Reading 1 2 Sm 5:1-7, 10

All the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said:
"Here we are, your bone and your flesh.
In days past, when Saul was our king,
it was you who led the children of Israel out and brought them back.
And the LORD said to you, 'You shall shepherd my people Israel
and shall be commander of Israel.'"
When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron,
King David made an agreement with them there before the LORD,
and they anointed him king of Israel.
David was thirty years old when he became king,
and he reigned for forty years:
seven years and six months in Hebron over Judah,
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem
over all Israel and Judah.

Then the king and his men set out for Jerusalem
against the Jebusites who inhabited the region.
David was told, "You cannot enter here:
the blind and the lame will drive you away!"
which was their way of saying, "David cannot enter here."
But David did take the stronghold of Zion, which is the City of David.

David grew steadily more powerful,
for the LORD of hosts was with him.

Responsorial Psalm PS 89:20, 21-22, 25-26

R. (25a) My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
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. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
“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. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
“My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his hand upon the sea,
his right hand upon the rivers.”
R. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.

Alleluia SEE 2 TM 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 3:22-30

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and
"By the prince of demons he drives out demons."

Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

From: 2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10

David is Anointed King of Israel at Hebron

[1] Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Behold, we
are your bone and flesh. [2] In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was
you that led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be
shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” [3] So all the
elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with
them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. [4] Da-
vid was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. [5]
At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem
he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

Capture of Jerusalem

[6] And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inha-
bitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind
and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” [7] Never-
theless David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. [10] And Da-
vid became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

5:1-5. David’s consecration as king of Israel is told quite simply but the account
emphasizes details of primary importance in salvation history: the tribes of the
North and the South are all brothers: “we are your flesh and bone” (v. 1); the ima-
ges of the shepherd (v. 2), David’s original profession, conveys the notion of a ru-
ler and king who governs not for his own advantage but for the welfare of his sub-
jects; David’s covenant with the leaders (v. 3) is in line with the general doctrine
of covenant which is the basis of God’s relations with his people, and of those be-
tween Israelite and Israelite; the figures given for David’s reigns (seven as king of
Judah, forty as king of Judah and Israel) are symbols of plenitude. Even in the
New Testament the numbers seven and forty have the same connotation (cf. Mt
4:2; 18:22; Rev 1:11; Acts 4:22; etc.). Hebron, the place where David was also
anointed king of Judah, was the main city of the South; within it was the cave of
Mach-pelah (cf. Gen 25:9) and close to it was the sacred oak of Mamre. Howe-
ver, it was replaced by Jerusalem perhaps to show that a new kingdom warran-
ted a new royal base.

David is a figure of Jesus Christ on many counts, but they all derive from the fact
that he is king: Jesus Christ, too will be acclaimed King of Israel. “But what did
it mean for the Lord to be acclaimed the King of Israel? What did it mean to the
King of all ages to be recognized as the king of men? Christ did not become the
King of Israel in order to demand tributes or to raise armies and make war a-
gainst the enemies [of Israel]; he became the King of Israel to reign over souls,
to give counsel that leads to eternal life, to bring those who were filled with faith,
hope and Love to the Kingdom of heaven” (St Augustine, “In loannis Evangelium”,
51, 4).

The liturgy of the Church uses this passage from the book of Samuel for the so-
lemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, together with the passage a-
bout the crucifixion (Lk 23:35-43). Jesus won his kingdom through his obedience,
which has its climax in death on the cross, bringing about the definitive salvation
of all mankind.

5:6-8:18. After being consecrated and acknowledged as king of all the tribes of
Israel, David devotes himself to building up a true kingdom with institutions, capi-
tal and frontiers. In these chapters we are told first of how he won Jerusalem and
chose it to be the political capital (5:6-12). The account goes on to deal with the
setting-up of the ark in Jerusalem (which makes it the religious capital: 6:1-23),
the institution of dynastic succession, to ensure the permanence of the monar-
chy (7:1-29), and, finally, the pushing out of frontiers thanks to territory taken
from the Philistines, thereby bolstering the country’s security (8:1-18).

