Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 1-21-04, Memorial, St. Agnes, virgin & martyr

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 1-21-04 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

January 21, 2004
Memorial of Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr

Psalm: Wednesday 6 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel

Reading I
1 Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51

David spoke to Saul:
"Let your majesty not lose courage.
I am at your service to go and fight this Philistine."
But Saul answered David,
"You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him,
for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth."

David continued:
"The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear,
will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine."
Saul answered David, "Go! the LORD will be with you."

Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi
and put them in the pocket of his shepherd's bag.
With his sling also ready to hand, he approached the Philistine.

With his shield bearer marching before him,
the Philistine also advanced closer and closer to David.
When he had sized David up,
and seen that he was youthful, and ruddy, and handsome in appearance,
the Philistine held David in contempt.
The Philistine said to David,
"Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?"
Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods
and said to him, "Come here to me,
and I will leave your flesh for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field."
David answered him:
"You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar,
but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel that you have insulted.
Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand;
I will strike you down and cut off your head.
This very day I will leave your corpse
and the corpses of the Philistine army for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field;
thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God.
All this multitude, too,
shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves.
For the battle is the LORD's and he shall deliver you into our hands."

The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters,
while David ran quickly toward the battle line
in the direction of the Philistine.
David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone,
hurled it with the sling,
and struck the Philistine on the forehead.
The stone embedded itself in his brow,
and he fell prostrate on the ground.
Thus David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone;
he struck the Philistine mortally, and did it without a sword.
Then David ran and stood over him;
with the Philistine's own sword which he drew from its sheath
he dispatched him and cut off his head.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10

R (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.
R Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
My refuge and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust,
who subdues my people under me.
R Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
O God, I will sing a new song to you;
with a ten-stringed lyre I will chant your praise,
You who give victory to kings,
and deliver David, your servant from the evil sword.
R Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

Gospel
Mk 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up here before us."
Then he said to the Pharisees,
"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?"
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

[Salvation]

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments and discussion.

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From: Mark 3:1-6

The Curing of the Man with a Withered Hand

---

[1] Again He (Jesus) entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had
a withered hand. [2] And they watched Him, to see whether He would
heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. [3] And He
said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come here." [4] And He
said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to
save life or to kill?" But they were silent. [5] And He looked around
at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the
man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was
restored. [6] The Pharisees went out, and immediately held counsel
with the Herodians against Him, how to destroy Him.

---

Commentary:

5. The evangelists refer a number of times to the way Jesus looks at
people (e.g. at the young man: Mark 10:21; at St. Peter: Luke 22:61,
etc). This is the only time we are told He showed indignation--
provoked by the hypocrisy shown in verse 2.

6. The Pharisees were the spiritual leaders of Judaism; the Herodians
were those who supported the regime of Herod, benefiting politically
and financially thereby. The two were completely opposed to one
another and avoided each other's company, yet they combined forces
against Jesus. The Pharisees wanted to see the last of Him because
they considered Him a dangerous innovator. The most recent occasion
may have been when He pardoned sins (Mark 2:1ff) and interpreted with
full authority the law of the Sabbath (Mark 3:2); they also want to get
rid of Him because they consider that He lowered their own prestige in
the eyes of the people by the way He cured the man with the withered
hand. The Herodians, for their part, despised the supernatural and
eschatological tone of Christ's message, since they looked forward to a
purely political and temporal Messiah.

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

[Salvation]

**This is the only time we are told He showed indignation--
provoked by the hypocrisy shown in verse 2.**

I can't even imagine Jesus looking at me with indignation -- I would be scared. Obviously the hypocrites (Pharisees) were not phased at all.

How about you?

[Salvation]

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Agnes was born of a noble Roman family during the beginning of
the third century. She was brought up as a Christian and grew to be
a very beautiful young woman. By the age of twelve, Agnes was
already receiving suitors for her hand in marriage, but refused each
one who came to her because she dedicated her virginity to God.

Several of the suitors who Agnes turned away became bitter at her
and turned her in to the authorities as a Christian. The political
atmosphere at the time was very charged, and the Diocletian
persecution was well under way. Agnes was arrested and brought
before a judge who tried to frighten her into denying up her Faith.
The judge was unsuccessful and decided to throw Agnes into a
house of prostitution to await her death. All who came to look lustfully
upon Agnes lost their sight, but many had their sight restored by her
intercessory prayers.

At last, Agnes was sentenced to death. She was beheaded, and her
body was taken away and buried in a catacomb that later came to
bear her name. Under the reign of the Emperor Constantine, a
basilica was built in her honor near her tomb and her relics were
placed under the altar.

