May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name for our good and good of all holy soul, church.

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Let us pray. Be pleased, O Lord, to enkindle our hearts with the celestial fire of your spirit, just as you granted that Saint Alphonsus should celebrate these mysteries, and by them offer himself to you as a holy sacrifice through Christ our Lord.

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Amen.

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The Lord be with you.

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And with the lift up your hearts.

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Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is true right and just truly right and just our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord Holy Father, Almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord. For as on the festival of Saint Alphonsus of Ligori, you bid your church rejoice. So to you strengthen her by the example of his holy life, teach her by his words of preaching, and keep her safe in answer to his prayers. And so with the company of angels and saints, we sing the hymn of your praise, as without end we acclaim.

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Oh yes Oh to see who comes in the name of God. Oh San.

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You are indeed holy, O Lord, the found of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts we pray by sending down your speed upon them like they do for, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his passion, he took bread, and giving thanks broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body which will be given up for you. In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice, and once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying, Take these all of you, and drink from it. For this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do these in memory of me. The mystery of faith.

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When we hear this breath and treating his car, we proclaim your death, oh Lord, until you come again.

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Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his death and resurrection, we offer your Lord the bread of life and the charis of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you. Humbly we pray that partaking of the body and blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit. Remember, Lord, your church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Leo, our Pope, and Francis, our bishop, and all the clergy. Remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy. Welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all, we pray that with the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with the blessed Joseph, our spouse, with the blessed apostles, Saint Alphonsus Ligory, and all the saints who are pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be choired to eternal life and may praise and glorify you through your Son Jesus Christ. Through him and with him and in him, O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, our glory and honor is yours forever and ever. At the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Deliver us, Lord, we pray from every evil. Graciously grant peace in our days, that by the help of your mercy we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. For the kingdom, the power and the glory of yours. Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles, peace I leave you, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will, who live and reign forever and ever.

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Amen.

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The peace of the Lord be with you always. Let us offer each other the sign of peace. Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called the supper of the Lamb. Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word in my soul.

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My Jesus, I believe that you are present in this holy sacrament of the altar. I love you above all things, and I passionately desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my soul, so that I may unite myself wholly to you now and forever. Amen.

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Grant that your faithful may receive it often and receiving it, praise you without end. Through Christ our Lord.

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Amen.

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The Lord be with you.

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And with your Spirit.

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May the Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our mass is ended. Let us go and glorify the Lord by our lives.

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Thanks be to God.

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Our thanks to our donors for the gift of this Mass.

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We have some Jesus.