Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 306
Lectionary: 306
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| Mk 1:21-28 |
It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,
of which we are speaking.
Instead, someone has testified somewhere:
What is man that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor,
subjecting all things under his feet.
In “subjecting” all things to him,
he left nothing not “subject to him.”
Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,”
but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor”
because he suffered death,
he who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,”
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates
and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers” saying:
I will proclaim your name to my brethren,
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.
of which we are speaking.
Instead, someone has testified somewhere:
What is man that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor,
subjecting all things under his feet.
In “subjecting” all things to him,
he left nothing not “subject to him.”
Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,”
but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor”
because he suffered death,
he who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,”
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates
and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers” saying:
I will proclaim your name to my brethren,
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.
Responsorial PsalmPS 8:2AB AND 5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (see 7) You
have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
GospelMK 1:21-28
Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
www.usccb.org
Meditation:Jesus taught with authority
Do you believe that God’s word
has power to set you free and to transform your life? When Jesus taught he
spoke with authority. He spoke the word of God as no one had spoken it before.
When the rabbis taught they supported their statements with quotes from other
authorities. The prophets spoke with delegated authority – “Thus says the Lord.”When
Jesus spoke he needed no authorities to back his statements. He was authority
incarnate – the Word of God made flesh. When he spoke, God spoke. When he
commanded even the demons obeyed.Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) remarked: “Faith is mighty, but without love it profits nothing. The devils confessed Christ, but lacking charity it availed nothing. They said, 'What have we to do with you (Mark 1:24)?' They confessed a sort of faith, but without love. Hence they were devils.”
Paul the Apostle tells us that faith is powerful – it can even remove mountains, but without love it profits nothing (1 Corinthians 13). True faith that is rooted in Jesus Christ works through love (Galalatians 5:6) and abounds in hope (Romans 15:13). Our faith is made perfect in love because love orients us to the supreme good which is God himself as well as the good of our neighbor who is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26,27). Hope anchors our faith in the promises of God and purifies our desires for the things which will last for eternity. That is why the Word of Christ has power to set us free from all that would ensnare us in sin, deception, and despair. Bede, a venerable English abbot and noted teacher of the scriptures (672-735 AD) explains how the word spoken by Christ has power to silence the voice of the devil: “The devil, because he had deceived Eve with his tongue, is punished by the tongue, that he might not speak” [Homilies on the Gospels 1.8]. Whose voice do you listen to and heed?
Faith is both a free gift of God and the free assent of our will to the whole truth that God has revealed. To live, grow, and persevere in the faith to the end, we must nourish it with the word of God. The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds that we may grow in his truth and in the knowledge of his great love for each of us. If we approach God’s word submissively, with an eagerness to do everything the Lord desires, we are in a much better position to learn what God wants to teach us through his word. Are you eager to be taught by the Lord and to conform your life according to his word?
"Lord Jesus, your word is power and life. May I never doubt your saving love and mercy, and the power of your word to bring healing, pardon, and freedom to all who receive it."
www.dailyscripture.net
 The Steep and Thorny Road of Truth |
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Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
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Mark 1:21-28
Jesus came to
Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and
taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one
having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an
unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of
Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of
God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean
spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and
asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands
even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere
throughout the whole region of Galilee.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I long to put you first in my life. It is easy to get caught up in daily activities. But you are not just another activity: you are my Lord and my God. I do believe in you, but I know that I need to believe in you more strongly. I do love you, but I must still strive to love you more than I love myself and my plans. I wish to offer you the best of myself right now in this time of conversation with you. Petition: Lord, may I understand that you are the truth. May I love you as Truth-made-incarnate in my heart.
1. Truth and the Good Interwoven: “For he taught them as one having authority and not as
the scribes.” In his encyclical The
Splendor of Truth, Pope John Paul II reminded us of the necessary link between
freedom, truth and the good. He went so far as to say that a correct
understanding of this link is essential for the salvation of the world. Jesus
taught with authority because he was both the Truth and the Good. Our freedom
consists in recognizing this and living accordingly. Do I sincerely seek the
truth in my life? Do I sincerely seek what is truly good, or am I conforming
myself in some way to the hedonistic and self-seeking standards of the world?
