(Tueday of the
second week in ordinary time)
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of
Unborn Children
Lectionary: 312
Lectionary: 312
Brothers and sisters:
God is not unjust so as to overlook your work
and the love you have demonstrated for his name
by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.
We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness
for the fulfillment of hope until the end,
so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who,
through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.
When God made the promise to Abraham,
since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
and said, I will indeed bless you and multiply you.
And so, after patient waiting, Abraham obtained the promise.
Now, men swear by someone greater than themselves;
for them an oath serves as a guarantee
and puts an end to all argument.
So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise
an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose,
he intervened with an oath,
so that by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged
to hold fast to the hope that lies before us.
This we have as an anchor of the soul,
sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil,
where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner,
becoming high priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
God is not unjust so as to overlook your work
and the love you have demonstrated for his name
by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.
We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness
for the fulfillment of hope until the end,
so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who,
through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.
When God made the promise to Abraham,
since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
and said, I will indeed bless you and multiply you.
And so, after patient waiting, Abraham obtained the promise.
Now, men swear by someone greater than themselves;
for them an oath serves as a guarantee
and puts an end to all argument.
So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise
an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose,
he intervened with an oath,
so that by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged
to hold fast to the hope that lies before us.
This we have as an anchor of the soul,
sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil,
where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner,
becoming high priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 111:1-2, 4-5, 9 AND
10C
R. (5) The
Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
His praise endures forever.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
His praise endures forever.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaSEE EPH 1:17-18
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 2:23-28
As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
"Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
He said to them,
"Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them,
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
"Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
He said to them,
"Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them,
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."
For the readings of the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn
Children, please go here.
Meditation: "The
Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath"
What
does the commandment "keep holy the Sabbath" require of us? Or better
yet, what is the primary intention behind this command? The religious leaders
confronted Jesus on this issue. The "Sabbath rest" was meant to be a
time to remember and celebrate God's goodness and the goodness of his work,
both in creation and redemption. It was a day set apart for the praise of God,
his work of creation, and his saving actions on our behalf. It was intended to
bring everyday work to a halt and to provide needed rest and refreshment.
Jesus' disciples are scolded by the scribes and Pharisees, not for plucking and
eating corn from the fields, but for doing so on the Sabbath. In defending his
disciples, Jesus argues from the scriptures that human need has precedence over
ritual custom.
When
David and his men were fleeing for their lives, they sought food from Ahimelech
the priest (1 Samuel 21:1-6). The only bread he had was the holy bread offered
in the Temple. None but the priests were allowed to eat it. In their hunger,
David and his men ate of this bread. Jesus reminds the Pharisees that the
Sabbath was given for our benefit, to refresh and renew us in living for God.
It was intended for good and not for evil. Withholding mercy and kindness in
response to human need was not part of God’s intention that we rest from
unnecessary labor. Do you honor the Lord in the way you treat your neighbor and
celebrate the Lord's Day?
"Lord
Jesus, may I give you fitting honor in the way I live my life and in the way I
treat my neighbor. May I honor the Lord's Day as a day holy to you. And may I
always treat others with the same mercy and kindness which you have shown to
me. Free me from a critical and intolerant spirit that I may always seek the
good of my neighbor."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The Lord of the Sabbath, by John
Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.
"Doubtless he speaks of himself when he mentions the 'Lord of the sabbath' (Mark 2:28, Matthew 12:8, Luke 6:5). Mark relates a complementary saying about our common human nature, that “the sabbath was made for humans, not humans for the sabbath (Mark 2:27). Why then should someone who gathered sticks on the sabbath be censured? The law that was established earlier could not be scorned without jeopardizing the law to be given later.
"The sabbath did confer many benefits, great blessings in the earlier dispensation. It made people more gentle toward those close to them. It guided them toward being more sympathetic. It located them temporally within God's creation and providence, as Ezekiel knew (Ezekiel 20:19-20). The sabbath trained Israel by degrees to abstain from evil and disposed them to listen to the things of the Spirit.
"They would have stretched the law out of shape if, when he was giving the law of the sabbath, Jesus had said, 'You can work on the sabbath, but just do good works, do nothing evil.' This would have brought out the worst in them. So he restrained them from doing any works at all on the sabbath. And even this stricter prohibition did not keep them in line. But he himself, in the very act of giving the law of the sabbath, gave them a veiled sign of things to come. For by saying, 'You must do no work, except what shall be done for your life' (Exodus 12:16), he indicated that the intent of the law was to have them refrain from evil works only, not all works. Even in the temple, much went on during the sabbath, and with great diligence and double toil. Thus even by this very shadowy saying Jesus was secretly opening the truth to them. Did Christ then attempt to repeal a law so beneficial as the sabbath law? Far from it. Rather, he greatly magnified the sabbath. For with Christ came the time for everyone to be trained by a higher requirement." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 39.3)
"Doubtless he speaks of himself when he mentions the 'Lord of the sabbath' (Mark 2:28, Matthew 12:8, Luke 6:5). Mark relates a complementary saying about our common human nature, that “the sabbath was made for humans, not humans for the sabbath (Mark 2:27). Why then should someone who gathered sticks on the sabbath be censured? The law that was established earlier could not be scorned without jeopardizing the law to be given later.
