Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
Lectionary: 313
Lectionary: 313
Melchizedek, king of Salem and
priest of God Most High,
met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings
and blessed him.
And Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything.
His name first means righteous king,
and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace.
Without father, mother, or ancestry,
without beginning of days or end of life,
thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up
after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so,
not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent
but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.
For it is testified:
You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings
and blessed him.
And Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything.
His name first means righteous king,
and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace.
Without father, mother, or ancestry,
without beginning of days or end of life,
thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up
after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so,
not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent
but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.
For it is testified:
You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Responsorial PsalmPS 110:1, 2, 3, 4
R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of
Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
AlleluiaSEE MT 4:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 3:1-6
Jesus entered the
synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the Pharisees,
“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the Pharisees,
“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death.
Meditation: "Is it lawful... to save life or
to kill?"
What is God's intention for the
commandment, keep holy the
Sabbath (Exodus 20:8;
Deuteronomy 5:12)? The scribes and Pharisees wanted to catch Jesus in the act
of breaking the Sabbath ritual so they might accuse him of breaking God's law.
In a few penetrating words Luke records that Jesus knew their thoughts. They were
filled with fury and contempt for Jesus because they put their own thoughts of
right and wrong above God. They were ensnared in their own legalism because
they did not understand or see the purpose of God. Jesus shows their fallacy by
pointing to God's intention for the Sabbath: to
do good and to save life rather than to do evil or to destroy life.Christians have traditionally celebrated Sunday as the Lord's Day, to commemorate God's work of redemption in Jesus Christ and the new work of creation he accomplished through Christ's death and resurrection. Taking "our sabbath rest" is a way of expressing honor to God for all that he has done for us. Such "rest" however does not exempt us from our love for our neighbor. If we truly love the Lord above all else, then the love of God will overflow to love of neighbor as well. Do you honor the Lord in the way you celebrate Sunday, the Lord's Day and in the way you treat you neighbor?
"Lord Jesus, in your victory over sin and death on the cross and in your resurrection you give us the assurance of sharing in the eternal rest of heaven. Transform my heart with your love that I may freely serve my neighbor for his good and find joy and refreshment in the celebration of Sunday as the Lord's Day."
 To Do Good or Evil? |
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January 21, 2015.
Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
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Mark 3:1-6
Jesus entered the
synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched him
closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse
him. He said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up here before
us." Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" But
they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their
hardness of heart, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He
stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and
immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.
Introductory
Prayer: Lord, I believe in you.
Thank you for the gift of faith, more precious than life itself. I hope in
you. May the dark waters of doubt never break through my dike of hope. I love
you. I want to let you purify me, so that my love for you may be more ardent
and more courageous.
Petition: Lord, help me to bear witness to you even in adverse
circumstances.
1. “They
Watched Him Closely”:At the
beginning of his public ministry, Christ already incurs the bitter opposition
of the Pharisees. Having reduced them to silence in a wheat field, Christ
bravely enters the synagogue to confront them once again. There the Pharisees
are in the first places of honor, and they watch his every move, hoping he
will cure against the laws of the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. The
Pharisees were right about one thing. They did well to observe Christ
closely. If only they had done so with the right spirit: to learn from him
and to glorify God for the wonders he did through him. How closely do we
watch Christ in our own lives? How readily do we perceive his actions through
the circumstances of the day? How often do we glorify God for the great
things Christ does and longs to do in us?
2. To Do
Good or Evil? Christ obliges
the Pharisees. With fearless courage he calls the man with the withered hand
forward, so that no one can mistake what he is about to do. Then he puts his
antagonists in a dilemma with two clear questions. First: “Is it lawful to do
good on the sabbath rather than to do evil?” “They are bound to admit that it
is lawful to do good; and it is a good thing he proposed to do. They are
bound to deny that it is lawful to do evil; and, yet, surely it is an evil
thing to leave a man in wretchedness when it is possible to help him.”