2. Multiplying Our Good: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have
you come to destroy us?” When our freedom refuses to recognize that Jesus is
the Truth and that our greatest good consists in
loving and following him, we feel threatened. We try to hold on to the good
we imagine that we have apart from him. He does not want to take away the
good we have, but rather he wishes to increase and multiply it. But to do so
we must allow lesser goods we now have to die so that greater goods might
rise with strength. Unless the seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains
just a seed. But if it dies it rises to new life (cf. John 12:24).
3. The Demands of Truth: “All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A
new teaching with authority.’” Today we live in a relativistic world, where
truth is whatever we want it to be. “Whatever makes you comfortable” is the
motto of the day. We are amazed when Jesus breaks the mold of relativism,
revealing the lie hidden within it and proclaims that he is the Truth. When
the Gospel makes demands on my life, do I shift into relativism and believe
that it makes no difference how or if I respond? If the Gospel makes me
comfortable I will obey, but if not…. Truth can be demanding, but what a
blessing it is that, in the person of Christ, truth is also love, mercy,
goodness and joy. Do I love the truth and strive to live in the light?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, you know how
easily I excuse myself from meeting your demands for my life. I do so even
while knowing that when I fulfill them I always discover new strength, hidden
energy and untapped resources of love within me. Help me to give myself to
you in love, to meet your demands, and to experience the power of grace
unleashed within me.
Resolution: Today I will offer Christ something that is good but not necessary. By doing this, I will show my love for him and grow in self-detachment, so I can be more open to the good that he wishes to giv |
TUESDAY, JANUARY 15
MARK 1:21-28
(Hebrews 2:5-12; Psalm 8)
KEY VERSE: "He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him" (v 27).
READING: The Temple was the place of worship and sacrifice, while the synagogue was the place of teaching and instruction. When Jesus was invited to teach in a synagogue in Capernaum, the people were enthralled by the power of his words. He did not teach like the scribes, who were the expert interpreters of the law. He taught with the authority of the ancient prophets. During the service, a man who was possessed by an "unclean spirit" shouted defiantly at Jesus. The demon acknowledged Jesus' power over the forces of evil, and attempted to gain control of him by invoking the divine name, the "Holy One of God." Just as Jesus would calm the raging sea (Mk 4:39), he rebuked the demon and ordered it to be silent. The people were astonished by Jesus' works, but they still did not understand his true identity. Nonetheless, his fame spread throughout the region of Galilee.
REFLECTING: Do I speak out against the powers of evil in the world?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, you are my teacher and my healer.
JANUARY 15, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
"Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last"
Each year on the third Monday of January we celebrate the birth, the life and the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929, at the family home, Atlanta, Georgia. He entered the Christian ministry and was ordained in 1948 at the age of nineteen at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he was co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church and President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. King was a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization responsible for the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott from 1955 to 1956 (381 days). He was arrested thirty times for his participation in civil rights activities. He was a founder and president of Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1957 to 1968, and vice president of the national Sunday School and Baptist Teaching Union Congress of the National Baptist Convention. Dr. King was a member of several learned societies including the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. King was shot to death while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. We pray for an end to racial discrimination and for social justice for all people.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." - Martin Luther King Jr.
www.daily-word-of-life.com
You gave your Son authority over all your creation
What are human beings that you are mindful of them?
Psalm 8 begins by proclaiming the greatness of God and his creation and then questions how humans can be given such special privileges. Why does the Creator of all care so much for us? Much later in time, following the death and resurrection of Jesus, a similar question is posed by the author of Hebrews - how could our God ‘abase’ himself to be one of us?
When we truly ponder the awesome majesty of God, it is inevitable that we ask the same questions. Surely, the answer must fill us with such a sense of love, peace and joy! Despite our ‘nothingness’, God is working to draw us to himself. There is nothing that our God hasn’t done, and won’t do, for us. There’s a thought to penetrate our heart today.
www.churchresources.info
January 15
St. Paul the Hermit*
(c. 233-345)
St. Paul the Hermit*
(c. 233-345)
It is unclear what we really know of
Paul's life, how much is fable, how much fact.
Paul was
reportedly born in Egypt, where he was orphaned by age 15. He was also a
learned and devout young man. During the persecution of Decius in Egypt in the
year 250, Paul was forced to hide in the home of a friend. Fearing a
brother-in-law would betray him, he fled in a cave in the desert. His plan was
to return once the persecution ended, but the sweetness of solitude and
heavenly contemplation convinced him to stay.
