Bible Diary 2009 - January
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BIBLE DIARY 2009
Liturgical Readings and Reflections
| January 2009 |
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| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thur | Frid | Sat |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
January ♦ February ♦ March ♦ April ♦ May ♦ June ♦ July
August ♦ September ♦ October ♦ November ♦ December
Mary, Mother of God
►1st Reading: Num 6:22–27
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and say to them: This is how you shall bless the people of Israel; you shall say:
May Yahweh bless you and keep you!
May Yahweh let his face shine on you, and be gracious to you!
May Yahweh look kindly on you, and give you his peace!
In that way shall they put my name on the people of Israel and I will bless them.”
►2nd Reading: Gal 4:4–7
But when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son. He came born of woman and subject to the Law, in order to redeem the subjects of the Law, that we might receive adoption as children of God. And because you are children, God has sent into your hearts the Spirit of his Son which cries out: Abba! that is, Father!
You yourself are no longer a slave but a son or daughter, and yours is the inheritance by God’s grace.
►Gospel: Lk 2:16–21
The shepherds came hurriedly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby lying in the manger. On seeing this they related what they had been told about the child, and all were astonished on hearing the shepherds.
As for Mary, she treasured all these messages and continually pondered over them.
The shepherds then returned giving glory and praise to God for all they had heard and seen, just as the angels had told them.
On the eighth day the circumcision of the baby had to be performed; he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
REFLECTION
As it was with Mary, we begin the New Year with grace, blessings and hope. Like her, we receive the same blessings that Yahweh bestowed on His people, Israel, as spoken to Moses. Through her, we are adopted as God’s children. Today, with Mary, let us ponder upon these blessings and learn to nurture them. And like the shepherds, let us return to God all glory and praise for the wondrous things we have heard and seen.
This year, Mary inspires us to live a life full of gratitude, generosity, compassion and hope, so that we may return to God, with interest, all the gifts He has given us. There is no doubt that devotion to Mary provides the key both to sanctity and to salvation. There is no better way to advance quickly in holiness, no better way to please God, and no better way to guarantee one's eternal salvation than through true devotion to Mary. Beloved by countless souls, Mary sums up the entire Christian life, showing a way of holiness that was the way of life, chosen by Christ Himself!
Before Epiphany
Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzen
►1st Reading: 1 Jn 2:22–28
Who is the liar?
The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ.
This is an antichrist, who denies both the Father and the Son. The one who denies the Son is without the Father, and those who acknowledge the Son also have the Father.
Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you, too, will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise he himself gave us: eternal life.
I write this to you thinking of those who try to lead you astray.
You received from him an anointing, and it remains in you, so you do not need someone to teach you. His anointing teaches you all things, it speaks the truth and does not lie to you; so remain in him, and keep what he has taught you.
And now, my children, live in him, so that when he appears in his glory, we may be confident and not ashamed before him when he comes.
►Gospel: Jn 1:19–28
This was the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” John recognized the truth and did not deny it. He said, “I am not the Messiah.”
And they asked him, “Then who are you? Elijah?” He answered, “I am not.” They said, “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Tell us who you are, so that we can give some answer to those who sent us. How do you see yourself?” And John said, quoting the prophet Isaiah, “I am the voice crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord.”
Those who had been sent were Pharisees; so they put a further question to John: “Then why are you baptizing if you are not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?” John answered, “I baptize you with water, but among you stands one whom you do not know; although he comes after me, I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.”
This happened in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
REFLECTION
“Who are you?” Just as this question was asked of John the Baptist, it will as often as not be asked of us, especially when it is demanded that we stand up for Christ and testify to the truth. There is no doubt that John prepared the way of the Lord, always by telling the people following the real truth, regardless of how difficult it was for them to hear it, rather than telling them what they wanted to hear.
“I am a Christian, a follower of Christ!” This is the truth at the core of our faith. It is the source of our confidence and our commitment to stand up for Christ in our everyday lives. It is the basis of our identity and mission as Christians. This is the source of our compassion, which we must share with the world, especially when we meet those who are crying out in their wilderness of loss, pain and confusion. As it was with John, may ours be the voices that strengthen them, dispel their doubts and give them hope in the eternal command: “Make straight the way of the Lord!”
Before Epiphany
Most Holy Name of Jesus
►1st Reading: 1 Jn 2:29–3:6
You know that he is the Just One: know then that anyone living justly is born of God.
See what singular love the Father has for us: we are called children of God, and we really are. This is why the world does not know us, because it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children and what we shall be has not yet been shown. Yet when he appears in his glory, we know that we shall be like him, for then we shall see him as he is. All who have such a hope try to be pure as he is pure.
Anyone who commits a sin acts as an enemy of the law of God; any sin acts wickedly, because all sin is wickedness. You know that he came to take away our sins, and that there is no sin in him. Whoever remains in him has no sin, whoever sins has not seen or known him.
►Gospel: Jn 1:29–34
When John saw Jesus coming towards him, he said, “There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. It is he of whom I said: A man comes after me who is already ahead of me, for he was before me. I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing to prepare for him, so that he might be revealed in Israel.”
And John also gave this testimony, “I saw the Spirit coming down on him like a dove from heaven and resting on him. I myself did not know him but God who sent me to baptize told me: ‘You will see the Spirit coming down and resting on the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ Yes, I have seen! and I declare that this is the Chosen One of God.”
REFLECTION
God places an extremely high value on the pursuit of knowledge, especially spiritual knowledge. We grow in the knowledge of God through our own personal adventures as we take our own daily walk with Him, along with learning from other Christians, especially those who are gifted the ability to teach us about true spirituality. When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching, he realized at once that Jesus was the one for whom he, John, had been working so hard to prepare the people of Israel: “Yes, I have seen and I declare that this is the Chosen One of God!”
What prevents many of us from receiving knowledge directly from God is that we have never been taught to listen. We have to be willing to go into some type of seeking-mode with God to hear Him. Oftentimes, we dare not speak of God or His gifts out of fear or timidity. But wisdom and experience tell us that the faith and blessings we have received are not just for us to hold onto, but to share with joy and exuberance. So, as fearlessly as John, let us proclaim our knowledge and love of God to all we meet.
Epiphany of the Lord
►1st Reading: Is 60:1–6
Arise, Jerusalem, shine, for your light has come.
The Glory of Yahweh rises upon you.
Night still covers the earth and gloomy clouds veil the peoples, but Yahweh now rises and over you his glory appears.
Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift up your eyes round about and see: they are all gathered and come to you, your sons from afar, your daughters tenderly carried.
This sight will make your face radiant, your heart throbbing and full; the riches of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.
A flood of camels will cover you, caravans from Midian and Ephah.
Those from Sheba will come, bringing with them gold and incense, all singing in praise of Yahweh.
►2nd Reading: Eph 3:2–3a, 5-6
Brothers and sisters, you may have heard of the graces God bestowed on me for your sake. By a revelation he gave me the knowledge of his mysterious design, as I have explained in a few words.
This mystery was not made known to past generations but only now, through revelations given to holy apostles and prophets. Now the non-Jewish people share the Inheritance; in Christ Jesus the non-Jews are incorporated and are to enjoy the Promise.
►Gospel: Mt 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea, during the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw the rising of his star in the east and have come to honor him.”
When Herod heard this he was greatly disturbed and with him all Jerusalem. He immediately called a meeting of all high-ranking priests and the scribes, and asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
“In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they told him, “for this is what the prophet wrote: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the clans of Judah, for from you will come a leader, the one who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod secretly called the wise men and asked them the precise time the star appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem with the instruction, “Go and get precise information about the child. As soon as you have found him, report to me, so that I too may go and honor him.”
After the meeting with the king, they set out. The star that they had seen in the East went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. The wise men were overjoyed on seeing the star again. They went into the house and when they saw the child with Mary his mother, they knelt and worshiped him. They opened their bags and offered him their gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.
In a dream they were warned not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their home country by another way.
REFLECTION
On this first Sunday of 2009 we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany. We recall that the wise men honored the Christ child by bringing him valuable gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. The generous gifts bestowed upon Jesus by the three kings would prefigure the supremely generous gift that the Lord would give to us, the gift of new and everlasting life, paid for with His very blood upon the cross.
As the New Year begins, we rededicate ourselves to the task of imitating the Lord Jesus in His self giving. For when we imitate the Lord we become more like Him. And when we become more like Jesus, we grow in holiness. Our specific acts of generosity, our good and faithful stewardship of the gifts that the Lord has given to us are means to growing in holiness. As we celebrate the Lord’s generosity to us on this first Sunday of 2009, may we be inspired to imitate Him and become more generous stewards within our family, within our parish and in taking care of the needs of the poor and less fortunate.
