Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 308
Lectionary: 308
The Philistines gathered for an
attack on Israel.
Israel went out to engage them in battle and camped at Ebenezer,
while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
The Philistines then drew up in battle formation against Israel.
After a fierce struggle Israel was defeated by the Philistines,
who slew about four thousand men on the battlefield.
When the troops retired to the camp, the elders of Israel said,
“Why has the LORD permitted us to be defeated today
by the Philistines?
Let us fetch the ark of the LORD from Shiloh
that it may go into battle among us
and save us from the grasp of our enemies.”
Israel went out to engage them in battle and camped at Ebenezer,
while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
The Philistines then drew up in battle formation against Israel.
After a fierce struggle Israel was defeated by the Philistines,
who slew about four thousand men on the battlefield.
When the troops retired to the camp, the elders of Israel said,
“Why has the LORD permitted us to be defeated today
by the Philistines?
Let us fetch the ark of the LORD from Shiloh
that it may go into battle among us
and save us from the grasp of our enemies.”
So the people sent to Shiloh and
brought from there
the ark of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim.
The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of God.
When the ark of the LORD arrived in the camp,
all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth resounded.
The Philistines, hearing the noise of shouting, asked,
“What can this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?”
On learning that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp,
the Philistines were frightened.
They said, “Gods have come to their camp.”
They said also, “Woe to us! This has never happened before. Woe to us!
Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods?
These are the gods that struck the Egyptians
with various plagues and with pestilence.
Take courage and be manly, Philistines;
otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews,
as they were your slaves.
So fight manfully!”
The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated;
every man fled to his own tent.
It was a disastrous defeat,
in which Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
The ark of God was captured,
and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were among the dead.
the ark of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim.
The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of God.
When the ark of the LORD arrived in the camp,
all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth resounded.
The Philistines, hearing the noise of shouting, asked,
“What can this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?”
On learning that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp,
the Philistines were frightened.
They said, “Gods have come to their camp.”
They said also, “Woe to us! This has never happened before. Woe to us!
Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods?
These are the gods that struck the Egyptians
with various plagues and with pestilence.
Take courage and be manly, Philistines;
otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews,
as they were your slaves.
So fight manfully!”
The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated;
every man fled to his own tent.
It was a disastrous defeat,
in which Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
The ark of God was captured,
and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were among the dead.
Responsorial
Psalm44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25
R. (27b) Redeem us, Lord,
because of your mercy.
Yet now you have cast us off and put us in disgrace,
and you go not forth with our armies.
You have let us be driven back by our foes;
those who hated us plundered us at will.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
You made us the reproach of our neighbors,
the mockery and the scorn of those around us.
You made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Why do you hide your face,
forgetting our woe and our oppression?
For our souls are bowed down to the dust,
our bodies are pressed to the earth.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Yet now you have cast us off and put us in disgrace,
and you go not forth with our armies.
You have let us be driven back by our foes;
those who hated us plundered us at will.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
You made us the reproach of our neighbors,
the mockery and the scorn of those around us.
You made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Why do you hide your face,
forgetting our woe and our oppression?
For our souls are bowed down to the dust,
our bodies are pressed to the earth.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
AlleluiaMT 4:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 1:40-45
A leper came to him and kneeling
down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
Meditation: The
Lord Jesus can make me clean
Do
you seek the Lord Jesus with expectant faith? No one who sought Jesus out was
refused his help. Even the untouchables and the outcasts of Jewish society
found help in him. Unlike the people of Jesus' time who fled at the sight of a
leper, Jesus touched the leper who approached him and he made him whole and
clean. Why was this so remarkable? Lepers were outcasts of society. They were
driven from their homes and communities and left to fend for themselves. Their
physical condition was terrible as they slowly lost the use of their limbs and
withered away. They were not only shunned but regarded as "already
dead" even by their relatives. The Jewish law forbade anyone from touching
or approaching a leper, lest ritual defilement occur.
This
leper did something quite remarkable. He approached Jesus confidently and
humbly, expecting that Jesus could and would heal him. Normally a leper would
be stoned or at least warded off if he tried to come near a rabbi. Jesus not
only grants the man his request, but he demonstrates the personal love,
compassion, and tenderness of God in his physical touch. The medical knowledge
of his day would have regarded such contact as grave risk for incurring
infection. Jesus met the man's misery with compassion and tender kindness. He
communicated the love and mercy of God in a sign that spoke more eloquently
than words. He touched the man and made him clean - not only physically but
spiritually as well.
How
do you approach those who are difficult to love, or who are shunned by others
because they are deformed or have some defect? Do you show them kindness and
offer them mercy and help as Jesus did? The Lord is always ready to show us his
mercy and to free us from whatever makes us unclean, unapproachable, or
unloving towards others.
