Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 307
Lectionary: 307
During the time young Samuel was minister to the LORD under Eli,
a revelation of the LORD was uncommon and vision infrequent.
One day Eli was asleep in his usual place.
His eyes had lately grown so weak that he could not see.
The lamp of God was not yet extinguished,
and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD
where the ark of God was.
The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”
Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.”
“I did not call you,” Eli said. “Go back to sleep.”
So he went back to sleep.
Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.
“Here I am,” he said. “You called me.”
But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”
At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,
because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.
Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am.
You called me.”
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
So Eli said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’”
When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
Thus all Israel from Dan to Beersheba
came to know that Samuel was an accredited prophet of the LORD.
a revelation of the LORD was uncommon and vision infrequent.
One day Eli was asleep in his usual place.
His eyes had lately grown so weak that he could not see.
The lamp of God was not yet extinguished,
and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD
where the ark of God was.
The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”
Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.”
“I did not call you,” Eli said. “Go back to sleep.”
So he went back to sleep.
Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.
“Here I am,” he said. “You called me.”
But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”
At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,
because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.
Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am.
You called me.”
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
So Eli said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’”
When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
Thus all Israel from Dan to Beersheba
came to know that Samuel was an accredited prophet of the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm PS 40:2 AND 5, 7-8A, 8B-9, 10
R. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
who turns not to idolatry
or to those who stray after falsehood.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me.
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
who turns not to idolatry
or to those who stray after falsehood.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me.
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Gospel MK
1:29-39
On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
Rising very early before dawn,
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons
throughout the whole of Galilee.
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
Rising very early before dawn,
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons
throughout the whole of Galilee.
Meditation: "They brought to Jesus all who were sick"
Who do you take your troubles to? Jesus' disciples freely
brought their troubles to him because they found him ready and able to deal
with any difficulty, affliction, or sickness which they encountered. When Simon
brought Jesus to his home, his mother-in-law was instantly healed because Jesus
heard Simon’s prayer. Jerome, an early church bible scholar and translator (c.
347-420), reflects on this passage:
“Can you imagine Jesus standing before your bed and you continue
sleeping? It is absurd that you would remain in bed in his presence. Where is
Jesus? He is already here offering himself to us. ‘In the middle,’ he
says, ‘among you he stands, whom you do not recognize’ (Cf. John 1:26) ‘The
kingdom of God is in your midst’ (Mark 1:15). Faith beholds Jesus among us. If
we are unable to seize his hand, let us prostrate ourselves at his feet.
If we are unable to reach his head, let us wash his feet with our tears. Our
repentance is the perfume of the Savior. See how costly is the compassion of
the Savior.”
Do you allow Jesus to be the Lord and healer in your personal
life, family, and community? Approach him with expectant faith. God's healing
power restores us not only to health but to active service and care of others.
There is no trouble he does not want to help us with and there is no bondage he
can't set us free from. Do you take your troubles to him with expectant faith
that he will help you?
"Lord Jesus Christ, you have all power to heal and to
deliver from harm. There is no trouble nor bondage you cannot overcome. Set me
free to serve you joyfully and to love and serve others generously. May nothing
hinder me from giving myself wholly to you and to your service."
 Jesus at Prayer |
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Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
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Father Paul Campbell, LC
Mark 1:29-39
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of
Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon´s mother-in-law was in bed
with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by
the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve
them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or
possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he
cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and
he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the
morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted
place, and there he prayed and Simon and his companions hunted for him. When
they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you."
He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may
proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And
he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and
casting out demons.
Introductory
Prayer: Lord, thank you for this time we will spend together. I wish
to step away from the world and all its activities to be alone with you now.
You are my beginning and my end: you created me, and you are leading me
home to you in heaven. Thank you for your love. I know I deserve nothing from
you and that my sins compound my unworthiness, yet you would still enfold me
in your unfathomable love.
Petition:Lord,
increase my love for prayer and the interior life.
1. A Man for Others: Here is Jesus in action.
He works tirelessly from morning to night. He never thinks of himself. He
never says he’s too tired or too busy to serve someone or to give others part
of his time. He is there for everyone, and he keeps pushing himself to do
more and more. He loves, and his love compels him to give himself to everyone
around him without counting the cost. The whole city gathers to see him, and
he opens his heart to all. He teaches. He heals the sick. He casts out
demons. He is a man for others.
2. A Man of Prayer: After a full day of work,
Jesus rested for just a little while, and then he rose early for prayer.
There was a balance between his apostolic work and his life of prayer. Jesus
wasn’t too busy to seek the solitude necessary to speak heart-to-heart with
his Father. He found strength in prayer. He strengthened his resolve to
follow his Father’s plan in prayer. He was absorbed in prayer for so long
that the others began to go in search of him. Prayer wasn’t just a one-time
activity: it was part of his daily routine.
