Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 312
Lectionary: 312
The LORD said to Samuel:
"How long will you grieve for Saul,
whom I have rejected as king of Israel?
Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons."
But Samuel replied:
"How can I go?
Saul will hear of it and kill me."
To this the LORD answered:
"Take a heifer along and say,
'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'
Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do;
you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you."
Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him.
When he entered Bethlehem,
the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired,
"Is your visit peaceful, O seer?"
He replied:
"Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet."
He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves
and invited them to the sacrifice.
As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought,
"Surely the LORD's anointed is here before him."
But the LORD said to Samuel:
"Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because he sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart."
Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel,
who said, "The LORD has not chosen him."
Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said,
"The LORD has not chosen this one either."
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
"The LORD has not chosen any one of these."
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
"Are these all the sons you have?"
Jesse replied,
"There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep."
Samuel said to Jesse,
"Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here."
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
"There–anoint him, for this is he!"
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed him in the midst of his brothers;
and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.
When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.
"How long will you grieve for Saul,
whom I have rejected as king of Israel?
Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons."
But Samuel replied:
"How can I go?
Saul will hear of it and kill me."
To this the LORD answered:
"Take a heifer along and say,
'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'
Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do;
you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you."
Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him.
When he entered Bethlehem,
the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired,
"Is your visit peaceful, O seer?"
He replied:
"Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet."
He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves
and invited them to the sacrifice.
As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought,
"Surely the LORD's anointed is here before him."
But the LORD said to Samuel:
"Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because he sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart."
Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel,
who said, "The LORD has not chosen him."
Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said,
"The LORD has not chosen this one either."
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
"The LORD has not chosen any one of these."
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
"Are these all the sons you have?"
Jesse replied,
"There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep."
Samuel said to Jesse,
"Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here."
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
"There–anoint him, for this is he!"
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed him in the midst of his brothers;
and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.
When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 89:20, 21-22, 27-28
R. (21a) I have
found David, my servant.
Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:
"On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth."
R. I have found David, my servant.
"I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong."
R. I have found David, my servant.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
And I will make him the first-born,
highest of the kings of the earth."
R. I have found David, my servant.
Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:
"On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth."
R. I have found David, my servant.
"I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong."
R. I have found David, my servant.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
And I will make him the first-born,
highest of the kings of the earth."
R. I have found David, my servant.
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."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The Lord of the Sabbath, by John Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.
"Doubtless he speaks of himself when he mentions the 'Lord of the sabbath' (Mark 2:28, Matthew 12:8, Luke 6:5). Mark relates a complementary saying about our common human nature, that “the sabbath was made for humans, not humans for the sabbath (Mark 2:27). Why then should someone who gathered sticks on the sabbath be censured? The law that was established earlier could not be scorned without jeopardizing the law to be given later.
"The sabbath did confer many benefits, great blessings in the earlier dispensation. It made people more gentle toward those close to them. It guided them toward being more sympathetic. It located them temporally within God's creation and providence, as Ezekiel knew (Ezekiel 20:19-20). The sabbath trained Israel by degrees to abstain from evil and disposed them to listen to the things of the Spirit.
"They would have stretched the law out of shape if, when he was giving the law of the sabbath, Jesus had said, 'You can work on the sabbath, but just do good works, do nothing evil.' This would have brought out the worst in them. So he restrained them from doing any works at all on the sabbath. And even this stricter prohibition did not keep them in line. But he himself, in the very act of giving the law of the sabbath, gave them a veiled sign of things to come. For by saying, 'You must do no work, except what shall be done for your life' (Exodus 12:16), he indicated that the intent of the law was to have them refrain from evil works only, not all works. Even in the temple, much went on during the sabbath, and with great diligence and double toil. Thus even by this very shadowy saying Jesus was secretly opening the truth to them. Did Christ then attempt to repeal a law so beneficial as the sabbath law? Far from it. Rather, he greatly magnified the sabbath. For with Christ came the time for everyone to be trained by a higher requirement." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 39.3)
"Doubtless he speaks of himself when he mentions the 'Lord of the sabbath' (Mark 2:28, Matthew 12:8, Luke 6:5). Mark relates a complementary saying about our common human nature, that “the sabbath was made for humans, not humans for the sabbath (Mark 2:27). Why then should someone who gathered sticks on the sabbath be censured? The law that was established earlier could not be scorned without jeopardizing the law to be given later.
"The sabbath did confer many benefits, great blessings in the earlier dispensation. It made people more gentle toward those close to them. It guided them toward being more sympathetic. It located them temporally within God's creation and providence, as Ezekiel knew (Ezekiel 20:19-20). The sabbath trained Israel by degrees to abstain from evil and disposed them to listen to the things of the Spirit.
