Reading I Responsorial Psalm GospelPosted on 01/31/2004 7:14:36 AM PST by Salvation
Reading I Responsorial Psalm GospelReading I
2 Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17
The LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he came to him,
Nathan said: "Judge this case for me!
In a certain town there were two men, one rich, the other poor.
The rich man had flocks and herds in great numbers.
But the poor man had nothing at all
except one little ewe lamb that he had bought.
He nourished her, and she grew up with him and his children.
She shared the little food he had
and drank from his cup and slept in his bosom.
She was like a daughter to him.
Now, the rich man received a visitor,
but he would not take from his own flocks and herds
to prepare a meal for the wayfarer who had come to him.
Instead he took the poor man's ewe lamb
and made a meal of it for his visitor."
David grew very angry with that man and said to him:
"As the LORD lives, the man who has done this merits death!
He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold
because he has done this and has had no pity."
Then Nathan said to David: "You are the man!
Thus says the LORD God of Israel:
‘The sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have despised me
and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.'
Thus says the LORD:
‘I will bring evil upon you out of your own house.
I will take your wives while you live to see it,
and will give them to your neighbor.
He shall lie with your wives in broad daylight.
You have done this deed in secret,
but I will bring it about in the presence of all Israel,
and with the sun looking down.'"
Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
Nathan answered David: "The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin:
you shall not die.
But since you have utterly spurned the LORD by this deed,
the child born to you must surely die."
Then Nathan returned to his house.
The LORD struck the child that the wife of Uriah had borne to David,
and it became desperately ill.
David besought God for the child.
He kept a fast, retiring for the night
to lie on the ground clothed in sackcloth.
The elders of his house stood beside him
urging him to rise from the ground; but he would not,
nor would he take food with them.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
R (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Free me from blood guilt, O God, my saving God;
then my tongue shall revel in your justice.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Gospel
Mk 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
"Let us cross to the other side."
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
He woke up,
rebuked the wind,
and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!"
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?"
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
"Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?"
Please notify me via Freepmail if you would like to be added to or removed from the Alleluia Ping list.
Every virtue in your soul is a precious ornament which makes you dear to God and to man. But holy purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those who possess it become like the angels of God in Heaven, even though clothed in mortal flesh.
--
St. John Bosco
| Saturday, January 31, 2004 Meditation Mark 4:35-41 Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark 4:41)
A famous folk singer told his audience how he had once thought himself a failure. When he tried to go to Hollywood to get his first record contract, he had no luck. He wandered the streets and ended up sitting on the steps of a church. Wanting to go into the church, he found it locked. At that point, he felt completely abandoned by God and almost gave up his dream. Years later, the man came back to Hollywood as an established musician. When he looked out his hotel window, he saw the same church he had seen years before. He realized that God had always been with him but that his first trip to Hollywood was “just a little early.”
This singer’s story may bring to mind times when we have felt abandoned. Like the singer—or like the apostles caught in the storm—we have cried out, “Lord, don’t you care that we are perishing?” Some-times our trials seem so great that we feel we cannot endure another minute. At those times, even though our minds tell us that God is still there, our emotions tell us that we are completely alone. All we see is our “boat” of troubles, filling up fast.
As Jesus tries repeatedly to tell the apostles in Mark’s gospel—and especially in this passage—this is where faith begins. When there are no answers, only questions, and when there is nothing visible to comfort us, we have a choice. We can decide to let our circumstances engulf us, or we can choose to trust in the consuming love of a God who has promised to never leave us.
God wants to teach us to look on our trials as opportunities to experience him in a deeper way. Perhaps, like the apostles in the boat, we have not yet learned to rely completely on the Lord, and we need a jolt to get us out of our comfort zones. But when the Lord brings us out of a trial or simply calms us in the midst of one, we will see even more clearly how much we depend on him.
“Lord, at this very moment, I choose to rest in you and surrender to you every burden that I have. Give me the grace to focus on you, not on my problems.” |
 |
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.