After Epiphany
John Neumann
►1st Reading: 1 Jn 3:22–4:6
Then whatever we ask we shall receive, since we keep his commands and do what pleases him.
His command is that we believe in the Name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another, as he has commanded us.
Whoever keeps his commands remains in God and God in him. It is by the Spirit God has given us that we know he lives in us.
My beloved, do not trust every inspiration. Test the spirits to see whether they come from God, because many false prophets are now in the world.
How will you recognize the spirit of God? Any spirit recognizing Jesus as the Christ who has taken our flesh is of God. But any spirit that does not recognize Jesus is not from God, it is the spirit of the antichrist. You have heard of his coming and even now he is in the world.
You, my dear children, are of God and you have already overcome these people, because the one who is in you is more powerful than he who is in the world.
They are of the world and the world inspires them and those of the world listen to them.
We are of God and those who know God listen to us, but those who are not of God ignore us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error as well.
►Gospel: Mt 4:12–17, 23–25
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to settle down in Capernaum, a town by the lake of Galilee, at the border of Zebulun and Naphtali.
In this way the word of the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali crossed by the Road of the Sea, and you who live by the Jordan, Galilee, land of pagans, listen: The people who lived in darkness have seen a great light; on those who live in the land of the shadow of death, a light has shone.
From that time on Jesus began to proclaim his message, “Change your ways: the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Jesus went around all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, and curing all kinds of sickness and disease among the people.
The news about him spread through the whole of Syria, and the people brought all their sick to him, and all those who suffered: the possessed, the deranged, the paralyzed, and he healed them all. Large crowds followed him from Galilee and the Ten Cities, from Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan.
REFLECTION
“Repent! Change your ways! The Kingdom of heaven is near!” Not only did John the Baptist preach repentance, but so also did our loving Jesus. Today, there is even more reason than ever for us to repent of our sins, to change our minds, to regret and to change our conduct. This may not be so easy to hear; it is even harder to do. But it is still one of the most important messages that Jesus gave us. False prophets may use fancy words for repentance; but if they do not preach the need to change our hearts, then they are not saying the words of God.
Our repentance is a sure sign that we are embracing the Kingdom of God. As the Kingdom of God is with us, Jesus transforms our lives, cures and heals our spiritual sickness, and returns us to wholeness. Jesus was offering a new way of seeing with the mind of the heart. Jesus is the master of repentance, which allows us to go into the larger mind. The more we become ready to repent, the more we welcome the Kingdom of God into our daily lives, penetrating our darkness and totally transforming us.
After Epiphany
Bl. André Bessette
►1st Reading: 1 Jn 4:7–10
My dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Those who do not love have not known God, for God is love.
How did the love of God appear among us? God sent his only Son into this world that we might have life through him.
This is love: not that we loved God but that he first loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
►Gospel: Mk 6:34–44
As Jesus went ashore he saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began a long teaching session with them.
It was now getting late, so his disciples came to him and said, “This is a lonely place and it is now late. You should send the people away and let them go to the farms and villages around here to buy themselves something to eat.”
Jesus replied, “You yourselves give them something to eat.” They answered, “If we are to give them food, we must go and buy two hundred silver coins’ worth of bread.” But Jesus said, “You have some loaves: how many? Go and see.” The disciples found out and said, “There are five loaves and two fish.”
Then he told them to have the people sit down together in groups on the green grass. This they did in groups of hundreds and fifties. And Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish and, raising his eyes to heaven, he pronounced a blessing, broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them.
They all ate and everyone had enough. The disciples gathered up what was left and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces of bread and fish. Five thousand men had eaten there.
REFLECTION
“I am loved! I am loving! I am lovable!” Repetition of this eloquent mantra is advised by psychologists for people with self-esteem issues. In fact, it works for all of us. This is because, right from the start, we are all loved by God, whose very spirit is the spirit of love. When we recognize that God has always loved us, we find it possible to be loving of other people. It is in this act of loving others that we discover how lovable we are. In order to show His love for us, God sent Jesus into our world, so that we might take notice of how we should love others. This is His perfect example of love-in-action!
Mark’s tale about the miracle of the loaves and fishes was intended as another manifestation of love-in-action, which Jesus demonstrated by supplying food to the crowd who were following him. Jesus saw a need through his eyes of compassion; the people were hungry and needed food. No fuss. No drama. No publicity. Just good, old-fashioned compassion! Let us take this time to contemplate on God’s love-in-action for all of us. We are loved! We are loving! We are lovable!
After Epiphany
Raymond of Peñafort
►1st Reading: 1 Jn 4:11–18
Dear friends, if such has been the love of God, we, too, must love one another.
No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love comes to its perfection in us.
How may we know that we live in God and he in us? Because God has given us his Spirit.
We ourselves have seen and declare that the Father sent his Son to save the world. Those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in them and they in God.
We have known the love of God and have believed in it. God is love. The one who lives in love, lives in God and God in him.
When do we know that we have reached a perfect love? When in this world, we are like him in everything, and expect with confidence the Day of Judgment.
There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives away fear, for fear has to do with punishment; those who fear do not know perfect love.
►Gospel: Mk 6:45–52
After the five thousand men were satiated, Jesus obliged his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, towards Bethsaida, while he himself sent the crowd away. And having sent the people off, he went by himself to the hillside to pray.
When evening came, the boat was far out on the lake while he was alone on the land. Jesus saw his disciples straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, and before daybreak he came to them walking on the lake; and he was going to pass them by.
When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But at once he called to them, “Courage! It’s me; don’t be afraid.” Then Jesus got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astonished, for they had not really grasped the fact of the loaves; their minds were dull.
REFLECTION
The next important thing for us to learn about love is its power to drive away fear. The disciples, still not understanding the love-in-action of Jesus, even after his multiplication of the loaves and fishes, became terrified when they saw Jesus walking on the waters of the lake. What they didn’t understand terrified them. It wasn’t that they were afraid of the storm, it was the sight of Jesus walking on the lake. It was also the effect Jesus always had upon his world: it feared him because he was different.
When we are afraid of someone or something we do not know, or is different from us, we entertain a form of xenophobia and our fear easily turns to hostility. Xenophobia may be directed against a group which has been present for centuries or, in our situation, against those who adhere to other belief-systems besides Christianity. In the past, xenophobia has facilitated hostile and violent reactions, such as mass expulsion of peoples, or genocide. Love has to be expressed in our compassion and our efforts towards understanding. Let us reflect on the one God, who loves us, and who loves all humankind, regardless of adherence to any particular belief-system.
After Epiphany
►1st Reading: 1 Jn 4:19–5:4
So let us love one another, since he loved us first.
If you say, “I love God,” while you hate your brother or sister, you are a liar. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your brother whom you see? We received from him this commandment: let those who love God also love their brothers.
All those who believe that Jesus is the Anointed, are born of God; whoever loves the Father, loves the Son. How may we know that we love the children of God? If we love God and fulfill his commands, for God’s love requires us to keep his commands. In fact, his commandments are not a burden because all those born of God overcome the world. And the victory which overcomes the world is our faith.
►Gospel: Lk 4:14–22
Jesus acted with the power of the Spirit, and on his return to Galilee the news about him spread throughout all that territory. He began teaching in the synagogues of the Jews and everyone praised him.
When Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”
Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down, while the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he said to them, “Today these prophetic words come true even as you listen.”
All agreed with him and were lost in wonder, while he kept on speaking of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, “Who is this but Joseph’s son?”
REFLECTION
Only in the Sermon on the Mount does Jesus declare the reasons for his mission on earth with as much clarity and compassion. He taught these things in the synagogues, places of public worship, where Jewish leaders met to read, to expound, to pray and praise. All the gifts and graces of the Spirit were upon him when he told them that he was sent by God. He was not promising a political solution to the ills of the day…..and yet, it was for political reasons that he ended up being put to death by the Romans.
When discerning our relationship with the world, Jesus has provided us with instruction, illuminated by his example. In today’s world, where fame and glamour are elevated to almost obscene heights, it is unlikely that Jesus would be any more acceptable to the powers-that-be than he was in his own time. And yet, Jesus’ mission is as relevant to us as it has been to the poor, to those in captivity, to the blind and the oppressed, down through the ages. We do well to reflect upon the central place, which Jesus deserves to occupy in our hearts and our lives.