"They would have stretched the law out of shape if, when he was giving the law of the sabbath, Jesus had said, 'You can work on the sabbath, but just do good works, do nothing evil.' This would have brought out the worst in them. So he restrained them from doing any works at all on the sabbath. And even this stricter prohibition did not keep them in line. But he himself, in the very act of giving the law of the sabbath, gave them a veiled sign of things to come. For by saying, 'You must do no work, except what shall be done for your life' (Exodus 12:16), he indicated that the intent of the law was to have them refrain from evil works only, not all works. Even in the temple, much went on during the sabbath, and with great diligence and double toil. Thus even by this very shadowy saying Jesus was secretly opening the truth to them. Did Christ then attempt to repeal a law so beneficial as the sabbath law? Far from it. Rather, he greatly magnified the sabbath. For with Christ came the time for everyone to be trained by a higher requirement." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 39.3)
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 16, MARK 2:23-28
Weekday
(1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 89)
Weekday
(1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 89)
KEY VERSE: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (v 27).
TO KNOW: As Jesus and his disciples were walking through the corn fields on the Sabbath day, 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). As 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 rules and regulations. The religious leaders classified a number of activities that was forbidden on the Sabbath. Among the 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, which had been 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 benefit all people.
TO LOVE: Have I allowed legalism to be a substitute for love of the Lord and his people?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to keep the Sabbath by prayer and good works.
Tuesday 16
January 2018
St Honorius.
1 Samuel
16:1-13. Psalm 88(89):20-22, 27-28. Mark 2:23-28.
I have
found David, my servant—Psalm 88(89):20-22, 27-28.
The Lord
does not see as we see. The Lord looks on the heart.
Sometimes we are confused by
appearances. Samuel did not choose the strongest of Jesse’s sons but the
weakest, David, to fulfil God’s plans for Israel because he had read his
steadfast heart. We can also get distracted from what the Lord is wanting from
us by laws and traditions to which we cling.
Jesus broke many rules he counted
as trivial to heal on a Sabbath or to feed the hungry apostles. Lord, help us
to see into peoples’ hearts and not to judge by appearances, especially that of
the disabled, the poor, the outcast, the stranger.
Saint Berard and Companions
Saint of the Day for January 16
(d. January 16, 1220)
Saint Berard and Companions’ Story
Preaching the gospel is often dangerous work. Leaving one’s
homeland and adjusting to new cultures, governments and languages is difficult
enough; but martyrdom caps all the other sacrifices.
In 1219, with the blessing of Saint Francis, Berard left
Italy with Peter, Adjute, Accurs, Odo and Vitalis to preach in Morocco. En
route in Spain, Vitalis became sick and commanded the other friars to continue
their mission without him.
They tried preaching in Seville, then in Muslim hands, but made
no converts. They went on to Morocco where they preached in the marketplace.
The friars were immediately apprehended and ordered to leave the country; they
refused. When they began preaching again, an exasperated sultan ordered them
executed. After enduring severe beatings and declining various bribes to
renounce their faith in Jesus Christ, the friars were beheaded by the sultan
himself on January 16, 1220.
These were the first Franciscan martyrs. When Francis heard of
their deaths, he exclaimed, “Now I can truly say that I have five Friars
Minor!” Their relics were brought to Portugal where they prompted a young
Augustinian canon to join the Franciscans and set off for Morocco the next
year. That young man was Anthony
of Padua. These five martyrs were canonized in 1481.
Reflection
The deaths of Berard and his companions sparked a missionary
vocation in Anthony of Padua and others. There have been many, many Franciscans
who have responded to Francis’ challenge. Proclaiming the gospel can be fatal,
but that has not stopped the Franciscan men and women who even today risk their
lives in many countries throughout the world.
LECTIO DIVINA: MARK 2,23-28
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
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
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."
3) Reflection
•
The Law exists for the good of people. 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 to
indicate that the arguments of the others have no meaning. 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). 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, from 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 on Sabbath, the
rebellious Maccabees preferred to allow themselves to be killed rather than to
transgress the law of the Sabbath by using arms to defend their own life. For
this, one thousand people 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 favor
of 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 gives Jesus, the Son of Man, the key to discovering 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. It 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. By comparison, we are still
lacking very much in familiarity with the Bible and participation in the
community!
4) Personal questions
•
The Sabbath is for the human being and not vice-versa. How do I interpret this?
•
Even without having the Bible at home, Jesus knew it by heart. Do 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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