Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
Lectionary: 311
Lectionary: 311
Brothers and sisters:
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my Son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place,
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
In the days when he was in the Flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my Son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place,
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
In the days when he was in the Flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
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.
AlleluiaHEB 4:12
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 2:18-22
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
"Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them,
"Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."
People came to Jesus and objected,
"Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them,
"Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."
For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Agnes, please go here.
Meditation:
"Fasting
or feasting?"
Which
comes first, fasting or feasting? The disciples of John the Baptist were upset
with Jesus' disciples because they did not fast (Mark 2:18). Fasting was one of
the three most important religious duties, along with prayer and almsgiving. Jesus
gave a simple explanation. There's a time for fasting and a time for feasting
(or celebrating). To walk as a disciple with Jesus is to experience a whole new
joy of relationship akin to the joy of the wedding party in celebrating with
the groom and bride their wedding bliss. But there also comes a time when the
Lord's disciples must bear the cross of affliction and purification. For the
disciple there is both a time for rejoicing in the Lord's presence and
celebrating his goodness and a time for seeking the Lord with humility and
fasting and for mourning over sin. Do you take joy in the Lord's presence with
you and do you express sorrow and contrition for your sins?
The
closed mind that rejects all of God's Word
Jesus goes on to warn his disciples about the problem of the "closed mind" that refuses to learn new things. Jesus used an image familiar to his audience - new and old wine skins. In Jesus' times, wine was stored in wine skins, not bottles. New wine poured into skins was still fermenting. The gases exerted gave pressure. New wine skins were elastic enough to take the pressure, but old wine skins easily burst because they were hard. What did Jesus mean by this comparison? Are we to reject the old in place of the new? Just as there is a right place and a right time for fasting and for feasting, so there is a right place for the old as well as the new.
Jesus goes on to warn his disciples about the problem of the "closed mind" that refuses to learn new things. Jesus used an image familiar to his audience - new and old wine skins. In Jesus' times, wine was stored in wine skins, not bottles. New wine poured into skins was still fermenting. The gases exerted gave pressure. New wine skins were elastic enough to take the pressure, but old wine skins easily burst because they were hard. What did Jesus mean by this comparison? Are we to reject the old in place of the new? Just as there is a right place and a right time for fasting and for feasting, so there is a right place for the old as well as the new.
Jesus
says the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his
treasure what is new and what is old (Matthew 13:52). How impoverished
we would be if we only had the Old Testament books of Scripture or the New
Testament books of Scripture, rather than both. The Lord gives us wisdom so we
can make the best use of both the old and the new. He doesn't want us to hold
rigidly to the past and to be resistant to the new work of his Holy Spirit in
our lives. He wants our minds and hearts to be like new wine skins - open and
ready to receive the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Are you eager to grow in the
knowledge and understanding of God's word and plan for your life?
"Lord
Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I may grow in the knowledge of your
great love and truth. Help me to seek you earnestly in prayer and fasting that
I may turn away from sin and wilfulness and conform my life more fully to your
will. May I always find joy in knowing, loving, and serving You who are My
All."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The presence of the Bridegroom, by
Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"From
the time that the incarnation of our Savior was first promised to the
patriarchs, it was always awaited by many upright souls with tears and mourning
- until he came. From that time when, after his resurrection, he ascended to
heaven, all the hope of the saints hangs upon his return. It was at the time
when he was keeping company with humanity that his presence was to be
celebrated. Then it would have been unfitting to weep and mourn. For like the
bride, she had him with her bodily whom she loved spiritually. Therefore the bridegroom
is Christ, the bride is the church, and the friends of the bridegroom (Matthew
9:15, Luke 5:34) and of the marriage are each and every one of his faithful
companions. The time of his marriage is that time when, through the mystery of
the incarnation, he is joining the holy church to himself (Revelation 19:7).
Thus it was not by chance, but for the sake of a certain mystical meaning that
he came to a marriage ceremony on earth in the customary fleshly way (John
2:1-12), since he descended from heaven to earth in order to wed the church to
himself in spiritual love. His nuptial chamber was the womb of his virgin
mother. There God was conjoined with human nature. From there he came forth
like a bridegroom to join the church to himself." (excerpt from HOMILIES
ON THE GOSPELS 1.14)
MONDAY, JANUARY 21, MARK 2:18-22
(Hebrews 5:1-10; Psalm 110)
(Hebrews 5:1-10; Psalm 110)
KEY VERSE: "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?" (v 19).
TO KNOW: The people demanded to know why Jesus' disciples did not fast as was the custom of the Pharisees and the disciples of John. Jesus described his relationship with his followers using the biblical metaphor of marriage (Is 54: 5-7). At a wedding feast, guests were relieved of all obligations that might diminish their joy, including fasting. Jesus was the long-awaited bridegroom whose arrival inaugurated a new era. He is the bridegroom and the Church is the bride. With Jesus in their midst, his followers must not mourn; they must celebrate. Jesus said it was impossible to mix the new ways with the old. It was as futile as trying to patch an old garment with new fabric, or putting fresh wine into old worn-out flasks. The time of patchwork faith was over. Just as new fermenting wine could not be contained in aged and unyielding wineskins, the old order could not hold the new life that Jesus brought.
TO LOVE: Do I resist the changes God wants of me?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, I long to celebrate with you at the eternal wedding banquet.