After Epiphany
►1st Reading: 1 Jn 5:5–13
Who has overcome the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus Christ was acknowledged through water, but also through blood.
Not only water but water and blood.
And the Spirit, too, witnesses to him for the Spirit is truth.
There are then three testimonies: the Spirit, the water and the blood, and these three witnesses agree.
If we accept human testimony, with greater reason must we accept that of God, given in favor of his Son. If you believe in the Son of God, you have God’s testimony in you.
But those who do not believe make God a liar, since they do not believe his words when he witnesses to his Son.
What has God said? That he has granted us eternal life and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life, the one who do not have the Son of God do not have life.
I write you, then, all these things that you may know that you have eternal life, all you who believe in the Name of the Son of God.
►Gospel: Lk 5:12–16
One day in another town, a man came to Jesus covered with leprosy. On seeing him he bowed down to the ground, and said, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”
Stretching out his hand, Jesus touched the man and said, “Yes, I want it. Be clean.” In an instant the leprosy left him. Then Jesus instructed him, “Tell this to no one. But go and show yourself to the priest. Make an offering for your healing, as Moses prescribed; that should be a proof to the people.”
But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and large crowds came to him to listen and be healed of their sickness. As for Jesus, he would often withdraw to solitary places and pray.
REFLECTION
In the time of Jesus, leprosy was the modern-day equivalent of AIDS, probably the worst disease in the known world. It was a long-term, slow-moving disease that was highly contagious; and for that reason, it prevented people from going to the synagogue to pray. Touching lepers was forbidden, because of how contagious leprosy was. And yet, here we have it that Jesus healed the man's leprosy, a disease which caused fear and loathing for centuries. Jesus consented to heal this man and then told him to be quiet. His command for the healed man to show himself to the priest and to make an offering followed the law about the cleansing of lepers.
Time and time again in the gospels, we see Jesus curing physical diseases so that people could return to God and, through prayer, be cured of their spiritual diseases. Just as leprosy corroded, corrupted and eventually destroyed the body, sin corrodes, corrupts and eventually destroys the spirit. Jesus' ability to heal was proof that he was sent from God. In our prayer we can find him, willing and able to cleanse us from the sins of our spirit as well as the sins of our body.
After Epiphany
►1st Reading: 1 Jn 5:14–21
Through him we are fully confident that whatever we ask, according to his will, he will grant us. If we know that he hears us whenever we ask, we know that we already have what we asked of him.
If you see your brother committing sin, a sin which does not lead to death, pray for him, and God will give life to your brother. I speak, of course, of the sin which does not lead to death. There is also a sin that leads to death; I do not speak of praying about this. Every kind of wrongdoing is sin, but not all sin leads to death.
We know that those born of God do not sin, but the one who was born of God protects them and the evil one does not touch them.
We know that we belong to God, while the whole world lies in evil.
We know that the Son of God has come and has given us power to know the truth. We are in him who is true, his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
My dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
►Gospel: Jn 3:22–30
Jesus went into the territory of Judea with his disciples. He stayed there with them and baptized. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim where water was plentiful; people came to him and were baptized. This happened before John was put in prison.
Now John’s disciples had been questioned by a Jew about spiritual cleansing, so they came to him and said, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, and about whom you spoke favorably, is now baptizing and all are going to him.”
John answered, “No one can take on anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said: ‘I am not the Christ but I have been sent before him.’ Only the bridegroom has the bride; but the friend of the bridegroom stands by and listens, and rejoices to hear the bridegroom’s voice. My joy is now full. It is necessary that he increase but that I decrease.”
REFLECTION
Today’s reading gives rise to the age-old question: why does God allow evil to exist in our world? The answer is that, if there was no suffering or evil throughout the history of the world, there would be no instances of loving goodness in action against that evil. This world of ours would not exist if heaven was the only possible world. Since everyone thinks, and no one thinks only pure thoughts, God would be pretty busy, and we wouldn't be able to think for ourselves.
The mystery is resolved by the fact that love-in-action is more important than words. Some moral acts just could not be performed in a world that had no suffering or evil. It’s one thing to tell someone you love them and would do anything for them; it’s quite another to love them in action and spend decades caring for them, even after they've grown old and senile. This furthers the cause of goodness in our world and defeats a little bit of evil. In it, we are making others aware of God’s example, showing them that God is instructing us in love and enabling us to be agents of goodness against evil.
Baptism of the Lord
►1st Reading: Is 55:1–11
Come here, all you who are thirsty, come to the water!
All who have no money, come!
Yes, without money and at no cost, buy and drink wine and milk.
Why spend money on what is not food and labor for what does not satisfy? Listen to me, and you will eat well; you will enjoy the richest of fare.
Incline your ear and come to me; listen, that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, I will fulfill in you my promises to David.
See, I have given him for a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the people. Likewise you will summon a nation unknown to you, and nations that do not know you will come hurrying to you for the sake of Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has promoted you.
Seek Yahweh while he may be found;
call to him while he is near.
Let the wicked abandon his way,
Let him forsake his thoughts,
let him turn to Yahweh for he will have mercy,
for our God is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
my ways are not your ways, says Yahweh.
For as the heavens are above the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts above your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow come down
from the heavens and do not return
till they have watered the earth,
making it yield seed for the sower
and food for others to eat,
so is my word that goes forth out of my mouth:
it will not return to me idle,
but it shall accomplish my will,
the purpose for which it has been sent.
►2nd Reading: 1 Jn 5:1–9
All those who believe that Jesus is the Anointed, are born of God; whoever loves the Father, loves the Son. How may we know that we love the children of God? If we love God and fulfill his commands, for God’s love requires us to keep his commands. In fact, his commandments are not a burden because all those born of God overcome the world. And the victory which overcomes the world is our faith. Who has overcome the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus Christ was acknowledged through water, but also through blood.
Not only water but water and blood.
And the Spirit, too, witnesses to him for the Spirit is truth.
There are then three testimonies:
the Spirit, the water and the blood, and these three witnesses agree.
If we accept human testimony, with greater reason must we accept that of God, given in favor of his Son.
►Gospel: Mk 1:7-11
John the Baptist preached to the people saying, “After me comes one who is more powerful than I am; I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit. As for me, I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandals.”
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth, a town of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And the moment he came up out of the water, heaven opened before him and he saw the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And these words were heard from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved, the One I have chosen.”
REFLECTION
In the original language of the Bible, the word baptism means to submerge, to dunk. In the early Church, the rite of baptism was often conferred through the total immersion of the new convert. This image is powerful and worthy of our reflection.
Baptism is entrance into the life of Jesus Christ and His Church. This life is not a hobby, nor is it an avocation. The life of following Jesus entails our total commitment to following Him and living according to His will. We do not dabble in discipleship, nor is holiness a hobby. Following Jesus is a full-time endeavor. As Jesus gave His all in bestowing new life upon us, so are we called to give everything we have to give as we follow Him in this new way of life. May our participation in the Sunday Eucharist sustain our commitment to be good and faithful stewards of the magnanimous gift the Lord bestows upon us, the gift of new and everlasting life.
1st Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Heb 1:1–6
God has spoken in the past to our ancestors through the prophets, in many different ways, although never completely; but in our times he has spoken definitively to us through his Son.
He is the one God appointed heir of all things, since through him he unfolded the stages of the world.
He is the radiance of God’s Glory and bears the stamp of God’s hidden being, so that his powerful word upholds the universe. And after taking away sin, he took his place at the right hand of the divine Majesty in heaven.
So he is now far superior to angels just as the name he received sets him apart from them. To what angel did God say: You are my son, I have begotten you today? and to what angel did he promise: I shall be a father to him and he will be a son to me? On sending his Firstborn to the world, God says: Let all the angels adore him.
►Gospel: Mk 1:14–20
After John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God. He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.”
As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” At once, they left their nets and followed him. Jesus went a little farther on and saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee; they were in their boat mending their nets. Immediately, Jesus called them and they followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men.
REFLECTION
Today we begin the Ordinary Time of the liturgical year. The term, Ordinary Time, can be misleading. In the context of the liturgical year, the term ‘ordinary’ does not mean usual or average. Ordinary Time occurs outside of other liturgical time periods. It is that time in the liturgical year that lies outside the seasons of Lent-to-Easter and Advent-to-Christmas. In Ordinary Time, the Church celebrates the mystery of Christ in all His aspects. The readings during the liturgies of Ordinary Time help to instruct us on how to live out our Christian faith in our daily lives.