He went on to
live in that cave for the next 90 years. A nearby spring gave him drink, a palm
tree furnished him clothing and nourishment. After 21 years of solitude a bird
began bringing him half of a loaf of bread each day. Without knowing what was
happening in the world, Paul prayed that the world would become a better place.
St. Anthony of
Egypt [January 17] attests to his holy life and death. Tempted by the thought
that no one had served God in the wilderness longer than he, Anthony was led by
God to find Paul and acknowledge him as a man more perfect than himself. The
raven that day brought a whole loaf of bread instead of the usual half. As Paul
predicted, Anthony would return to bury his new friend.
Thought to have
been about 112 when he died, Paul is known as the "First Hermit." His
feast day is celebrated in the East; he is also commemorated in the Coptic and
Armenian rites of the Mass.
Comment:
The will and direction of God are seen in the circumstances of our lives. Led by the grace of God, we are free to respond with choices that bring us closer to and make us more dependent upon the God who created us. Those choices might at times seem to lead us away from our neighbor. But ultimately they lead us back both in prayer and in fellowship to one another.
The will and direction of God are seen in the circumstances of our lives. Led by the grace of God, we are free to respond with choices that bring us closer to and make us more dependent upon the God who created us. Those choices might at times seem to lead us away from our neighbor. But ultimately they lead us back both in prayer and in fellowship to one another.
www.americancatholic.org
*Patron of San Pablo City, Philippines
LECTIO: MARK 1,21B-28
Lectio:
Tuesday,
January 15, 2013
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.
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.
2) Gospel Reading -
Mark 1,21-28
They went as far as Capernaum, and at once on the Sabbath he went into the synagogue and began to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.
And at once in their synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit, and he shouted, 'What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.' But Jesus rebuked it saying, 'Be quiet! Come out of him!'
And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. The people were so astonished that they started asking one another what it all meant, saying, 'Here is a teaching that is new, and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.'
And his reputation at once spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.
They went as far as Capernaum, and at once on the Sabbath he went into the synagogue and began to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.
And at once in their synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit, and he shouted, 'What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.' But Jesus rebuked it saying, 'Be quiet! Come out of him!'
And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. The people were so astonished that they started asking one another what it all meant, saying, 'Here is a teaching that is new, and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.'
And his reputation at once spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.
3) Reflection
• Sequence of the Gospels of the days of this week. Yesterday’s Gospel informed us concerning the first activity of Jesus: he called four persons to form the community with them (Mk 1, 16-10). Today’s Gospel describes the admiration of people before the teaching of Jesus (Mt 1, 21-22) and the first miracle when he expels the devil (Mk 1, 23-28). The Gospel of tomorrow narrates the cure of Peter’s mother-in-law (Mk 1, 29-31), the healing of many sick persons (Mk 1, 32-34) and the prayer of Jesus in an isolated place (Mk 1, 35-39). Mark gathers all these episodes which had been transmitted orally in the communities and he joins them together like bricks of one only wall. In the years 70’s, the year in which he writes, the Communities needed orientation. By describing how Jesus began his activity, Mark indicates what they should do and how, to announce the Good News. Mark gives them a catechesis, by telling the Communities the events of the life of Jesus.
• Jesus teaches with authority, differently from the way the Scribes do it. The first thing that the people perceive is the diverse way in which Jesus teaches. It is not so much the content, but rather the way in which he teaches that impresses the people. For this reason, by his different way, Jesus creates a critical conscience in people concerning the religious authority of that time. The people perceive, they compare and says: He teaches with authority, in a way different from the way the Scribes do it. The Scribes of that time taught quoting the authority. Jesus does not quote any authority, but he speaks beginning with his experience of God and of his life. His word is rooted in the heart.
• You have come to destroy us! In Mark, the first miracle is the expulsion of the devil. Jesus struggles and expels the power of evil which takes possession of persons and alienated them from themselves. The man possessed by the devil shouts: “I know who you are: You are the Holy One of God!” The man repeated the official teaching which presented the Messiah as the “Holy One of God”, that is as a High Priest, or like a King, Judge, Doctor or General. Even today also, many people live alienated from themselves, deceived by the power of mass media, means of communication, by propaganda of business. They repeat what they hear others say. They live as slaves of consumerism, oppressed by the power of money, threatened by debtors. Many think that their life is not as it should be if they cannot buy what the propaganda announces and recommends.