St. Agnes, whose name means both purity and lamb, is the patron of
Christian virtue confronted by political and social violence. Agnes is
one of the most popular saints of the early Church, her life was
commented on by many of her contemporaries and her name is
mentioned it the First Eucharistic Prayer. In iconography, Agnes
many times is represented holding the martyr's palm and
accompanied by a lamb representing her sacrifice for the faith and
her name. St. Agnes is one of the four virgin martyrs whose feasts
are celebrated during the winter to serve as lights for the faithful in a
season of darkness.


QUOTE OF THE DAY

This is a virgin's birthday; let us follow the example of her chastity. It
is a martyr's birthday; let us offer sacrifices; it is the birthday of holy
Agnes: let men be filled with wonder, little ones with hope, married
woman with awe, and the unmarried with emulation. It seems to me
that this child, holy beyond her years and courageous beyond human
nature, received the name of Agnes (Greek: pure) not as an earthly
designation but as a revelation from God of what she was to be. -St.
Augustine


TODAY IN HISTORY

1276 Pierre de Tarantaise elected Bl. Pope Innocent V
1522 Adrian Florensz Boeyens elected Pope Adrian VI
1998 Pope John Paul II visits Cuba


TODAY'S TIDBIT

The feast of St. Agnes is the traditional day for the blessing of the
pallium, the stole woven from lamb's wool that shows the office of a
metropolitan.


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for an end to abortion and that all people may develop a
greater respect for human life in all its forms.

[Salvation]

thought for the Day

This is a virgin's birthday; let us follow the example of her chastity. It is a martyr's birthday; let us offer sacrifices; it is the birthday of holy Agnes: let men be filled with wonder, little ones with hope, married woman with awe, and the unmarried with emulation. It seems to me that this child, holy beyond her years and courageous beyond human nature, received the name of Agnes (Greek: pure) not as an earthly designation but as a revelation from God of what she was to be.

 -- St. Augustine

[Salvation]

St Agnes, V. M. [Virgin and Martyr]

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Wednesday, January 21, 2004 Meditation 1 Samuel 17:32-33,37,40-51 How many times has this story of David and Goliath been told? It seems that every underdog relies on it for inspiration, encouragement, and hope as the impossible challenges of life come at us. David is the internationally recognized hero of everyone who has long odds to overcome. From a spiritual perspective, we can look at Goliath as representing one way of living and David as representing another way. Goliath was self-centered, proud, and very confident in his abilities. His combative language and his defiant shouting were full of bravado, and he had the large frame and muscular build to back up his boasts. Goliath was the toughest kid on the block. What a contrast to David, who put his trust in the Lord, not in himself. Clearly, this story shows how David’s way of living is the right way. Had David looked only at his own limited strength and experience in battle, he would have been filled with fear, just like all the other Israelite warriors. Instead, David knew that his strength came from God. Goliath wanted to be known throughout the world as the greatest of warriors. He wanted everyone to fear him and to treat him with reverence and awe. By contrast, David wanted to honor God—whether it was as he protected his flock of sheep or as he protected the whole nation of Israel from the Philistine army. David knew that God was with his people. He could not fathom the possibility of Goliath defeating them. And because of that, he found it very easy to take on Goliath and win. These two different philosophies compel us to ask ourselves, “Do I want to live as part of this world, or do I want to live in the world but not be of its fabric?” Goliath would still reign had David not defeated him. Similarly, Satan would still reign had Jesus not overcome him. Let’s tell Jesus today that we want to take a stand against the evil in this world. Let’s tell him that we want to serve as his warriors, relying on his strength and power. Let’s trust that God will be with us and bless our efforts. “Lord, fill us with your power so that we might live for you and fight the good fight of faith.”

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

<< Wednesday, January 21, 2004 >>

St. Agnes

1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51

Psalm 144

Mark 3:1-6

View Readings

LIVING IN THE GIANT-KILLER

“All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves. For the battle is the Lord’s, and He shall deliver you into our hands.” —1 Samuel 17:47

David defeated the giant Goliath not primarily because he was a good shot with his slingshot or because he was so courageous. David was victorious because he knew that the battle belongs to the Lord (1 Sm 17:47). The all-loving, all-holy, all-knowing, all-powerful God is always victorious. The key to victory is to ride on God’s coattails, to jump on His bandwagon, to join God.

