Memorial of Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr
Lectionary: 312
Lectionary: 312
The LORD said to Samuel:
“How long will you grieve for Saul,
whom I have rejected as king of Israel?
Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”
But Samuel replied:
“How can I go?
Saul will hear of it and kill me.”
To this the LORD answered:
“Take a heifer along and say,
‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do;
you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.”
“How long will you grieve for Saul,
whom I have rejected as king of Israel?
Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”
But Samuel replied:
“How can I go?
Saul will hear of it and kill me.”
To this the LORD answered:
“Take a heifer along and say,
‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do;
you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.”
Samuel did as the LORD had
commanded him.
When he entered Bethlehem,
the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired,
“Is your visit peaceful, O seer?”
He replied:
“Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet.”
He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves
and invited them to the sacrifice.
As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because he sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel,
who said, “The LORD has not chosen him.”
Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said,
“The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“There–anoint him, for this is he!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed him in the midst of his brothers;
and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.
When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.
When he entered Bethlehem,
the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired,
“Is your visit peaceful, O seer?”
He replied:
“Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet.”
He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves
and invited them to the sacrifice.
As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because he sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel,
who said, “The LORD has not chosen him.”
Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said,
“The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“There–anoint him, for this is he!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed him in the midst of his brothers;
and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.
When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.
Responsorial
Psalm89:20, 21-22, 27-28
R. (21a) I have found
David, my servant.
Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:
“On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth.”
R. I have found David, my servant.
“I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong.”
R. I have found David, my servant.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
And I will make him the first-born,
highest of the kings of the earth.”
R. I have found David, my servant.
Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:
“On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth.”
R. I have found David, my servant.
“I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong.”
R. I have found David, my servant.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
And I will make him the first-born,
highest of the kings of the earth.”
R. I have found David, my servant.
Alleluia EphEPH 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 Memorial of Saint Agnes, 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.
The
Lord of the Sabbath feeds and nourishes us
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.
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. On every Sabbath morning twelves loaves were laid before God on
a golden table in the Holy Place. Each loaf represented one of the twelve
tribes of Israel. No one was allowed to eat this bread except the priests
because it represented the very presence of God. In their hunger and need for
physical nourishment and strength, David and his men ate of this bread which
Ahimelech offered to them.
Seek
the Lord's rest and refreshment
Why didn't the Pharisees recognize the claims of mercy over rules and regulations? Their zeal for ritual observance blinded them from the demands of charity. 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.
Why didn't the Pharisees recognize the claims of mercy over rules and regulations? Their zeal for ritual observance blinded them from the demands of charity. 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.
Jesus'
reference to the bread of the Presence (Mark 2:24) alludes to
the true bread from heaven which he offers to all who believe
in him. Jesus, the Son of David, and the Son of Man, a title for
the Messiah, declares that he is "Lord of the Sabbath."
Jesus healed on the Sabbath and he showed mercy to those in need. All who are
burdened and weary can find true rest and refreshment in him. 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 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 21, MARK 2:23-28
Memorial of Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr
(1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 89)
Memorial of Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr
(1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 89)
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.
Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr
Agnes' name means "chaste lamb." Agnes, the daughter of a noble Roman family, had become a Christian. She was martyred for her belief during the persecution of Diocletian in 304, or possibly earlier. Agnes was ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods and lose her virginity by rape. She was taken to a Roman temple of Minerva (Athena), and when led to the altar, she made the Sign of the Cross. She was threatened, then tortured when she refused to turn against God. Several young men offered to marry her, whether from lust or pity is not known. She said that to do so would be an insult to her heavenly Spouse, and she would keep her consecrated virginity intact, accept death, and see Christ in Heaven. According to early accounts, her enraged persecutors attempted to burn Agnes, and when this failed, they decapitated her. Testimony to her courageous witness was given in an account by Saint Ambrose (340-387) in "De Virginibus." Pope Damasus (ca. 304-384) extolled the heroism and virtue of the young girl, reportedly telling in a poem how she bravely faced fire, concerned only that her stripped body be covered by her long hair. Since the early middle-ages, Saint Agnes is usually depicted holding a lamb as a symbol of her purity.
Tuesday 21 January 2020
1 Samuel 16:1-13. Psalm 88(89):20-22, 27-28. Mark 2:23-28.
I have found David, my servant – Psalm 88(89):20-22, 27-28.
‘The Sabbath was made for humankind.’
I have found David, my servant – Psalm 88(89):20-22, 27-28.
‘The Sabbath was made for humankind.’
It’s reassuring when somebody with a book named after him in the
Bible turns out to be fairly stupid; there’s hope for us all. Samuel had judged
King Saul by appearances (tall, good-looking), and Saul had disappointed him,
but when Samuel wanted to replace him, he judged Eliab the same way! God
intervened with sensible advice: ‘The Lord looks on the heart.’
David (who also happened to have ‘beautiful eyes’!) had nous – and was
anointed.
Jesus, no slouch at fasting, was also utterly sensible when his
disciples were hungry, taking the reasonable course: ‘The Sabbath was made for
humankind’ meant ‘Use your common sense!’ (He also referenced David’s common
sense.)
God surprises us with good common sense. G.K. Chesterton’s
Father Brown saw through the priestly disguise of the master criminal Flambeau
because, as he said, ‘You attacked reason; it’s bad theology.’ Lord, thank you
for being a divinely sensible God.
Saint Agnes
Saint of the Day for January 21
(d. c. 258)
 |
| Mosaic of Saint Agnes of Rome | Haarlemmermeerplein, Amsterdam | flickr |
Saint Agnes’ Story
Almost nothing is known of this saint except that she was very
young—12 or 13—when she was martyred in the last half of the third century.
Various modes of death have been suggested—beheading, burning, strangling.
Legend has it that Agnes was a beautiful girl whom many young
men wanted to marry. Among those she refused, one reported her to the
authorities for being a Christian. She was arrested and confined to a house of
prostitution. The legend continues that a man who looked upon her lustfully
lost his sight and had it restored by her prayer. Agnes was condemned,
executed, and buried near Rome in a catacomb that eventually was named after
her. The daughter of Constantine built a basilica in her honor.
Reflection
Like that of Maria Goretti in the 20th century, the martyrdom of
a virginal young girl made a deep impression on a society enslaved to a
materialistic outlook. Also like Agatha, who died in similar circumstances,
Agnes is a symbol that holiness does not depend on length of years, experience,
or human effort. It is a gift God offers to all.
Saint Agnes is the Patron Saint of:
Girls
Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts
Lectio Divina: Mark 2:23-28
Lectio Divina
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
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.
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?
• 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)
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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