"The sabbath did confer many benefits, great blessings in the earlier dispensation. It made people more gentle toward those close to them. It guided them toward being more sympathetic. It located them temporally within God's creation and providence, as Ezekiel knew (Ezekiel 20:19-20). The sabbath trained Israel by degrees to abstain from evil and disposed them to listen to the things of the Spirit.
"They would have stretched the law out of shape if, when he was giving the law of the sabbath, Jesus had said, 'You can work on the sabbath, but just do good works, do nothing evil.' This would have brought out the worst in them. So he restrained them from doing any works at all on the sabbath. And even this stricter prohibition did not keep them in line. But he himself, in the very act of giving the law of the sabbath, gave them a veiled sign of things to come. For by saying, 'You must do no work, except what shall be done for your life' (Exodus 12:16), he indicated that the intent of the law was to have them refrain from evil works only, not all works. Even in the temple, much went on during the sabbath, and with great diligence and double toil. Thus even by this very shadowy saying Jesus was secretly opening the truth to them. Did Christ then attempt to repeal a law so beneficial as the sabbath law? Far from it. Rather, he greatly magnified the sabbath. For with Christ came the time for everyone to be trained by a higher requirement." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 39.3)
TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, MARK 2:23-28
Weekday
(Hebrews 6:10-20; Psalm 111)
Weekday
(Hebrews 6:10-20; Psalm 111)
KEY VERSE: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (v 27).
TO KNOW: As Jesus and his disciples were walking through the corn fields on the Sabbath day, his hungry disciples began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat them. On any ordinary day the disciples were doing what was permitted (Deut 23:25). As long as they did not put a sickle into the field they were free to pluck the corn. But this activity was done on the Sabbath, which was hedged around with hundreds of rules and regulations. The religious leaders classified a number of activities that was forbidden on the Sabbath. Among the labors that occurred during the "seasons of plowing and harvesting" (Ex 34:21) were reaping, threshing, winnowing, and the preparation of a meal from raw ingredients. When Jesus met with opposition from the Pharisees, he cited the precedence of David who fed his hungry men with the bread of offering, which had been reserved for the priests (1 Sm 21:4-7). Jesus said that the Sabbath was a gift from God, and that charity should prevail over rules and rituals. As "Lord of the Sabbath" (v 28), Jesus correctly interpreted the Law to benefit all people.
TO LOVE: Have I allowed legalism to be a substitute for love of the Lord and his people?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to keep the Sabbath by prayer and good works.
JANUARY 22 -- A DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE LEGAL PROTECTION OF UNBORN
CHILDREN
In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or 23, when the 22nd falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass "For Peace and Justice" should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day. (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373)
A great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world. Through special initiatives and in daily prayer, may an impassioned plea rise to God, the Creator and lover of life, from every Christian community, from every group and association, from every family and from the heart of every believer. -- Pope Saint John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, no. 100
Tuesday 22 January 2019
Hebrews 6:10-20. Psalm 110(111):1-2, 4-5, 9, 10. Mark 2:23-28.
The Lord will remember his covenant forever –
Psalm 110(111):1-2, 4-5, 9, 10.
The Lord will remember his covenant forever.
Jesus is clarifying to these Pharisees the laws of the Sabbath.
He tells them that their notions of the Sabbath should be reversed, that the
Sabbath was designed for people, not people for the Sabbath. Jesus’ teaching
grounds us in the ordinary and the everyday, challenging all people of faith
not to get tripped up by endless rules and regulations.
This story may serve to remind us to live in full freedom our
expression of our faith. We can take on board the encouragement to respond to
the commands of Jesus in the particular circumstances of our lives. Let us walk
forward ever awake to the presence of the Spirit at work in the world.
Saint Vincent of Zaragossa
Saint of the Day for January 22
(d. c. 304)
 |
| an Vicente, diácono y mártir, con un donante | Tomás Giner |
Saint Vincent of Zaragossa’s Story
Most of what we know about this saint comes from the poet
Prudentius. His Acts have been rather freely colored by the
imagination of their compiler. But Saint Augustine, in one of his sermons
on Saint Vincent, speaks of having the Acts of his
martyrdom before him. We are at least sure of his name, his being a deacon, the
place of his death and burial.
According to the story we have, the unusual devotion he inspired
must have had a basis in a very heroic life. Vincent was ordained deacon by his
friend Saint Valerius of Zaragossa in Spain. The Roman emperors had
published their edicts against the clergy in 303, and the following year
against the laity. Vincent and his bishop were imprisoned in Valencia. Hunger
and torture failed to break them. Like the youths in the fiery furnace, they
seemed to thrive on suffering.
Valerius was sent into exile, and Dacian, the Roman governor,
now turned the full force of his fury on Vincent. Tortures that sound very
modern were tried. But their main effect was the progressive disintegration of
Dacian himself. He had the torturers beaten because they failed.
Finally he suggested a compromise: Would Vincent at least give
up the sacred books to be burned according to the emperor’s edict? He would
not. Torture on the gridiron continued, the prisoner remaining courageous, the
torturer losing control of himself. Vincent was thrown into a filthy prison
cell—and converted the jailer. Dacian wept with rage, but strangely enough,
ordered the prisoner to be given some rest.
Friends among the faithful came to visit him, but he was to have
no earthly rest. When they finally settled him on a comfortable bed, he went to
his eternal rest.
Reflection
The martyrs are heroic examples of what God’s power can do. It
is humanly impossible, we realize, for someone to go through tortures such as
Vincent had and remain faithful. But it is equally true that by human power
alone no one can remain faithful even without torture or suffering. God does
not come to our rescue at isolated, “special” moments. God is supporting the
super-cruisers as well as children’s toy boats.
LECTIO DIVINA: MARK 2:23-28
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father of heaven and earth,
hear our prayers,
and show us the way to Your peace in the world.
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 2:23-28
As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this
the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on
the sabbath?" He said to them, "Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the
house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that
only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the
sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."
3) Reflection
• The Law exists for the good of people. One day on the Sabbath,
the disciples passed by a cornfield and they opened a path by plucking ears of
corn. In Matthew 12:1 it is said that they were hungry. Quoting the Bible, the
Pharisees criticized the attitude of the disciples. It would be a transgression
of the law of the Sabbath (cf. Ex 20:8-11). Jesus responded quoting the Bible
to indicate that the arguments of the others have no meaning. He recalls that
David himself did something which was prohibited, because he took the sacred
bread of the temple and gave it to the soldiers to eat because they were hungry
(I Sam 21:2-7). Jesus ends with two important phrases: (a) the Sabbath is made
for man and not man for the Sabbath; (b) The Son of Man is the Lord of the
Sabbath!
• The Sabbath is made for man and not man for the Sabbath. For
more than five hundred years, from the time of the Babylonian captivity to the
time of Jesus, the Jews had observed the law of the Sabbath. This secular
observance became for them a strong sign of identity. The Sabbath was
rigorously observed. At the time of the Maccabees, toward the end of the second
century before Christ, this observance had reached a critical point. Attacked
by the Greeks on Sabbath, the rebellious Maccabees preferred to allow
themselves to be killed rather than to transgress the law of the Sabbath by
using arms to defend their own life. For this, one thousand people died (I Mac
2: 32-38). Reflecting on the massacre, the Maccabee leaders concluded that
they should resist and defend their own life, even on the Sabbath (I Mac
2:39-41) Jesus used the same attitude: to consider the law of the Sabbath in a
relative way in favor of human life, because the law exists for the good
of human life, and not vice-versa!
• The Son of Man is also the Lord of the Sabbath! The new
experience of God as Father gives Jesus, the Son of Man, the key to discovering
the intention of God who is at the origin of the Law of the Old Testament. For
this reason, the Son of Man is also the Lord of the Sabbath. Living with the
people of Galilee during thirty years and feeling in His own person the
oppression and the exclusion to which so many brothers and sisters were
condemned in the name of the Law of God, Jesus perceives that this could not be
the significance of that law. If God is Father, then He accepts all as sons and
daughters. If God is Father, then we should be brothers and sisters to others.
And this is what Jesus lived and preached, from the beginning to the end. The
Law of the Sabbath must be at the service of life and of fraternity. It was
precisely because of His fidelity to this message that Jesus was condemned to
death. He disturbed the system. He was uncomfortable for them and the system
defended itself, using force against Jesus, because He wanted the Law itself to
be at the service of life and not vice-versa.
• Jesus and the Bible. The Pharisees criticized Jesus in the
name of the Bible. Jesus responds and criticizes the Pharisees using the Bible.
He knew the Bible by heart. At that time, there were no printed Bibles as we
have today! In every community there was only one Bible, hand written, which
remained in the Synagogue. If Jesus knew the Bible so well, it means that
during 30 years of His life in Nazareth, He participated intensely in the life
of the community, where the Scripture was read every Saturday. By comparison,
we are still lacking very much in familiarity with the Bible and participation
in the community!
4) Personal questions
• The Sabbath is for the human being and not vice-versa. How do
I interpret this?
• Even without having the Bible at home, Jesus knew it by heart.
Do I?
5) Concluding prayer
I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them. (Ps 111:1-2)
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