Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot
Lectionary: 308
Lectionary: 308
The Holy Spirit says:
Oh, that today you would hear his voice,
"Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion
in the day of testing in the desert,
where your ancestors tested and tried me
and saw my works for forty years.
Because of this I was provoked with that generation
and I said, 'They have always been of erring heart,
and they do not know my ways.'
As I swore in my wrath,
'They shall not enter into my rest.'"
Take care, brothers and sisters,
that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart,
so as to forsake the living God.
Encourage yourselves daily while it is still "today,"
so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin.
We have become partners of Christ
if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice,
"Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion
in the day of testing in the desert,
where your ancestors tested and tried me
and saw my works for forty years.
Because of this I was provoked with that generation
and I said, 'They have always been of erring heart,
and they do not know my ways.'
As I swore in my wrath,
'They shall not enter into my rest.'"
Take care, brothers and sisters,
that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart,
so as to forsake the living God.
Encourage yourselves daily while it is still "today,"
so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin.
We have become partners of Christ
if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 95:6-7C, 8-9, 10-11
R. (8) If
today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Forty years I was wearied of that generation;
I said: "This people's heart goes astray,
they do not know my ways."
Therefore I swore in my anger:
"They shall never enter my rest."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Forty years I was wearied of that generation;
I said: "This people's heart goes astray,
they do not know my ways."
Therefore I swore in my anger:
"They shall never enter my rest."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
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 1:40-45
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,
"If you wish, you can make me clean."
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
"I do will it. Be made clean."
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, "See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
"If you wish, you can make me clean."
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
"I do will it. Be made clean."
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, "See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Anthony, please go here.
Meditation: The
Lord Jesus can make me clean
Do
you seek the Lord Jesus with expectant faith? No one who sought Jesus out was
refused his help. Even the untouchables and the outcasts of Jewish society
found help in him. Unlike the people of Jesus' time who fled at the sight of a
leper, Jesus touched the leper who approached him and he made him whole and
clean. Why was this so remarkable? Lepers were outcasts of society. They were
driven from their homes and communities and left to fend for themselves. Their
physical condition was terrible as they slowly lost the use of their limbs and
withered away. They were not only shunned but regarded as "already
dead" even by their relatives. The Jewish law forbade anyone from touching
or approaching a leper, lest ritual defilement occur.
This
leper did something quite remarkable. He approached Jesus confidently and
humbly, expecting that Jesus could and would heal him. Normally a leper would
be stoned or at least warded off if he tried to come near a rabbi. Jesus not
only grants the man his request, but he demonstrates the personal love,
compassion, and tenderness of God in his physical touch. The medical knowledge
of his day would have regarded such contact as grave risk for incurring
infection. Jesus met the man's misery with compassion and tender kindness. He
communicated the love and mercy of God in a sign that spoke more eloquently
than words. He touched the man and made him clean - not only physically but
spiritually as well.
How
do you approach those who are difficult to love, or who are shunned by others
because they are deformed or have some defect? Do you show them kindness and
offer them mercy and help as Jesus did? The Lord is always ready to show us his
mercy and to free us from whatever makes us unclean, unapproachable, or
unloving towards others.
Lord
Jesus, inflame my heart with your love and make me clean and whole in body,
mind, and spirit. May I never doubt your love nor cease to tell others of your
mercy and compassion."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Why did Jesus touch the leper, by
Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"And
why did [Jesus] touch him, since the law forbade the touching of a leper? He
touched him to show that 'all things are clean to the clean' (Titus 1:15).
