Thursday of the Third Wek in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 320
Lectionary: 320
After Nathan had spoken to King
David,
the king went in and sat before the LORD and said,
“Who am I, Lord GOD, and who are the members of my house,
that you have brought me to this point?
Yet even this you see as too little, Lord GOD;
you have also spoken of the house of your servant
for a long time to come:
this too you have shown to man, Lord GOD!
the king went in and sat before the LORD and said,
“Who am I, Lord GOD, and who are the members of my house,
that you have brought me to this point?
Yet even this you see as too little, Lord GOD;
you have also spoken of the house of your servant
for a long time to come:
this too you have shown to man, Lord GOD!
“You have established for yourself
your people Israel as yours forever,
and you, LORD, have become their God.
And now, LORD God, confirm for all time the prophecy you have made
concerning your servant and his house,
and do as you have promised.
Your name will be forever great, when men say,
‘The LORD of hosts is God of Israel,’
and the house of your servant David stands firm before you.
It is you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel,
who said in a revelation to your servant,
‘I will build a house for you.’
Therefore your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer to you.
And now, Lord GOD, you are God and your words are truth;
you have made this generous promise to your servant.
Do, then, bless the house of your servant
that it may be before you forever;
for you, Lord GOD, have promised,
and by your blessing the house of your servant
shall be blessed forever.”
and you, LORD, have become their God.
And now, LORD God, confirm for all time the prophecy you have made
concerning your servant and his house,
and do as you have promised.
Your name will be forever great, when men say,
‘The LORD of hosts is God of Israel,’
and the house of your servant David stands firm before you.
It is you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel,
who said in a revelation to your servant,
‘I will build a house for you.’
Therefore your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer to you.
And now, Lord GOD, you are God and your words are truth;
you have made this generous promise to your servant.
Do, then, bless the house of your servant
that it may be before you forever;
for you, Lord GOD, have promised,
and by your blessing the house of your servant
shall be blessed forever.”
Responsorial
Psalm132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14
R. (Lk
1:32b) The
Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
LORD, remember David
and all his anxious care;
How he swore an oath to the LORD,
vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
“I will not enter the house where I live,
nor lie on the couch where I sleep;
I will give my eyes no sleep,
my eyelids no rest,
Till I find a home for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
The LORD swore an oath to David
a firm promise from which he will not withdraw:
“Your own offspring
I will set upon your throne.”
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
“If your sons keep my covenant,
and the decrees which I shall teach them,
Their sons, too, forever
shall sit upon your throne.”
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
For the LORD has chosen Zion,
he prefers her for his dwelling:
“Zion is my resting place forever;
in her I will dwell, for I prefer her.”
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
LORD, remember David
and all his anxious care;
How he swore an oath to the LORD,
vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
“I will not enter the house where I live,
nor lie on the couch where I sleep;
I will give my eyes no sleep,
my eyelids no rest,
Till I find a home for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
The LORD swore an oath to David
a firm promise from which he will not withdraw:
“Your own offspring
I will set upon your throne.”
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
“If your sons keep my covenant,
and the decrees which I shall teach them,
Their sons, too, forever
shall sit upon your throne.”
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
For the LORD has chosen Zion,
he prefers her for his dwelling:
“Zion is my resting place forever;
in her I will dwell, for I prefer her.”
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
AlleluiaPS 119:105
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 4:21-25
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
He also told them, “Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given;
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
He also told them, “Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given;
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Meditation: Living in the
light of God's truth and wisdom
What
does the image of light and a lamp tell us about God's kingdom? Lamps in the
ancient world served a vital function, much like they do today. They enable
people to see and work in the dark and to avoid stumbling or losing their way.
The Jews also understood "light" as an expression of the inner
beauty, truth, and goodness of God. Many passages from the Old Testament
Scriptures describe how God's light guides and helps us grow in our knowledge
of him and his truth and wisdom for our lives. In his light we see
light ( Psalm 36:9). His word is a lamp that guides our
steps (Psalm 119:105).
We
are light-bearers of God's truth and love
The truth cannot remain hidden, or suppressed, or destroyed. We might refuse to face the truth or try to suppress it, or destroy it, but the truth will always prevail because it is indestructible. That is why God wants us to know the truth and to stake our lives on it. God's grace (his indwelling presence and power at work in us) and his word of truth enable us to hear, believe, and obey him without fear or reservation. Just as natural light prevails over the darkness around us and enable us to see clearly, so the light of Christ shines in the hearts of all who hear and believe his word. God wants to fill us with his Holy Spirit so that we may shine brightly with the radiance of his truth, love, and goodness.
The truth cannot remain hidden, or suppressed, or destroyed. We might refuse to face the truth or try to suppress it, or destroy it, but the truth will always prevail because it is indestructible. That is why God wants us to know the truth and to stake our lives on it. God's grace (his indwelling presence and power at work in us) and his word of truth enable us to hear, believe, and obey him without fear or reservation. Just as natural light prevails over the darkness around us and enable us to see clearly, so the light of Christ shines in the hearts of all who hear and believe his word. God wants to fill us with his Holy Spirit so that we may shine brightly with the radiance of his truth, love, and goodness.
Jesus
called John the Baptist "a burning and shining lamp" (John 5:35)
because he bore witness to God's word and pointed others to Jesus, the true
Light and Savior of the world. Our call and mission, like John the Baptist, is
to be light-bearers of Jesus Christ so that many others may
hear and understand the truth of the Gospel (the good news of
Jesus Christ) and be set free from the blindness of sin, ignorance, and
deception.
Living
in the light brings true freedom and joy
Jesus remarks that nothing can remain hidden or secret. We can try to hide things from others, from ourselves, and from God. How tempting to shut our eyes from the consequences of our sinful ways or bad habits, even when we know what those consequences are. And how tempting to hide them from others and even from God. But, nonetheless, everything is known to God who sees all.
Jesus remarks that nothing can remain hidden or secret. We can try to hide things from others, from ourselves, and from God. How tempting to shut our eyes from the consequences of our sinful ways or bad habits, even when we know what those consequences are. And how tempting to hide them from others and even from God. But, nonetheless, everything is known to God who sees all.
There
is great freedom and joy for those who live in God's light and who seek his
truth and goodness. Those who listen to God and heed his voice will receive
more from him. And they will not lack what they need to live as Christ's
disciples. And they will shine as lights that show the wisdom and truth of
God's word. Do you know the joy and freedom of living in God's light and truth?
"Lord
Jesus, you guide me by the light of your saving truth. Fill my heart and mind
with your light and truth and free me from the blindness of sin, ignorance, and
deception that I may see your ways clearly and understand your will for my
life. May I radiate your light and truth to others in word and deed."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Called to shine in the midst of darkness, by
Tertullian, 160-225 A.D.
"Why
does the Lord call us the light of the world? Why has he compared us to a city
on a hill (Matthew 5:14)? Are we not called to shine in the midst of darkness,
and stand up high for those most sunk down? If you hide your lamp beneath a
bushel (Matthew 5:15; Luke 8:16, 11:33), you will soon notice that you yourself
will be in the dark. You will find others bumping into you. So what can you do
to illumine the world? Let your faith produce good works. Be a reflection of God's
light. The good is not preoccupied with darkness. It rejoices in being seen
(John 3:21). It exults over the very pointings which are made at it. Christian
modesty not only wishes to be modest, but also it wishes to be beheld as what
it actually is." (excerpt from ON THE APPAREL OF WOMEN 2.13)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, MARK 4:21-25
Weekday
(Hebrews 10:19-25; Psalm 24)
KEY VERSE: "Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear" (v 23).
TO KNOW: Jesus regularly taught by means of parables but many people were unresponsive to his message. He cited the prophet Isaiah (6: 9) to show that the reason why they did not get the point of his teachings was that their eyes, ears and hearts were closed to his revelation. Jesus admonished his disciples to listen carefully. God had blessed them abundantly through his teaching; therefore, much would be expected of them. Since they had been given the light of faith, they had the obligation to share their belief with others. Their faith must not be hidden, but must shine brightly like a lamp that illuminated the whole household. Anyone who rejected the light of truth would continue to live in darkness.
TO LOVE: Have I been a source of light or darkness to others today?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, I pray that your light will shine through me in all that I do.
Weekday
(Hebrews 10:19-25; Psalm 24)
KEY VERSE: "Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear" (v 23).
TO KNOW: Jesus regularly taught by means of parables but many people were unresponsive to his message. He cited the prophet Isaiah (6: 9) to show that the reason why they did not get the point of his teachings was that their eyes, ears and hearts were closed to his revelation. Jesus admonished his disciples to listen carefully. God had blessed them abundantly through his teaching; therefore, much would be expected of them. Since they had been given the light of faith, they had the obligation to share their belief with others. Their faith must not be hidden, but must shine brightly like a lamp that illuminated the whole household. Anyone who rejected the light of truth would continue to live in darkness.
TO LOVE: Have I been a source of light or darkness to others today?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, I pray that your light will shine through me in all that I do.
Thursday 30 January 2020
2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29. Psalm 131(132):1-5, 11-14. Mark
4:21-25.
God will give him the throne of David, his father – Psalm 131(132):1-5, 11-14.
‘The amount you measure out will be the amount you will be given, and more besides.’
God will give him the throne of David, his father – Psalm 131(132):1-5, 11-14.
‘The amount you measure out will be the amount you will be given, and more besides.’
In 1609, Venerable Mary Ward formed a community of sisters to
educate young women, assist persecuted and imprisoned Catholics and evangelise
in areas priests were unable to go. This charism was more active than the
enclosed norm of religious life for women at the time.
Mary empowered women to use the gifts given them by God. She
worked to educate the poor, nurse the sick and visit the imprisoned. Eventually
she was imprisoned by church officials, her work destroyed and her Loreto
sisters scattered.
Through word and example, Mary exhorted her followers to act
‘without fear … in quiet confidence that God will do his will in the
confusion.’ As we commemorate her memorial today, let us call to mind her
witness to freedom: ‘What disturbs me inwardly and makes me troubled does not
come from God, for the spirit of God always brings with it freedom and great
peace.’
Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska
Saint of the Day for January 30
(May 16, 1825 – October 10, 1899)
Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska’s Story
Today we honor a woman who submitted to God’s will throughout
her life—a life filled with pain and suffering.
Born in 1825 in central Poland and baptized Sophia, she
contracted tuberculosis as a young girl. The forced period of convalescence
gave her ample time for reflection. Sophia felt called to serve God by working
with the poor, including street children and the elderly homeless in Warsaw’s
slums. In time, her cousin joined her in the work.
In 1855, the two women made private vows and consecrated
themselves to the Blessed Mother. New followers joined them. Within two years,
they formed a new congregation, which came to be known as the Felician Sisters.
As their numbers grew, so did their work, and so did the pressures on Mother
Angela (the new name Sophia took in religious life).
Mother Angela served as superior for many years until ill health
forced her to resign at the age of 44. She watched the order grow and expand,
including missions to the United States among the sons and daughters of Polish
immigrants.
Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1993. Her Liturgical Feast
Day is October 10.
Reflection
Like Saints Francis of Assisi and Ignatius of Antioch,
Blessed Mary Angela experienced a conversion while convalescing from an
illness. The Lord can use sickness as well as other situations to speak to the
heart of an individual. This does not imply that God caused the illness; just
that he used the opportunity to speak to Blessed Angela’s heart.
