Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 312
Lectionary: 312
Brothers and
sisters:
God is not unjust so as to overlook your work
and the love you have demonstrated for his name
by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.
We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness
for the fulfillment of hope until the end,
so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who,
through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.
When God made the promise to Abraham,
since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
and said, I will indeed bless you and multiply you.
And so, after patient waiting, Abraham obtained the promise.
Now, men swear by someone greater than themselves;
for them an oath serves as a guarantee
and puts an end to all argument.
So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise
an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose,
he intervened with an oath,
so that by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged
to hold fast to the hope that lies before us.
This we have as an anchor of the soul,
sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil,
where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner,
becoming high priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
God is not unjust so as to overlook your work
and the love you have demonstrated for his name
by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.
We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness
for the fulfillment of hope until the end,
so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who,
through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.
When God made the promise to Abraham,
since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
and said, I will indeed bless you and multiply you.
And so, after patient waiting, Abraham obtained the promise.
Now, men swear by someone greater than themselves;
for them an oath serves as a guarantee
and puts an end to all argument.
So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise
an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose,
he intervened with an oath,
so that by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged
to hold fast to the hope that lies before us.
This we have as an anchor of the soul,
sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil,
where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner,
becoming high priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
Responsorial PsalmPS 111:1-2, 4-5, 9 AND 10C
R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
His praise endures forever.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
His praise endures forever.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaSEE EPH 1:17-18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 2:23-28
As Jesus was
passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
Meditation: "The
Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath"
What does the
commandment "keep holy the Sabbath" require of us? Or better yet,
what is the primary intention behind this command? The religious leaders confronted
Jesus on this issue. The "Sabbath rest" was meant to be a time to
remember and celebrate God's goodness and the goodness of his work, both in
creation and redemption. It was a day set apart for the praise of God, his work
of creation, and his saving actions on our behalf. It was intended to bring
everyday work to a halt and to provide needed rest and refreshment. Jesus'
disciples are scolded by the scribes and Pharisees, not for plucking and eating
corn from the fields, but for doing so on the Sabbath. In defending his
disciples, Jesus argues from the scriptures that human need has precedence over
ritual custom.
When David and his men
were fleeing for their lives, they sought food from Ahimelech the priest (1
Samuel 21:1-6). The only bread he had was the holy bread offered in the Temple.
None but the priests were allowed to eat it. In their hunger, David and his men
ate of this bread. Jesus reminds the Pharisees that the Sabbath was given for
our benefit, to refresh and renew us in living for God. It was intended for
good and not for evil. Withholding mercy and kindness in response to human need
was not part of God’s intention that we rest from unnecessary labor. Do you
honor the Lord in the way you treat your neighbor and celebrate the Lord's Day?
"Lord Jesus, may
I give you fitting honor in the way I live my life and in the way I treat my
neighbor. May I honor the Lord's Day as a day holy to you. And may I always
treat others with the same mercy and kindness which you have shown to me. Free
me from a critical and intolerant spirit that I may always seek the good of my
neighbor."
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Mankind in Dire Need |
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January 20, 2015.
Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
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Mark 2:23-28
As Jesus was passing
through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path
while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him,
"Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?" He said
to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he
and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar
was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could
lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?" Then he said to them,
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is
why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."
Introductory
Prayer: Lord, the most important
moment of my day has arrived. I am alone with you for a heart-to-heart talk.
Who am I that you should want to spend this time with me; that you should
want to pour yourself out to me? What a joy, what an honor, what a glory to
be the follower of a king like you!
Petition: Lord, help me to pray for and serve those who persecute
me and to win them over to t Gospel through love, just like you did.
1. “Unlawful
on the Sabbath”:How dire was
mankind’s need for a Savior! The Jews were God’s chosen people; they had
received God’s own revelation in the Old Testament. The Pharisees were the
religious leaders of the Jewish people. Yet they buried God’s law so deeply
beneath layers of man-made precepts that hungry men were not allowed to pick
grain in order to eat on the Sabbath. The law had become an end in itself and
had taken precedence over persons in need. How could mankind ever be led
safely along the true path to salvation without becoming hopelessly entangled
in the thickets of false rituals and arbitrary precepts? The Son of God, the
Eternal Word of the Father, humbled himself to become the Son of Man in order
to bring us the fullness of truth. But Christ did much more than bring us the
fullness of God’s revelation. He gave us the strength, through his own life
of grace within us, to live out that truth in our lives. Am I sufficiently
tapped into that source of grace in my life?
2. Seeking
to Win over Enemies: If we
were in Christ’s place, what would have been our reaction to the Pharisees?
