Saturday after Epiphany
Lectionary: 217
Lectionary: 217
Beloved:
We have this confidence in him
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask,
we know that what we have asked him for is ours.
If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly,
he should pray to God and he will give him life.
This is only for those whose sin is not deadly.
There is such a thing as deadly sin,
about which I do not say that you should pray.
All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.
We know that anyone begotten by God does not sin;
but the one begotten by God he protects,
and the Evil One cannot touch him.
We know that we belong to God,
and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One.
We also know that the Son of God has come
and has given us discernment to know the one who is true.
And we are in the one who is true,
in his Son Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and eternal life.
Children, be on your guard against idols.
We have this confidence in him
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask,
we know that what we have asked him for is ours.
If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly,
he should pray to God and he will give him life.
This is only for those whose sin is not deadly.
There is such a thing as deadly sin,
about which I do not say that you should pray.
All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.
We know that anyone begotten by God does not sin;
but the one begotten by God he protects,
and the Evil One cannot touch him.
We know that we belong to God,
and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One.
We also know that the Son of God has come
and has given us discernment to know the one who is true.
And we are in the one who is true,
in his Son Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and eternal life.
Children, be on your guard against idols.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 149:1-2, 3-4, 5-6A AND
9B
R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaMT 4:16
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 3:22-30
Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea,
where he spent some time with them baptizing.
John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim,
because there was an abundance of water there,
and people came to be baptized,
for John had not yet been imprisoned.
Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew
about ceremonial washings.
So they came to John and said to him,
"Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan,
to whom you testified,
here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him."
John answered and said,
"No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.
You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ,
but that I was sent before him.
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;
the best man, who stands and listens for him,
rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice.
So this joy of mine has been made complete.
He must increase; I must decrease."
where he spent some time with them baptizing.
John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim,
because there was an abundance of water there,
and people came to be baptized,
for John had not yet been imprisoned.
Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew
about ceremonial washings.
So they came to John and said to him,
"Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan,
to whom you testified,
here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him."
John answered and said,
"No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.
You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ,
but that I was sent before him.
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;
the best man, who stands and listens for him,
rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice.
So this joy of mine has been made complete.
He must increase; I must decrease."
Meditation:
"This joy of mine is now full"
Do
you know the joy of the Lord? When some friends of John the Baptist complain
that all the people are now going to Jesus, John in his characteristic humility
exclaimed that he was not the Messiah but only the messenger sent to prepare
his way. John describes the Messiah as the Bridegroom and himself as the friend
of the Bridegroom. The image of the groom delighting in his bride and the joy
of the wedding feast is used in the Bible as a sign or symbol of God's covenant
love and joy in being united with his people, whom he calls his bride. As
the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you (Isaiah
62:5).
Through
the gift of the Holy Spirit John recognized that Jesus was the anointed
Messiah, sent from the Father in heaven to reunite his people to himself. John
acted as the groom's best man in arranging the marriage and in making
preparations for the marriage feast. John and his disciples now rejoice that
the Bridegroom has come to make his bride, the people of God, ready for the
marriage feast. The New Testament tells us that Christ's blood which was shed
upon the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, seals us in a new
covenant between God and his people. The Book of Revelation depicts
the final fulfillment and consummation of this new covenant relationship at the
marriage feast of the "Lamb and his Bride" in the New Jerusalem
(see Revelations 21-22). Do you look with joyful anticipation to the
consummation of God's plan for his people at the end of the ages?
"Lord
Jesus, may I never forget the love you have poured out for me when you shed
your blood upon the Cross of Calvary for my sins and for my salvation. May your
love always grow in me and your hope fill me with joy as I wait for your return
in glory when all of your people will be fully united with you at your heavenly
banquet feast in the New Jerusalem."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Christ is the husband of the church
his bride, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"This
means he alone is the husband of the church (John 3:29), he is the expectation
of the nations, and the prophets removed their sandals while offering to him a
union of nuptial grace. He is the bridegroom; I am the friend of the
bridegroom. I rejoice because he is coming, because I hear the nuptial chant,
because now we do not hear the harsh penalties for sinners, the harsh torments
of the law, but the forgiveness of offenses, the cry of joy, the sound of
cheerfulness, the rejoicing of the nuptial feast." (excerpt
from ON THE PATRIARCHS 4.22)
ATURDAY, JANUARY 12, JOHN 3:22-30
Christmas Weekday
(1 John 5:14-21; Psalm 149)
Christmas Weekday
(1 John 5:14-21; Psalm 149)
KEY VERSE: "He must increase; I must decrease" (v.30).