Lord
Jesus, inflame my heart with your love and make me clean and whole in body,
mind, and spirit. May I never doubt your love nor cease to tell others of your
mercy and compassion."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Why did Jesus touch the leper, by
Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"And
why did [Jesus] touch him, since the law forbade the touching of a leper? He
touched him to show that 'all things are clean to the clean' (Titus 1:15).
Because the filth that is in one person does not adhere to others, nor does
external uncleanness defile the clean of heart. So he touches him in his
untouchability, that he might instruct us in humility; that he might teach us
that we should despise no one, or abhor them, or regard them as pitiable,
because of some wound of their body or some blemish for which they might be
called to render an account... So, stretching forth his hand to touch, the
leprosy immediately departs. The hand of the Lord is found to have touched not
a leper, but a body made clean! Let us consider here, beloved, if there be anyone
here that has the taint of leprosy in his soul, or the contamination of guilt
in his heart? If he has, instantly adoring God, let him say: 'Lord, if you
will, you can make me clean.'" (excerpt from FRAGMENTS ON
MATTHEW 2.2–3)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, MARK 1:40-45
Weekday
(1 Samuel 4:1-11; Psalm 44
Weekday
(1 Samuel 4:1-11; Psalm 44
KEY VERSE: "I do will it. Be made clean" (v 41).
TO KNOW: In Jesus' day, a person afflicted with leprosy was an outcast, forced to live apart from the community. One such leper humbly begged Jesus to heal him. Jesus was filled with compassion as it was always his will that his people be made whole. Even though contact with a leper would render a person ritually unclean, Jesus did not hesitate to touch the man and heal him. Jesus then sent the man to the priest who had the authority to pronounce him cured and ready to return to society (Lv 14:1-32). Jesus admonished the man not to speak of the healing lest it be misinterpreted as mere wonder-working ("the Messianic Secret" is characteristic of Mark's gospel). But the man could not contain his joy and began to publicize his healing to everyone he met. Because so many people kept coming to Jesus, it was impossible for him to enter a town. Now it was Jesus who was forced to live in the deserted places on the town’s outskirts.
TO LOVE: Do I show compassion to those who are afflicted by sickness and disease?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, heal me of all that separates me from God and my community.
Thursday 16 January 2020
1 Samuel 4:1-11. Psalm 43(44):10-11, 14-15, 24-25. Mark 1:40-45.
Save us, Lord, in your mercy – Psalm 43(44):10-11, 14-15, 24-25
‘Jesus heals leper; tells him to show, be silent, speaks and news spreads.’
Save us, Lord, in your mercy – Psalm 43(44):10-11, 14-15, 24-25
‘Jesus heals leper; tells him to show, be silent, speaks and news spreads.’
Jesus, right from the beginning you didn’t let worry about what
people would think of you get in the way of your compassion. Lepers were
considered unclean and no devout Jew would touch them. They would themselves
become unclean. That is why lepers were driven out of town.
But you met the leper, touched him and cured him. Compassion
trumped law. But did you really think that the man cured of leprosy could keep
quiet about it? He suddenly returns to the village and was going to be silent?
And you must have known that people who heard the story would see you as
irreligious. Jesus, I thank you for your compassion to my leprous spirit. Never
let timidity prevent me from being compassionate.
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 1:40-45
Lectio Divina
Thursday, January 16, 2020
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 1:40-45
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,
"If you wish, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched
out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made
clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then,
warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, "See
that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer
for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report
abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained
outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
3) Reflection
• Accepting and curing the leper, Jesus reveals a new face of
God. A leper came near Jesus. He was an excluded, impure person. He should be
far away. Anybody who touched him would also become impure! But that leper had
great courage. He transgresses the norms of religion in order to be able to get
near Jesus. He calls out: “If You want, You can heal me. You need not touch me!
It suffices that You want, and I will be healed!” This phrase reveals two
evils: a) the evil of leprosy which made him impure; and b) the evil of
solitude to which he was condemned by society and by religion. It also reveals
the great faith of the man in the power of Jesus. Jesus is profoundly moved and
cures both evils. In the first place, in order to cure solitude, He touches the
leper. It is as if He said: “For Me, you are not an excluded one. I accept you
as a brother!” And then He cures the leper saying: “I want it! Be cured!” The
leper, in order to enter into contact with Jesus, had transgressed the norms of
the Law. Jesus, in order to be able to help that excluded person and therefore
reveal a new face of God, transgresses the norms of His religion and touches
the leper. At that time, whoever touched a leper became impure according to the
religious authority and by the law of that time.
• He integrated the excluded person into fraternal living together. Jesus not only cures, but also wants the cured person to be able to live with the others. He once again inserts the person in society to live with others. At that time, for a leper to be accepted again in the community, it was necessary to get a certificate from the priest that he had been cured. It is like today in some places. A sick person leaves the hospital with a document signed by the doctor of the department where he had been hospitalized. Jesus obliges the person to look for that document in such a way that he will be able to live normally with others. He obliges the authorities to recognize that this man has been cured.