Perhaps we would have yielded to their imposing presence. Maybe we would have
summoned up our courage and dismissed their intransigence without even
deigning to reply. Christ reveals both his fearlessness and his goodness of
heart by seeking to win them over. He quotes the Scriptures that they believe
in and cites 1 Samuel 21:1-6. David and his men, fleeing from Saul, eat the
holy bread of the Presence: twelve loaves placed each morning on the table in
the sanctuary, as homage to the Lord from the twelve tribes of Israel. When
they were withdrawn to make room for fresh ones, these loaves were reserved
for the Levitical priests. Christ seeks to reveal to the Pharisees, in a way
they can accept, that they have gone astray from true religion, in which love
of God and neighbor takes precedence over following rules. Christ sums up the
nature of true religion and points out the Pharisees’ error in one sublime
sentence: “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.” Do I
perceive the burden Christ has given me as light? That is what he intends and
promises. If I do not, why not?
3. Lord
of the Sabbath: Christ does
not stop with revealing the nature and purpose of true religion. He makes a
bold proclamation, one which must have stunned the Pharisees, and perhaps
even widened the eyes of his own disciples: “The Son of Man is lord even of
the Sabbath.” Christ declares in no uncertain terms that his authority is
equal to that of God himself, who instituted the Sabbath at the dawn of man’s
creation. Christ wants from the Pharisees nothing less than an act of faith
in his own divine person. His heart longs to save them. Christ yearns to
bring to salvation everyone he encounters, including his enemies. Does my own
zeal for souls bring me to reflect something of Christ’s courage and love
when I am faced with opposition? Do I desire and seek what is good for
everyone regardless of their attitude towards me?
Conversation with
Christ: Thank you, Lord, for
becoming a man to save us in our dire need for you. Thank you for loving even
your enemies and seeking to win them over to your new life. Help me to love
more like you did. Help me to realize the value of a single soul.
Resolution: I will pray and make sacrifices for someone who is
persecuting me or the Church. Forgetting about myself, I will look for ways
to bring them to experience the love of Christ.
By Father Walter
Schu, LC
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, MARK 2:23-28
(Hebrews 6:10-20; Psalm 111)
KEY VERSE: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (v 27).
TO KNOW: Jesus and his disciples were going through the corn fields on the Sabbath day, and his hungry disciples began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat them. On any ordinary day the disciples were doing what was permitted (Deut 23:25). So long as they did not put a sickle into the field they were free to pluck the corn. But this activity was done on the Sabbath, which was hedged around with hundreds of petty rules and regulations. The religious leaders classified a number of activities as work that was forbidden on the Sabbath. Among those labors that occurred during the "seasons of plowing and harvesting" (Ex 34:21) were reaping, threshing, winnowing, and the preparation of a meal from raw ingredients. When Jesus met with opposition from the Pharisees, he cited the precedence of David who fed his hungry men with the bread of offering that was reserved for the priests (1 Sm 21:4-7). Jesus said that the Sabbath was a gift from God, and that charity should prevail over rules and rituals. As "Lord of the Sabbath" (v 28), Jesus correctly interpreted the Law to the benefit of all humankind.
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, help me to keep the Sabbath by prayer and good works.
TO SERVE: Have I allowed rules to be a substitute for love of the Lord and his people?
(Hebrews 6:10-20; Psalm 111)
KEY VERSE: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (v 27).
TO KNOW: Jesus and his disciples were going through the corn fields on the Sabbath day, and his hungry disciples began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat them. On any ordinary day the disciples were doing what was permitted (Deut 23:25). So long as they did not put a sickle into the field they were free to pluck the corn. But this activity was done on the Sabbath, which was hedged around with hundreds of petty rules and regulations. The religious leaders classified a number of activities as work that was forbidden on the Sabbath. Among those labors that occurred during the "seasons of plowing and harvesting" (Ex 34:21) were reaping, threshing, winnowing, and the preparation of a meal from raw ingredients. When Jesus met with opposition from the Pharisees, he cited the precedence of David who fed his hungry men with the bread of offering that was reserved for the priests (1 Sm 21:4-7). Jesus said that the Sabbath was a gift from God, and that charity should prevail over rules and rituals. As "Lord of the Sabbath" (v 28), Jesus correctly interpreted the Law to the benefit of all humankind.
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, help me to keep the Sabbath by prayer and good works.
TO SERVE: Have I allowed rules to be a substitute for love of the Lord and his people?
Optional Memorial of Fabian, pope and martyr
Fabian was a farmer who came to Rome on the day when a new pope was to be elected. According to Eusebius, a dove flew in and settled on his head. The gathered clergy and laity took this as a sign that Fabian had been anointed, and he was chosen Pope by acclamation. Fabian sent St. Dionysius and other missionaries to Gaul. He condemned the heresies of Privatus, a heretical bishop of Numidia, who had been condemned by a synod of 90 bishops for "many and grievous faults." Fabian governed as bishop of Rome for 14 peaceful years until his martyrdom in the persecutions of Decius c250. His relics are long gone, but the stone that covered his grave (which says clearly in Greek, "Fabian, bishop, martyr") is in the catacombs of St. Callistus, Rome, Italy.