TO KNOW: With the close of the ministry of John the Baptist, the age of promise was at an end, and the time of fulfillment was at hand. After Jesus was baptized by John, he spent time with his disciples who immersed those who chose to follow Jesus (John explained that Jesus did not baptize; only his disciples baptized, Jn 4:2). John the Baptist's disciples objected to the baptisms performed by Jesus' disciples. They complained that everyone was following Jesus instead of John. But the Baptist explained that no one could receive anything, unless it had been given to them from heaven (v.27). He reminded his jealous followers that he was simply the best man at the wedding, and it was Jesus who was the bridegroom. John's role was complete, and as his ministry decreased, he must step aside for Jesus whose role would now increase.
TO LOVE: Does my ministry draw more attention to myself than to Jesus?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to serve with humility like John.
www.togetherwithgodsword.com
Saturday 12 January 2019
1 John 5:14-21. Psalm 149:1-6, 9. John 3:22-30.
The Lord takes delight in his people – Psalm
149:1-6, 9.
‘He must increase,
but I must decrease.’
Perhaps the mark of a true prophet consists precisely in this:
that he or she continues to point others towards the Lord. In relatively
unspectacular ways, we are all called to be prophets. Sometimes people glimpse
the love of God in our lives and they are drawn to us. It can be comforting to
be the centre of a group and easier to bask in popularity than to challenge.
John had the rare gift of being able to rejoice that people were leaving him
and going after Jesus.
Jesus, give us John’s greatness of heart and fidelity to the
mission of revealing you to others. Let us have the sense to stand aside, so
that our shadow may not block out your light.
Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys
Saint of the Day for January 12
(April 17, 1620 – January 12, 1700)
 |
| enerable Mere Marguerite Bourgeoyse | Cadieux et Derome |
Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys’ Story
“God closes a door and then opens a window,” people sometimes
say when dealing with their own disappointment or someone else’s. That was
certainly true in Marguerite’s case. Children from European as well as Native
American backgrounds in 17th-century Canada benefited from her great zeal and
unshakable trust in God’s providence.
Born the sixth of 12 children in Troyes, France, Marguerite at
the age of 20 believed that she was called to religious life. Her applications
to the Carmelites and Poor Clares were unsuccessful. A priest friend suggested
that perhaps God had other plans for her.
In 1654, the governor of the French settlement in Canada visited
his sister, an Augustinian canoness in Troyes. Marguerite belonged to a
sodality connected to that convent. The governor invited her to come to Canada
and start a school in Ville-Marie (eventually the city of Montreal). When she
arrived, the colony numbered 200 people with a hospital and a Jesuit mission
chapel.
Soon after starting a school, she realized her need for
coworkers. Returning to Troyes, she recruited a friend, Catherine Crolo, and
two other young women. In 1667, they added classes at their school for Indian
children. A second trip to France three years later resulted in six more young
women and a letter from King Louis XIV, authorizing the school. The
Congregation of Notre Dame was established in 1676 but its members did not make
formal religious profession until 1698 when their Rule and constitutions were
approved.
Marguerite established a school for Indian girls in Montreal. At
the age of 69, she walked from Montreal to Quebec in response to the bishop’s
request to establish a community of her sisters in that city. By the time she
died, she was referred to as the “Mother of the Colony.” Marguerite was canonized
in 1982.
Reflection
It’s easy to become discouraged when plans that we think that
God must endorse are frustrated. Marguerite was called not to be a cloistered
nun but to be a foundress and an educator. God had not ignored her after all.
LECTIO
DIVINA: JOHN 3:22-30
Lectio Divina:
Saturday, January 12, 2019
1) OPENING PRAYER
God our Father,
through Your Son You made us a new creation.
He shared our nature and became one of us;
with His help, may we become more like Him,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
through Your Son You made us a new creation.
He shared our nature and became one of us;
with His help, may we become more like Him,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) GOSPEL READING -
JOHN 3:22-30
Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he
spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near
Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be
baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned. Now a dispute arose between the
disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings. So they came to John and
said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom
you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him." John
answered and said, "No one can receive anything except what has been given
from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ,
but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;
the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the
bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must
increase; I must decrease."
3) REFLECTION
• Both John the Baptist and Jesus indicated a new way to the
crowds. But Jesus, after having adhered to the movement of John the Baptist,
and after having been baptized by him, advanced a step ahead and created His
own movement. He baptized people in the Jordan River when John the
Baptist was also doing it. Both of them attracted the poor and abandoned people
of Palestine by announcing the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
• Jesus, the new preacher, had a certain advantage over John the Baptist. He baptized more people and attracted more disciples. Thus, a tension arose between the disciples of John and those of Jesus, concerning the “purification,” that is, concerning the value of baptism. The disciples of John the Baptist experienced a certain envy and went to John to speak to him and informed him about the movement of Jesus.