Since Ordinary Time does not need to be ordinary, it is not meant to mean that somehow we get a break from the Liturgical Year. The opposite is true: everything that does not fit into Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter is celebrated during Ordinary Time. But, it is easy enough to go through Ordinary Time, mindless of the wonders it holds. Just as when we wake up in the morning, we often forget to thank God for the gift of our life, for the people we love and the possibilities for us to make a difference in the little things that matter.
1st Week in Ordinary Time
Hilary
►1st Reading: Heb 2:5–12
The angels were not given dominion over the new world of which we are speaking. Instead someone declared in Scripture: What is man, that you should be mindful of him, what is the son of man that you should care for him? For a while you placed him a little lower than the angels, but you crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over all things.
When it is said that God gave him dominion over all things, nothing is excluded. As it is, we do not yet see his dominion over all things. But Jesus who suffered death and for a little while was placed lower than the angels has been crowned with honor and glory. For the merciful plan of God demanded that he experience death on behalf of everyone.
God, from whom all come and by whom all things exist, wanted to bring many children to glory, and he thought it fitting to make perfect through suffering the initiator of their salvation. So he who gives and those who receive holiness are one. He himself is not ashamed of calling us brothers and sisters, as we read: Lord, I will proclaim your name to my brothers; I will praise you in the congregation.
►Gospel: Mk 1:21–28
Jesus and his disciples went into the town of Capernaum and Jesus began to teach in the synagogue during the Sabbath assemblies. The people were astonished at the way he taught, for he spoke as one having authority and not like the teachers of the Law.
It happened that a man with an evil spirit was in their synagogue and he shouted, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: You are the Holy One of God.” Then Jesus faced him and said with authority, “Be silent and come out of this man!” The evil spirit shook the man violently and, with a loud shriek, came out of him.
All the people were astonished and they wondered, “What is this? With what authority he preaches! He even orders evil spirits and they obey him!” And Jesus’ fame spread throughout all the country of Galilee.
REFLECTION
Jesus came to announce and inaugurate God's reign over the world and human beings. He cast out devils so that man could freely respond to God, who wants to give him his Holy Spirit and to direct his steps towards peace and salvation. Today’s most tenacious devil is our addiction to war and violence. In a sad irony, traditional Christianity has tended to see the world as a battle between good and evil, a battle to be won at all costs. So, when there is conflict, one is dealing with an opponent who is completely the opposite. To survive, one must use more force first before the enemy inevitably does the same.
Do we really believe that Christ's love can exorcise the prowling fiend of global violence? Do we have the faith as Christians to unleash a healing force of personal nonviolence, equal to Christ's command to testify on his behalf? Only the power of nonviolence, the force of healing, unconditional enemy-love, will banish the demons of humankind’s addiction to war and violence. This is God’s kingdom. Pray that it will soon be realized!
1st Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Heb 2:14–18
And because all those children share one same nature of flesh and blood, Jesus likewise had to share this nature. This is why his death destroyed the one holding the power of death, that is the devil, and freed those who remained in bondage all their lifetime because of the fear of death.
Jesus came to take by the hand not the angels but the hu¬man race. So he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every respect, in order to be the High Priest faithful to God and merciful to them, a priest able to ask pardon and atone for their sins. Having been tested through suffering, he is able to help those who are tested.
►Gospel: Mk 1:29–39
As soon as Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon and Andrew with James and John. As Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever, they immediately told him about her. Jesus went to her and taking her by the hand, raised her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. That evening at sundown, people brought to Jesus all the sick and those who had evil spirits: the whole town was pressing around the door. Jesus healed many who had various diseases, and drove out many demons; but he did not let them speak, for they knew who he was.
Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus went off to a lonely place where he prayed. Simon and the others went out, too, searching for him; and when they found him they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Let’s go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I came.”
So Jesus set out to preach in all the synagogues throughout Galilee; he also cast out demons.
REFLECTION
Despite Jesus’ busy schedule, he still had time to visit the home of Simon and Andrew and to heal Simon’s mother-in-law. Jesus' humanity drew thousands of people. He wasn't distant and removed, but walked among them, serving their needs. He did this because, at the core of who he was, beat a heart of empathy. Empathy is one of the hallmarks of our humanity. It is the ability to walk in the shoes of another and to help that person. Empathy for our fellow men and women—be they believers or not—should permeate the core of who we are.
As we walk through life, we should always strive to step into someone else's shoes. This isn't a call to overlook sin and how it leads to the shattered lives; only that we should show empathy straight off. We have no idea what a living hell a person has been through. It is better that we empathize with him or her first, because many of us have been through our own hell, of one kind or another. Without Christ we'd all still be living that hell right now. Lead with empathetic love. Feel someone else's pain and truly mean it.
1st Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Heb 3:7–14
Listen to what the Holy Spirit says: If only you would hear God’s voice today! Do not be stubborn, as they were in the place called Rebellion, when your ancestors challenged me in the desert, although they had seen my deeds for forty years. That is why I was angry with those people and said: Their hearts are always going astray and they do not understand my ways. I was angry and made a solemn vow: They will never enter my rest.
So, brothers, be careful lest some of you come to have an evil and unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. Encourage one another, day by day, as long as it is called to¬day. Let no one become hardened in the deceitful way of sin. We are associated with Christ provided we hold steadfastly to our initial hope until the end.
►Gospel: Mk 1:40–45
A leper came to Jesus and begged him, “If you so will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” The leprosy left the man at once and he was made clean. As Jesus sent the man away, he sternly warned him, “Don’t tell anyone about this, but go and show yourself to the priest and for the cleansing bring the offering ordered by Moses; in this way you will make your declaration.”
However, as soon as the man went out, he began spreading the news everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter any town. But even though he stayed in the rural areas, people came to him from everywhere.
REFLECTION
It is fair to say that Paul was obsessed with sin. That was probably because, in his early life, he committed so many sins against Christians. Still, there is much truth in what he has to say about the self-destructive nature of sin in our lives. When sin is long persisted in, it destroys the person, for whom there is no resting in the sight of God. If we allow ourselves to distrust God’s power to forgive our sins, we may soon desert him.
Since tomorrow may not be ours, we must make the best use of each and every day. There are none of us, not even the strongest of us, who do not need the help of other Christians. And there none of us, so low and despised, who do not need us to care for their standing in faith and of their safety. Sin appears fair, but is vile; it appears pleasant, but is destructive; it promises much, but performs nothing. The deceitfulness of sin hardens the soul; one sin makes way for another; and every deliberate act of sin confirms the sinful habit. So, let us pledge today to beware of letting sin into our lives.
1st Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Heb 4:1–5, 11
Therefore let us fear while we are invited to enter the rest of God, lest any of you be left behind. We received the Gospel exactly as they did, but hearing the message did them no good, because they did not share the faith of those who did listen. We are now to enter this rest because we believed, as it was said: I was angry and made a solemn vow: they will never enter my rest—that is the rest of God after he created the world. In another part it was said about the seventh day: And God rested on the seventh day from all his works. But now it is said: They will not enter my rest. We must conclude that some will enter the rest of God and that those who first received the good news did not, because of their disobedience. Yet God again assigns a day when he says: today, and declares through David many years later: If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn.
Let us strive, then, to enter the rest and not to share the misfortune of those who disobeyed.
►Gospel: Mk 2:1–12
Jesus returned to Capernaum. As the news spread that he was at home, so many people gathered that there was no longer room even outside the door. While Jesus was preaching the Word to them, some people brought a paralyzed man to him. The four men who carried him couldn’t get near Jesus because of the crowd, so they opened the roof above the room where Jesus was and, through the hole, lowered the man on his mat. When Jesus saw the faith of these people, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”
Now, some teachers of the Law who were sitting there wondered within themselves, “How can he speak like this insulting God? Who can forgive sins except God?”
At once Jesus knew through his spirit what they were thinking and asked, “Why do you wonder? Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man: ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say: ‘Rise, take up your mat and walk?’ But now you shall know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
And he said to the paralytic, “Stand up, take up your mat and go home.” The man rose and, in the sight of all those people, he took up his mat and went out. All of them were astonished and praised God saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
REFLECTION
In most cases today, stubbornness is the malady of those who do not listen to anyone other than themselves, or who always think they know better than others. Jesus knew that teachers of the Law were struggling with their stubbornness, even after they had seen more than enough of Jesus’ power
to be convinced of the fact that he was the messiah, foretold in the Old Testament. “Why do you wonder?” Jesus asked in exasperation.