• The leper announces the good that Jesus has done to him and Jesus becomes an excluded person. Jesus forbids the leper to speak about the cure. The Gospel of Mark tells us that this prohibition does not survive. The leper, walking away, began to spread the news to the point that Jesus could no longer publicly enter into a city, but remained outside in a deserted place (Mk 1:45). Why? Because Jesus had touched the leper. Because of this, according to the opinion of the religion of that time, He himself was now impure and should live far away from all others. He could no longer enter the city. Mark says that people did not care about these official norms, in fact, people came to Him from everywhere (Mk 1:45).
• Summarizing. In the year 70, when Mark wrote, as well as today, the time in which we live, it was and is important to have models of how to live and how to proclaim the Good News of God. In verses 16 to 45 of the first chapter of his Gospel, Mark describes the mission of the community and presents eight criteria in order that the communities of his time could evaluate their mission. The following is the outline:
• He integrated the excluded person into fraternal living together. Jesus not only cures, but also wants the cured person to be able to live with the others. He once again inserts the person in society to live with others. At that time, for a leper to be accepted again in the community, it was necessary to get a certificate from the priest that he had been cured. It is like today in some places. A sick person leaves the hospital with a document signed by the doctor of the department where he had been hospitalized. Jesus obliges the person to look for that document in such a way that he will be able to live normally with others. He obliges the authorities to recognize that this man has been cured.
• The leper announces the good that Jesus has done to him and Jesus becomes an excluded person. Jesus forbids the leper to speak about the cure. The Gospel of Mark tells us that this prohibition does not survive. The leper, walking away, began to spread the news to the point that Jesus could no longer publicly enter into a city, but remained outside in a deserted place (Mk 1:45). Why? Because Jesus had touched the leper. Because of this, according to the opinion of the religion of that time, He himself was now impure and should live far away from all others. He could no longer enter the city. Mark says that people did not care about these official norms, in fact, people came to Him from everywhere (Mk 1:45).
• Summarizing. In the year 70, when Mark wrote, as well as today, the time in which we live, it was and is important to have models of how to live and how to proclaim the Good News of God. In verses 16 to 45 of the first chapter of his Gospel, Mark describes the mission of the community and presents eight criteria in order that the communities of his time could evaluate their mission. The following is the outline:
Text Activity of
Jesus Objective of the mission
Mark 1:16-20
Jesus calls His first disciples
To form the community
Mark 1:21-22
The people were admired at His teaching
To create a critical conscience
Mark 1:23-28
Jesus expels a devil
To overcome the force of evil
Mark 1:29-31
He cures Peter’s mother-in-law
To give life back so as to serve
Mark 1:32-34
He cures the sick and the possessed
To accept the marginalized
Mark 1:35
Jesus rises early to pray
To remain united with the Father
Mark 1:36-39
Jesus continues the announcement
Not to stop at the results
Mark 1:40-45
He cures a leper
To integrate anew the excluded
Mark 1:16-20
Jesus calls His first disciples
To form the community
Mark 1:21-22
The people were admired at His teaching
To create a critical conscience
Mark 1:23-28
Jesus expels a devil
To overcome the force of evil
Mark 1:29-31
He cures Peter’s mother-in-law
To give life back so as to serve
Mark 1:32-34
He cures the sick and the possessed
To accept the marginalized
Mark 1:35
Jesus rises early to pray
To remain united with the Father
Mark 1:36-39
Jesus continues the announcement
Not to stop at the results
Mark 1:40-45
He cures a leper
To integrate anew the excluded
4) Personal questions
• To proclaim the Good News means to give witness to the
experience of Jesus that one has. What does the leper announce? He tells others
the good that Jesus has done to him. This witness leads others to accept the
Good News of God which Jesus brings to us. What is the witness that you give?
• To take the Good News to the people, it is not necessary to be afraid of transgressing the religious norms which are contrary to God’s plan and which make communication, dialogue, and the living out of love difficult, even if this causes difficulty for the people as it caused difficulty for Jesus. Do I have this courage?
• To take the Good News to the people, it is not necessary to be afraid of transgressing the religious norms which are contrary to God’s plan and which make communication, dialogue, and the living out of love difficult, even if this causes difficulty for the people as it caused difficulty for Jesus. Do I have this courage?
5) Concluding prayer
Come, let us bow low and do reverence;
kneel before Yahweh who made us!
For He is our God,
and we the people of His sheepfold,
the flock of His hand. (Ps 95:6-7)
kneel before Yahweh who made us!
For He is our God,
and we the people of His sheepfold,
the flock of His hand. (Ps 95:6-7)
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