Articles

Friday January 24

Friday of 2nd Week of Ordinary Time

JESUS CHOSE HIS APOSTLES

Introduction

The greatness of David is shown in the act that he spares the life of Saul when the latter is pursuing David. David, though persecuted, wants to do no harm to the king, the Lord’s anointed.
Jesus summons those he wants to work with him. The Twelve, reminding us of the twelve tribes of Israel, were to be the leaders, his intimate companions, and they were to be the foundations, the pillars of his Church, except for Judas, the traitor. Today, he summons us all, but to some he gives special tasks in his Church. Yet, we all have the task of building up the Church.

Opening Prayer

Lord God, our Father,
you let your Son, Jesus associate with him helpers
in carrying out his work
of bringing about a new world and a new humanity.
We thank you for the men and the women
you choose in the sacred history of your people
to guide and lead and inspire us.
We too wish to cooperate today
toward this new world, and so we ask:
Make us close companions of Jesus,
inspire us through your Spirit
to cooperate with those who shepherd us,
and lead us to your future of joy.
Grant this through Christ, our Lord.

Reading 1: 1 Sm 24:3-21

Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel
and went in search of David and his men
in the direction of the wild goat crags.
When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave,
which he entered to relieve himself.
David and his men were occupying the inmost recesses of the cave.

David's servants said to him,
"This is the day of which the LORD said to you,
'I will deliver your enemy into your grasp;
do with him as you see fit.'"
So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul's mantle.
Afterward, however, David regretted that he had cut off
an end of Saul's mantle.
He said to his men,
"The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master,
the LORD's anointed, as to lay a hand on him,
for he is the LORD's anointed."
With these words David restrained his men
and would not permit them to attack Saul.
Saul then left the cave and went on his way.
David also stepped out of the cave, calling to Saul,
"My lord the king!"
When Saul looked back, David bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul:
"Why do you listen to those who say,
'David is trying to harm you'?
You see for yourself today that the LORD just now delivered you
into my grasp in the cave.
I had some thought of killing you, but I took pity on you instead.
I decided, 'I will not raise a hand against my lord,
for he is the LORD's anointed and a father to me.'
Look here at this end of your mantle which I hold.
Since I cut off an end of your mantle and did not kill you,
see and be convinced that I plan no harm and no rebellion.
I have done you no wrong,
though you are hunting me down to take my life.
The LORD will judge between me and you,
and the LORD will exact justice from you in my case.
I shall not touch you.
The old proverb says, 'From the wicked comes forth wickedness.'
So I will take no action against you.
Against whom are you on campaign, O king of Israel?
Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea!
The LORD will be the judge; he will decide between me and you.
May he see this, and take my part,
and grant me justice beyond your reach!"
When David finished saying these things to Saul, Saul answered,
"Is that your voice, my son David?"
And Saul wept aloud.
Saul then said to David: "You are in the right rather than I;
you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.
Great is the generosity you showed me today,
when the LORD delivered me into your grasp
and you did not kill me.
For if a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed?
May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day.
And now, I know that you shall surely be king
and that sovereignty over Israel shall come into your possession."

Responsorial Psalm PS 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11

R. (2a) Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Have mercy on me, O God; have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge,
till harm pass by.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
I call to God the Most High,
to God, my benefactor.
May he send from heaven and save me;
may he make those a reproach who trample upon me;
may God send his mercy and his faithfulness.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

Alleluia 2 Cor 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 3:13-19

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

Commentary

Nothing seems more alien to the Christian spirit than violence; yet, today it seems to meet us at every turn. Innocent people are violated on the street and in their homes. It is offensive in many ways but certainly because the Christian ethic is clearly nonviolent.
It must be admitted that the Old Testament had a moral code that was in many ways different from our own. When the Israelites waged destructive war, it was often seen as part of God’s plan. But there are moments even there when human dignity comes strongly to the fore.
In today’s first reading, David, being pursued by the envious Saul, has an opportunity to kill the king. Urged on by his associates, David realizes that he has a matchless set of circumstances to dispatch the king. But he refuses to raise his hand against the anointed of the Lord. Such for him would be an act of sacrilege. So he spares the life of Saul, who then extols the magnanimity of David.
All of us at times become distraught in our personal relationships. But rather than strike out and hurt, we are called to withhold even the harsh word. Harshness, after all, is a form of violence. We remain opposed to the death penalty because it simply continues the violence of the crime’s perpetrator. There are limits to justice imposed by a basic respect for human dignity.
The twelve apostles, listed in today’s Gospel, were men of simple backgrounds, not illustrious by human standards. What was asked of them was faith and loyalty. Because of their positive response, in the main, they have been remembered through the ages. Our church is founded on the faith that they received and transmitted. For this reason, our faith is said to be apostolic.

Points to Ponder

Human dignity in our times
Respect for authority
Apostolic faith

Intercessions

– That the pope, Peter’s successor, may be our rock of faith, our model of healing and mercy, and thus the sign of unity in the Church, we pray:
– That our apostles today, our bishops, may exercise their authority as a service for community building, we pray:
– That missionaries may discover all the good there is in the hearts and minds of people and their culture, to heal, ennoble and perfect them in Christ, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God, our Shepherd,
with bread and wine we celebrate
that your people are the body of Christ
which you wish to nourish
with the body and blood of your Son.
Sanctify us and accept our offering,
which we join to that of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Father,
with your whole Church, we give you thanks
for entrusting to us the Good News of Christ
and strengthening us with his body.
May the whole People of God,
which you have called to life
spread the Good News of Jesus,
and give you all praise and glory
for all the love you have shown us,
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

In his lifetime, Jesus chose the Twelve Apostles. All along history he continued to choose many to do his work. His work has to continue, and today he calls many to be our leaders and guides. May we fully cooperate with them, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.