Fabian was a farmer who came to Rome on the day when a new pope was to be elected. According to Eusebius, a dove flew in and settled on his head. The gathered clergy and laity took this as a sign that Fabian had been anointed, and he was chosen Pope by acclamation. Fabian sent St. Dionysius and other missionaries to Gaul. He condemned the heresies of Privatus, a heretical bishop of Numidia, who had been condemned by a synod of 90 bishops for "many and grievous faults." Fabian governed as bishop of Rome for 14 peaceful years until his martyrdom in the persecutions of Decius c250. His relics are long gone, but the stone that covered his grave (which says clearly in Greek, "Fabian, bishop, martyr") is in the catacombs of St. Callistus, Rome, Italy.
Optional Memorial of Sebastian, martyr
During Diocletian's persecution of the Christians, Sebastian visited them in prison, bringing supplies and comfort. It was reported that he healed the wife of a soldier by making the Sign of the Cross over her. Charged as a Christian, Sebastian was tied to a tree, shot with arrows, and left for dead. He survived, recovered, and returned to preach to Diocletian. The emperor then had him beaten to death. During the 14th century, the random nature of infection with the Black Death caused people to liken the plague to being shot by an army of nature's archers. In desperation they prayed for the intercession of a saint associated with archers, and St. Sebastian became associated with the plague.
During Diocletian's persecution of the Christians, Sebastian visited them in prison, bringing supplies and comfort. It was reported that he healed the wife of a soldier by making the Sign of the Cross over her. Charged as a Christian, Sebastian was tied to a tree, shot with arrows, and left for dead. He survived, recovered, and returned to preach to Diocletian. The emperor then had him beaten to death. During the 14th century, the random nature of infection with the Black Death caused people to liken the plague to being shot by an army of nature's archers. In desperation they prayed for the intercession of a saint associated with archers, and St. Sebastian became associated with the plague.
Tuesday 20 January 2015
St Fabian; St Sebastian.
Hebrews 6:10-20. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever—Ps 110(111):1-2, 4-5, 9, 10 Mark 2:23-28
Hebrews 6:10-20. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever—Ps 110(111):1-2, 4-5, 9, 10 Mark 2:23-28
God made a solemn promise
to Abraham to save the human race.
That promise was fulfilled
when Christ came, offered himself to save us and was taken up into eternal
glory. We have hope for ourselves because we have seen how God kept his promise
to send a redeemer. It is, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, that ‘we believe,
knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in
our turn and put us by his side.’
So, no matter how hopeless
life seems, we have hope that if we turn to the Lord Jesus he will save us and
bring us to share his life for ever.
Lord, help me to live as a
messenger of hope, sharing with others the joy that hope brings.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Mind-boggling Love
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We must allow ourselves to be filled with wonder and awe at His
majesty, and at His mind-boggling loving kindness as evidenced by the simple
fact that He has created us (He didn’t need to), has redeemed us (we didn’t
deserve it), and has continuously invited us to walk with Him toward our
everlasting home in His heavenly kingdom.
January
20
St. Sebastian
(257?-288?)
St. Sebastian
(257?-288?)
Almost nothing is historically certain about St. Sebastian except
that he was a Roman martyr, was venerated in Milan even in the time of St.
Ambrose (December 7) and was buried on the Appian Way, probably near the
present Basilica of St. Sebastian. Devotion to him spread rapidly, and he is
mentioned in several martyrologies as early as a.d. 350.
The
legend of St. Sebastian is important in art, and there is a vast iconography.
Scholars now agree that a pious fable has Sebastian entering the Roman army
because only there could he assist the martyrs without arousing suspicion.
Finally he was found out, brought before Emperor Diocletian and delivered to
Mauritanian archers to be shot to death. His body was pierced with arrows, and
he was left for dead. But he was found still alive by those who came to bury
him. He recovered, but refused to flee. One day he took up a position near
where the emperor was to pass. He accosted the emperor, denouncing him for his
cruelty to Christians. This time the sentence of death was carried out.
Sebastian was beaten to death with clubs. He was buried on the Appian Way,
close to the catacombs that bear his name.
Stories:
Another legend describes Sebastian's effectiveness in bolstering the courage of those in prison. Two men under sentence of death seemed about to give in to their captors. Sebastian's impassioned exhortation to constancy not only confirmed the two in their original convications but won over many other prisoners in the jail. Again, this particular story may not be historically accurate. But it is true that all saints witness to Jesus both by word and action.