Because the filth that is in one person does not adhere to others, nor does
external uncleanness defile the clean of heart. So he touches him in his
untouchability, that he might instruct us in humility; that he might teach us
that we should despise no one, or abhor them, or regard them as pitiable,
because of some wound of their body or some blemish for which they might be
called to render an account... So, stretching forth his hand to touch, the
leprosy immediately departs. The hand of the Lord is found to have touched not
a leper, but a body made clean! Let us consider here, beloved, if there be
anyone here that has the taint of leprosy in his soul, or the contamination of
guilt in his heart? If he has, instantly adoring God, let him say: 'Lord, if
you will, you can make me clean.'" (excerpt from FRAGMENTS ON
MATTHEW 2.2–3)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, MARK 1:40-45
(Hebrews 3:7-14; Psalm 95)
(Hebrews 3:7-14; Psalm 95)
KEY VERSE: "I do will it. Be made clean" (v 41).
TO KNOW: In Jesus' day, a person afflicted with leprosy was an outcast, forced to live apart from the community. One such leper humbly begged Jesus to heal him. Jesus was filled with compassion as it was always his will that his people be made whole. Even though contact with a leper would render a person ritually unclean, Jesus did not hesitate to touch the man and heal him. Jesus then sent the man to the priest who had the authority to pronounce him cured and ready to return to society (Lv 14:1-32). Jesus admonished the man not to speak of the healing lest it be misinterpreted as mere wonder-working ("the Messianic Secret" is characteristic of Mark's gospel). But the man could not contain his joy and began to publicize his healing to everyone he met. Because so many people kept coming to Jesus, it was impossible for him to enter a town. Now it was Jesus who was forced to live in the deserted places on the town’s outskirts.
TO LOVE: Do I show compassion to those who are afflicted by sickness and disease?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, heal me of all that separates me from God and my community.
Memorial of Saint Anthony, abbot
At age 35 Anthony moved to the desert where he lived alone for 20 years in an abandoned fort. He based his life on the Gospel, miraculously healing people and acting as spiritual counselor of others. Word spread and so many disciples arrived that Anthony founded other monasteries. His sister also withdrew from the world and directed a community of nuns. Anthony briefly left his seclusion in 311, going to Alexandria to fight the Arian heresy, and to comfort the victims of the Emperor Maximinus' persecution. Anthony retired to the desert again, living in a cave on Mount Colzim. He is the Father of Western Monasticism. His example led many to take up the monastic life, and to follow his way. His biography was written by his friend Saint Athanasius.
Father, you called Saint Anthony to renounce the world and serve you in the solitude of the desert. By his prayers and example, may we learn to deny ourselves and love you above all things.
Thursday 17 January 2019
St Anthony.
Hebrews 3:7-14. Psalm 94(95):6-11. Mark 1:40-45.
Hebrews 3:7-14. Psalm 94(95):6-11. Mark 1:40-45.
If today you hear his voice, harden not your
hearts – Psalm 94(95):6-11.
‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’
We know how it feels to be ignored in a conversation or
encounter. Imagine what it would be like to be cast out of the community, even
out of the family, because of leprous skin disease. You would not be able to
work, join in any festival, or even go to the synagogue. You would be labelled
as unclean, a sinner, as if you had brought this on yourself.
Then you hear about Jesus. Maybe he will heal you. You run to
Jesus and fall on your knees, pleading for mercy. He does not disappoint you.
He does the unthinkable. He reaches out and touches you! ‘Be cleansed’, he
says. In your joy you forget Jesus asked you not to tell anyone.
Saint Anthony of Egypt (Saint Anthony the Abbot)
Saint of the Day for January 17
(251 – 356)
 |
| The Temptation of Saint Anthony | Hieronymus Bosch |
Saint Anthony of Egypt’s Story
The life of Anthony will remind many people of Saint Francis of Assisi. At 20, Anthony was so moved by the
Gospel message, “Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor” (Mark 10:21b),
that he actually did just that with his large inheritance. He is different from
Francis in that most of Anthony’s life was spent in solitude. He saw the world
completely covered with snares, and gave the Church and the world the witness
of solitary asceticism, great personal mortification and prayer. But no saint
is antisocial, and Anthony drew many people to himself for spiritual healing
and guidance.
