Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 02-05-04, Memorial, St. Agatha

Reading I
1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12

When the time of David's death drew near,
he gave these instructions to his son Solomon:
"I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
as they are written in the law of Moses,
that you may succeed in whatever you do,
wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill
the promise he made on my behalf when he said,
‘If your sons so conduct themselves
that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart
and with their whole soul,
you shall always have someone of your line
on the throne of Israel.'"

David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.
The length of David's reign over Israel was forty years:
he reigned seven years in Hebron
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David,
with his sovereignty firmly established.

Responsorial Psalm
1 Chronicles 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12bcd

R (12b) Lord, you are exalted over all.
"Blessed may you be, O LORD,
God of Israel our father,
from eternity to eternity."
R Lord, you are exalted over all.
"Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory."
R Lord, you are exalted over all.
"LORD, you are exalted over all.
Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty;
you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you."
R Lord, you are exalted over all.
"In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all."
R Lord, you are exalted over all.

Gospel
Mk 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
"Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them."
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

From: Mark 6:7-13

The Mission of the Twelve

[7] And he (Jesus) called to him the Twelve, and began to send them out
two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. [8] He
charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no
bread, no bag, no money in their belts; [9] but to wear sandals and not
put on two tunics. [10] And he said to them, "Where you enter a house,
stay there until you leave the place. [11] And if any place will not
receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the
dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them." [12] So they
went out and preached that men should repent. [13] And they cast out
many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.

Commentary:

7. Cf. note on Mk 1:27; 3:14-19.

[The note on Mk 1:17 states:

27. The same authority that Jesus showed in His teaching (1:22) is now
to be seen in His actions. His will is His command: He has no need of
long prayers or incantations. Jesus' words and actions already have a
divine power which provokes wonder and fear in those who hear and see
Him.

Jesus continues to impress people in this way (Mark 2:12; 5:20-42;
7:37; 15:39; Luke 19:48; John 7:46). Jesus of Nazareth is the
long-awaited Savior. He knows this Himself and He lets it be known by
His actions and by His words; according to the gospel accounts (Mark
1:38-39; 2:10-11; 4:39) there is complete continuity and consistency
between what He says and He does. As Vatican II teaches ("Dei Verbum",
2) Revelation is realized by deeds and words intimately connected with
each other: the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery
contained in them; the deeds confirm the teaching. In this way Jesus
progressively reveals the mystery of His Person: first the people sense
His exceptional authority; later on, the Apostles, enlightened by God's
grace, recognize the deepest source of this authority: "You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).]

[The note on Mk 3:14-19 states:

14-19. The Twelve chosen by Jesus (cf. 3:14) receive a specific
vocation to be "people sent out", which is what the word "apostles"
means. Jesus chooses them for a mission which He will give them later
(6:6-13) and to enable them to perform this mission He gives them part
of His power. The fact that He chooses "twelve" is very significant.
This is the same number as the twelve Patriarchs of Israel, and the
Apostles represent the new people of God, the Church founded by
Christ. Jesus sought in this way to emphasize the continuity that
exists between the Old and New Testaments. The Twelve are the pillars
on which Christ builds His Church (cf. Gal 2:9); their mission to make
disciples of the Lord (to teach) all nations, sanctifying and governing
the believers (Mt 28:16-20; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:45-48; Jn 20:21-23).]

8-9. Jesus requires them to be free of any form of attachment if they
are to preach the Gospel. A disciple, who has the mission of bringing
the Kingdom of God to souls through preaching, should not rely on
human resources but on God's Providence. Whatever he does not in order
to live with dignity as a herald of the Gospel, he must obtain from
those who benefit from his preaching, for the laborer deserves his
maintenance (cf. Mt 10:10).

"The preacher should so trust in God that he is convinced that he will
have everything he needs to support life, even if he cannot himself
obtain it; for he should not neglect eternal things worrying about
temporal things" (St Bede, "In Marci Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").
"By these instructions the Lord did not mean that the evangelists
should not seek to live in any other way than by depending on what was
offered to them by those to whom they preached the Gospel; otherwise
this very Apostle (St Paul) would have acted contrary to this precept
when he earned his living by the labors of his own hands" (St
Augustine, "De Consensu Evangelistarum", II, 30).

