Tuesday of the First week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 306
Lectionary: 306
Hannah rose after a
meal at Shiloh,
and presented herself before the LORD;
at the time, Eli the priest was sitting on a chair
near the doorpost of the LORD’s temple.
In her bitterness she prayed to the LORD, weeping copiously,
and she made a vow, promising: “O LORD of hosts,
if you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid,
if you remember me and do not forget me,
if you give your handmaid a male child,
I will give him to the LORD for as long as he lives;
neither wine nor liquor shall he drink,
and no razor shall ever touch his head.”
As she remained long at prayer before the LORD,
Eli watched her mouth, for Hannah was praying silently;
though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.
Eli, thinking her drunk, said to her,
“How long will you make a drunken show of yourself?
Sober up from your wine!”
“It isn’t that, my lord,” Hannah answered.
“I am an unhappy woman.
I have had neither wine nor liquor;
I was only pouring out my troubles to the LORD.
Do not think your handmaid a ne’er-do-well;
my prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery.”
Eli said, “Go in peace,
and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
She replied, “Think kindly of your maidservant,” and left.
She went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband,
and no longer appeared downcast.
Early the next morning they worshiped before the LORD,
and then returned to their home in Ramah.
When Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah,
the LORD remembered her.
She conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son
whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.
and presented herself before the LORD;
at the time, Eli the priest was sitting on a chair
near the doorpost of the LORD’s temple.
In her bitterness she prayed to the LORD, weeping copiously,
and she made a vow, promising: “O LORD of hosts,
if you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid,
if you remember me and do not forget me,
if you give your handmaid a male child,
I will give him to the LORD for as long as he lives;
neither wine nor liquor shall he drink,
and no razor shall ever touch his head.”
As she remained long at prayer before the LORD,
Eli watched her mouth, for Hannah was praying silently;
though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.
Eli, thinking her drunk, said to her,
“How long will you make a drunken show of yourself?
Sober up from your wine!”
“It isn’t that, my lord,” Hannah answered.
“I am an unhappy woman.
I have had neither wine nor liquor;
I was only pouring out my troubles to the LORD.
Do not think your handmaid a ne’er-do-well;
my prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery.”
Eli said, “Go in peace,
and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
She replied, “Think kindly of your maidservant,” and left.
She went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband,
and no longer appeared downcast.
Early the next morning they worshiped before the LORD,
and then returned to their home in Ramah.
When Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah,
the LORD remembered her.
She conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son
whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.
Responsorial Psalm 1 SM 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8ABCD
R. (see 1) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
he humbles, he also exalts.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
he humbles, he also exalts.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
Gospel MK 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.
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) remarked that “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.” Faith is powerful, but
without love it profits nothing (1 Corinthians 13). Scripture tells us that
true faith 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 keep us bound in sin, deception, and despair. Bede the venerable
abbot of an English monastery (672-735) contrasted the power and authority of
Jesus' word with the word 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].
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 and deliverance to those in
need."
 The Steep and Thorny Road of Truth |
|
Tuesday of the First
Week in Ordinary Time
|
|
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 give
me.
|
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, MARK 1:21-28
MARK 1:21-28
(1 Samuel 1:9-20; 1 Samuel 2)
MARK 1:21-28
(1 Samuel 1:9-20; 1 Samuel 2)
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.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
The Hour of Death
Mary, in your own life journey, you personally witnessed the
suffering and death of your own son at the foot of the cross. As our mother,
may you intercede fervently for us at the time of our dying—and welcome us into
God’s kingdom. Amen.
My heart rejoices in the Lord, my
Saviour.
What was it about you, Lord, that your reputation spread so
rapidly?I sense amazement, a thought-provoking incredulity, awe, wonder. It was not so much what you did, but how you did it that affected people. The authority with which you taught struck at their hearts: there was a quality about you that gave credence to your teaching. That authority is life-giving, self-giving, love-giving. This was the authority the Galileans sensed. You are God’s word and gift and you give yourself to us so that we may have life. May we be co-authors with you in the mutual gift of ourselves to each other in our family and community, so that your love in our hearts may be a source of life and a sign of your presence.
January 14
St. Gregory Nazianzen
(329-390)
St. Gregory Nazianzen
(329-390)
After his baptism at 30, Gregory gladly accepted his friend
Basil’s invitation to join him in a newly founded monastery. The solitude was
broken when Gregory’s father, a bishop, needed help in his diocese and estate.
It seems that Gregory was ordained a priest practically by force, and only
reluctantly accepted the responsibility. He skillfully avoided a schism that
threatened when his own father made compromises with Arianism. At 41, Gregory
was chosen suffragan bishop of Caesarea and at once came into conflict with
Valens, the emperor, who supported the Arians. An unfortunate by-product of the
battle was the cooling of the friendship of two saints. Basil, his archbishop,
sent him to a miserable and unhealthy town on the border of unjustly created
divisions in his diocese. Basil reproached Gregory for not going to his see.
When
protection for Arianism ended with the death of Valens, Gregory was called to
rebuild the faith in the great see of Constantinople, which had been under
Arian teachers for three decades. Retiring and sensitive, he dreaded being
drawn into the whirlpool of corruption and violence. He first stayed at a
friend’s home, which became the only orthodox church in the city. In such
surroundings, he began giving the great sermons on the Trinity for which he is
famous. In time, Gregory did rebuild the faith in the city, but at the cost of
great suffering, slander, insults and even personal violence. An interloper
even tried to take over his bishopric.
His last
days were spent in solitude and austerity. He wrote religious poetry, some of
it autobiographical, of great depth and beauty. He was acclaimed simply as “the
Theologian.”
Comment:
It may be small comfort, but post-Vatican II turmoil in the Church is a mild storm compared to the devastation caused by the Arian heresy, a trauma the Church has never forgotten. Christ did not promise the kind of peace we would love to have—no problems, no opposition, no pain. In one way or another, holiness is always the way of the cross.
It may be small comfort, but post-Vatican II turmoil in the Church is a mild storm compared to the devastation caused by the Arian heresy, a trauma the Church has never forgotten. Christ did not promise the kind of peace we would love to have—no problems, no opposition, no pain. In one way or another, holiness is always the way of the cross.
Quote:
“God accepts our desires as though they were a great value. He longs ardently for us to desire and love him. He accepts our petitions for benefits as though we were doing him a favor. His joy in giving is greater than ours in receiving. So let us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests; nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God’s greatness.”
“God accepts our desires as though they were a great value. He longs ardently for us to desire and love him. He accepts our petitions for benefits as though we were doing him a favor. His joy in giving is greater than ours in receiving. So let us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests; nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God’s greatness.”
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 1,21B-28
Lectio:
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Ordinary Time
.jpg)
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.
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.
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.
• 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?
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)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét