February 8, 2025
Saturday of the Fourth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 328
Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
Through Jesus, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise,
that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have;
God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.
Obey your leaders and defer to them,
for they keep watch over you and will have to give an account,
that they may fulfill their task with joy and not with sorrow,
for that would be of no advantage to you.
May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead
the great shepherd of the sheep
by the Blood of the eternal covenant,
furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will.
May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The Apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them,
"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."
People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.
When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020825.cfm
Commentary on Hebrews 13:15-17,20-21
Today we conclude our reading of the Letter to the Hebrews.
The first part of the reading gives some more instruction on how the Hebrew
Christians ought to behave.
First, they are to offer God an unending sacrifice of
praise, not now a sacrifice of animals, but a verbal offering of praise that is
made every time they acknowledge God’s name. Second, they are to keep doing
good works and sharing their resources, for instance, with other Christian
communities in need of assistance and support.
Both of these “sacrifices are pleasing to God”. And, in
fact, they are a good summary of what the Christian life should be—a
combination of prayer and worship, together with a never-ending love and
service of brothers and sisters.
Third, they are to obey the leaders of their Christian
communities who are pastorally responsible for them, and have to give an
account of how well they carry out their responsibilities. Here the author is
speaking of their present leaders and not those ‘first leaders’ he mentioned
earlier and who are already dead. Clearly, dictatorial leadership is not
condoned by this command. Respect for authority, orderliness and discipline in
the church are taught throughout the New Testament.
This obedience should be given willingly and joyfully and
“not with sighing”. Their cooperation should make following the leadership a
source of joy for them rather than something burdensome—in which case all are
the losers. The purpose of obedience is not to dominate people, but to get all
to work together in commitment to a common goal.
The letter ends with a really beautiful prayer and blessing:
Now may the God of peace,
who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great shepherd of the sheep,
by the blood of the eternal covenant,
make you complete in everything good
so that you may do his will,
as he works among us that which is pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory forever.
Amen.
These verses constitute one of the most beautiful blessings
in the New Testament. It is the only place in the Letter where the resurrection
of Jesus is explicitly mentioned, although the author also speaks of the
“exaltation” of Jesus and of his presence before the “heavenly one”.
It is a fitting end to this uplifting letter—a letter
written to a community weighed down by discouragement and tempted to go back to
their ancestral ways. Let us also find in it encouragement for the difficulties
we face.
Comments Off
Commentary on Mark 6:30-34
The Twelve came back from their mission full of excitement
at all they had done and taught. Jesus now told them to withdraw for a while
for reflection and rest. This is what Jesus himself used to do. Large crowds
were still mobbing Jesus and perhaps some of the Apostles too, so much so that
they did not even have time to eat. This could have been a real time of
temptation as the Apostles began to glory in their new-found power and the
resultant fame and popularity.
We also see here once more the balance in Jesus’ life. He
was so available to all those in need, the poor, the sick, the outcasts, but
there was a limit to his availability. He knew when he needed to get away, to
renew contact with his Father and to recharge his batteries (see Mark 1:35-37).
Some people are too self-centred. They have a very poor
awareness of other people’s needs and do not bother to meet them. On the other
hand, there are those who need to be needed. Their need is to have people
looking constantly for them, but the result can often be ‘burnout’ or
breakdowns. There are times when we have to learn to be able to say ‘No’
without feeling guilty.
So Jesus and his disciples take off in a boat to a solitary
place where they will be left to themselves. Rather, that is what they thought
they did. But the people saw them leaving and had a good idea where they were
headed. While Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake in a boat, the people
hurried along the lake shore. When Jesus stepped out of the boat, he was again
faced by a huge crowd.
Jesus quickly decides that this is a time for availability.
He is deeply moved by the people’s need; they were like lost sheep in need of a
shepherd’s guidance. The people’s persistence in coming out to a desert place
echoes the people of Israel in their wanderings. Here, Jesus is the Shepherd of
the New Israel. So he begins to teach them. Their first hunger was spiritual.
They needed to understand what Jesus stood for and why he did the things he
did. There is a Eucharistic connection here and in what follows (the
multiplication of loaves), and the teaching corresponds to what we now call the
Liturgy of the Word during the Eucharist.
The story illustrates well the balance in Jesus’ life. As he
did himself, he urges his disciples to retire and reflect on the meaning of
what they are doing. Otherwise they may become active for activity’s sake, or
for other less worthy motives. At the same time, in this particular situation,
Jesus sees that a response is called for. The day of reflection is abandoned,
and the people in their great need are served.
Let us learn, through careful discernment, to do likewise—to
do the right thing at the right time.
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Saturday, February 8, 2025
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all men as you love them.
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.