In addition to dealing with social and political matters, this section is imbued with
religious teaching: Jerusalem, now established as the capital, becomes the sign
of divine protection (chap. 6); Nathan’s prophecy guarantees that dynastic suc-
cession is part of God’s salvific plan (chap. 7); and victory over the Philistines
means that God will ensure that peace reigns within the new frontiers.

5:6-12. Jerusalem was to be the capital, the center of national life, and also the
religious and doctrinal center up to New Testament times. In that city the Church
will be born, and from there its message will radiate.

As regards contemporary extra-biblical sources, the city is mentioned in Egyptian
texts of the nineteenth to eighteenth century BC as being a place hostile to Egypt
and letters from the fourteenth century BC found in El-Aniama, in northern Egypt,
mention it along with Gezer, Ashkelon and Lachish all Canannite cities but of no
great importance.

The Jebusites considered the fortress unassailable (cf. Josh 10:1-15; 15:63; Judg
1:21) so much so that they thought it could be defended even by the blind and the
lame (vv. 6 and 8). But David somehow managed to take it (see the RSVCE note).
He developed it (vv. 9-10), built his palace there, and declared it the city of David,
that is, the capital of the kingdom.

Its geographical position on the border between the north and south meant that
Jerusalem was strategically well situated, and it showed David was lord of all the
land, as God willed. To take Jerusalem he had first to overcome the Philistines (vv.
17-25), but the sacred writer, by bringing forward his account of the conquest of
Zion and putting it in here, is using literary license to emphasize that David’s main
military achievement was the taking of Jerusalem and the establishment there of
his court.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Mark 3:22-30

Allegations of the Scribes

[22] And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He (Jesus) is pos-
sessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons He casts out the demons.”
[23] And He called them to Him, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan
cast out Satan? [24] If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot
stand. [25] And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to
stand. [26] And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot
stand, but is coming to an end. [27] But no one can enter a strong man’s house
and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may
plunder his house.”

Sins Against the Holy Spirit

[28] “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever
blasphemies they utter; [29] but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—[30] for they had said, “He
has an unclean spirit.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

22-23. Even Jesus’ miracles were misunderstood by these scribes, who accuse
Him of being a tool of the prince of devils, Beelzebul. This name may be con-
nected with Beelzebub (which spelling is given in some codices), the name of a
god of the Philistine city of Eqron (Accaron), which means “god of the flies.” But
it is more likely that the prince of devils is called Beelzebul, which means “god
of excrement”: “excrement” is the word Jews used to describe pagan sacrifices.
Whether Beelzebub or Beelzebul, in the last analysis it refers to him to whom
these sacrifices were offered, the devil (1 Corinthians 10:20). He is the same
mysterious but real person whom Jesus calls Satan, which means “the enemy”,
whose dominion over the world Christ has come to wrest from him (1 Corinthians
15:24-28; Colossians 1:13f) in an unceasing struggle (Matthew 4:1-10; John 16:
11). These names show us that the devil really exists: he is a real person who
has at his beck and call others of his kind (Mark 5:9).

24-27. Our Lord invites the Pharisees, who are blind and obstinate, to think along
these lines: if someone expels the devil this means he is stronger than the devil:
once more we are exhorted to recognize in Jesus the God of strength, the God
who uses His power to free man from enslavement to the devil. Satan’s dominion
has come to an end: the prince of this world is about to be cast out. Jesus’ vic-
tory over the power of darkness, which is completed by His death and resurrec-
tion, shows that the light has already entered the world, as our Lord Himself told
us: “Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast
out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (John
12:31-32).