At 54, he responded to many requests and founded a sort of
monastery of scattered cells. Again, like Francis, he had great fear of
“stately buildings and well-laden tables.”
At 60, he hoped to be a martyr in the renewed Roman persecution
of 311, fearlessly exposing himself to danger while giving moral and material
support to those in prison. At 88, he was fighting the Arian heresy, that
massive trauma from which it took the Church centuries to recover. “The mule
kicking over the altar” denied the divinity of Christ.
Anthony is associated in art with a T-shaped cross, a pig and a
book. The pig and the cross are symbols of his valiant warfare with the devil—the
cross his constant means of power over evil spirits, the pig a symbol of the
devil himself. The book recalls his preference for “the book of nature” over
the printed word. Anthony died in solitude at age 105.
Reflection
In an age that smiles at the notion of devils and angels, a
person known for having power over evil spirits must at least make us pause.
And in a day when people speak of life as a “rat race,” one who devotes a whole
life to solitude and prayer points to an essential of the Christian life in all
ages. Anthony’s hermit life reminds us of the absoluteness of our break with
sin and the totality of our commitment to Christ. Even in God’s good world,
there is another world whose false values constantly tempt us.
Saint Anthony of Egypt is the Patron Saint of:
Butchers
Gravediggers
Skin Diseases
Gravediggers
Skin Diseases
LECTIO DIVINA: MARK 1:40-45
Lectio Divina:
Thursday, January 17, 2019
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.
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 1:40-45
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,
"If you wish, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched
out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made
clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then,
warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, "See
that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer
for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report
abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained
outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
3) Reflection
• Accepting and curing the leper, Jesus reveals a new face of
God. A leper came near Jesus. He was an excluded, impure person. He should be
far away. Anybody who touched him would also become impure! But that leper had
great courage. He transgresses the norms of religion in order to be able to get
near Jesus. He calls out: “If You want, You can heal me. You need not touch me!
It suffices that You want, and I will be healed!” This phrase reveals two
evils: a) the evil of leprosy which made him impure; and b) the evil of
solitude to which he was condemned by society and by religion. It also reveals
the great faith of the man in the power of Jesus. Jesus is profoundly moved and
cures both evils. In the first place, in order to cure solitude, He touches the
leper. It is as if He said: “For Me, you are not an excluded one. I accept you
as a brother!” And then He cures the leper saying: “I want it! Be cured!” The
leper, in order to enter into contact with Jesus, had transgressed the norms of
the Law. Jesus, in order to be able to help that excluded person and therefore
reveal a new face of God, transgresses the norms of His religion and touches
the leper. At that time, whoever touched a leper became impure according to the
religious authority and by the law of that time.
• He integrated the excluded person into fraternal living together. Jesus not only cures, but also wants the cured person to be able to live with the others. He once again inserts the person in society to live with others. At that time, for a leper to be accepted again in the community, it was necessary to get a certificate from the priest that he had been cured. It is like today in some places. A sick person leaves the hospital with a document signed by the doctor of the department where he had been hospitalized. Jesus obliges the person to look for that document in such a way that he will be able to live normally with others. He obliges the authorities to recognize that this man has been cured.
• The leper announces the good that Jesus has done to him and Jesus becomes an excluded person. Jesus forbids the leper to speak about the cure. The Gospel of Mark tells us that this prohibition does not survive. The leper, walking away, began to spread the news to the point that Jesus could no longer publicly enter into a city, but remained outside in a deserted place (Mk 1:45). Why? Because Jesus had touched the leper. Because of this, according to the opinion of the religion of that time, He himself was now impure and should live far away from all others. He could no longer enter the city. Mark says that people did not care about these official norms, in fact, people came to Him from everywhere (Mk 1:45).
