Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where we read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started! Today is Friday, February 6th, and the Gospel reading is Mark 6, 14-29.
And the scripture to reflect on is Psalm 18, 31.
For who is God but the Lord, and who is a rock except our God?
The reading of the Psalms made me think of the movie Finding Dory and the sea lions.
They make me laugh just thinking about them.
Have you seen that movie?
There are two sea lions, Fluke and Rudder, who hang out on the rock.
They sunbathe all day and stay safe from the sharks and whales and predators that might want to eat them.
They feel safe on the rock, so safe that they don’t even look for food.
They are so rude to another poor sea lion, Gerald.
They make him get all the fish for them, but when he tries to join them on the rock, they yell, off, off, off to him.
The rock is a safe place to be.
Today’s Saint of the Day, Saint Paul Miki.
He was born 1564 and died 1597.
He is a patron saint of Japan.
Paul’s family was from Japan, and most people in their country were Buddhists during their lifetime.
But they converted to Christianity from Buddhism after talking with Christian missionaries.
Paul was baptized when he was just five years old.
He studied for more than ten years to become a priest, when the Japanese empire began persecuting or mistreating these new Christians in Japan.
Christianity was outlawed and anyone who was a Christian could be killed.
Paul and 25 others who believed in Jesus were sentenced to die on the crosses, just as Jesus had died.
Paul announced to the crowd who had gathered to watch his friends die that he forgave them.
He hoped that they would all come to know Jesus.
The two readings from today, the Gospel and the Psalms, kind of play off each other.
They made me think about the story of John the Baptist and how David, the guy who writes the Psalms, talks about God being his fortress and rock.
A fortress, according to the dictionary definition, is a stronghold, a place of defense or security.
And a rock is solid and hard, right?
John the Baptist had a lot of trust in God, to die in such a horrible way, and yet to do it with the joy knowing he had helped get ready the people for Jesus.
Paul, Mickey’s martyrism, and the over 3,000 Christians who have died their faith throughout Japan’s history bore abundant fruit for the church in Japan.
For nearly 300 years, during which Christians in Japan were forbidden to practice their faith, thousands of Japanese Christians were preserved that passed on their faith in Jesus' as great risks to themselves.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, help me to continue to depend on you as my rock and salvation.
And help me to recognize that our deepest happiness comes from following you.
Saint Paul, Mickey, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back next week, scattering more flowers.
See ya!