28-30. Jesus has just worked a miracle but the scribes refuse to recognize it “for
they had said `He has an unclean spirit’” (verse 30). They do not want to admit
that God is the author of the miracle. In this attitude lies the special gravity of
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—attributing to the prince of evil, to Satan, the
good works performed by God Himself. Anyone acting in this way will become
like the sick person who has so lost confidence in the doctor that he rejects him
as if an enemy and regards as poison the medicine that can save his life. That
is why our Lord says that he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be
forgiven: not because God cannot forgive all sins, but because that person, in
his blindness towards God, rejects Jesus Christ, His teaching and His miracles,
and despises the graces of the Holy Spirit as if they were designed to trap him
(cf. “St. Pius V Catechism”, II, 5, 19; St. Thomas Aquinas, “Summa theologiae”,
II-II, q. 14, a. 3).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
2 Samuel 5:1-7,10 ©

All the tribes of Israel then came to David at Hebron. ‘Look’ they said ‘we are your own flesh and blood. In days past when Saul was our king, it was you who led Israel in all their exploits; and the Lord said to you, “You are the man who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you shall be the leader of Israel.”’ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a pact with them at Hebron in the presence of the Lord, and they anointed David king of Israel.

David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years. He reigned in Hebron over Judah for seven years and six months; then he reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.

David and his men marched on Jerusalem against the Jebusites living there. These said to David, ‘You will not get in here. The blind and the lame will hold you off.’ (That is to say: David will never get in here.) But David captured the fortress of Zion, that is, the Citadel of David.

David grew greater and greater, and the Lord, the God of Hosts, was with him.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 88(89):20-22,25-26 ©

My truth and my love shall be with him.

Of old you spoke in a vision.

To your friends the prophets you said:

‘I have set the crown on a warrior,

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

My truth and my love shall be with him.

I have found David my servant

and with my holy oil anointed him.

My hand shall always be with him

and my arm shall make him strong.

My truth and my love shall be with him.

My truth and my love shall be with him;

by my name his might shall be exalted.

I will stretch out his hand to the Sea

and his right hand as far as the River.

My truth and my love shall be with him.

Gospel Acclamation	Ps24:4,5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Teach me your paths, my God,

make me walk in your truth.

Alleluia!

Or	cf.2Tim1:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death

and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Mark 3:22-30 ©

The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘Beelzebul is in him’ and, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts devils out.’ So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never stand. Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot stand either – it is the end of him. But no one can make his way into a strong man’s house and burgle his property unless he has tied up the strong man first. Only then can he burgle his house.

‘I tell you solemnly, all men’s sins will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of an eternal sin.’ This was because they were saying, ‘An unclean spirit is in him.’

Jesus, High Priest

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Joyful Mysteries

(Mondays and Saturdays)

1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]
2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]

Feast of
the Holy Name of Jesus

Luke 2:21 "...Et vocatum est Nomen eius IESUS"
("And His Name was called JESUS")

Psalm 90:14 "Because he hoped in me I will deliver him:
I will protect him because he hath known My Name."

Zacharias 10:12 "I will strengthen them in the Lord,
and they shall walk in His Name, saith the Lord."

Apocalypse 3:8 "I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied My Name."

Apocalypse 15:4 "Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and magnify Thy Name?..."

Blessed be the most holy Name of Jesus without end!

January Devotion: The Holy Name of Jesus

The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. This feast is also celebrated on January 3. Here is an explanation of the devotion.

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has associated entire months to special devotions. The devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus has been traditionally associated with the month of January, due to its celebration on January 3. The name Jesus was given to the Holy Child at God's command (Luke 1:31). The Holy Name is all-powerful because of the Person who bears it; we honor it because of the command of Christ, that we should pray in His Name and because it reminds us of all the blessings we receive through our Holy Redeemer. Hence St. Paul was able to write to the Philippians: ". . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" (Phil. 2:10). By means of this devotion we also make amends for improper use of the Holy Name.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Prayer/Hymn in Honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus - Iesu, Dulcis Memoria

Iesu, Dulcis Memoria is a celebrated 12th century hymn attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Doctor Mellifluus. The entire hymn has some 42 to 53 stanzas depending upon the manuscript. Parts of this hymn were used for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, which was formerly celebrated on the Sunday between the Circumcision and Epiphany, or failing such a Sunday, on January 2. The part below was used at Vespers. In the liturgical revisions of Vatican II, the feast was deleted, though a votive Mass to the Holy Name of Jesus had been retained for devotional use. With the release of the revised Roman Missal in March 2002, the feast was restored as an optional memorial on January 3.