And so we should ask of ourselves: would we rather be scrupulous or over-analyze ourselves, or would we rather believe that God forgives us and make us whole? Only unquestioning faith and acceptance are an antidote to stubbornness and disobedience. Placing these things in front of our mind's eye, we can easily see why the world is so filled with stubbornness. Without it, God would not be able to display anything, not His power nor strength, nor His love. There cannot be light without darkness. So, next time we encounter stubbornness or unbelief as to the truth, we can bow our heads and pray that we don’t despair, but that we will rest at peace with God’s will and mercy to us all.
1st Week in Ordinary Time
Anthony, Abbot
►1st Reading: Heb 4:12–16
For the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and judges the intentions and thoughts of the heart. All creation is transparent to Him; everything is uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we render account.
We have a great High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God, who has entered heaven. Let us, then, hold fast to the faith we profess. Our high priest is not indif¬ferent to our weaknesses, for he was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sinning. Let us, then, with confidence approach the throne of grace; we will obtain mercy and, through his favor, help in due time.
►Gospel: Mk 2:13–17
When Jesus went out again beside the lake, a crowd came to him and he taught them. As he walked along, he saw a tax collector sitting in his office. This was Levi, the son of Alpheus. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And Levi got up and followed him.
And it so happened that while Jesus was eating in Levi’s house, tax collectors and sinners were sitting with him and his disciples for there were indeed many of them. But there were also teachers of the Law of the Pharisees’ party, among those who followed Jesus, and when they saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why! He eats with tax collectors and sinners!”
Jesus heard them and answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
REFLECTION
The attitude of Jesus toward the tax collectors was in stark contrast to that of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were separatists, and did not lower themselves to have anything to do with a tax collector, who was to them no better than a gentile. But Jesus never taught that there was anything inherently wrong with paying tribute to the Roman government or collecting the tax. He was opposed to extortionists, but would fling open the door of repentance and salvation to them. He rejected none, not even the worst.
To be a fair-dealing tax collector was regarded as impossible for the Jews; but Jesus didn’t hesitate to converse with them. He wouldn’t withdraw, even though the Pharisees were offended. If the world had been righteous, there would have been no occasion for Jesus’ coming, either to preach repentance, or to purchase forgiveness. We are not advised to keep company with ungodly people out of love of their vain conversation; but we are enjoined to show love for their souls, remembering that Jesus had the power of forgiveness in himself. In trying to do well for others, let us always be careful to acknowledge the power of forgiveness in Christ.
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: 1 Sam 3:3b-10,19
Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD
where the ark of God was.
The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”
Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.”
“I did not call you, ” Eli said. “Go back to sleep.”
So he went back to sleep.
Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.
“Here I am, ” he said. “You called me.”
But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”
At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,
because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.
Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am. You called me.”
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”
When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
►2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20
Brothers and sisters:
The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord,
and the Lord is for the body;
God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him.
Avoid immorality.
Every other sin a person commits is outside the body,
but the immoral person sins against his own body.
Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been purchased at a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body.
►Gospel: John 1:35-42
John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” - which translated means Teacher -,
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah” - which is translated Christ -.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas” - which is translated Peter.
REFLECTION
The messiah is a bridegroom, and the people of God are God's 'delight'. God rejoices in us, bringing us vindication, glory and hope. We live at the wedding feast (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) and have been overwhelmed with gifts: the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. It is a feast for the people so that all our needs are taken care of. This is the wedding feast-the church, the Body of Christ, the people of God-and there is always more than enough for everyone, even after the celebration of the presence of God among us. It is only the servants in the backroom who know where the wine came from-the waters of baptism-now poured as the wine of the Eucharist and the feast.
The kingdom of God only comes through obedience: do whatever he tells us; listen to him, obey! Can we be found among the disciples of Jesus? Are we unaware of the mysteries of our faith or are we the servants who obey?
Feast of Sto. Niño
►1st Reading: Is 9:1–6
The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. A light has dawned on those who live in the land of the shadow of death.
You have enlarged the nation; you have increased their joy. They rejoice before you, as people rejoice at harvest time as they rejoice in dividing the spoil.
For the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressors, you have broken it as on the day of Midian.
Every warrior’s boot that tramped in war, every cloak rolled in blood, will be thrown out for burning, will serve as fuel for the fire.
For a child is born to us, a son is given us; the royal ornament is laid upon his shoulder, and his name is proclaimed: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
To the increase of his powerful rule in peace, there will be no end. Vast will be his dominion, he will reign on David’s throne and over all his kingdom, to establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forever.
The zealous love of Yahweh Sabaoth will do this.
2nd Reading: Eph 1:3–6, 15–18
Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, who in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual blessing.
God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and without sin in his presence.
From eternity he destined us in love to be his adopted sons and daughters through Christ Jesus, thus fulfilling his free and generous will.
This goal suited him: that his loving-kindness which he granted us in his Beloved might finally receive all glory and praise.
I have been told of your faith and your affection towards all the believers, so I always give thanks to God, remembering you in my prayers.
May the God of Christ Jesus our Lord, the Father of Glory, reveal himself to you and give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, that you may know him.
May he enlighten your inner vision, that you may appreciate the things we hope for, since we were called by God.
May you know how great is the inheritance, the glory, God sets apart for his saints.
►Gospel: Mk 10:13-16
People were bringing their little children to him to have him touch them, and the disciples rebuked them for this.
When Jesus noticed it, he was very angry and said, “Let the children come to me and don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and laying his hands on them, blessed them.
REFLECTION
This feast of Santo Niño is a tremendous gift that the Lord gives to us. As we recall the Christmas mystery of the Lord humbling Himself to share in our humanity, we remember that we are called to imitate the Lord in the virtue of humility. We are invited to become as lowly as children so that we might enter into the fullness of life in the Kingdom. We are called to put aside pretences and posturing and fall into the arms of the loving mercy of our God. With the singular exception of sin, we are to regard everything in our lives as a gift from the Lord, and to offer Him the praise, honor and thanksgiving that are His due.
This is the life of stewardship to which we are called. In regard to God’s magnanimous gifts, we are not owners but stewards, called to embrace humbly “the inheritance, the glory, God sets apart for his saints.” That the Lord Himself should enter our world as a child should be cause for us today to give heartfelt and sustained thanks.
2nd Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Heb 5:1–10
Every High Priest is taken from among mortals and appointed to be their representative before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. He is able to understand the ignorant and erring for he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he is bound to offer sacrifices for his sins as well as for the sins of the people. Besides, one does not presume to take this dignity, but takes it only when called by God, as Aaron was.
Nor did Christ become High Priest in taking upon himself this dignity, but it was given to him by the One who says: You are my son, I have begotten you today. And in another place: You are a priest forever in the priestly order of Melchizedek.
Christ, in the days of his mortal life, offered his sacrifice with tears and cries. He prayed to him who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his humble submission. Although he was Son, he learned through suffering what obedience was, and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for those who obey him. This is how God proclaimed him Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
►Gospel: Mk 2:18–22
One day, when the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees were fasting, some people asked Jesus, “Why is it that both the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but yours do not?” Jesus answered, “How can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them and on that day they will fast.
“No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old coat, because the new patch will shrink and tear away from the old cloth, making a worse tear. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, for the wine would burst the skins and then both the wine and the skins would be lost. But new wine, new skins!”
REFLECTION
While the Law of Moses commanded that one need fast only during the Day of Atonement, the Pharisees had made regulations that fasting should be practiced twice a week. Jesus showed that there was no need to fast unless there was a good reason to do so. What purpose would his disciples have had in fasting when he was with them, like a bridegroom at a wedding, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom to come? Would you fast during a wedding? No, for it is a time of joy and celebration.
At one time or another, we all have observed how strict adherents to a particular law are apt to blame everyone else, who does not fully come up to their own view. We should be willing to bear slander, as long as we are sure that we have done nothing to cause it. It is good in the sight of God that we attend to every reasonable part of our duty, as long as it is in its proper order and season. Any restrictions, put upon us about fasting or abstaining from meat, should be seen exactly for what they are: invitations to exercise moderation in all things!
2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Fabian / Sebastian
►1st Reading: Heb 6:10–20
God is not unjust and will not forget everything you have done for love of his name; you have helped and still help the believers. We desire each of you to have, until the end, the same zeal for reaching what you have hoped for. Do not grow careless but imitate those who, by their faith and determination, inherit the promise.
