Posted on 01/28/2006 9:50:15 PM PST by Salvation
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I
Dt 18:15-20
Moses spoke to all the people, saying:
“A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen.
This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb
on the day of the assembly, when you said,
‘Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,
nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.’
And the LORD said to me, ‘This was well said.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin,
and will put my words into his mouth;
he shall tell them all that I command him.’
Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,
I myself will make him answer for it.
But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name
an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,
or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.”
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9
R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reading II
1 Cor 7:32-35
Brothers and sisters:
I should like you to be free of anxieties.
An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord,
how he may please the Lord.
But a married man is anxious about the things of the world,
how he may please his wife, and he is divided.
An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord,
so that she may be holy in both body and spirit.
A married woman, on the other hand,
is anxious about the things of the world,
how she may please her husband.
I am telling you this for your own benefit,
not to impose a restraint upon you,
but for the sake of propriety
and adherence to the Lord without distraction.
Gospel
Mk 1:21-28
Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said,
“Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
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From: Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Prophets (Continuation)
From: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
The Excellence of Virginity
From: Mark 1:21-28
Jesus in the Synagogue of Capernaum
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| Authoritative, Not Authoritarian |
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| 01/28/06 |
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Jesus’ hearers are vastly impressed with our Lord’s discourse and his capacity to exorcise demons. St. Mark writes, "All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him.’" |
Off subject ?.
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Mel Gibson could do a bone-chilling rendition of this gospel scene. "The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him."
Our pastor, however, took the line, "A new teaching with authority." and ran with it.
I was so proud of him, because he talked about how the church stands firm despite the outside world on the power of Rome, euthanasia, abortion, and other isisues. He even talked about the attackers of the church and how they don't really talk about the issues, but rather try the tactics of politicians with ad hominem attacks!
It was almost a "standing ovation" homily! We are so fortunate to have him.
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Dt 18:15-20 / Cor 7:32-35 / Mk 1:21-28 In Moses’ time, the Israelites were afraid to draw near to God, what with all the fire and earthquakes reported in our first reading. His manifestations scared them. God did not correct them in this, either, but told them to keep a distance. Moses was able to draw near, showing that a soul could draw near Him and not be destroyed. Over time, the Israelites got more used to the presence of God among them, even to the point of ignoring Him and His prophets — of not seeing the special election they had in God’s plan. By the time we get to the Gospel for today, many of them were so “familiar” with God that the “special-ness” of their election as the People of God was diminished — not lost, but diminished. When Jesus spoke with the authority of God, they knew something was different, they just could not figure out what that difference was. How “familiar” has Jesus become to us? When we walk into His Eucharistic Presence, how overwhelmed are we? Are we aware of His true Presence as the demons were? Or have we been hanging around too long so that looking at Him is no longer that precious. Golem, in The Lord of the Rings called the ring “my precious.” Next time receive Him in the Eucharist — as you take Him to yourself — call Him “my precious.” His desire is that we long to see Him as Moses longed to see His face on the mountain. The encounter with God scared the Israelites, but attracted Moses. Let the attraction of Jesus in the Eucharist captivate you. My Precious Lord Jesus, open the hearts and souls of all who love You to a new attraction to Your humble Presence in the Eucharist. |
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 117 (118) |
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| A cry of rejoicing and triumph |
| Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his kindness is for ever. Now let Israel say, he is good and his kindness is for ever. Now let the house of Aaron say it too: that his kindness is for ever. Now let all who fear the Lord say it too: that his kindness is for ever. In my time of trial I called out to the Lord: he listened, and led me to freedom. The Lord is with me, I will fear nothing that man can do. The Lord, my help, is with me, and I shall look down upon my enemies. It is good to seek shelter in the Lord, better than to trust in men. It is good to seek shelter in the Lord, better than to trust in the leaders of men. All the nations surrounded me, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They crowded in and besieged me, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They surrounded me like swarms of bees, they burned like a fire of dry thorns, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They chased and pursued me, to make me fall, and the Lord came to my help. The Lord is my strength and my rejoicing: he has become my saviour. A cry of joy and salvation in the dwellings of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has triumphed! The Lord’s right hand has raised me up; the Lord’s right hand has triumphed”. I shall not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord. The Lord chastised me severely but did not let me die. Open the gates of righteousness: I will go in, and thank the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; it is the upright who enter here. I will thank you, for you listened to me, and became my saviour. The stone that the builders rejected has become the corner-stone. It was the Lord who did this – it is marvellous to behold. This is the day that was made by the Lord: let us rejoice today, and be glad. Lord, keep me safe; O Lord, let me prosper! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, he shines upon us! Arrange the procession, with close-packed branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, I will give thanks to you; my God, I will give you praise. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his kindness is for ever. 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. |