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus' name,
The Savior of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart!
0 joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah! this
Nor tongue nor pen can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.

Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shalt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity. Amen.

---Roman Breviary

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

O Divine Jesus, Thou hast promised that anything we ask of the Eternal Father in Thy name shall be granted.

O Eternal Father. In the name of Jesus, for the love of Jesus, in fulfillment of this promise, and because Jesus has said it, grant us our petitions for the sake of Jesus, Thy Divine Son. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Phil:2:10-11

The Most Holy Name
The Power of Jesus’ Name
What does IHS stand for? The meaning of the Holy Name of Jesus [Catholic Caucus]
Litany Of The Holy Name of Jesus
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Jesus, The Name above all Names
Devotion to the Holy Name (of Jesus) [Catholic Caucus]
Lessons In Iconography : The Chi Rho - Christ
St. Francis de Sales on the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Excerpt from a Sermon) (Catholic Caucus)
St. Francis de Sales on the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

St. Bernard on the Most Holy Name of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Saving the day in His Holy Name: St. Genevieve gets a reprieve [Catholic Caucus]
The Holy Name of Jesus
Holy Name of Jesus [San Bernadino of Siena] Ecumenical
The Holy Name of Jesus
Devotion to the Holy Name [of Jesus]
The Name of Jesus: Its Power in Our Lives
The Holy Name of Jesus
Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus
The Holy Name of Jesus

Philippians 2
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Daily Gospel Commentary

Monday of the Third week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), Dominican theologian, Doctor of the Church
Summa theologiae

The Prince of this world has been cast out

Christ’s miracles were ordained to manifest his divinity. However, this had to remain hidden from the demons, otherwise the mystery of the passion would have been hindered by them: “If they had known the Lord of glory, they would not have crucified him,” (1Cor 2:8). It would seem, then, that Christ should not work miracles over the demons… Yet the prophet Zechariah predicted these wonders when he cried out: “I will take away the spirit of uncleanness,” (Zec 13:2). Indeed, Christ’s miracles were proofs demonstrating the faith he taught. Now, through the power of his divinity, was it not fitting for him to do away with the demons’ power in those who would believe in him, according to Saint John’s words: “Now the ruler of this world is driven out”? (Jn 12:31).

Thus it was fitting that, among his other miracles, Christ should deliver from demons those men who were possessed by them… Besides, Saint Augustine writes: “Christ made himself known to the demons for as long as he wished to do so, and he wished to do so for as long as it was necessary… through certain material consequences of his power.” At the sight of his miracles the devil came to believe through conjecture that Christ was the Son of God: “the demons… knew he was the Christ” says Saint Luke (Lk 4:41). If they confessed he was Son of God, “it was by way of conjecture rather than by way of knowledge,” Saint Bede comments. As for the miracles Christ accomplished when he cast out demons, he did not do these for their own usefulness but for that of men, so that they might give glory to God. That is why he prevented the demons from speaking about anything affecting his praise. Saint John Chrysostom observes: “It was not fitting that the demons should take to themselves the glory proper to the function of the apostles, nor that lying tongues should preach the mystery of Christ.”

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

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January 22, 2018

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

Reading 1 2 Sm 5:1-7, 10

Responsorial Psalm PS 89:20, 21-22, 25-26

Alleluia SEE 2 TM 1:10

Gospel Mk 3:22-30

Readings at Mass

Feast of
the Holy Name of Jesus

January, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intentions

That .........., and other religious minorities in Asian countries, may be able to practice their faith in full freedom.

Monday of the Third week in Ordinary Time