Remember God’s promise to Abraham. God wanted to confirm it with an oath and, as no one is higher than God, he swore by himself: I shall bless you and give you many descendants. By just patiently waiting, Abraham obtained the promise.
People are used to swearing by someone higher than themselves and their oath affirms everything that could be denied. So God committed himself with an oath in order to convince those who were to wait for his promise that he would never change his mind. Thus we have two certainties in which it is impossible that God be proved false: promise and oath. That is enough to encourage us strongly when we leave everything to hold to the hope set before us. This hope is like a steadfast anchor of the soul, secure and firm, thrust beyond the curtain of the Temple into the sanctuary itself, where Jesus has entered ahead of us—Jesus, High Priest for ever in the order of Melchi¬zedek.
►Gospel: Mk 2:23–28
One sabbath he was walking through grainfields. As his disciples walked along with him, they began to pick the heads of grain and crush them in their hands. Then the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look! they are doing what is forbidden on the sabbath!”
And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did in his time of need, when he and his men were very hungry? He went into the house of God when Abiathar was High Priest and ate the bread of offering, which only the priests are allowed to eat, and he also gave some to the men who were with him.” Then Jesus said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. So the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath.”
REFLECTION
Here we have the disciples of Jesus picking corn on the Sabbath day, thus violating the Sabbath laws. They were questioned about this and then Jesus clarified the value of the Sabbath day by declaring, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." In other words, God's intent was that a day be set aside for physical relaxation and spiritual renewal for man's benefit, not for man's bondage!
The Sabbath is still a divine institution; a privilege and benefit, not a task and drudgery. God never designed it to be a burden to us; therefore we must not make it so to ourselves. The Sabbath was instituted for the good of mankind, as living in society, having many wants and troubles, preparing for a state of happiness. We are not made for the Sabbath, as if the keeping of it could be of service to God, nor are we commanded to keep its outward observances, if they hurt us. Even today, the practice we follow of observing the Sabbath, or going to church on Sundays, is to be interpreted according to the rule of mercy and moderation.
2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Agnes
►1st Reading: Heb 7:1–3, 15–17
Scripture says that Melchi¬zedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, came out to meet Abraham who returned from defeating the kings. He blessed Abraham and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything.
Let us note that the name Mel¬chizedek means King of Justice, and that king of Salem means king of Peace. There is no mention of father, mother or genealogy; nothing is said about the beginning or the end of his life. In this he is the figure of the Son of God, the priest who remains forever.
All this, however, becomes clear if this priest after the likeness of Melchi¬ze¬dek has in fact received his mission, not on the basis of any human law, but by the power of an immortal life. Because Scripture says: You are a priest forever in the priestly order of Melchizedek.
►Gospel: Mk 3:1–6
Jesus entered the synagogue. A man who had a paralyzed hand was there and some people watched Jesus: Would he heal the man on the sabbath? If he did they could accuse him.
Jesus said to the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand here in the center.” Then he asked them, “What does the Law allow us to do on the sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?” But they were silent.
Then Jesus looked around at them with anger and deep sadness because they had closed their minds. And he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was healed. But as soon as the Pharisees left, they met with Herod’s supporters, looking for a way to destroy Jesus.
REFLECTION
Another Sabbath controversy for Jesus! Though some Pharisees were hoping to accuse him of violating the Sabbath law again, when Jesus saw a man with a physical
ailment, he called him over. This man had a withered hand, which disabled him from working for his living; and those who were so afflicted were objects of charity. In anticipation of their criticism, Jesus explained why he should heal on the Sabbath; and then he cured the man. But the Pharisees, even when they could say nothing against his truth, yet would not yield to him. Jesus looked at the root of bitterness in their hearts, their blindness and prejudice, and was saddened by them.
Nowadays, the great healing day is the Sabbath and the healing place the house of prayer; but our healing is spiritual and the healing power is of Christ. The gospel command is like that recorded here: though our hands are withered, yet if we will not stretch them out, it is our own fault that we are not healed. But we are assured to be healed, if only we will outstretch our hands to Christ and receive his power, grace and blessings.
2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Vincent
►1st Reading: Heb 7:25–8:6
Consequently he is able to save for all time those who approach God through him. He always lives to intercede on their behalf.
It was fitting that our High Priest be holy, undefiled, set apart from sinners and exalted above the heavens; a priest who does not first need to offer sacrifice for himself before offering for the sins of the people, as high priests do. He offered himself in sacrifice once and for all. And whereas the Law elected weak men as high priests, now, after the Law, the word of God with an oath appointed the Son, made perfect forever.
The main point of what we are saying is that we have a high priest. He is seated at the right hand of the divine majesty in heaven, where he serves as minister of the true temple and sanctuary, set up not by any mortal but by the Lord.
A high priest is appointed to offer to God gifts and sacrifices, and Jesus also has to offer some sacrifice. Had he remained on earth, he would not be a priest, since others offer the gifts according to the Law. In fact, the ritual celebrated by those priests is only an imitation and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary. We know the word of God to Moses with regard to the construction of the holy tent. He said: You are to make everything according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain.
Now, however, Jesus enjoys a much higher ministry in being the mediator of a better covenant, founded on better promises.
►Gospel: Mk 3:7–12
Jesus and his disciples withdrew to the lakeside and a large crowd from Galilee followed him. A great number of people also came from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, Transjordan and from the region of Tyre and Sidon, for they had heard of all that he was doing.
Because of the crowd, Jesus told his disciples to have a boat ready for him, to prevent the people from crushing him. He healed so many that all who had diseases kept pressing towards him to touch him. Even the people who had evil spirits, whenever they saw him, would fall down before him and cry out, “You are the Son of God.” But he warned them sternly not to tell anyone who he was.
REFLECTION
Remarkably, among the first to witness to Jesus’ divinity were the demons, the unclean spirits who bellow out his identity: “We know who you are: the Holy One of God!” Jesus silenced them with a word. He seemed driven by the need to show us who he really was and at the same time he was restrained by a need for silence. Maybe, the reason for his tension was prophetic, so that it might be played out in our witness now, in the charge we have been given to be bearers of the Word, voices for the Good News.
What sort of witnesses does Jesus want us to be? We are witnesses for him by imitating him: speaking a word of healing, of peace, of charity wherever we find ourselves. Shining in our joy! Telling the truth about our forgiveness as freed men and women, and then putting that forgiveness to use as healthy food for our growth in holiness! We are witnesses for Christ by doing everything we can for the greater glory of God, by not seeking first our own benefit but the benefit of others, and always, always telling the truth about our faith in Him.
2nd Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Heb 8:6–13
Now, however, Jesus enjoys a much higher ministry in being the mediator of a better covenant, founded on better promises. If all had been perfect in the first covenant, there would have been no need for another one. Yet God sees defects when he says:
The days are coming—it is the word of the Lord—when I will draw up a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. They did not keep my covenant, and so I myself have forsaken them, says the Lord.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel in the days to come: I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.
None of them will have to teach one another or say to each other: Know the Lord, for they will know me from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and no longer remember their wrongs.
Here we are being told of a new covenant; which means that the first one had become obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging is soon to disappear.
►Gospel: Mk 3:13–19
Jesus went up into the hill country and called those he wanted and they came to him. So he appointed twelve to be with him; and he called them apostles. He wanted to send them out to preach, and he gave them authority to drive out demons.
These are the Twelve: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John his brother, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, which means “men of thunder”; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
REFLECTION
Jesus called the twelve apostles who now form the inner circle that will help Him proclaim the Word of God. The apostles, just like many of us, are individuals with distinct differences and ways, come from different walks of life, and have different reasons and intentions for coming to Jesus. But then, one thing is certain and common to them, they were all called by Jesus.
In this same way, regardless of our background, of our limitations, and of our concerns in life, Jesus continues to call us everyday. He wants us to share in His mission of proclaiming God’s Word to the world. We might have hesitations, worries, and insecurities but we find Jesus’ words so strong that we give our “Yes” to Him. We need not to feel fear for in Jesus every thing is possible; every invitation is a life-changing
2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Francis de Sales
►1st Reading: Heb 9:2–3, 11–14
A first tent was prepared with the lamp¬stand, the table and the bread of the presence, this is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain, there is a second sanctuary called the Most Holy Place.