| Canticle | Daniel 3 |
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| Let every creature praise the Lord | |
| Blessed are you, Lord God of our fathers, praised and exalted for ever. Blessed is the holy name of your glory praised above all things and exalted for ever. Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory praised and glorious above all things for ever. Blessed are you who gaze on the depths, seated on the cherubim, praised and exalted for ever. Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven praised and glorious for ever. Bless the Lord, all his works, praise and exalt him for ever. 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. |
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| Psalm 150 |
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| Praise the Lord |
| Praise the Lord in his sanctuary, praise him in his mighty firmament. Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for all his greatness. Praise him with trumpet-blasts, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipes, praise him with cymbals resounding, praise him with cymbals of jubilation. All that breathes, praise the Lord! 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. |
| A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here. |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
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| The Messiah and his forerunner | |
| Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. 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. |
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| Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God. |
| 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 that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
Recipes:
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January 29, 2006    Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Sunday Readings The first reading is taken from the Book of Deuteronomy 18:15-20. This central section of this book describes the various offices and officers of the theocratic society which Yahweh, through his servant Moses, is setting up for the Chosen People. The second reading is from the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 7:32-35. St. Paul devotes the whole of chapter seven to answering questions he was asked concerning marriage and virginity. In today's extract he emphasizes freedom to serve God fully, freedom from earthly cares which those who choose a life of celibacy have. The Gospel is from St. Mark 1:21-28. St. Mark makes it clear that, from the very first day of Christ's public ministry, his messianic power began to be manifested to those who saw and heard him. The Jews of Capernaum were "astonished" at his teaching and "amazed" at his power over the evil spirits. "What is this," they asked one another, "a new teaching and the unclean spirits obey him!" But they were still a long way from recognizing him for what he was, the Messiah and Son of God. This is as might be expected, the astounding mystery of the incarnation was way beyond human expectation or human imagination. And it was our Lord's own plan to reveal this mystery, slowly and gradually, so that when the chain of evidence had been completed by his resurrection, his followers could look back and see each link in that chain. Then they would be ready to accept without hesitation the mystery of the incarnation and realize the infinite love and power of God that brought it about. We look back today through the eyes of the Evangelists, and, like them, know that Christ was God as well as man—two natures in one person. We should not therefore be "amazed" at the teaching of Jesus or at his power over the unclean spirits. What should amaze us really is the love that God showed mankind in becoming one of our race. We are creatures with nothing of our own to boast of. We were created by God, and every talent or power we possess was given us by God. God's benevolence could have stopped there and we would have no right to complain. But when we recall the special gifts he gave man, which raise him above all other created things, we see that he could not, because of his own infinitely benevolent nature, leave us to an earthly fate. What thinking man could be content with a short span of life on earth? What real purpose in life could an intelligent being have who knew that nothing awaited him but eternal oblivion in the grave? What fulfillment would man's intellectual faculties find in a few years of what is for the majority of people perpetual struggle for earthly survival? No, God created us to elevate us, after our earthly sojourn, to an eternal existence where all our desires and potentialities would have their true fulfillment. Hence the incarnation, hence the life, death and resurrection of Christ, who was God's Son, as the central turning point of man's history. Today, while amazed at God's love for us, let us also be justly amazed at the shabby and grudging return we make for love. Many amongst us even deny that act of God's infinite love, not from convincing historical and logical proofs, but in order to justify their own unwillingness to co-operate with the divine plan for their eternal future. This is not to say that their future, after death, does not concern them; it is a thought which time and again intrudes on all men, but they have allowed the affairs of this world which should be stepping stones to their future life, to become instead mill-stones which crush their spirits and their own true self-interests. While we sincerely hope that we are not in that class, we can still find many facets in our daily Christian lives which can and should make us amazed at our lack of gratitude to God and to his incarnate Son. 'Leaving out serious sin which turns us away from God if not against him, how warm is our charity, our love of God and neighbor? How much of our time do we give to the things of God and how much to the things of Caesar? How often does our daily struggle for earthly existence and the grumbles and grouses which it causes, blot out from our view the eternal purpose God had in giving us this earthly existence. How often during the past year have we said from our heart: "Thank you, God, for putting me in this world, and thank you a thousand times more, for giving me the opportunity and the means of reaching the next world where I shall live happily for evermore in your presence"? If the true answer for many of us is "not once," then begin today. Let us say it now with all sincerity, and say it often in the years that are left to us. Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
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| Sunday, January 29, 2006 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary time |
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And the gospel is something that the world hungers for. In the homily today father spoke about how the modern world's pursuit of money, fame, power, glamor, is fleeting and unsatisfying. It is our commission to spread the good news, which shines the light of truth into the darkness that is so rampant.
