May the readings speak to us in these troubled times.

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 3
20.	And they come to a house, and the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.	Et veniunt ad domum : et convenit iterum turba, ita ut non possent neque panem manducare.	και συνερχεται παλιν οχλος ωστε μη δυνασθαι αυτους μητε αρτον φαγειν
21.	And when his friends had heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him. For they said: He is become mad.	Et cum audissent sui, exierunt tenere eum : dicebant enim : Quoniam in furorem versus est.	και ακουσαντες οι παρ αυτου εξηλθον κρατησαι αυτον ελεγον γαρ οτι εξεστη

20. And the multitude comes together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

BEDE; The Lord leads the Apostles, when they were elected, into a house, as if admonishing them, that after having received the Apostleship, they should retire to look on their own consciences.

Wherefore it is said, And they came into a house, and the multitude came together again, so that they could not eat bread.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Ungrateful indeed were the multitudes of princes, whom their pride hinders from knowledge, but the grateful multitude of the people came to Jesus.

BEDE; And blessed indeed the concourse of the crowd, flocking together, whose anxiety to obtain salvation was so great, that they left not the Author of Salvation even an hour free to take food. But Him, whom a crowd of strangers loves to follow, his relations hold in little esteem: for it goes on: And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold upon him. For since they could not take in the depth of wisdom, which they heard, they thought that He was speaking in a senseless way, wherefore it continues, for they said, he is beside himself.

THEOPHYL. That is, He has a devil and is mad, and therefore they wished to lay hold upon Him, that they might shut Him up as one who had a devil. And even His friends wished to do this, that is, His relations, perchance His countrymen, or His brethren. But it was a silly insanity in them, to conceive that the Worker of such great miracles of Divine Wisdom had become mad.

BEDE; Now there is a great difference between those who do not understand the word of God from slowness of intellect, such as those, who are here spoken of, and those who purposely blaspheme, of whom it is added, And the Scribes which came down from Jerusalem, &c. For what they could not deny, they endeavor to pervert by a malicious interpretation, as if they were not the works of God, but of a most unclean spirit, that is, of Beelzebub, who was the God of Ekron. For 'Beel' means Baal himself, and 'zebub' a fly; the meaning of Beelzebub therefore is the man of flies, on account of the filth of the blood which was offered, from which most unclean rite, they call him prince of the devils, adding, and by the prince of the devils casts he out devils.

PSEUDO-JEROME; But mystically, the house to which they came, is the early Church. The crowds which prevent their eating bread are sins and vices; for he who eats unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself.

Catena Aurea Mark 3

Maestà

Duccio di Buoninsegna

1288-1300
Tempera on wood, 31,5 x 22,5 cm
Kunstmuseum, Bern

Saint Sebastian

Franciscan Media

<em>San Sebastiano</em> | Pietro Perugino

Image: San Sebastiano | Pietro Perugino

Saint Sebastian

Saint of the Day for January 20

(c. 256 – January 20, 287)

Saint Sebastian’s Story

Almost nothing is historically certain about Sebastian except that he was a Roman martyr, was venerated in Milan even in the time of Saint Ambrose and was buried on the Appian Way, probably near the present Basilica of St. Sebastian. Devotion to him spread rapidly, and he is mentioned in several martyrologies as early as 350.

The legend of Saint Sebastian is important in art, and there is a vast iconography. Scholars now agree that a pious fable has Sebastian entering the Roman army because only there could he assist the martyrs without arousing suspicion. Finally he was found out, brought before Emperor Diocletian and delivered to Mauritanian archers to be shot to death. His body was pierced with arrows, and he was left for dead. But he was found still alive by those who came to bury him. He recovered, but refused to flee.

One day he took up a position near where the emperor was to pass. He accosted the emperor, denouncing him for his cruelty to Christians. This time the sentence of death was carried out. Sebastian was beaten to death with clubs. He was buried on the Appian Way, close to the catacombs that bear his name.