David was able to join God in victory because he was a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22). Although David sinned very seriously, he repented, and his heart was with the Lord. When our hearts are in His heart and our lives are in His life, that is, when we are in Jesus, we are in love, peace, truth, freedom, and victory.

To be giant-killers after the Lord’s own heart, we must repent and decide to deny ourselves (see Lk 9:23) and to live no longer for ourselves but for the Lord (2 Cor 5:15). When we lose our lives and hearts, paradoxically we find them and victory in Jesus (see Lk 9:24).

We are surrounded by giants of abortion, racism, Chinese Communism, starvation, AIDS, and injustice. Powerful, famous, rich, and brilliant people cannot kill the giants. Only those whose hearts are in the right place can defeat giants. Is your heart in the Sacred Heart of Jesus?

Prayer: O Sacred Heart of Jesus, make my heart like Yours (see Mt 11:29).

Promise: Jesus “said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ The man did so and his hand was perfectly restored.” —Mk 3:5

Praise: St. Agnes accepted the sword of death so that she could maintain her virginity for Christ.

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	You Can Face Giants
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Wednesday, January 21, 2004

1 Sam 17:32-33,37,40-51 / Mk 3:1-6

The world is full of nay sayers, people who say it can’t be done, it’ll never work, we’re too small, they’re too powerful, and on and on. These are the people who let fear conquer them and dominate their sorry lives, and who seem to want the same for others. To the very end, Saul was one of those sadly fearful characters, and in today’s Old Testament reading, he attempts to draw David into his near-sighted world view. “You are only a youth, David, while Goliath was a warrior from his youth.”

It’s decision time for David and he bases his judgment upon what his experience of the Lord has already taught him. “The Lord, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine.” David was young, but he knew where all power and life and strength come from, the Lord. And he trusted that the Lord would guide his hand, if he let his hand be guided. He finished off the giant with a single stone.

In our own spheres, we face “giants” at times, and they can be mightily unnerving. Will we have the moral courage to face them down, calmly and wisely, or will we panic and abandon the field? It all depends on the bridge that only faith can build.

So how is your faith in the Lord who gives you life and breath? Do you really trust him?

 

[Salvation]

Another thought:

**Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.**

Would I have the faith simply to stretch out my hand -- no doubt whatsoever?

[american colleen]

I almost took "Agnes" as a Confirmation name (torn between Agnes and Agatha) but the ridicule from my family was horrible! Whatever, she remains one of my favorite saints. I read quite a few of the lives of the saints when I was a kid - something else that is lost today - and those stories have always stayed with me. The lives of the saints should be incorporated into CCD classes - inspiring stories but they also link us with our past family.

[Askel5]

My grandmother always kept little "Lives of the Saints" books around for us ... particularly in the car when running errands in Houston.

What name did you finally choose?

[american colleen]

Eileen - after my grandmother who heroically raised us as teenagers (yuck!) and who was a person who said the stations of the cross in her room every single day. She also reminded us every night to say our prayers - something I do with my kids even if I have to call home (I work nights) to do it. You can get "Helen" from "Eileen" but nowadays the kids are encouraged to take a name that is meaningful to them - not necessarily a saint's name. What a pity.

I have a pretty good collection on lives of the saints... once and a while one of the kids will pick up something and read it.

What name did you take?

[american colleen]

BTW... I was confirmed at age 27 - after I was married. I was shocked to find that you do not need to be confirmed before being married in the Catholic Church.

[NYer]

Homily Texts from A Voice in the Desert

Wednesday January 21, 2004   Feastday of Saint Agnes

Reading (1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51)   Gospel (St. Mark 3:1-6)

In the first reading, as we hear about the story of David and Goliath, we see several things in here that are very, very important. First of all, you have the Philistine who is about 6’6” and very strong, obviously a well-trained warrior, and he is counting solely on his own ability. He looks at David, curses him by his gods, and tells him what he is going to do. David, on the other hand, looks at the Philistine and says, “I come against you in the Name of the Lord of hosts,” and then goes on to explain how it is the Lord’s battle, and that God is not interested in the swords and spears but God is going to be the one who is victorious in His own way. Now we also see that David had to do his part. He could not just sit back and say, “Well, God will take care of it, and I’ll just stand here and watch the lightning come strike you down.” He had his part to do, but it was not according to the norms of battle at the time; yet it worked, obviously, much better than what normally did.