(William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark, pp. 68-69) Then Christ asks the second
question: “Is it lawful to save life rather than to destroy it?” “Here he is
driving the thing home. He is taking steps to save this wretched man’s life;
they are thinking out methods of killing Christ. On any reckoning it is
surely a better thing to be thinking about helping a man than it is to be
thinking of killing a man. No wonder they had nothing to say!” (Ibid.)
3. Angered
by Their Hardness of Heart:Seldom
does the Gospel show Christ angry. Here his anger is provoked by the
hypocrisy of the Pharisees and their hardness of heart. They close themselves
off from his message of salvation. What happens when someone definitively
closes his heart to Christ? The Pharisees, the defenders of the law and
Jewish customs, were bitter enemies of the Herodians, who collaborated with
King Herod and the Romans. Yet this Gospel relates the chilling fact that
these two joined forces to plot to kill Jesus. They are united not by the
intrinsic force of goodness, but by the malignant power of evil. Do I at
times make small concessions to hypocrisy, envy or even hatred? These could
slowly harden my heart toward Christ. Am I willing to be courageous like
Christ and endure even bitter opposition for the sake of the Gospel?
Conversation
with Christ: Thank you, Lord, for your goodness and courage. How
small I feel when I compare myself with you in the Gospel. What an infinite
distance separates us! Thank you for calling me — with all of my weakness,
sins, and limitations — to be your apostle. Help me never to surrender to
evil in my heart, but to grow in goodness of heart in order to be more like
you.
Resolution: I will do a good deed for someone today, even if it is
difficult, in order to bear witness to Christ.
By Father Walter
Schu, LC
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, MARK 3:1-6
(Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil?" (v 4).
TO KNOW: Jesus was often critical of those who used the Sabbath Laws to prevent needed ministry to others. While worshiping in the synagogue, he saw a man with a crippled hand. Jesus was as concerned with the physical well-being of this man, as his spiritual welfare. As a cripple, the man was unable to work and his livelihood was in Jesus' hands. Knowing that the man dared not ask for healing on the Sabbath, Jesus called him to stand before the entire assembly. He asked those gathered whether it was preferable to heal on the Sabbath or to do evil by avoiding the needs of others. When no one answered him, Jesus grew angry and was grieved by their cold-heartedness. Then he healed the man with a simple command. The irate religious leaders saw no violation of the Sabbath Law when they plotted Jesus' death.
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, give me the wisdom to respond with your love in each circumstance.
TO SERVE: Am I more concerned with keeping rules than with helping others?
(Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil?" (v 4).
TO KNOW: Jesus was often critical of those who used the Sabbath Laws to prevent needed ministry to others. While worshiping in the synagogue, he saw a man with a crippled hand. Jesus was as concerned with the physical well-being of this man, as his spiritual welfare. As a cripple, the man was unable to work and his livelihood was in Jesus' hands. Knowing that the man dared not ask for healing on the Sabbath, Jesus called him to stand before the entire assembly. He asked those gathered whether it was preferable to heal on the Sabbath or to do evil by avoiding the needs of others. When no one answered him, Jesus grew angry and was grieved by their cold-heartedness. Then he healed the man with a simple command. The irate religious leaders saw no violation of the Sabbath Law when they plotted Jesus' death.
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, give me the wisdom to respond with your love in each circumstance.
TO SERVE: Am I more concerned with keeping rules than with helping others?
Memorial of Agnes, virgin and martyr
Agnes' name means "chaste lamb." Agnes, the daughter of a noble Roman family who had become a Christian, was martyred for her belief during the persecution of Diocletian around 304. Agnes was ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods. She was taken to a Roman temple to Minerva (Athena), and when led to the altar, she made the Sign of the Cross. She was threatened, then tortured when she refused to turn against God. Several young men presented themselves, offering to marry her, whether from lust or pity is not known. She said that to do so would be an insult to her heavenly Spouse, and she would keep her consecrated virginity intact, accept death, and see Christ in Heaven. According to very early accounts, her enraged persecutors attempted to burn Agnes, and when this failed, they decapitated her. Testimony to her courageous witness was given in an account written by Saint Ambrose (340-387) in "De Virginibus." Since the early middle-ages, Saint Agnes is usually depicted holding a lamb as a symbol of her purity.