• Sequence of the Gospels of the days of this week. Yesterday’s Gospel informed us concerning the first activity of Jesus: he called four persons to form the community with them (Mk 1, 16-10). Today’s Gospel describes the admiration of people before the teaching of Jesus (Mt 1, 21-22) and the first miracle when he expels the devil (Mk 1, 23-28). The Gospel of tomorrow narrates the cure of Peter’s mother-in-law (Mk 1, 29-31), the healing of many sick persons (Mk 1, 32-34) and the prayer of Jesus in an isolated place (Mk 1, 35-39). Mark gathers all these episodes which had been transmitted orally in the communities and he joins them together like bricks of one only wall. In the years 70’s, the year in which he writes, the Communities needed orientation. By describing how Jesus began his activity, Mark indicates what they should do and how, to announce the Good News. Mark gives them a catechesis, by telling the Communities the events of the life of Jesus.
• Jesus teaches with authority, differently from the way the Scribes do it. The first thing that the people perceive is the diverse way in which Jesus teaches. It is not so much the content, but rather the way in which he teaches that impresses the people. For this reason, by his different way, Jesus creates a critical conscience in people concerning the religious authority of that time. The people perceive, they compare and says: He teaches with authority, in a way different from the way the Scribes do it. The Scribes of that time taught quoting the authority. Jesus does not quote any authority, but he speaks beginning with his experience of God and of his life. His word is rooted in the heart.
• You have come to destroy us! In Mark, the first miracle is the expulsion of the devil. Jesus struggles and expels the power of evil which takes possession of persons and alienated them from themselves. The man possessed by the devil shouts: “I know who you are: You are the Holy One of God!” The man repeated the official teaching which presented the Messiah as the “Holy One of God”, that is as a High Priest, or like a King, Judge, Doctor or General. Even today also, many people live alienated from themselves, deceived by the power of mass media, means of communication, by propaganda of business. They repeat what they hear others say. They live as slaves of consumerism, oppressed by the power of money, threatened by debtors. Many think that their life is not as it should be if they cannot buy what the propaganda announces and recommends.
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• Jesus rebuked the evil spirit: “Be quiet! Come out of him!” The spirit threw the man into convulsions, and with a loud cry went out of him. Jesus restores the person to himself. He gives him back his conscience and his liberty. He makes the person recover his complete judgment (cf. Mk 5, 15). Then it was not easy, it was not easy yesterday, it is not easy today to do in such a way that a person begins to think and to act in a way diverse from the official ideology.
• A new teaching! He commands even the evil spirits. The first two signs of the Good News are these: his different way of teaching the things of God, and his power over evil spirits. Jesus opens a new road in order that people can attain purity. At that time, a person who was declared impure could not present himself/herself before God to pray and to receive the blessing promised by God to Abraham. He/she should first purify himself/herself. These and many other laws and norms made the life of people very difficult and marginalized many persons who were considered impure, far from God. Now, purified by the contact with Jesus, persons could present themselves before God. This was for them a great Good News!
4) Personal
questions
• Could I really say: “I am fully free, master of myself? If I cannot say it of myself, then something in me is possessed by other powers. What do I do to expel this strange power?
• Today many people do not live, but are lived. Do not think, but they are thought by the means of communication, by mass media. Do not have a critical mind or way of thinking. They are not masters of themselves. How can this “devil” be expelled?
• Could I really say: “I am fully free, master of myself? If I cannot say it of myself, then something in me is possessed by other powers. What do I do to expel this strange power?
• Today many people do not live, but are lived. Do not think, but they are thought by the means of communication, by mass media. Do not have a critical mind or way of thinking. They are not masters of themselves. How can this “devil” be expelled?
5) Concluding prayer
Yahweh our Lord,
how majestic is your name throughout the world!
What are human beings that you spare a thought for them,
or the child of Adam that you care for him? (Ps 8,1.4)
Yahweh our Lord,
how majestic is your name throughout the world!
What are human beings that you spare a thought for them,
or the child of Adam that you care for him? (Ps 8,1.4)
www.ocarm.org
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