But now Christ has appeared as the high priest with regard to the good things of these new times. He passed through a sanctuary more noble and perfect, not made by hands, that is, not created. He did not take with himself the blood of goats and bulls but his own blood, when he entered once and for all into this sanctuary after obtaining definitive redemption. If the sprinkling of people defiled by sin with the blood of goats and bulls or with the ashes of a heifer provides them with exterior cleanness and holiness, how much more will it be with the blood of Christ? He, moved by the eternal Spirit, offered himself as an unble¬mished victim to God and his blood cleanses us from dead works, so that we may serve the living God.
►Gospel: Mk 3:20-21
Jesus and his disciples went home. The crowd began to gather again and they couldn’t even have a meal. Knowing what was happening his relatives came to take charge of him: “He is out of his mind,” they said.
REFLECTION
Paul was trying to show to the Hebrews how their typical ceremonies referred now to Christ. The tabernacle was a movable temple, foreshadowing the unsettled state of the church upon earth, and the human nature of Jesus Christ, in whom the fullness of God dwelt bodily. All good things past, present and to come were and are founded upon the priestly office of Christ; they come to us through His blood, shed for us in His sacrifice, His passion and death. What gave such power to the blood of Christ? It was Christ's offering of himself without any sinful stain in his nature or life.
Christ cleanses the guiltiest conscience from us, sinful mortals, so that we might work to serve God. He pardons sinful works, such as those that pollute the soul, just as dead bodies were said to pollute the persons of the Jews who touched them. We cannot understand the greatness of the sacrifice, the blood of Christ; nor can we ever understand the wisdom, the love and the grace that flows from it. In acknowledging the sacrifice of Christ, our faith finds the strength and refreshment that will sustain us in our hope for lifetime happiness.
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Jon 3:1–5, 10
Among the Pharisees there was a ruler of the Jews named Nico¬demus. He came to Jesus by night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you have come from God to teach us, for no one can perform miraculous signs like yours unless God is with him.”
Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again from above.”
Nicodemus said, “How can there be rebirth for a grown man? Who could go back to his mo¬ther’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you: No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
And Jesus answered, “You are a teacher in Israel, and you don’t know these things!
►2nd Reading: 1 Cor 7:29–31
I say this, brothers and sisters: time is running out, and those who are married must live as if not mar¬ried; those who weep as if not weeping; those who are happy as if they were not happy; those buying something as if they had not bought it, and those enjoying the present life as if they were not enjoying it. For the order of this world is vanishing.
►Gospel: Mk 1:14–20
After John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God. He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.”
As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” At once, they left their nets and followed him. Jesus went a little farther on and saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee; they were in their boat mending their nets. Immediately, Jesus called them and they followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men.
REFLECTION
“Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” Simon and Peter realized that ahead of them was an awesome task and yet without hesitation they went with Jesus. They put their trust in the Lord. For them this was all that mattered.
If Jesus were to do the same to us today, would anyone listen to him? Surely this is a crazy idea. How can one leave a way of life he has been used to all these years? What about the family that one will leave behind? Many more arguments can be raised and many justifiable excuses can be given. One will never run out of reasons and excuses. Maybe your trust in the Lord is not as much as that of the apostles. So Jesus has to earn your trust? He gave up his life for all of us—this is the best that one can offer!
Timothy and Titus, Bishops
►1st Reading: 2 Tim 1:1–8 (or Tit 1:1–5)
From Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of his promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus, to my dear son Timothy.
May grace, mercy and peace be with you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I give thanks to God whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly, day and night, in my prayers. I recall your tears and I long to see you that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, so like the faith of your grandmother Lois and of your mother Eunice, which I am sure you have inherited.
For this reason I invite you to fan into a flame the gift of God you received through the laying on of my hands. For God did not confer on us a spirit of bashfulness, but of strength, love and good judgment. Do not be ashamed of testifying to our Lord, nor of seeing me in chains. On the contrary, do your share in laboring for the Gospel with the strength of God.
►Gospel: Mk 3:22–30
The teachers of the Law who had come from Jerusalem said, “He is in the power of Beelzebul: the chief of the demons helps him to drive out demons.”
Jesus called them to him and began teaching them by means of stories or parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a nation is divided by civil war, that nation cannot stand. If a family divides itself into groups, that family will not survive. In the same way, if Satan has risen against himself and is divided, he will not stand; he is finished. No one can break into the house of the Strong one in order to plunder his goods, unless he first ties up the Strong one. Then indeed, he can plunder his house.
“Truly, I say to you, every sin will be forgiven humankind, even insults to God, however numerous. But whoever slanders the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven: he carries the guilt of his sin forever.” This was their sin when they said, “He has an evil spirit in him.”
REFLECTION
The teachers of the Law publicly accused Jesus of being in league with Satan, explaining His exorcisms that way. When Jesus conducted an exorcism, he never invoked God! That led them to wonder where He got the authority to pull it off. Jesus’ rebuttal went as follows: Satan can’t cast out Satan, because Satan would be defeating himself. The only alternative was that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit. But, while Jesus cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit, the teachers of the Law were trying to convince the people that the Holy Spirit was Satan; thus, they clearly blasphemed against God.
Blasphemy is not an ordinary sin. Blasphemy is a deliberate, public slander against God. In order to commit this sin, one has to be in a position of learned authority. So, to those who are worried about the possibility of blaspheming, we say this: the surest sign that you have not committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the very fact that you are worried about it; because that shows the Holy Spirit is very definitely on good terms with you. May God’s peace always be with you!
3rd Week in Ordinary Time
Angela Merici
►1st Reading: Heb 10:1–10
The religion of the Law is only a shadow of the good things to come; it has the patterns but not the realities. So, year after year, the same sacrifices are offered without bringing the worshipers to what is the end. If they had been cleansed once and for all, they would no longer have felt guilt and would have stopped offering the same sacrifices. But no, year after year their sacrifices witness to their sins and never will the blood of bulls and goats take away these sins.
This is why on entering the world, Christ says: You did not desire sacrifice and offering; you were not pleased with burnt offerings and sin offerings. Then I said: “Here I am. It was written of me in the scroll. I will do your will, O God.”
First he says: Sacrifice, offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire nor were you pleased with them – although they were required by the Law. Then he says: Here I am to do your will.
This is enough to nullify the first will and establish the new. Now, by this will of God, we are sanctified once and for all by the sacrifice of the body of Christ Jesus.
►Gospel: Mk 3:31–35
Jesus’ mother and brothers came. As they stood outside, they sent someone to call him. The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
And looking around at those who sat there he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me.”
REFLECTION
When Jesus was told that his mother and brothers wanted to see him he seemed strangely unconcerned. In acting this way, Jesus was trying to demonstrate that, in every area of our lives, spiritual things are more important to us than things of this world. Natural things of this world eventually pass away; but spiritual things are for eternity. When we receive Christ into our lives by faith, we are born into a new family—a spiritual family. When his family came to see him, he clearly showed a greater affection for his spiritual family than he did for his natural family.
The love we have for the members of our spiritual family should be far greater than the love we have for the members of our natural family, because now we belong to the family of God. It is a great comfort to all of us that, as Christians, we are dearer to Christ than we are to our mother, father, brother or sister, or to any other earthly relations we might have. This great and gracious privilege is ours now; for although Christ's physical presence cannot be shared by us, his spiritual presence is never denied us.
3rd Week in Ordinary Time
Thomas Aquinas
►1st Reading: Heb 10:11–18
So, whereas every priest stands daily by the altar offering repeatedly the same sacrifices that can never take away sins, Christ has offered for all times a single sacrifice for sins and has taken his seat at the right hand of God, waiting until God puts his enemies as a footstool under his feet. By a single sacrifice he has brought those who are sanctified to what is perfect forever.
This also was testified by the Holy Spirit. For after having declared: This is the covenant that I will make with them in the days to come—says the Lord— I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds. He says: Their sins and evil deeds I will remember no more. So, if sins are forgiven, there is no longer need of any sacrifice for sin.
►Gospel: Mk 4:1–20
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake, but such a large crowd gathered about him that he got into a boat and sat in it on the lake while the crowd stood on the shore. He taught them many things through stories or parables. “Listen! The sower went out to sow. Some of the seed fell along a path and the birds came and ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil; it sprang up immediately because it had no depth; but when the sun rose and burned it, it withered because it had no roots. Another seed fell among thorn bushes and the thorns grew and choked it, so it didn’t produce any grain. But some seed fell on good soil, grew and increased and yielded grain; some produced thirty times as much, others sixty and others one hundred times as much.”