Agnes' name means "chaste lamb." Agnes, the daughter of a noble Roman family who had become a Christian, was martyred for her belief during the persecution of Diocletian around 304. Agnes was ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods. She was taken to a Roman temple to Minerva (Athena), and when led to the altar, she made the Sign of the Cross. She was threatened, then tortured when she refused to turn against God. Several young men presented themselves, offering to marry her, whether from lust or pity is not known. She said that to do so would be an insult to her heavenly Spouse, and she would keep her consecrated virginity intact, accept death, and see Christ in Heaven. According to very early accounts, her enraged persecutors attempted to burn Agnes, and when this failed, they decapitated her. Testimony to her courageous witness was given in an account written by Saint Ambrose (340-387) in "De Virginibus." Since the early middle-ages, Saint Agnes is usually depicted holding a lamb as a symbol of her purity.
Wednesday 21 January 2015
St Agnes.
Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17 You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek. Ps 109(110):1-4. Mark 3:1-6.
Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17 You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek. Ps 109(110):1-4. Mark 3:1-6.
I will be their God and
they will be my people.
The priest Melchizedek is a
shadowy mysterious figure who was a forerunner of the promise of God that was
fulfilled in the priesthood of Jesus, blameless, sustained and exalted above
the heavens.
Jesus, when he challenged
the Pharisees by healing the man with the withered hand in the Temple, set
himself the task of changing their harsh interpretation of laws for a compassionate
love of the poor and suffering.
And, as we have become
followers of Jesus and sons by adoption (Galatians 4:5), we are challenged to
copy his actions and so be drawn near to God, to reflect his loving mercy to
all we live with or meet, and to rejoice in the privilege of living the new covenant.
Praise be to our loving God!
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Reflecting on Jesus
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Gazing with delight in your heart at God’s beauty and magnificence
is in itself a prayer of praise that gives God great pleasure and deepens your
relationship with Him. In these times, often simply repeating the name of the
Lord, “Jesus,” is praise enough.
January
21
St. Agnes
(d. 258?)
St. Agnes
(d. 258?)
Almost nothing is known of this saint except that she was very
young—12 or 13—when she was martyred in the last half of the third century.
Various modes of death have been suggested—beheading, burning, strangling.
Legend
has it that Agnes was a beautiful girl whom many young men wanted to marry.
Among those she refused, one reported her to the authorities for being a
Christian. She was arrested and confined to a house of prostitution. The legend
continues that a man who looked upon her lustfully lost his sight and had it
restored by her prayer. Agnes was condemned, executed and buried near Rome
in a catacomb that eventually was named after her. The daughter of Constantine
built a basilica in her honor.
Comment:
Like that of modern Maria Goretti (July 6), the martyrdom of a virginal young girl made a deep impression on a society enslaved to a materialistic outlook. Like Agatha, who died in similar circumstances, Agnes is a symbol that holiness does not depend on length of years, experience or human effort. It is a gift God offers to all.
Like that of modern Maria Goretti (July 6), the martyrdom of a virginal young girl made a deep impression on a society enslaved to a materialistic outlook. Like Agatha, who died in similar circumstances, Agnes is a symbol that holiness does not depend on length of years, experience or human effort. It is a gift God offers to all.
Quote:
"This is a
virgin's birthday; let us follow the example of her chastity. It is a martyr's
birthday; let us offer sacrifices; it is the birthday of holy Agnes: let men be
filled with wonder, little ones with hope, married women with awe, and the unmarried
with emulation. It seems to me that this child, holy beyond her years and
courageous beyond human nature, receives thename of Agnes [Greek: pure] not as
an earthly designation but as a revelation from God of what she was to be"
(from Saint Ambrose's discourse on virginity).
Patron Saint of:
Girls
Girls
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 3,1-6
Lectio:
Wednesday, January 21, 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 3,1-6
Another time he went into the synagogue, and
there was a man present whose hand was withered. And they were watching him to
see if he would cure him on the Sabbath day, hoping for something to charge him
with. He said to the man with the withered hand, 'Get up and stand in the
middle!' Then he said to them, 'Is it permitted on the Sabbath day to do good,
or to do evil; to save life, or to kill?' But they said nothing.