For us, too, we need to realize that the battle that is raging around us is not ours – it is the Lord’s. When you look at these immoral things that are going on in society, when you look at the people who have rejected God and they are basically giving themselves over to Satan in the way they have chosen to live and what they have chosen to do, it is the Lord’s battle. We have our part to do but it is His battle. In case anybody thinks anything differently as to what they can do, all you have to do is think about satellites, tanks, planes, helicopters, submachine guns, mortars, and whatever else they have got, and ask yourself, “What are you going to do against it?” There is not a thing you can do. Take out your peashooter and aim at it? What good is it going to do? It is not your battle to fight. You have your part to do, but it is God’s battle. And He is going to show these people who think that they can rely on all of their technology and all of their firepower that they have nothing. Their arrogance is going to trip themselves up.

We have to pray, we have to get the word out, we have to make sure we are doing our part in being faithful to the Lord, but it is His battle. It is way beyond any of us individually, and it is way beyond all of us collectively to fight on a natural level. We cannot and we would be foolish to try. However, we have to have the same attitude as David. They come against us with all of their fancy equipment; we have to come against them in the Name of the Lord of hosts because it is He Whom they have insulted, it is He Whom they have rejected when they have chosen all of their evil and all of their pride and their selfishness. So God allows us to be humble.

And like David, in part of the story that we did not hear, he had to go into battle without any armor because when they put the armor on him it was too big and he could not move. So he went into battle completely with no armor, no weapons, nothing at all, except his five smooth stones and his sling that a shepherd would carry. So for us, we have to go in being vulnerable, but trusting that the Lord is the one who is going to keep us safe. Whether that is going to work in trying to be an example in the midst of that, whether it is trying to deal with people in your family, whether it is trying to deal with whatever might happen in the future, we do not know. All that is necessary for us is to be faithful to Jesus Christ and to remember that He is God, He is all-powerful, and that next to Him a nuclear bomb is nothing.  Nothing.

God can keep people safe; He can do whatever He wants. Just remember the Jesuit priests who lived at ground-zero in Hiroshima. They were not touched. Their convent was not touched. It was unscathed, and to this day none of them have any radiation poison or any problem. Everything around them was completely devastated except their building. And they said the reason was because they lived the message of Fatima. They were praying the Rosary, they were doing what they were supposed to do, and God protected them.

Nothing is impossible for God, but if we think we are going to do it by ourselves, well, then we will see how impossible it is for us. We cannot. No matter what the battle is that we are fighting, it is the Lord’s battle, if what we are doing is fighting for righteousness. We need to do what is right and uphold that. As we look at our holy little patroness of the day, we see the exact same thing: A thirteen-year-old girl basically defeats the Roman army. It did not appear, at first, that she had won – she died – however, she is in heaven and her witness continues to speak seventeen hundred years later. They have all gone by the wayside; she continues to live on. And she continues to be glorious in her victory.

So our part is to trust, leave things in God’s hands, and let Him do it His way. And remember always that the fight, the battle, is the Lord’s. They come against us with their arrogance – we come against them in the Name of the Lord of hosts.

*  This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.

[Salvation]

**For us, too, we need to realize that the battle that is raging around us is not ours – it is the Lord’s.**

**We have to pray, we have to get the word out, we have to make sure we are doing our part in being faithful to the Lord, but it is His battle.**

**Nothing is impossible for God, but if we think we are going to do it by ourselves, well, then we will see how impossible it is for us. We cannot.**

**So our part is to trust, leave things in God’s hands, and let Him do it His way. And remember always that the fight, the battle, is the Lord’s. They come against us with their arrogance – we come against them in the Name of the Lord of hosts.**

These homilies are wonderful! So much good stuff

So we are to pray, pray, pray and trust in the Lord.

[Salvation]

**So we are to pray, pray, pray and trust in the Lord.**

And I would add be faithful to our faith, be proactive and speak out when appropriate, and invite all former Catholics back to the faith.

[american colleen]

"Even believers can reduce the Faith to a philosophical system. They can retain the exterior forms of religion and lose its heart."

That quote has remained with me as well! There are all kinds of little gems like that in Fr. Elijah. When I read that I thought so much of priests like Fr. McBrien... so many of them in our Catholic colleges and in many of our parishes. I wish I could find this again but I've searched and come up empty... I read that there used to be a "Catholic Psychologists Association" or some similar group who were aligned with the Church for years until the early 50s... they disassociated themselves from the Church when they started to believe that the Church stiffled intellectual pursuit (isn't that the same reason many Catholic professors of theology reject the mandatum?). I guess that means that they didn't use the Church's teachings as a starting point anymore but relied on either themselves or a secular viewpoint and went off from there. Many of these psychologists were priests.