13. St Mark is the only evangelist who speaks of anointing the sick
with oil. Oil was often used for treating wounds (cf. Is 1:6; Lk
10:34), and the Apostles also use it for the miraculous cure of
physical illnesses by virtue of the power given them by Jesus. Hence
the use of oil as the matter of the sacrament of the Anointing of the
Sick, which cures wounds of the soul and even, if appropriate, bodily
diseases. As the Council of Trent teaches--"Doctrina De Sacramento
Extremae Unctionis", chap. 1--in this verse of St Mark there can be
seen a "hint" of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, which our
Lord will institute and which later on "is recommended and promulgated
to the faithful by St James the Apostle" (cf. Jas 5:14ff).

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.

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Agatha was born in Italy, in either the city of Palermo or Catana
and died during the persecution of Decius in the year 251. Her family
was wealthy and as Agatha grew to become a young woman, many
men sought her hand in marriage. She had realized at an early age
that the only true love of her life was Jesus and had consecrated
herself to Him. This dedication to the Lord faced many trials once
Agatha grew to a marriageable age, and caused her to experience
ridicule for her Faith. Some suitors respected Agatha's decision but
many looked for ways to humiliate her and her beliefs.

Near the middle of the third century, the Emperor Decius published
decrees against Christians that legalized the persecution of
believers. The governor of Catana, who had heard of Agatha's purity
and dedication to the Lord, saw these edicts as a chance to take
advantage of her. He ordered her to be arrested and to be brought
before him to be tried for her Faith. After she refused to renounce
Christ, the governor sentenced her to be imprisoned in a house of
prostitution. She held there for one month but through intercession to
God, she remained pure and unharmed. After hearing that his plan
had failed, the governor decided to make an example of Agatha and
to torture her until she could no longer affirm her Faith.

Agatha had her flesh torn with heated iron hooks, was severely
whipped, and had her breasts cut off. Throughout her torture, Agatha
turned her heart to God and drew strength from Him. When the
tortures ceased and she was thrown back into prison, God showed
returned her love and dedication by healing all her wounds and
providing heavenly nourishment for her body. The governor was
enraged when he found Agatha more steadfast in her faith, and also
completely healed, so he ordered her to be rolled across hot coals
and broken shards of pottery. After this torture, Agatha was put back
into her cell, where she soon died. St. Agatha is the saint invoked for
protection against volcanic eruption and fire, and is the patron of the
cities of Palermo and Catania.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Jesus Christ, Lord of all things! You see my heart, you know my
desires. Possess all that I am - you alone. I am your sheep; make
me worthy to overcome the devil. -St. Agatha

TODAY IN HISTORY

1597 Martyrdom of St. Felipe de Jesus and other missionaries in Japan

TODAY'S TIDBIT

St. Agatha is the final pillar of light and purity that the Church sets
throughout the dark winter of each year. The names of the four virgin
martyrs of the early Church whose feasts serve as guideposts of
purity and dedication till death are Cecilia (Nov. 22), Lucy (Dec. 13),
Agnes, (Jan.21), and Agatha (Feb. 5).

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray, through the intercession of St. Agatha, for all people
who are weak in their faith.

The Word Among Us

Thursday, February 05, 2004

Meditation
Mark 6:7-13

When Jesus told his apostles to take nothing with them for their missionary journey, he wasn’t asking them to do anything unreasonable. Throughout the Middle East, and especially in Israel, hospitality was—and remains—a very high priority. For example, people living in Jerusalem in Jesus’ time were encouraged not to consider their house as belonging only to them. The rabbis had even declared that hospitality involved greater merit than early morning attendance in an academy of learning.