3. Everyone Is Searching for Him: “Everyone
is searching for you,” they said when they found Christ. They expressed the
desire of every person. We all need God. He is the deepest desire of the
human heart. God is searching for us, too. Jesus gets up from his prayer and
heads out to the next town. We are searching for Christ, and he is searching
for us. Where do we meet him? In prayer. In prayer we speak heart-to-heart
with the one whom we know loves us. In prayer we can speak about the things
that are important to us and about those things that are most important to
him. This vital encounter gives light and strength to every other encounter
we will have during the rest of the day. Through prayer, our love for others
is enkindled so that we can spend ourselves tirelessly for others as Jesus
did. Through prayer, we can be a men and women for others.
Conversation with
Christ:Lord, help me to put you first in my life by giving you the
best of my time. Help me not to give into laziness, but to rise early in the
morning so that I can be with you. I need you in my life. Help me to
experience your love so that I can share it with others. Help me to give
myself to your plan of salvation and to reach out to those who are searching
for you. Help me to hunger for you alone so that you will satisfy my hunger.
Resolution: I will
invoke Our Lord in short and simple prayers throughout today, telling him I
love him and asking for the grace of a greater intimacy with him through
prayer.
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, MARK 1:29-39
(1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20; Psalm 40)
(1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20; Psalm 40)
KEY VERSE: "He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons" (v 34).
READING: When Jesus began his ministry he declared his intention to proclaim the kingdom of God (Mk 1:14). The miracles that Jesus worked, combined with his authoritative teaching, were signs pointing to the coming of God's reign. After the Sabbath service in Capernaum, Jesus went with two of his disciples, James and John, to the home of Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. When Jesus was informed that Simon's mother-in-law was gravely ill, he simply took her by the hand and helped her to get up. The woman was immediately healed by his touch, and in gratitude, she waited on everyone in the house. When the Sabbath ended at sundown, the people were free to bring their sick to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door of Peter's house, and Jesus cured many of their illnesses. Rising early the next morning, Jesus went to a deserted place for prayer, but even there his disciples sought him, pressing him to return to Capernaum. Jesus told them that he must take his message to other villages throughout Galilee. Jesus' purpose was to reveal God's kingdom of compassion and mercy to all people.
REFLECTING: Do I run after signs and wonders or do I seek Jesus, the Word of God?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, teach me so that I might be of service to others.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
Burning Heart
Lord, Jesus Christ, we praise you and adore you. Like Francis, we
are amazed that you held nothing back from us in pouring yourself out for us so
totally through your holy wounds on the cross. We ask you to breathe forth your
Holy Spirit into us and set our hearts on fire, so that, with the Spirit’s
help, we might respond more fully to you. Amen.
Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will
‘This is the purpose for which I have come.’Jesus never swayed from pursuing the purpose he was given by his Father. He preached and healed and was obedient until his death. We too have a purpose to fulfil. Finding this purpose can sometimes prove to be a difficult task. The starting point can be realising that, like Samuel, God is calling us. Our best response to this call is, ‘Here I am Lord: I come to do your will.’ Our hearts have to be in the right place before we begin the race. We have to want to serve God willingly. The second step is possibly to acknowledge that the task ahead may not be easy and always to our liking. That’s when obedience and perseverance are important. Perhaps our prayer today could reflect the words that Samuel used.
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.
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 1,29-39
Lectio:
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
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 1,29-39
And at once on leaving the synagogue, he went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed and feverish, and at once they told him about her. He went in to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to serve them.
That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were sick with diseases of one kind or another; he also drove out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.
In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.
Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, 'Everybody is looking for you.' He answered, 'Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can proclaim the message there too, because that is why I came.'
And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out devils.
And at once on leaving the synagogue, he went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed and feverish, and at once they told him about her. He went in to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to serve them.
That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were sick with diseases of one kind or another; he also drove out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.
In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.
Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, 'Everybody is looking for you.' He answered, 'Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can proclaim the message there too, because that is why I came.'
And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out devils.
3) Reflection
• Jesus restores life for the service. After having participated in the celebration of Saturday in the Synagogue, Jesus went to Peter’s house and cured his mother-in-law. Once healed, she gets up and, with her health restored and having recovered her dignity, she begins to serve the persons. Jesus does not only heal the person, but he does it in such a way that she begins to serve life.
• Jesus accepts the marginalized. When it begins to get dark, in the afternoon, at the end of Saturday when the first star shines in the sky, Jesus accepts and cures the sick and those possessed whom people had brought to him. The sick and those possessed were the most marginalized persons of that time. They had nobody to whom to have recourse. They depended on public charity. Besides this, religion considered them impure. They could not participate in the community, it was as if God rejected and excluded them. Therefore, it can very clearly be seen in what the Good News of God consists and that which he wants to do in the life of people: to accept the marginalized and the excluded, and to insert them again to live together in the community.
