February 05, 2012

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 74

Reading 1 Jb 7:1-4, 6-7

Job spoke, saying:
Is not man's life on earth a drudgery?
Are not his days those of hirelings?
He is a slave who longs for the shade,
a hireling who waits for his wages.
So I have been assigned months of misery,
and troubled nights have been allotted to me.
If in bed I say, "When shall I arise?"
then the night drags on;
I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle;
they come to an end without hope.
Remember that my life is like the wind;
I shall not see happiness again.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (cf. 3a) Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23

Brothers and sisters:
If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!
If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,
but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
What then is my recompense?
That, when I preach,
I offer the gospel free of charge
so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

Although I am free in regard to all,
I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some.
All this I do for the sake of the gospel,
so that I too may have a share in it.

Gospel Mk 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, he left 
and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you."
He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come."
So he went into their synagogues,
preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

Scripture Study

This week we celebrate the Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time. Sickness, disease of body and mind and disharmony in nature are part of the human condition and a sign of the fallen state of sinful humanity. The readings this week call upon us to consider the occurrence of evil in its various forms in our individual and community lives and to look past the evil, itself, to the remedy for all evil in our lives. This remedy is, of course, Jesus Who came to free us from evil in all its forms. Job presents the picture of a good man who suffers and expresses his confusion and pain in a lament to God. The Gospel presents the healing brought by Jesus as the solution to the sickness and evil that plagues the world. The readings invite us to ask Jesus to touch those places in us that need His healing, life-giving grace.

NOTES on First Reading:

* 7:1-10 The book of Job challenges the traditional Hebrew view of events which usually saw blessings as rewards for good behavior and misfortune as punishment for sin. In Job we have a good or righteous man who suffers great calamities in his life. The basic question of the book of Job is how can such great evils afflict a good man. In the book, this question is never directly answered. The closest thing to an answer that is given is the implied statement that such knowledge is not given to human understanding.

Here in verse 7:1, Job's appeal of innocence to his friends has been rejected and he is in the depths of depression. Giving up on his friends in disappointment, he ceases to address himself to them at all and returns to his lament which had begun in chapter 3 and was interrupted by Eliphaz's speech and Job's response in chapter 5 and 6. The reference to drudgery is often taken to refer to military service. Job compares human life to forced military service, the work of a day laborer, and to slavery. These were three proverbially wretched states of life. See also Job 14:14.

* 7:5 This verse is not included in the lectionary reading. I include it only for completeness.

* 7:7 "Remember" was Eliphaz's word to Job in 4:7. Now Job addresses it to God. After being accustomed to an untroubled relationship with God whom he sees as a divine benefactor, Job appeals to the love that God has for him and does not doubt that his Divine Friend (God) will look for him but fears that when He does it will be too late. Keep in mind that at this time in Jewish thought there was no expectation of an afterlife.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 9:16 Because preaching is Paul's expression of his being as a Christian he deserves no special credit for it.

* 9:17-18a This pair of verses makes the same point as verse 16 only in a more complex way.

* 9:18 Paul makes a somewhat feeble attempt at a joke in that the reward of one who gets no reward is to work for nothing. At the time, his mission to Corinth was being subsidized by the Christians in Macedonia.

* 9:19-23 Paul deals with the meaning of Christian freedom. In a carefully crafted series of statements Paul uses himself as an example and draws an expanded and generalized picture of apostolic freedom. There is a certain paradox in it as it is not essentially freedom from restraint but freedom for service. It provides the possibility of truly constructive activity. Paul's basis for integrity is the law of love. Love of God and love of neighbor is the underlying principle for actions.

* 9:21 The main reference here is to the Gentiles although there may also be a secondary reference to the "law-less," (panta exestin) in Corinth who proclaimed themselves free of law as in 6:12. (See also 10:23.) This was a sizable faction in the Corinthian church who misunderstood and/or misused the freedom that Paul had preached. The "Law of Christ" that is mentioned is the Law of Love exemplified by Christ.

* 9:23 As an apostle, he shares in the fruits of the gospel by sharing it with others.

NOTES on Gospel:

* 1:30 The apostles with the possible exception of John were probably married. Paul seems to say at least implicitly that the other apostles took their wives with them on their missionary trips in 1 Cor 9:5.

* 1:31 The service by Peter's mother-in-law has always been something of a problem because it should have been his wife that ministered to them. Some have suggested that Mark is trying to emphasize the quickness and completeness of the cure. Others have suggested that he is making the point that the relatives of important Christian leaders are to serve and not to be served.

* 1:32 The mention of sun set indicates that they waited until the Sabbath was over.

* 1:33 The reference to "all the city" is an exaggeration that is typical of Semitic speech.

* 1:34 The word that is translated as "many" might have been better translated as "multitude." The idea being expressed is that Jesus healed the many that came, not that He healed many of those that came.