| Mk 1:21-28 | ||
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| # | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
| 21 | And they entered into Capharnaum: and forthwith upon the sabbath days going into the synagogue, he taught them. | et ingrediuntur Capharnaum et statim sabbatis ingressus synagogam docebat eos |
| 22 | And they were astonished at his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes. | et stupebant super doctrina eius erat enim docens eos quasi potestatem habens et non sicut scribae |
| 23 | And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, | et erat in synagoga eorum homo in spiritu inmundo et exclamavit |
| 24 | Saying: What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the Holy One of God. | dicens quid nobis et tibi Iesu Nazarene venisti perdere nos scio qui sis Sanctus Dei |
| 25 | And Jesus threatened him, saying: Speak no more, and go out of the man. | et comminatus est ei Iesus dicens obmutesce et exi de homine |
| 26 | And the unclean spirit, tearing him and crying out with a loud voice, went out of him. | et discerpens eum spiritus inmundus et exclamans voce magna exivit ab eo |
| 27 | And they were all amazed insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying: What thing is this? What is this new doctrine? For with power he commandeth even the unclean spirits: and they obey him. | et mirati sunt omnes ita ut conquirerent inter se dicentes quidnam est hoc quae doctrina haec nova quia in potestate et spiritibus inmundis imperat et oboediunt ei |
| 28 | And the fame of him was spread forthwith into all the country of Galilee. | et processit rumor eius statim in omnem regionem Galilaeae |
**It is our commission to spread the good news, which shines the light of truth into the darkness that is so rampant.**
Amen! And with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, we CAN do this!
January 29, 2006 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I (Deuteronomy 18:15-20) Reading II (1 Corinthians 7:32-35)
Gospel (St. Mark 1:21-28)
In the second reading today, Saint Paul tells us that what he is most concerned about is that we are wholeheartedly devoted to doing the Lord’s work. That is what we all have to be about. It matters not what our state in life might be; all of us have to be seeking the Will of God. That is what is most important. Saint Paul makes the distinctions for us today between the married life and those who are not married, whether that be the woman who is a virgin, whether that be simply a young woman, even a widow, or whether that be a single male. He says that those people are able to keep themselves focused solely on the Lord, whereas if you are married, there is a division because you have to be concerned about the good of your spouse.
Now we need to put this into context. While it is true on one level that if you are married you will not be able to devote yourself as easily to the life of prayer and to other things of the Lord, at the same time, we have to remember that the vocation to Holy Matrimony is a call from the Lord, and that it is precisely by living out your vocation that you will become saints. It is by doing what you are supposed to do as a married person that you are doing the Lord’s work.
It easy for a single person who wants to be married to get caught up in the wrong things, and it is also easier for a married person to get caught up in the wrong things. Perhaps we can get caught up in materialistic things. Perhaps in the effort to try to please one’s spouse, if we look at it quite honestly, we would realize that the effort to please the spouse is really an effort to please the self, that is, “If I can do this, then my spouse will do something for me or my spouse won’t be angry,” whatever it might be. Really, it is a selfish thing. That is not what a married person is supposed to be about. Married people are supposed to be truly loving one another, seeking only the good of the other person, and therefore striving only to serve the other person, not to be served and not to be self-serving. That is where the risk comes in.
A person who wants to be married runs the risk of forgetting about prayer and running around looking for somebody they want to marry. It does not work very well. They take their focus off the Lord, and they get entirely caught up in themselves. Unfortunately, very often they get caught up in lots of immoral things which lead them directly away from the Lord, while all the time they are claiming that they are striving to do the Lord’s Will. A word of advice for the young people: First, you need to go to prayer and ask the Lord what your vocation is. Do not tell Him what your vocation is because the word vocation means “a call” – it is a call from God to you – therefore, it is not your task to tell God what you are supposed to do; it is your task to ask and to listen. And do not think you are going to get your answer in one or two sittings in prayer. I can tell you from experience that on average it takes two full years of praying every day to discern your vocation. This is not a quick and easy thing.