• To remain united to the Father, in prayer. Jesus is presented to us while he prays. He makes a great effort to have the time and the adequate environment to pray. He rises before the others and goes to a deserted place, to be able to be alone with God. Many times the Gospels speak to us about the prayer of Jesus, in silence (Mt 14, 22-23); Mk 1, 35; Lk 5, 15-16; 3, 21-22). Through prayer he maintains alive the awareness of his mission.
• To maintain alive the awareness of the mission and not to close oneself up in the results already obtained. Jesus is known. Everybody follows him. This publicity pleases the disciples. They go to look for Jesus to take him back to the people who were seeking for him, and they tell him: All are looking for you. They thought that Jesus would go to the banquet. They were disillusioned! Jesus does not pay attention and tells them: Let us go elsewhere. It is precisely for this that I have come! Surely, they must have been surprised! Jesus was not like what they had imagined him to be. Jesus had a very clear conscience of the mission and wants to transmit this to the disciples. He does not want them to close up themselves in the results already obtained. They should not look back. But, like Jesus, they should maintain alive the conscience of their mission. It is the mission received from the Father, which has to orientate their decisions.
• It is precisely for this that I have come! This was the first misunderstanding between Jesus and his disciples. At present, it is only a question of a small divergence. Later on, in the Gospel of Mark, this misunderstanding, in spite of the many advertences of Jesus, will grow and will practically become almost a break between Jesus and the disciples (cf. Mk 8, 14-21. 32-33; 9, 32; 14, 27). Today also, there are some misunderstandings on the way of the proclamation of the Good News. Mark helps one to be attentive to the divergences so as not to allow them to grow until they produce a break.
• Jesus restores life for the service. After having participated in the celebration of Saturday in the Synagogue, Jesus went to Peter’s house and cured his mother-in-law. Once healed, she gets up and, with her health restored and having recovered her dignity, she begins to serve the persons. Jesus does not only heal the person, but he does it in such a way that she begins to serve life.
• Jesus accepts the marginalized. When it begins to get dark, in the afternoon, at the end of Saturday when the first star shines in the sky, Jesus accepts and cures the sick and those possessed whom people had brought to him. The sick and those possessed were the most marginalized persons of that time. They had nobody to whom to have recourse. They depended on public charity. Besides this, religion considered them impure. They could not participate in the community, it was as if God rejected and excluded them. Therefore, it can very clearly be seen in what the Good News of God consists and that which he wants to do in the life of people: to accept the marginalized and the excluded, and to insert them again to live together in the community.
• To remain united to the Father, in prayer. Jesus is presented to us while he prays. He makes a great effort to have the time and the adequate environment to pray. He rises before the others and goes to a deserted place, to be able to be alone with God. Many times the Gospels speak to us about the prayer of Jesus, in silence (Mt 14, 22-23); Mk 1, 35; Lk 5, 15-16; 3, 21-22). Through prayer he maintains alive the awareness of his mission.
• To maintain alive the awareness of the mission and not to close oneself up in the results already obtained. Jesus is known. Everybody follows him. This publicity pleases the disciples. They go to look for Jesus to take him back to the people who were seeking for him, and they tell him: All are looking for you. They thought that Jesus would go to the banquet. They were disillusioned! Jesus does not pay attention and tells them: Let us go elsewhere. It is precisely for this that I have come! Surely, they must have been surprised! Jesus was not like what they had imagined him to be. Jesus had a very clear conscience of the mission and wants to transmit this to the disciples. He does not want them to close up themselves in the results already obtained. They should not look back. But, like Jesus, they should maintain alive the conscience of their mission. It is the mission received from the Father, which has to orientate their decisions.
• It is precisely for this that I have come! This was the first misunderstanding between Jesus and his disciples. At present, it is only a question of a small divergence. Later on, in the Gospel of Mark, this misunderstanding, in spite of the many advertences of Jesus, will grow and will practically become almost a break between Jesus and the disciples (cf. Mk 8, 14-21. 32-33; 9, 32; 14, 27). Today also, there are some misunderstandings on the way of the proclamation of the Good News. Mark helps one to be attentive to the divergences so as not to allow them to grow until they produce a break.
4) Personal questions
• Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. Peter’s mother-in-law began to serve. And I, do I act in such a way that my life is a service to God and to my brothers and sisters?
• Jesus is conscious, aware of his mission through prayer. And my prayer?
• Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. Peter’s mother-in-law began to serve. And I, do I act in such a way that my life is a service to God and to my brothers and sisters?
• Jesus is conscious, aware of his mission through prayer. And my prayer?
5) Concluding prayer
Sing to Yahweh, bless his name!
Proclaim his salvation day after day,
declare his glory among the nations,
his marvels to every people! (Ps 96,2-3)
Sing to Yahweh, bless his name!
Proclaim his salvation day after day,
declare his glory among the nations,
his marvels to every people! (Ps 96,2-3)
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