Another legend describes Sebastian's effectiveness in bolstering the courage of those in prison. Two men under sentence of death seemed about to give in to their captors. Sebastian's impassioned exhortation to constancy not only confirmed the two in their original convications but won over many other prisoners in the jail. Again, this particular story may not be historically accurate. But it is true that all saints witness to Jesus both by word and action.
Comment:
The fact that many of the early saints made such a tremendous impression on the Church—awakening widespread devotion and great praise from the greatest writers of the Church—is proof of the heroism of their lives. As has been said, legends may not be literally true. Yet they may express the very substance of the faith and courage evident in the lives of these heroes and heroines of Christ.
The fact that many of the early saints made such a tremendous impression on the Church—awakening widespread devotion and great praise from the greatest writers of the Church—is proof of the heroism of their lives. As has been said, legends may not be literally true. Yet they may express the very substance of the faith and courage evident in the lives of these heroes and heroines of Christ.
Patron Saint of:
Athletes
Athletes
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 2,23-28
Lectio:
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father of heaven and earth,
hear our prayers,
and show us the way to your peace in the
world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 2,23-28
It happened that one Sabbath day he was taking
a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to make a path by
plucking ears of corn.
And the Pharisees said to him, 'Look, why are they
doing something on the Sabbath day that is forbidden?' And he replied, 'Have
you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers
were hungry - how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest,
and ate the loaves of the offering which only the priests are allowed to eat,
and how he also gave some to the men with him?'
And he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for
man, not man for the Sabbath; so the Son of man is master even of the Sabbath.'
3) Reflection
• The Law exists for the good of persons. One
day on the Sabbath, the disciples passed by a cornfield and they opened a path
by plucking ears of corn. In Matthew 12, 1 it is said that they were hungry.
Quoting the Bible, the Pharisees criticized the attitude of the disciples. It
would be a transgression of the law of the Sabbath (cf. Ex 20, 8-11). Jesus
responded quoting the Bible also to indicate that the arguments of the others
have no meaning, no reason for being. He recalls that David himself did
something which was prohibited, because he took the sacred bread of the temple
and gave it to the soldiers to eat because they were hungry (I Sam 21, 2-7).
And Jesus ends with two important phrases (a) the Sabbath is made for man and
not man for the Sabbath, (b)) The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath!
• The Sabbath is made for man and not man for
the Sabbath. For more than five-hundred years, since the time of the Babylonian
captivity to the time of Jesus, the Jews had observed the law of the Sabbath.
This secular observance became for them a strong sign of identity. The Sabbath
was rigorously observed. At the time of the Maccabees, toward the end of the
second century before Christ, this observance had reached a critical point.
Attacked by the Greeks one Sabbath, the rebellious Maccabees preferred to allow
themselves to be killed rather than to transgress the law of the Sabbath using
arms to defend their own life. For this, one thousand persons died (I Mac 2,
32-38). Reflecting on the massacre the Maccabee leaders concluded that they
should resist and defend their own life, even on the Sabbath (I Mac 2, 39-41)
Jesus used the same attitude: to consider the law of the Sabbath in a relative
way in favour of the human life, because the law exists for the good of human
life, and not vice-versa!
• The Son of Man is also the Lord of the
Sabbath! The new experience of God as Father/Mother makes Jesus, the Son of
Man, to have the key to discover the intention of God who is at the origin of
the Law of the Old Testament. For this reason, the Son of Man is also the Lord
of the Sabbath. Living with the people of Galilee during thirty years and
feeling in his own person the oppression and the exclusion to which so many
brothers and sisters were condemned in the name of the Law of God, Jesus
perceives that this could not be the significance of that law. If God is
Father, then he accepts all as sons and daughters. If God is Father, then we
should be brothers and sisters to others. And this is what Jesus lived and
preached, from the beginning to the end. The Law of the Sabbath must be at the
service of life and of fraternity. If was precisely because of his fidelity to
this message that Jesus was condemned to death. He disturbed the system, he was
uncomfortable for them, and the system defended itself, using force against
Jesus, because he wanted the Law itself to be at the service of life and not
vice-versa.
• Jesus and the Bible. The Pharisees
criticized Jesus in the name of the Bible. Jesus responds and criticizes the
Pharisees using the Bible. He knew the Bible by heart. At that time, there were
no printed Bibles as we have today! In every community there was only one
Bible, hand written which remained in the Synagogue. If Jesus knew the Bible so
well, it means that during 30 years of his life in Nazareth, he participated
intensely in the life of the community, where the Scripture was read every
Saturday. We still lack very much in order to have the same familiarity with
the Bible and the same participation in the community!
4) Personal questions
• Saturday is for the human being and not
vice-versa. Which are the points in my life which I have to change?
• Even without having the Bible at home, Jesus
knew it by heart. And I?
5) Concluding prayer
I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the
assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them. (Ps
111,1-2)
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