• Summarizing. In the year 70, when Mark wrote, as well as today, the time in which we live, it was and is important to have models of how to live and how to proclaim the Good News of God. In verses 16 to 45 of the first chapter of his Gospel, Mark describes the mission of the community and presents eight criteria in order that the communities of his time could evaluate their mission. The following is the outline:
• He integrated the excluded person into fraternal living together. Jesus not only cures, but also wants the cured person to be able to live with the others. He once again inserts the person in society to live with others. At that time, for a leper to be accepted again in the community, it was necessary to get a certificate from the priest that he had been cured. It is like today in some places. A sick person leaves the hospital with a document signed by the doctor of the department where he had been hospitalized. Jesus obliges the person to look for that document in such a way that he will be able to live normally with others. He obliges the authorities to recognize that this man has been cured.
• The leper announces the good that Jesus has done to him and Jesus becomes an excluded person. Jesus forbids the leper to speak about the cure. The Gospel of Mark tells us that this prohibition does not survive. The leper, walking away, began to spread the news to the point that Jesus could no longer publicly enter into a city, but remained outside in a deserted place (Mk 1:45). Why? Because Jesus had touched the leper. Because of this, according to the opinion of the religion of that time, He himself was now impure and should live far away from all others. He could no longer enter the city. Mark says that people did not care about these official norms, in fact, people came to Him from everywhere (Mk 1:45).
• Summarizing. In the year 70, when Mark wrote, as well as today, the time in which we live, it was and is important to have models of how to live and how to proclaim the Good News of God. In verses 16 to 45 of the first chapter of his Gospel, Mark describes the mission of the community and presents eight criteria in order that the communities of his time could evaluate their mission. The following is the outline:
Text Activity of
Jesus Objective of the mission
Mark 1:16-20
Jesus calls His first disciples
To form the community
Mark 1:21-22
The people were admired at His teaching
To create a critical conscience
Mark 1:23-28
Jesus expels a devil
To overcome the force of evil
Mark 1:29-31
He cures Peter’s mother-in-law
To give life back so as to serve
Mark 1:32-34
He cures the sick and the possessed
To accept the marginalized
Mark 1:35
Jesus rises early to pray
To remain united with the Father
Mark 1:36-39
Jesus continues the announcement
Not to stop at the results
Mark 1:40-45
He cures a leper
To integrate anew the excluded
Mark 1:16-20
Jesus calls His first disciples
To form the community
Mark 1:21-22
The people were admired at His teaching
To create a critical conscience
Mark 1:23-28
Jesus expels a devil
To overcome the force of evil
Mark 1:29-31
He cures Peter’s mother-in-law
To give life back so as to serve
Mark 1:32-34
He cures the sick and the possessed
To accept the marginalized
Mark 1:35
Jesus rises early to pray
To remain united with the Father
Mark 1:36-39
Jesus continues the announcement
Not to stop at the results
Mark 1:40-45
He cures a leper
To integrate anew the excluded
4) Personal questions
• To proclaim the Good News means to give witness to the experience
of Jesus that one has. What does the leper announce? He tells others the good
that Jesus has done to him. This witness leads others to accept the Good News
of God which Jesus brings to us. What is the witness that you give?
• To take the Good News to the people, it is not necessary to be afraid of transgressing the religious norms which are contrary to God’s plan and which make communication, dialogue, and the living out of love difficult, even if this causes difficulty for the people as it caused difficulty for Jesus. Do I have this courage?
• To take the Good News to the people, it is not necessary to be afraid of transgressing the religious norms which are contrary to God’s plan and which make communication, dialogue, and the living out of love difficult, even if this causes difficulty for the people as it caused difficulty for Jesus. Do I have this courage?
5) Concluding prayer
Come, let us bow low and do reverence;
kneel before Yahweh who made us!
For He is our God,
and we the people of His sheepfold,
the flock of His hand. (Ps 95:6-7)
kneel before Yahweh who made us!
For He is our God,
and we the people of His sheepfold,
the flock of His hand. (Ps 95:6-7)
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