Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 307
Lectionary: 307
Since the children share in blood and Flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
R. (8a) The
Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generationsB
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generationsB
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 10:27
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord.
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord.
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 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.
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.
Meditation:
Jesus healed many who were sick
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. Jerome, an early church bible scholar and translator (c. 347-420),
reflects on this passage:
“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. Our repentance is the
perfume of the Savior. See how costly is the compassion of the Savior."
Do
you allow Jesus to be the Lord and healer in your personal life, family, and
community? Approach the Lord 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?
"Lord
Jesus Christ, you have all power to heal and to deliver from harm. There is no
trouble nor bondage you cannot overcome. Set me free to serve you joyfully and
to love and serve others generously. May nothing hinder me from giving myself
wholly to you and to your service."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The habit of prayer, by Origen of
Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"Jesus
prayed and did not pray in vain, since he received what he asked for in prayer
when he might have done so without prayer. If so, who among us would neglect to
pray? Mark says that 'in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and
went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed' (Mark 1:35). And Luke says,
'He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples
said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray,"' (Luke 11:1) and elsewhere,
'And all night he continued in prayer to God' (Luke 6:12). And John records his
prayer, saying, 'When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to
heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son
may glorify you"' (John 17:1). The same Evangelist writes that the Lord
said that he knew 'you hear me always' (John 11:42). All this shows that the
one who prays always is always heard." (excerpt from ON
PRAYER 13.1)
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, MARK 1:29-39
Weekday
(Hebrews 2:14-18; Psalm 105)
KEY VERSE: "He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons" (v 34).
TO KNOW: Mark presents Jesus as a healer, soter, which just means "the bearer of salus" or health. After the Sabbath service in Capernaum, Jesus went with his disciples James and John to Simon Peter’s home. When Simon informed Jesus that his mother-in-law was gravely ill, Jesus simply took her by the hand and helped her to get up. The woman was immediately healed by his touch, and in gratitude, she waited on all in the house. When the Sabbath ended at sundown, the people were free to bring their sick to Jesus. The whole town gathered at Jesus' door and he cured many of their illnesses. The miracles that Jesus worked, combined with his authoritative teaching, were signs pointing to the coming of God's reign, which he announced at the beginning of his ministry (Mk 1:15). Rising early the next morning, Jesus went to a deserted place for prayer, but even there his disciples sought him, pressing him to return to Capernaum. Jesus told them that he must take his message to other villages throughout Galilee to reveal God's kingdom of compassion and mercy.
TO LOVE: Do I run after signs and wonders or do I seek Jesus?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, teach me so that I might better serve others.
Weekday
(Hebrews 2:14-18; Psalm 105)
KEY VERSE: "He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons" (v 34).
TO KNOW: Mark presents Jesus as a healer, soter, which just means "the bearer of salus" or health. After the Sabbath service in Capernaum, Jesus went with his disciples James and John to Simon Peter’s home. When Simon informed Jesus that his mother-in-law was gravely ill, Jesus simply took her by the hand and helped her to get up. The woman was immediately healed by his touch, and in gratitude, she waited on all in the house. When the Sabbath ended at sundown, the people were free to bring their sick to Jesus. The whole town gathered at Jesus' door and he cured many of their illnesses. The miracles that Jesus worked, combined with his authoritative teaching, were signs pointing to the coming of God's reign, which he announced at the beginning of his ministry (Mk 1:15). Rising early the next morning, Jesus went to a deserted place for prayer, but even there his disciples sought him, pressing him to return to Capernaum. Jesus told them that he must take his message to other villages throughout Galilee to reveal God's kingdom of compassion and mercy.
TO LOVE: Do I run after signs and wonders or do I seek Jesus?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, teach me so that I might better serve others.
Wednesday 16 January 2019
Hebrews 2:14-18. Psalm 104(105):1-4, 6-9. Mark 1:29-39.
The Lord remembers his covenant forever –
Psalm 104(105):1-4, 6-9.
‘He took her by the hand and lifted her up.’
Today’s gospel scene reassures us of Christ’s boundless compassion
for our human frailty. No remote hermit, he is deeply involved in the pain and
turmoil of everyday life. Lest his mission be misunderstood, he enjoins silence
on those he cures. What sustains him throughout his ministry is not the fickle
crowd’s acclamation, but faithful and fervent prayer. Only profound trust in
the Father enables him to endure the torment of the cross.
Loving Lord, you triumphed over forces of evil and death. Heal
and cleanse us also. Though we may be mystified by the suffering in our lives,
help us to bear it courageously and patiently, and see it as an invitation to
draw closer to you.
Saint Berard and Companions
Saint of the Day for January 16
(d. January 16, 1220)
Saint Berard and Companions’ Story
Preaching the gospel is often dangerous work. Leaving one’s
homeland and adjusting to new cultures, governments and languages is difficult
enough; but martyrdom caps all the other sacrifices.
In 1219, with the blessing of Saint Francis, Berard left
Italy with Peter, Adjute, Accurs, Odo and Vitalis to preach in Morocco. En
route in Spain, Vitalis became sick and commanded the other friars to continue
their mission without him.
They tried preaching in Seville, then in Muslim hands, but made
no converts. They went on to Morocco where they preached in the marketplace.
The friars were immediately apprehended and ordered to leave the country; they
refused. When they began preaching again, an exasperated sultan ordered them
executed. After enduring severe beatings and declining various bribes to
renounce their faith in Jesus Christ, the friars were beheaded by the sultan
himself on January 16, 1220.
These were the first Franciscan martyrs. When Francis heard of
their deaths, he exclaimed, “Now I can truly say that I have five Friars
Minor!” Their relics were brought to Portugal where they prompted a young
Augustinian canon to join the Franciscans and set off for Morocco the next
year. That young man was Anthony
of Padua. These five martyrs were canonized in 1481.
Reflection
The deaths of Berard and his companions sparked a missionary
vocation in Anthony of Padua and others. There have been many, many Franciscans
who have responded to Francis’ challenge. Proclaiming the gospel can be fatal,
but that has not stopped the Franciscan men and women who even today risk their
lives in many countries throughout the world.
LECTIO DIVINA: MARK 1:29-39
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father of love, hear our prayers.
Help us to know Your will
and to do it with courage and faith.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Help us to know Your will
and to do it with courage and faith.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 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.
3) Reflection
• Jesus restores life for the service. After having participated
in the celebration of Saturday in the Synagogue, Jesus went to Peter’s house
and cured his mother-in-law. Once healed, she gets up, with her health restored
and having recovered her dignity, and she begins to serve. Jesus does not only heal
the person, but He does it in such a way that she begins to serve life.
• Jesus accepts the marginalized. When it begins to get dark, in the afternoon, at the end of Saturday when the first star shines in the sky, Jesus accepts and cures the sick and those possessed whom people had brought to Him. The sick and those possessed were the most marginalized people of that time. They had nobody to whom they had recourse. They depended on public charity. Besides this, religion considered them impure. They could not participate in the community. It was as if God rejected and excluded them. Therefore, the Good News of God consists of what He wants to do in the life of people: to accept the marginalized and the excluded, and to insert them again to live together in the community.
• To remain united to the Father, in prayer. Jesus is presented to us while He prays. He makes a great effort to have the time and the adequate environment to pray. He rises before the others and goes to a deserted place, to be able to be alone with God. Many times the Gospels speak to us about the prayer of Jesus, in silence (Mt 14:22-23); Mk 1:35; Lk 5:15-16; 3:21-22). Through prayer He maintains the awareness of His mission.
• To maintain the awareness of the mission and not to close oneself up in what is already obtained. Jesus is known. Everybody follows Him. This publicity pleases the disciples. They go to look for Jesus to take Him back to the people who were seeking for Him, and they tell Him: “All are looking for You.” They thought that Jesus would go to the banquet. They were disillusioned! Jesus does not pay attention and tells them: “Let us go elsewhere. It is precisely for this that I have come!” Surely, they must have been surprised! Jesus was not like what they had imagined Him to be. Jesus had a very clear conscience of the mission and wants to transmit this to the disciples. He does not want them to close themselves up in the results already obtained. They should not look back. But, like Jesus, they should maintain conscious of their mission. It is the mission received from the Father, which has to orientate their decisions.
• It is precisely for this that I have come! This was the first misunderstanding between Jesus and His disciples. At present, it is only a question of a small difference. Later on, in the Gospel of Mark, this misunderstanding will grow and will practically become a break between Jesus and the disciples (cf. Mk 8:14-21,32-33; 9:32; 14:27). Today, there are some misunderstandings along the way in the proclaiming the Good News. Mark helps one to be attentive to the differences.
• Jesus accepts the marginalized. When it begins to get dark, in the afternoon, at the end of Saturday when the first star shines in the sky, Jesus accepts and cures the sick and those possessed whom people had brought to Him. The sick and those possessed were the most marginalized people of that time. They had nobody to whom they had recourse. They depended on public charity. Besides this, religion considered them impure. They could not participate in the community. It was as if God rejected and excluded them. Therefore, the Good News of God consists of what He wants to do in the life of people: to accept the marginalized and the excluded, and to insert them again to live together in the community.
• To remain united to the Father, in prayer. Jesus is presented to us while He prays. He makes a great effort to have the time and the adequate environment to pray. He rises before the others and goes to a deserted place, to be able to be alone with God. Many times the Gospels speak to us about the prayer of Jesus, in silence (Mt 14:22-23); Mk 1:35; Lk 5:15-16; 3:21-22). Through prayer He maintains the awareness of His mission.
• To maintain the awareness of the mission and not to close oneself up in what is already obtained. Jesus is known. Everybody follows Him. This publicity pleases the disciples. They go to look for Jesus to take Him back to the people who were seeking for Him, and they tell Him: “All are looking for You.” They thought that Jesus would go to the banquet. They were disillusioned! Jesus does not pay attention and tells them: “Let us go elsewhere. It is precisely for this that I have come!” Surely, they must have been surprised! Jesus was not like what they had imagined Him to be. Jesus had a very clear conscience of the mission and wants to transmit this to the disciples. He does not want them to close themselves up in the results already obtained. They should not look back. But, like Jesus, they should maintain conscious of their mission. It is the mission received from the Father, which has to orientate their decisions.
• It is precisely for this that I have come! This was the first misunderstanding between Jesus and His disciples. At present, it is only a question of a small difference. Later on, in the Gospel of Mark, this misunderstanding will grow and will practically become a break between Jesus and the disciples (cf. Mk 8:14-21,32-33; 9:32; 14:27). Today, there are some misunderstandings along the way in the proclaiming the Good News. Mark helps one to be attentive to the differences.
4) Personal questions
• Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. Peter’s
mother-in-law began to serve. Do I act in such a way that my life is a service
to God and to my brothers and sisters?
• Jesus is conscious and aware of His mission through prayer. Am I?
• Jesus is conscious and aware of His mission through prayer. Am I?
5) Concluding prayer
Sing to Yahweh, bless His name!
Proclaim His salvation day after day,
declare His glory among the nations,
His marvels to every people! (Ps 96:2-3)
Proclaim His salvation day after day,
declare His glory among the nations,
His marvels to every people! (Ps 96:2-3)
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