Gospel Reading - Mark 6: 30-34
The apostles
rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. And he said to them,
'Come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while'; for
there were so many coming and going that there was no time for them even to
eat. So they went off in the boat to a lonely place where they could be by
themselves. But people saw them going, and many recognized them; and from every
town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. So as he
stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and
he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he
set himself to teach them at some length.
Reflection
The Gospel today
is in great contrast with that of yesterday. On one side, the banquet of death,
wanted by Herod with the great of his kingdom in the Palace of the Capital,
during which John the Baptist was murdered, (Mk 6: 17-29); on the other side,
the banquet of life promoted by Jesus with the hungry people of Galilee, in the
desert (Mk 6: 30-44).The Gospel today presents only the introduction of the
multiplication of the loaves and describes the teaching of Jesus.
• Mark 6: 30-32. The welcome given to the disciples.
“At that time, the Apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and
taught. And he said to them: “Come away to some lonely place all by yourselves
and rest for a while.” These verses show
how Jesus formed his disciples. He was
not concerned only about the content of the preaching, but also of rest for the
disciples. He invited them to go to a lonely place to be able to rest and
review what they had done.
• Mark 6:
33-34. The welcome given
to the people.
The people perceive that Jesus had gone to the other
side of the lake, and they followed him trying to go to him by foot, to the
other shore. “So as he stepped ashorehe saw a large crowd, and he took pity on
them because they were like sheep without a shepherd and he set himself to
teach them at some length.” Seeing that crowd Jesus was sad, “because they were
like sheep without a shepherd.” He forgets his
rest and begins to teach them. In
becoming aware
that the people have no shepherd, Jesus began to be their shepherd. He begins
to teach them. As the Psalm says: “The Lord is my Shepherd! I lack nothing. In
grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me to restore my
spirit. He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits his name. Even were I
to walk in a ravine as dark as death I
should fear no danger, for you are at my side. Your staff and your crook are
there to soothe me. You prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies”
(Ps 23: 1, 3-5). Jesus wanted to rest together with his disciples, but the
desire to respond to the needs of the people impels him to leave rest aside.
Something similar happens when he meets the Samaritan woman. The disciples went
to get some food. When they returned, they said to Jesus: “Master, eat
something!” (Jn 4: 31), but he answers: “I have food to eat that you do not
know about” (Jn 4: 32). The desire to respond to the needs of the Samaritan
people leads him to forget his hunger. “My food is to do the will of the one
who sent me and to complete his work” (Jn 6: 34). The first thing is to respond
to the people who look for him. Then he can eat.
• Then Jesus
began to teach them many things. The Gospel of Mark tells us many things
that Jesus taught. The people were
impressed: “A new teaching! He taught them with authority! It was unlike that of the Scribes!” (Mk 1: 22,
27). Teaching was what Jesus did the most (Mk 2: 13; 4: 1-2; 6: 34).
This is what he
usually did (Mk 10: 1). For other fifteen times Mark says that Jesus taught.
Was it perhaps because Mark was not interested in the content? It depends on
what people understand when they speak about content! To teach is not only a
question of teaching new truths to say
something. The content which Jesus gave did not only appear in his words, but also in his gestures
and in his way of relating with persons. The content is never separated from the
person who communicates it. Jesus
was a welcoming
person (Mk 6: 34). He wanted the good of the people. The goodness and the love
which came from his words formed part of
the content. They were his temperament. A good content, without goodness and kindness
would be like milk poured on the floor. This new way which Jesus had of
teaching manifested itself in a thousand ways. Jesus accepts as disciples not
only men, but also women. He does not only teach in the synagogue, but also in
any place where there were people to listen to him: in the synagogue, in the
house, on the shore, on the mountain, on the plain, in the boat, in the desert.
It was not the relationship of pupil-teacher, but of disciple to Master. The
professor teaches and the pupil is with him during the time of the class. The
Master gives witness and the
disciple lives
with him 24 hours a day. It is more difficult to be a Master than a teacher! We
are not pupils of Jesus, we are his disciples! The teaching of
Jesus was a
communication that came
from the abundance of his
Heart in
the most varied forms: like a conversation by which he tries to clarify
the facts (Mk 9: 9-13), like a comparison or parable that invites people to
think and to participate (Mk 4: 33),
like anexplanation of what he himself thought and did (Mk 7: 17-23), like a discussion which does not
necessarily avoid polemics (Mk 2: 6-12), like a criticism that denounces what
is false and mistaken (Mk 1: 38-40). It
was always a witness of what he himself lived, an expression of his love! (Mt
11: 28-30).
Personal Questions
• What
do you do
when you want
to teach others
something about your faith
and of your religion? Do you
imitate Jesus?
• Jesus is concerned not only about the content,
but also about rest. How was the
teaching of religion that
you received as a child?
Did the catechists imitate Jesus?
Concluding Prayer
How can a young
man keep his way spotless? By keeping your words.
With all my heart
I seek you, do not let me stray from your commandments. (Ps 119: 9-10)
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