• John’s response to his disciples is a beautiful response, which reveals his great spirit. John helps his disciples to see things more objectively. He uses three arguments: a) Nobody receives anything which is not given by God. If Jesus does such beautiful things, it is because he receives them from God (Jn 3:27). Instead of having envy, the disciples should feel joy. b) John reaffirms once again that he, John, is not the Messiah but only the precursor (Jn 3:28). c) In the end, he uses a comparison taken from the wedding feast. At that time, in Palestine, on the day of the wedding, in the house of the bride, the so called “friends of the bridegroom” waited for the arrival of the bridegroom to present him to the bride. In this case, Jesus is the bridegroom, the crowd is the bride, John the friend of the bridegroom. John the Baptist says that, in the voice of Jesus, he recognizes the voice of the bridegroom and can present him to the bride, to the crowds. At this moment, the bridegroom, the people, leave the friend of the bridegroom and follow Jesus, because they recognize in Him the voice of their bridegroom! And for this reason the joy of John is great, “complete joy”. John wants nothing for himself! His mission is to present the bridegroom to the bride! The last sentence summarizes everything: “He must increase, I must decrease!” This statement is also the program for anyone who follows Jesus.
• At the end of the first century, in Palestine as well as in Asia Minor, where there were some communities of Jews, there were also people who had been in contact with John the Baptist or who had been baptized by him (Acts 19:3). Seen from outside, the movement of John the Baptist and that of Jesus were very similar to one another. Both of them announced the coming of the Kingdom (cf. Mt 3:1-2; 4:17). There must have been some confusion between the followers of John and those of Jesus. And because of this, the witness of John about Jesus was very important. The four Gospels are concerned about transmitting the words of John the Baptist saying that he is not the Messiah. For the Christian communities, the Christian response, John’s response, “He must increase but I must decrease” was valid not only for the disciples of John at the time of Jesus, but also for the disciples of the Batiste or Cambric community of the end of the first century.
• Jesus, the new preacher, had a certain advantage over John the Baptist. He baptized more people and attracted more disciples. Thus, a tension arose between the disciples of John and those of Jesus, concerning the “purification,” that is, concerning the value of baptism. The disciples of John the Baptist experienced a certain envy and went to John to speak to him and informed him about the movement of Jesus.
• John’s response to his disciples is a beautiful response, which reveals his great spirit. John helps his disciples to see things more objectively. He uses three arguments: a) Nobody receives anything which is not given by God. If Jesus does such beautiful things, it is because he receives them from God (Jn 3:27). Instead of having envy, the disciples should feel joy. b) John reaffirms once again that he, John, is not the Messiah but only the precursor (Jn 3:28). c) In the end, he uses a comparison taken from the wedding feast. At that time, in Palestine, on the day of the wedding, in the house of the bride, the so called “friends of the bridegroom” waited for the arrival of the bridegroom to present him to the bride. In this case, Jesus is the bridegroom, the crowd is the bride, John the friend of the bridegroom. John the Baptist says that, in the voice of Jesus, he recognizes the voice of the bridegroom and can present him to the bride, to the crowds. At this moment, the bridegroom, the people, leave the friend of the bridegroom and follow Jesus, because they recognize in Him the voice of their bridegroom! And for this reason the joy of John is great, “complete joy”. John wants nothing for himself! His mission is to present the bridegroom to the bride! The last sentence summarizes everything: “He must increase, I must decrease!” This statement is also the program for anyone who follows Jesus.
• At the end of the first century, in Palestine as well as in Asia Minor, where there were some communities of Jews, there were also people who had been in contact with John the Baptist or who had been baptized by him (Acts 19:3). Seen from outside, the movement of John the Baptist and that of Jesus were very similar to one another. Both of them announced the coming of the Kingdom (cf. Mt 3:1-2; 4:17). There must have been some confusion between the followers of John and those of Jesus. And because of this, the witness of John about Jesus was very important. The four Gospels are concerned about transmitting the words of John the Baptist saying that he is not the Messiah. For the Christian communities, the Christian response, John’s response, “He must increase but I must decrease” was valid not only for the disciples of John at the time of Jesus, but also for the disciples of the Batiste or Cambric community of the end of the first century.
4) PERSONAL
QUESTIONS
• “He must increase, I must decrease”. This is John’s agenda. Is
this also my agenda?
• What is important is that the bride finds the bridegroom. We
are only spokespersons, nothing more. Am I this?
• Here John shows the essence of humility, which has many forms.
In what ways do I exemplify humility?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
They shall dance in praise of His name,
play to Him on tambourines and harp!
For Yahweh loves His people,
He will crown the humble with salvation. (Ps 149:3-4)
play to Him on tambourines and harp!
For Yahweh loves His people,
He will crown the humble with salvation. (Ps 149:3-4)
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