So because their physical needs were met, the apostles could focus on fulfilling the really challenging part of Jesus’ calling: to perform miracles. And they did. Mark tells us that they “cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them” (Mark 6:13). Imagine how astounded they must have been to witness such miracles, simply because they prayed! Remember, these were humble tradesmen, not high-powered rabbis or mystics. But that was exactly what Jesus wanted to teach them, and us: Everyday people can make a huge difference when they pray.

Young Sharon was playing “tag” with friends. As she ran through the house toward the clear sliding glass door, she discovered too late that the door was closed. Moments later, she was lying on the ground with blood streaming from her leg. Doctors told her parents that they could save Sharon’s leg but that she would always limp. Sharon’s mother continued to pray for healing. Over the next few months, Sharon slowly improved. Then one day, she set aside her crutches and began walking normally. The doctors were amazed, but Sharon’s mother simply thanked God.

Jesus calls all of us to the same faith in his healing power that the apostles and Sharon’s mother had. Of course we should seek all the expertise of doctors as well, but we should also pray with confidence, knowing that God is listening. We may not always see physical healing, but we can still be expectant. Our God is a loving God, and he will never withhold blessings from those who pray in humble faith.

“Jesus, we pray for all those we know who are suffering. We ask that you bring them physical, spiritual, and emotional healing. Cover them with your comfort and peace.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Thursday, February 5, 2004 >>

St. Agatha

1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12

1 Chronicles 29:10-12

Mark 6:7-13

View Readings

THE COURAGE TO BE MYSELF

“When the time of David’s death drew near, he gave these instructions to his son Solomon.” —1 Kings 2:1

On his deathbed, King David commanded his son to “take courage and be a man” (1 Kgs 2:2). These commands must be very important for the great King David to utter them on his deathbed. The Lord in His perfect plan made us male and female. He wants us to be ourselves.

Only a man can produce the seed which can lead to a human life. This is not only a biological fact but an indication of male identity as initiator, seed-planter, and leader. The understanding of this is often confused and culturally conditioned. But if we are observing the Lord’s “statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees” (1 Kgs 2:3), we will probably begin to understand male identity correctly.

Only a woman can conceive a human being, give birth to her child, and nurture her child at the breast. Because the spiritual is based on the natural (1 Cor 15:46), this indicates the heart of femininity as life-bearer and nurturer. Only the Holy Spirit can guide us to understand and develop this rightly.

Even with these initial insights into true masculinity and femininity, it obviously takes courage to be ourselves. Leadership requires sacrifice and the willingness to be rejected. It takes courage to lead. In an abortifacient, contraceptive culture, how courageous women are to conceive, birth, and nurture human life! Take courage and be yourself.

Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to overcome fear and confusion so I will fully be the person You created me to be.

Promise: “They expelled many demons, anointed the sick with oil, and worked many cures.” —Mk 6:13

Praise: St. Agatha lived from childhood a life of complete faithfulness to her total consecration to God.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Are You in the Right Place?
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Thursday, February 5, 2004

1 Kgs 2:1-4,10-12 / Mk 6:7-13

The ordinariness and repetitiveness of daily life can cause us at times to question whether we are in the right place and doing something that’s worth doing. It’s a natural question, and a good one, because it can start us thinking about changes that really do need to be made. But more important, it can stimulate a process of reflection that can help us remember or see more clearly why we are where we are.

Today’s gospel story about the apostles being sent out to preach and teach and heal for the first time, brings to mind an interesting pattern in many of the stories about Jesus’ healing of the sick, blind, and lame. Quite often, the one who has been healed asks if he may join Jesus’ traveling band of apostles and disciples. And almost always Jesus says “no.” Instead, He tells the person to go home and give his full attentions to what is at hand right there.

Most of us are not called to be nuns, priests, monks, or brothers. But all of us, by virtue of our baptism, have a special calling to build God’s kingdom right where we are. So when those “doubt days” come to you, don’t brush them aside, but seize them as an opportunity to ask the question: Am I really using all the gifts that God gave me to build up His kingdom right here and right now?

That’s a question whose answer can keep you busy for a whole lifetime!

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