Then he looked angrily round at them, grieved
to find them so obstinate, and said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He
stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and began at
once to plot with the Herodians against him, discussing how to destroy him.
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel we meditate on the last of
the five conflicts which Mark presents at the beginning of his Gospel (Mk 2, 1
to 3, 6). The four previous conflicts were provoked by the enemies of Jesus.
This last one is provoked by Jesus himself and reveals the seriousness of the
conflict between him and the religious authority of his time. It is a conflict
of life or death. It is important to note the category of enemies which has
arisen in this conflict. It is a question of the Pharisees and the Herodians,
that is of the religious and the civil authority. When Mark wrote his Gospel in
the year 70, many of them still remembered very well the terrible persecution
of the 60’s, perpetuated by Nero against the Christian communities. In hearing
that Jesus himself had been threatened to death and how he behaved in the midst
of these dangerous conflicts, the Christians found a source of courage and
orientation so as not to be discouraged along the journey.
• Jesus in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus
enters into the Synagogue. He had the habit of participating in the
celebrations of the people. A man was there who had a withered hand. A
physically disabled person who could not participate fully, because he was
considered to be impure. Even if he was present in the community, he was
marginalized. He had to remain far away from the rest.
• The concern of the enemies of Jesus. The
enemies were observing him to see if Jesus would cure on Saturday. They wanted
to accuse him. The second commandment of the Law of God ordered to “sanctify
the Sabbath”. It was prohibited to work on that day (Ex 20, 8-20). The Pharisees
said that to cure a sick person was the same as working. And for this reason
they taught: “It is prohibited to cure on the Sabbath!” They placed the law
above the well-being of persons. Jesus was an uncomfortable person for them,
because he placed the well-being of persons above the norms and the laws. The
concern of the Pharisees and of the Herodians was not the zeal for the Law, but
rather the will, the desire to accuse and get rid of Jesus.
• Get up and stand in the middle! Jesus asks
two things of the physically disabled person: Get up and stand in the middle!
The word “get up” is the same one which the communities of Mark also used to
say “rise, resurrect”. The disabled person has to “resurrect”, to get up, to
live in the middle and to take his place in the centre of the community! The
marginalized, the excluded, have to live in the middle! They cannot be
excluded. They must be together with the others! Jesus calls the excluded one
to stand in the middle.
• The question of Jesus leaves the others without
knowing what to say. Jesus asks: Is it permitted on the Sabbath to do good or
to do bad? To save life or to kill? He could have asked: “On the Sabbath is it
permitted to cure: yes or no?! And in this way all would have answered: “No, it
is not permitted!” But Jesus changed the question. For him, in that concrete
case, “to cure” was the same as “to do good” or “to save a life”, and not “to
kill!” . With his question Jesus put the finger on the wound. He denounced the
prohibition of curing on the Sabbath considering this to be a system of death.
A wise question! The enemies remain without knowing what to answer.
• Jesus looked angrily around at them, grieved
to find them so obstinate. Jesus reacts with indignation and sadness before the
attitude of the Pharisees and the Herodians. He orders the man to stretch out
his hand, and he cures him. By curing the disabled man, Jesus shows that he
does not agree with the system which places the law above life. In response to
the action of Jesus, the Pharisees and the Herodians decide to kill him. With
this decision they confirm that, in fact, they are defenders of a system of
death! They are not afraid to kill in order to defend the system against Jesus
who attacks and criticizes it in the name of life.
4) Personal questions
• The disabled man was called to stand in the
centre of the community. In our community, do the poor and the excluded have a
privileged place?
• Have you already confronted yourself,
sometimes, with persons such as the Herodians and the Pharisees who place the
law above the well-being of persons? What did you feel at that moment? Have you
agreed with them or have you criticized them?
5) Concluding prayer
Yet you are merciful to all,
and nothing that you have made disgusts you,
Lord, lover of life! (Wis 11,23-26)
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