Reflection

The fact that many of the early saints made such a tremendous impression on the Church—awakening widespread devotion and great praise from the greatest writers of the Church—is proof of the heroism of their lives. As has been said, legends may not be literally true. Yet they may express the very substance of the faith and courage evident in the lives of these heroes and heroines of Christ.

Saint Sebastian is the Patron Saint of:

Athletes

Saint Sebastian, Martyr

Information: St. Sebastian

Feast Day: January 20

Died: 288

Patron of: Soldiers, plagues, arrows, athletes

Information: St. Fabian;

Feast Day: January 20

Died: January 20, 250 Rome, Italy

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Fabian and St. Sebastian

Feast Day: January 20
Born/Died: (Third Century)

Fabian was a simple farmer but was an extraordinary person. He was also very holy.

St. Cyprian explained how Fabian had been elected pope. The group who had gathered to elect the next pope prayed for a sign. The day the new pope was to be elected Fabian came into Rome. A dove flew in and settled on his head. They took this as a sign that Fabian had been anointed. He was immediately chosen Pope and was the first layman to be pope.

He died a martyr in 250 during the persecution by Emperor Decius. Fabian's remains are now in the basilica of St. Sebastian. And the two martyrs share the same feast day.

St. Sebastian was born at Narbonne, in Gaul. He came from a rich Roman family and studied in Milan. As an officer in the Imperial Roman army and captain of the guard, he became known for his goodness and bravery. He was a favorite of Emperor Diocletian.

Then during the persecution by Diocletian, Sebastian visited Christians in prison bringing them supplies and comfort. He even healed the wife of one of the soldiers by making the sign of the cross over her. Seeing his witness, many soldiers and a governor became Christians.

Diocletian ordered Sebastian to give up his Christian faith but he refused. Then Sebastian was tied to a tree and archers shot arrows into his body and left him for dead. When a holy widow came to bury him, she was shocked to find him still alive. She took him to her home and nursed his wounds.

When Sebastian was well enough, the widow pleaded with him to escape the dangers of Rome. But Sebastian was a brave soldier. He would not run away. He returned to preach to Diocletian and urged him to stop torturing the Christians.

The emperor was shocked to see Sebastian alive. He refused to listen to what Sebastian had to say. Diocletian ordered that Sebastian be immediately clubbed and beaten to death. He died in 288.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Saturday, January 20

Liturgical Color: Green

Today is the optional memorial
of St. Fabian, pope and martyr.
St. Fabian was elected pope in
236 A.D. Witnesses stated that
a dove landed on St. Fabian’s
head during the conclave and he
was elected on the next ballot.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: January 20th

Optional Memorials of St. Fabian, pope and martyr; St. Sebastian, martyr

MASS READINGS

January 20, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, glory of your Priests, grant we pray, that, helped by the intercession of your Martyr Saint Fabian, we may make progress by communion in the faith and by worthy service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Grant us, we pray, O Lord, a spirit of fortitude, so that, taught by the glorious example of your Martyr Saint Sebastian, we may learn to obey you rather than men. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

show

Recipes (3)

show

Activities (2)

show

Prayers (5)

Prayer to St. Sebastian
Collect for the Feast of St. Sebastian
Litany of St. Sebastian
Novena for Church Unity
Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity
Old Calendar: Sts. Fabian and Sebastian
St. Fabian and St. Sebastian have always been venerated together, and their names were coupled in the ancient martyrologies, as they are still in the Litany of Saints.
St. Fabian was Pope from 236 to 250 AD. He promoted the consolidation and development of the Church. He divided Rome into seven diaconates for the purpose of extending aid to the poor. He was one of the first victims of the persecution of Decius, who considered him as a rival and personal enemy.
St. Sebastian, a native of Milan, was an officer in Diocletian's imperial guard. He became a Christian and suffered martyrdom upon orders of the emperor around 288. He is patron of athletes.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

St. Fabian
St. Fabian, a Roman, was as energetic as he was admired and respected. He was able to accomplish a great deal during his long pontificate. Escaping the persecution of Emperor Maximus Thrax, who had been assassinated, Fabian enjoyed peace in the Church under the reigns of succeeding emperors.
One of St. Fabian's first acts was to reorganize the clergy of Rome to better serve the increasing flock. He is also credited with beautifying and enlarging the cemeteries. He ordered paintings to adorn the vaults, and he erected a church above the cemetery of Calixtus.
The Church flourished under St. Fabian as a succession of emperors left the Christians to themselves. This peaceful time came to an abrupt end with the ascension of Emperor Decius. He was a cruel enemy and he decreed that all Christians were to deny Christ by openly worshipping pagan idols. The Church was to lose many followers, but more stood firm to suffer torture and even death. Certainly, one of the first was Pope Fabian. Arrested, he was thrown in prison and died at the hands of his brutal captors. He is buried in the cemetery of Calixtus.
Things to Do:
- Pope Fabian's two special interests were the poor and the liturgy. Offer your Mass today for someone in spiritual need since this is the worst poverty and the greatest charity.
St. Sebastian
The name of Sebastian is enveloped in a wreath of legends. The oldest historical account of the saint is found in a commentary on the psalms by St. Ambrose; the passage reads: "Allow me to propose to you the example of the holy martyr Sebastian. By birth he was a Milanese. Perhaps the persecutor of Christians had left Milan, or had not yet arrived, or had become momentarily more tolerant. Sebastian believed that here there was no opportunity for combat, or that it had already passed. So he went to Rome, the scene of bitter opposition arising from the Christians' zeal for the faith. There he suffered, there he gained the crown."
St. Sebastian was widely venerated during the Middle Ages, particularly as a protector against the plague. Paul the Deacon relates that in 670 a great pestilence at Rome ceased when an altar was dedicated in his honor. The Breviary account of the saint is highly legendary; in part it reads: "Diocletian tried by every means to turn Sebastian from the faith of Christ. After all efforts had proven fruitless, he ordered him tied to a post and pierced with arrows. When everyone thought him dead, a devout woman named Irene arranged for his burial during the night; finding him still alive, she cared for him in her own house. After his recovery he appeared again before Diocletian and boldly rebuked him for his wickedness. Enraged by the saint's sharp words, the emperor ordered him scourged until he expired. His body was thrown into a sewer."
— Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Patron: Archers; armourers; arrowsmiths; athletes; bookbinders; diseased cattle; dying people; enemies of religion; fletchers; gardeners; iron mongers; lacemakers; laceworkers; lead workers; masons; plague; police; racquet makers; Rio de Janeiro; soldiers; Spanish police officers; stone masons; stonecutters.
Symbols: Arrows of martyrdom; naked youth tied to a tree and shot with arrows; arrows; crown.
Things to Do:
- Read a longer account of St. Sebastian's life.
- St. Sebastian's Day is marked in Sicily and in Kerala, India with huge celebrations. Try a Sicilian or Kerala dish for dinner tonight in honor of the saint.
- If you have an athlete in your family teach them the prayer to St. Sebastian.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS FOR THE EIGHT DAYS: Your Right Hand, O Lord, Glorious in Power
Day Three: Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit
The book of Exodus demonstrates God’s concern for people in human bondage. God’s revelation to Moses at the burning bush was a powerful declaration of his will to free his people. God observed their misery, heard their cry and so came to deliver them. God still hears the cry of those who are subject to enslavement today, and wills to deliver them. While sexuality is a gift of God for human relationships and the expression of intimacy, the misuse of this gift through pornography enslaves and devalues both those caught up in producing it and those who consume it. God is not impervious to their plight and Christians are called to be similarly concerned.
Vatican Resources

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 3:20-21

Saint Fabian, Pope and Martyr (Optional Memorial)

. . . making it impossible for them even to eat. (Mark 3:20)

Let’s take a look at who has come with Jesus into the house. First are his disciples, who believe in him and are trying to understand him. Next are the crowds, who see in his miracles an answer to their needs. Lastly there are his kinsmen, who love him but are alarmed by his actions.

Of the three groups, the one that catches our attention most is his relatives. Not only do they mis-understand why he is doing what he is doing, but they want to seize him and take him back home. Why? He doesn’t seem to be taking good enough care of himself. We know from other passages that Jesus often cut short his sleep so that he could spend hours in prayer. He also cut off his income when he gave up his trade to become a wandering preacher. And he cut himself off from the most important of social ties when he left his home and family.

Praying instead of sleeping. Missing meals. Caring for the needs of other people. Sacrificing money and livelihood. Most of us know people who pour themselves out for God in these ways. Such generosity might appear extreme, but love does such things. Think of missionaries in foreign lands or people who care for elderly relatives or children with severe disabilities. Think of single parents and pastors who can spend days on end caring for their charges without any reprieve. Each of these is a reflection of the way Jesus constantly poured himself out.

It’s never a waste to pour yourself out for the Lord and his people. It’s never a waste to spend the night in prayer or forego some of our comfort in the name of love. God sees all the sacrifices we make, and he blesses them.

Today, let’s pray for all the missionaries, caregivers, pastors, and other “extreme” servants we know—as well as those whose acts of love go unnoticed. And if you are one of those feeling pushed to your limits by the call to love, take heart. Know that your fellow readers of The Word Among Us are standing with you in prayer.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for the sacrifices your servants make in your name. Come, Lord, and sustain them in your love.”

2 Samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27
Psalm 80:2-3, 5-7

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for January 20, 2018:

(Reader’s Tip) Every night we ask each other forgiveness for the things we did wrong or if we’ve offended each other.

Regnum Christi

January 20, 2018 – Through the Eyes of Faith

Saturday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Father Walter Schu, LC

Mark 3:20-21

Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

Introductory Prayer: Another week has passed in your company, in your service. What a joy, what an honor, what a glory to be the subject of a king like you! Lord, I know that you make all things new and that through this moment of prayer you can give me new vision of faith to see you more clearly.

Petition: Lord, help me to strive to be a source of happiness for others.

1. Home life for Jesus Christ: We know that Jesus made his home in Capernaum. (“And leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum” Mt. 4:13.) Today’s short Gospel passage indicates that Our Lord did not find rest at home. From all over, the great crowds to whom he has been preaching have followed him to his doorstep. When we return home from a hard day’s work, we likely seek a well-deserved rest, but perhaps a spouse and children wait for us there. They need to be shown our love, which involves our time, service, compassion, and support. Members of our extended family, neighbors, friends and people in need also look to us for help and kindness. Those we love and those in need ought to pull us outside of ourselves, so that like Christ, we reach out and lovingly serve them throughout the entire day. When I come home, do I strive to be a source of happiness and support for the members of my family, or does my self-centeredness close me off to the needs of the others?

2. A Man for Others: “Jesus was a man for others. Such a crowd gathered around Jesus and his disciples that they had no time even to eat. Nothing mattered more to Jesus than feeding the souls of his neighbor with the nourishment of his love and his truth, so much so that he neglected to feed himself. This self-sacrificing attitude permeated every moment of his earthly existence, culminating in the complete oblation of his life on the cross at Calvary” (John Bartunek, LC, The Better Part, p. 375). To what extent is my desire to serve those around me, even to the point of sacrifice, the thermometer of my love for them? Have I ever been accused by anyone of “madness” because of my dedication to others?

3. Out of His Mind? Some of Jesus’ relatives, whose outlook was all too human, believed that Christ’s commitment to others was excessive. “The only explanation, they thought, was that he was out of his mind. On reading these words of the Gospel, we cannot help being moved, realizing what Jesus did for love of us: people even thought him mad. Many saints, following Christ’s example, have been taken for madmen — but they were mad with love, mad with love for Jesus Christ” (The Navarre Bible: St. Mark, p. 87). Do I long to love Christ in my heart and in my life, even to the point of madness? Is my one great ideal in life to be a saint — not for my own sake, but in order to be able to transmit Christ’s love to those around me, to help bring about his Kingdom in souls?

Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of faith. It is a gift more precious than life itself. Help me to see others with the eyes of faith, to pour myself out in loving and serving them, just like you did. Help me to love you with madness as I serve each of my brothers and sisters.

Resolution: At the end of the day, I will pay special attention to fulfilling the needs and desires of my family members.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 34, Issue 1

<< Saturday, January 20, 2018 >>

Pope St. Fabian St. Sebastian

2 Samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27
View Readings

Psalm 80:2-3, 5-7

Mark 3:20-21
Similar Reflections

A MIRACLE OF UNSELFISHNESS

"David seized his garments and rent them, and all the men who were with him did likewise. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan." �2 Samuel 1:11-12

David had experienced a very eventful week. Ziklag, the city in which David resided, had been "burned to the ground" by the Amalekites (1 Sm 30:3). The wives, sons, and daughters of David and his followers had been taken captive (1 Sm 30:3). "David found himself in great difficulty, for the men spoke of stoning him, so bitter were they over the fate of their sons and daughters" (1 Sm 30:6). Nonetheless, David led his followers on an exhausting march in pursuit of the Amalekites (1 Sm 30:10). He overtook them, miraculously defeated them, and recovered everyone and everything (1 Sm 30:18-19).

After this series of traumatic events, a messenger informed David that King Saul and his son, Jonathan, had been killed in a battle against the Philistines. Naturally, David was preoccupied with his own concerns, and considering that Saul had tried to kill David on several occasions, you would think that David would get some satisfaction from Saul's death or at least be relieved by it. However, David mourned deeply not only for the death of his friend Jonathan, but even for the death of his enemy, Saul (see 2 Sm 1:11ff). David's mourning was a miracle of unselfishness, which prefigured the unselfish, crucified, holy love Jesus has made possible for us to have in the new covenant. Be holy as Jesus is holy (1 Pt 1:16).

Prayer: Father, may I look to others' interests rather than my own (Phil 2:4).

Promise: "Rouse Your power, and come to save us." —Ps 80:3

Praise: Pope St. Fabian's holiness was a lasting example for both clergy and laity.

Prayer at an Abortion Chamber

Father, I come to this place as to a new Calvary,
I wish to stand here with Mary
and those others who stood by the cross of Jesus
the day he sacrificed himself for us sinners.

I firmly believe the sorrowful scene before my eyes
is nothing less than a reenactment of Jesus’ suffering and death,
already anticipated in the massacre of the Innocents of Bethlehem
and repeated in the slaughter of the least of his brethren,
the tiny children brought here today to be slain.

Father, I realize I cannot stop the killing of most of these children,
any more than Mary could have stopped the slaying of her Child that fatal day.
But in faith I unite my heart with hers
and humbly adore YOUR Divine purpose in allowing such bloodshed.

I offer You the blood of Jesus,
and, mingled with it,
the blood of these little ones,
for their own salvation and for that of their parents,
the abortionist, and our whole generation.
Remember Jesus’ own prayer from the cross
with its echo in Mary’s heart:
“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

But perhaps the hour has not come for some of them.
Once you told Joseph to take the Child and his mother
far from those seeking the Child’s life.
I offer myself to you, as St. Joseph’s helper,
ready to do everything I can for my beloved Jesus and Mary
in the person of the child and mother you entrust to my care.

Dear Father, accept my prayer in the name of Jesus.

Amen.