Memorial of Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr
Agnes' name means "chaste lamb." Agnes, the daughter of a noble Roman family, had become a Christian. She was martyred for her belief during the persecution of Diocletian in 304, or possibly earlier. Agnes was ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods and lose her virginity by rape. She was taken to a Roman temple of 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 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 by Saint Ambrose (340-387) in "De Virginibus." Pope Damasus (ca. 304-384) extolled the heroism and virtue of the young girl, reportedly telling in a poem how she bravely faced fire, concerned only that her stripped body be covered by her long hair. Since the early middle-ages, Saint Agnes is usually depicted holding a lamb as a symbol of her purity.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He entered the Christian ministry and was ordained in 1948 at the age of nineteen. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he was co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Vice President of the national Sunday School and Baptist Teaching Union Congress of the National Baptist Convention. Dr. King was a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization responsible for the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott. He also helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He was arrested thirty times for his participation in civil rights activities. Dr. King was shot to death while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'" - Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday 21 January 2019
St Agnes.
Hebrews 5:1-10. Psalm 109(110):1-4. Mark 2:18-22.
Hebrews 5:1-10. Psalm 109(110):1-4. Mark 2:18-22.
You are a priest for ever, in the line of
Melchizedek – Psalm 109(110):1-4.
‘No one puts new wine into old wineskins.’
Today’s readings invite us to think about the role of leaders in
our communities. Jesus uses the image of new wine and old wineskins to suggest
that his followers should not cling to the familiar ways of doing things. The
theme of renewal is also in the psalm, where the psalmist writes, ’From the
womb of the morning, like dew, your youth will come to you.’
Leaders in our communities can empower us to cope with change
and challenge. Many of us struggle to let go of the way things have always been
to create space for what is yet to come. Who do I look to for this wisdom and
guidance? And who looks for this from me?
Saint Agnes
Saint of the Day for January 21
(d. c. 258)
 |
| Mosaic of Saint Agnes of Rome | Haarlemmermeerplein, Amsterdam | flickr |
Saint Agnes’ Story
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.
Reflection
Like that of Maria Goretti in the 20th century, the martyrdom of
a virginal young girl made a deep impression on a society enslaved to a
materialistic outlook. Also 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.
Saint Agnes is the Patron Saint of:
Girls
Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts
LECTIO DIVINA: MARK 2:18-22
Lectio Divina:
Monday, January 21, 2019
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 2:18-22
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to
fast. People came to Jesus and objected, "Why do the disciples of John and
the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is
with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But
the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they
will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets
worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine
will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new
wine is poured into fresh wineskins."
3) Reflection
• The five conflicts between Jesus and the religious authority.
In Mark 2:1-12 we have seen the first conflict. It was about the forgiveness of
sins. In Mark 2:13-17, the second conflict is on communion around the same
table, with sinners. Today’s Gospel presents the third conflict concerning
fasting. Tomorrow we have the fourth conflict concerning the observance of the
Sabbath (Mk 2:13-28). The day after tomorrow is the last conflict concerning
the cure on the Sabbath (Mk 3:1-6). The conflict concerning fasting has a
central place. For this reason, the words on sewing a piece of new cloth on an
old cloak and the new wine into fresh skins (Mk 2:21-22) should be understood
in the light which also radiates clearly on the other conflicts, two before and
two after.
• Jesus does not insist on the practice of fasting. Fasting is a
very ancient practice, practiced by practically all religions. Jesus himself
practiced it during forty days (Mt 4:2). But He does not insist with His
disciples that they do the same thing. He leaves them free. This is why the
disciples of John the Baptist and those of the Pharisees, who were obliged to
fast, want to know why Jesus does not insist on fasting.
• When the bridegroom is with them they do not have to fast.
Jesus responds with a comparison. When the bridegroom is with the friends of
the bridegroom, that is, during the wedding feast, they do not need to fast.
Jesus considers himself the bridegroom. The disciples are the friends of the
bridegroom During the time in which Jesus is with the disciples, there is the
wedding feast. A day will come in which the bridegroom will be absent and then,
if they wish, they can fast. Jesus refers to His death. He knows and feels that
if He wishes to continue on this path of freedom, the religious authority will
want to kill Him.
• To sew a new piece of cloth on an old cloak, pour new wine in
new skins. These two affirmations of Jesus, which Mark places here, clarify the
critical attitude of Jesus before religious authority. One does not sew a piece
of new cloth on an old cloak. When the cloak is washed, the new piece of cloth
tears the cloak and the tear becomes bigger. Nobody puts new wine in old skins,
because the fermentation of the new wine will tear the old skins. New wine in
new skins! The religion defended by the authority was like an old cloak, like
an old skin. It is not necessary to want to change what is new and brought by
Jesus, for old customs. The concepts brought by Jesus cannot be reduced to fit
the measure of Judaism. Either one or the other! The wine which Jesus brings
tears the old skins. It is necessary to know how to separate things. Jesus is
not against what is “old”. What He wants to avoid is that the old impose itself
on the new, and thus, He begins to manifest it.
4) Personal questions
• Beginning with the profound experience of God which encouraged
Him interiorly, Jesus had liberty concerning the norms and religious practices.
Today, do we have this same liberty and the freedom of the mystics?
• A new piece of cloth on an old cloak, new wine in old skins.
Does this exist in my life?
5) Concluding prayer
We have recognized for ourselves,
and put our faith in, the love God has for us. (1Jn 4:16)
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