Lectio Divina: Mark 4:21-25
Lectio Divina
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
All-powerful and ever-living God,
direct Your love that is within us,
that our efforts in the name of Your Son
may bring mankind to unity and peace.
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.
direct Your love that is within us,
that our efforts in the name of Your Son
may bring mankind to unity and peace.
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 4:21-25
Jesus said to his disciples, "Is a lamp brought in to be
placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a
lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is
secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to
hear." He also told them, "Take care what you hear. The measure with
which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to
you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even
what he has will be taken away."
3) Reflection
• The lamp which gives light. At that time, there was no
electric light. Imagine all that follows. The family is at home. It begins to
get dark. The father lifts up the small lamp, lights it and places it under the
tub or under the bed. What will the others say? They will began to scream,
“Father, place it on the table!” This is the story that Jesus tells. He does
not explain. He only says, “Anyone who has ears to listen, should listen!” The
Word of God is the lamp which should be lit in the darkness of the night. If it
remains hidden in the closed book of the bible, it is like a small lamp under
the tub. When it is united to the life in community, there it is placed on the
table and it gives light!
• Be attentive to preconceptions. Jesus asks the disciples to become aware of the preconceptions with which they listen to the teaching He offers. We should be attentive to the ideas which we have when we look at Jesus! If the lenses over the eyes are green, everything seems to be green. If they are blue, everything will be blue! If the idea with which we look at Jesus is mistaken, everything which I think about Jesus will be subject to error. If I think that the Messiah has to be a glorious king, I will understand nothing of what the Lord teaches and I will conclude that everything is mistaken.
• Parable: a new way of teaching and speaking of Jesus. Jesus used parables, above all, to teach; this was His way. He had an enormous capacity to find very simple images to compare the things of God with the things of the life which people knew and experienced in the daily struggle to survive. This presupposes two things: to be inside, involved in the things of life, and to be inside, involved in the things of the Kingdom of God.
• Jesus’ teaching was different from the teaching of the scribes. It was Good News for the poor, because Jesus revealed a new face of God, in which people could recognize themselves and rejoice. “I bless You, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased You to do!” (Mt 11:25-28).
• Be attentive to preconceptions. Jesus asks the disciples to become aware of the preconceptions with which they listen to the teaching He offers. We should be attentive to the ideas which we have when we look at Jesus! If the lenses over the eyes are green, everything seems to be green. If they are blue, everything will be blue! If the idea with which we look at Jesus is mistaken, everything which I think about Jesus will be subject to error. If I think that the Messiah has to be a glorious king, I will understand nothing of what the Lord teaches and I will conclude that everything is mistaken.
• Parable: a new way of teaching and speaking of Jesus. Jesus used parables, above all, to teach; this was His way. He had an enormous capacity to find very simple images to compare the things of God with the things of the life which people knew and experienced in the daily struggle to survive. This presupposes two things: to be inside, involved in the things of life, and to be inside, involved in the things of the Kingdom of God.
• Jesus’ teaching was different from the teaching of the scribes. It was Good News for the poor, because Jesus revealed a new face of God, in which people could recognize themselves and rejoice. “I bless You, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased You to do!” (Mt 11:25-28).
4) Personal questions
• The Word of God, a lamp which gives light. What place does the
Bible have in my life? What light do I receive?
• What is the image of Jesus that I have within me? Who is Jesus for me and who am I for Jesus?
• What can I do, on a regular basis, to further learn the context of the bible and His teaching, to reduce my preconceptions, so I too won't have on colored lenses and will be able to see and act clearly?
• What is the image of Jesus that I have within me? Who is Jesus for me and who am I for Jesus?
• What can I do, on a regular basis, to further learn the context of the bible and His teaching, to reduce my preconceptions, so I too won't have on colored lenses and will be able to see and act clearly?
5) Concluding prayer
Taste and see that Yahweh is good.
How blessed are those who take refuge in Him. (Ps 34:8)
How blessed are those who take refuge in Him. (Ps 34:8)
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