When the crowd went away, some who were around him with the Twelve asked about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But for those outside, everything comes in parables, so that the more they see, they don’t perceive; the more they hear, they don’t understand; otherwise they would be converted and pardoned.”
Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable?” What the sower is sowing is the word. Those along the path where the seed fell are people who hear the word, but as soon as they do, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Other people receive the word like rocky ground. As soon as they hear the word, they accept it with joy, but they have no roots so it lasts only a little while. Others receive the seed as among thorns. After they hear the word, they are caught up in the worries of this life, false hopes of riches and other desires.
“And there are others who receive the word as good soil. They hear the word, take it to heart and produce: some thirty, some sixty and some one hundred times as much.”
REFLECTION
The 13th century scholar and mystic, St. Thomas Aquinas, is our saint for today. He is considered to be one of the greatest Catholic thinkers and teachers. The angelic Thomas represents the highest forms of Christian scholarship, combining eminent learning with heroic sanctity. He came to be known as "the most saintly of learned men and the most learned of saints". Those who have studied the works of St Thomas Aquinas know how admirably he explains the gifts of the Holy Spirit, in their relation to different virtues.
Here is the basis of what St Thomas Aquinas taught: whether we are the greatest philosopher of the modern age or the simplest child, we have a capacity to know and love
God. God came into history as Jesus Christ, who, in turn, taught us of God the Father, who loved Jesus.....and us.....into being. The actions of that love, and of God’s continuing animation of the world, are understood in the person of the Holy Spirit. This is how we understand God as the Trinity. Our faith and love of God…Father, Son and Holy Spirit…give us the courage to live out our lives as faithful proponents of love-in-action.
3rd Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Heb 10:19–25
So, my friends, we are assured of entering the Sanctuary by the blood of Jesus who opened for us this new and living way passing through the curtain, that is, his body. Because we have a high priest in charge of the House of God, let us approach with a sincere heart, with full faith, interiorly cleansed from a bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast to our hope with¬out wavering, because he who promised is faithful. Let us consider how we may spur one another to love and good works. Do not abandon the assemblies as some of you do, but encourage one another, and all the more since the Day is drawing near.
►Gospel: Mk 4:21–25
Jesus said to his disciples, “When the light comes, is it to be put under a tub or a bed? Surely it is put on a lampstand. Whatever is hidden will be disclosed, and whatever is kept secret will be brought to light. Listen then, if you have ears!”
And he also said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. In the measure you give, so shall you receive and still more will be given to you. For to the one who produces something, more will be given, and from him who does not produce anything, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
REFLECTION
When we have the light of God, it affects everything we do. Our works and deeds are filled with love and there’s no stopping us. But, there are times when we choose to hide the light. And yes, people who are happy, people who have joy, people who show love…..they tend to stick out like sore thumbs. But then, if we don’t want to shine with the light of God, we become preoccupied with life’s troubles and everything becomes dimmer. Before we know it, we’ve fallen back into darkness again.
If we decide to let the light of God shine again, we also decide that we’re tired of trying to struggle in darkness and fear. We need to go to the power-source.....God! And no, we don’t have to have everything right in our lives to be able to shine. Just knowing that He is working with us to make us whole gets the light shining. And when we walk in His light and let Him shine through us we wonder: “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” We’re free. We’re beaming. And there’s nothing to contain it. Go ahead. Turn it on. But get ready.....it will be truly amazing!
3rd Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Heb 10:32–39
Remember the first days when you were enlightened. You had to undergo a hard struggle in the face of suffering. Publicly you were exposed to humiliations and trials, and had to share the sufferings of others who were similarly treated. You showed solidarity with those in prison; you were dispossessed of your goods and accepted it gladly for you knew you were acquiring a much better and more durable possession. Do not now throw away your confidence that will be handsomely rewarded. Be patient in doing the will of God, and the promise will be yours: A little, a little longer—says Scripture—and he who is coming will come; he will not delay. My righteous one will live if he believes; but if he distrusts, I will no longer look kindly on him. We are not among those who withdraw and perish, but among those who believe and win personal salvation.
►Gospel: Mk 4:26–34
Jesus also said, “In the kingdom of God it is like this. A man scatters seed upon the soil. Whether he is asleep or awake, be it day or night, the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how. The soil produces of itself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when it is ripe for harvesting they take the sickle for the cutting: the time for harvest has come.”
Jesus also said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall we compare it? It is like a mustard seed which, when sown, is the smallest of all the seeds scattered upon the soil. But once sown, it grows up and becomes the largest of the plants in the gar¬den and even grows branches so big that the birds of the air can take shelter in its shade.”
Jesus used many such stories or parables, to proclaim the word to them in a way they would be able to understand. He would not teach them with¬out parables; but privately to his disciples he explained every¬thing.
REFLECTION
Jesus used simple word-pictures, called parables, to help people understand who God is and what His kingdom is like. He used images and characters taken from everyday life to create a miniature play or drama to illustrate his message. This was Jesus’ most common way of teaching. His stories appealed to the young and old, poor and rich, to the learned and unlearned as well. His word-pictures challenged the mind to discover anew what God is like and moved the heart to respond to God's love and truth.
How could ordinary everyday images and stories, such as scattering seed upon the soil or a tiny mustard seed, portray timeless and extraordinary truths? Jesus taught by use of comparisons; and these comparisons have to do with a whole process, not simply with an object or person alone. While his parables are rooted in a specific time and place, they nonetheless speak of timeless realities to people of every time and place. They underline the fact that God works in every age, even today, and that He meets us in the ordinary everyday situations of life. Are we always ready and happy to greet Him?
3rd Week in Ordinary Time
John Bosco
►1st Reading: Heb 11:1–2, 8–19
Faith is the assurance of what we hope for, being certain of what we cannot see. Because of their faith our ancestors were approved.
It was by faith that Abraham, called by God, set out for a country that would be given to him as an inheritance; for he parted without knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as a stranger in that promised land. There he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, beneficiaries of the same promise. Indeed, he looked forward to that city of solid foundation of which God is the architect and builder.
By faith Sarah herself received power to become a mother, in spite of her advanced age; since she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful. Therefore, from an almost impotent man were born descendants as numerous as the stars of heavens, as many as the grains of sand on the seashore.
Death found all these people strong in their faith. They had not received what was promised, but they had looked ahead and had rejoiced in it from afar, saying that they were foreigners and travellers on earth. Those who speak in this way prove that they are looking for their own country. For if they had longed for the land they had left, it would have been easy for them to return, but no, they aspired to a better city, that is, a supernatural one; so God, who prepared the city for them is not ashamed of being called their God.
By faith Abraham went to offer Isaac when God tested him. And so he who had received the promise of God offered his only son although God had told him: Isaac’s descendants will bear your name. Abraham reasoned that God is capable even of raising the dead, and he received back his son, which has a figurative meaning.
►Gospel: Mk 4:35–41
On that same day when eve¬ning had come, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side.” So they left the crowd and took him away in the boat he had been sitting in, and other boats set out with him. Then a storm gathered and it began to blow a gale. The waves spilled over into the boat so that it was soon filled with water. And Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.
They woke him up and said, “Master, don’t you care if we sink?” As Jesus awoke, he rebuked the wind and ordered the sea, “Quiet now! Be still!” The wind dropped and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to them, “Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?”
But they were terrified and they said to one another, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
REFLECTION
As Paul says in his Letter to the Hebrews, one of the greatest trials and acts of faith upon record is the Genesis story of Abraham offering to kill his beloved son, Isaac, as an act of his faith in God. Abraham did this by faith, knowing all along that God, who cannot lie, had promised him a long line of descendants through Isaac and yet, at the time, Isaac had no children. He reasoned that God could raise the dead and, figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from the death. This was not just an act of blind faith. Being in a covenant relationship with God and knowing His nature and character, Abraham trusted God, placing the outcome in His hands. Paul interprets it as a sign that we must stop entertaining our doubts and fears and start having hope, as Abraham did, in the almighty power of God, who loves us in all things.
Now is the time for us to reflect upon just how far our faith has caused in us similar obedience, when we have been called to lesser acts of self-denial, or to make smaller sacrifices in the line of duty. Have we given what was called for, fully believing that the Lord would make up all our losses, and even bless us with hope in the face of affliction? We are sometimes called to leave our worldly connections, interests, and comforts behind. If we are heirs of Abraham's faith, there will be times when we shall be called to obey God’s word, without knowing what may happen to us. The trial of Abraham's faith was that he simply and fully obeyed the call of God. May it be so with us all at all times!