* Jesus never allowed the demons to speak. He always refused to hear their testimony even when it was true. Even when the demons spoke the truth it was with a deceitful purpose.

* In the healing and casting out of demons the Rule of God was breaking into history which had previously been under the power of Satan.

* 1:38 Even though Jesus ministry was going very well, He left to go to other villages because the Father wished Him to go to all the people of Israel. The will of the Father is more important than human desires or human logic.

* 1:39 This verse seems to indicate a prolonged time spent in the Galilean ministry.

* Use of the term, "their synagogues," may indicate that Mark's gospel was written, at least in its final form, after the split between Christianity and Judaism. This break was not complete or fairly universal until about the time of the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

Meditation:  "They brought to Jesus all who were sick or possessed with demons"

 Who do you take your troubles to? Jesus' disciples freely brought their troubles to him because they found him ready and able to deal with any difficulty, affliction, or sickness which they encountered. When Simon brought Jesus to his home, his mother-in-law was instantly healed because Jesus heard Simon's prayer. Do you allow Jesus to be the Lord and Healer in your life, family, and community? Approach him with expectant faith. God's healing power restores us not only to health but to active service and care of others. There is no trouble he does not want to help us with and there is no bondage he can't set us free from. Do you take your troubles to him with expectant faith that he will help you?

Jerome, a 3rd century church father, applies the lesson of the healing of Simon's mother in law to us:

"Can you imagine Jesus standing before your bed and you continue sleeping? It is absurd that you would remain in bed in his presence. Where is Jesus? He is already here offering himself to us. 'In the middle, ' he says, 'among you he stands, whom you do not recognize' (cf. John 1:26). 'The kingdom of God is in your midst' (Mark 1:15). Faith beholds Jesus among us. If we are unable to seize his hand, let us prostrate ourselves at his feet. If we are unable to reach his head, let us wash his feet with our tears (cf. Luke 7:38). Our repentance is the perfume of the Savior. See how costly is the compassion of the Savior. Our sins give off a terrible odor; they are rottenness. Nevertheless, if we repent of our sins, they will be transformed into perfume by the Lord. Therefore, let us ask the Lord to grasp our hand. 'And at once,' he says, 'the fever left her.' Immediately as her hand is grasped, the fever flees."

The mighty works and signs which Jesus did demonstrate that the kingdom of God is present in him. These signs attest that the Father has sent him as the promised Messiah. They invite belief in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world. The coming of God's kingdom means defeat of Satan's kingdom. Jesus' exorcisms anticipate his great victory over "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31). What do we know about Satan and the evil spirits or demons? We know that the ancient serpent who seduced our first parents (Genesis 3:1-5) is called "Satan" or the "devil" (Revelation 12:9). The devil and the other demons were created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing (2 Peter 2:4). They irrevocably rejected God and his reign. Milton in his great poem, Paradise Lost, describes Satan's defiance: "Better to reign in hell than to serve God." John Damascene, an 8th century church father said: "There is no repentance for the angels after their fall, just as there is no repentance for men after death." While Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and may cause grave injuries of a spiritual nature,and indirectly even of a physical nature, his power is nonetheless limited and permitted by divine providence (Romans 8:28). Jesus offers freedom from bondage to sin and Satan. There is no affliction he cannot deliver us from.  Do you make full use of the protection and help he offers to those who seek him with faith and trust in his mercy?

"Lord Jesus Christ, you have all power to heal and to deliver. There is no trouble nor bondage you cannot overcome. Set me free to serve you joyfully and to love and serve others with a generous heart. May nothing hinder me from giving myself wholly to you and to your service."

February 5
St. Agatha
(d. 251?) As in the case of Agnes, another virgin-martyr of the early Church, almost nothing is historically certain about this saint except that she was martyred in Sicily during the persecution of Emperor Decius in 251.

Legend has it that Agatha, like Agnes, was arrested as a Christian, tortured and sent to a house of prostitution to be mistreated. She was preserved from being violated, and was later put to death.
She is claimed as the patroness of both Palermo and Catania. The year after her death, the stilling of an eruption of Mt. Etna was attributed to her intercession. As a result, apparently, people continued to ask her prayers for protection against fire.

Comment:

The scientific modern mind winces at the thought of a volcano’s might being contained by God because of the prayers of a Sicilian girl. Still less welcome, probably, is the notion of that saint being the patroness of such varied professions as those of foundry workers, nurses, miners and Alpine guides. Yet, in our historical precision, have we lost an essential human quality of wonder and poetry, and even our belief that we come to God by helping each other, both in action and prayer?

Quote:

When Agatha was arrested, the legend says, she prayed: “Jesus Christ, Lord of all things! You see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am—you alone. I am your sheep; make me worthy to overcome the devil.” And in prison: “Lord, my creator, you have protected me since I was in the cradle. You have taken me from the love of the world and given me patience to suffer. Now receive my spirit.”

Patron Saint of:

Breast disease, against
Foundry workers
Nurses