Number two, if you believe God is calling you to the married life, then begin now to pray for your spouse, not only to pray that God will bring your spouse to you, but pray for that person. After all, that is the person you are going to have to be with for the rest of your life. One look in the mirror will remind you why you need to pray for that person – they will be with you for the rest of their life. Therefore, they need all the help they can get. So you need to make sure you are praying for that person.
Now the other point that is so critically important: Ask God to bring the two of you together. Do not run around going out to bars looking to see if you can find somebody to marry. That is the most foolish thing you could possibly do. Get down on your knees and ask the Lord to put the two of you together. If we truly believe that marriage is a vocation, then if God is calling you to be married, He is calling you to be married to a particular individual. And God is also calling that other individual to be married to you. God is big enough to handle putting the two of you together. He will do it only when the time is right. You might look at yourself and say, “I want to get married now.” God might look at it and say, “You know what? You’re not ready,” or perhaps, “The other person I have chosen for you is not yet ready.” Therefore, in His mercy and in His charity, He is not going to put the two of you together yet because it is not time. So just wait and pray. If He is calling you to get married, He will take care of it. He will do what is necessary when the time is right, and not one minute before. You might think when you are 18 or 20 that it is time, and God might say, “It will be time when you’re 35.” Then at 35 He will put you together with the person you are supposed to marry. If you and the other person are ready when you are 18 or 20, then that is when He is going to put you together. You do not need to worry about it. All you need to worry about is doing the Will of God, seeking His Will for your life.
Then once you are married, you need to continue to seek the Will of God for your life. You need to go to prayer and ask yourself, “How can I love this person more? How can I love this person better? How can I serve this individual more perfectly?” Do not be worried about yourself, because that is not what marriage is about. Marriage is about two people seeking to serve one another. It is not about “How can I get something out of this?” And for heaven’s sake, it is not about whining about your spouse. That is not what you are supposed to do. You are supposed to help your spouse to become a saint. If there are problems with your spouse, point that out in charity and then help your spouse to be able to grow in virtue. Encourage them, give them ideas about how they can do something better. Do not complain about them. Do not get together with the coffee klatch and rip your spouse to shreds. What good is that going to do anybody? It is not good for you, it is not good for your spouse, and it is certainly not good for the people who just heard you rip your spouse to pieces because now they think your spouse is a one-eyed ogre who is just the most horrible person on the face of the earth. That is not what anybody needs, and that is not an act of love for your spouse. When there is a problem, turn to the Lord, not to complain and whine, but to ask for insight into how you can deal with this problem better, how to handle this situation, how to love this person in the midst of these difficulties you are experiencing. These are the things we have to be about.
Regardless of our vocation, the principle is the same: We have to seek the Will of God no matter what the circumstances of our lives. Why? Well, we see it right in the first reading. Because the people themselves have asked not to ever hear God’s voice again, God says to Moses, I will raise up for the people a prophet like yourself. That prophet is going to speak the Word of God, and the people are to obey everything the prophet says. That is the reason why in the fourth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel, the Samaritan woman at the well looks at Jesus and says, “Are you the prophet?” Then she goes into town and says, “I’ve found the prophet!” That is what she is talking about. Remember that the Samaritans rejected the entire Old Testament except for the Pentateuch, the first five books. And so they were waiting for the prophet Moses had promised. The Samaritan woman recognized in the person of Jesus that that is Who He was. All these years they had been waiting, and now He had arrived.
It is interesting for the Jewish people, that for the fifteen hundred or so years which followed after the time of Moses until the time of Jesus, nobody was raised up to be that prophet. In the two thousand years since Jesus, nobody has claimed that title of prophet. There is only one person who can say that he is the prophet God raised up, and that is Our Lord. We see that also in the Gospel reading. We see Jesus going into the synagogue and casting out this demon, and the people recognize there is something different about the way He is. The scribes and the Pharisees, who were charged with teaching the faith to the people, did so but without much authority. With Jesus, on the other hand, they recognize there is something entirely different, a new teaching with authority.
It is precisely because of that authority, which is the authority of God Himself, that we need to seek His voice and we need to be obedient, because God makes very clear when He speaks through Moses that the prophet is to speak only the Word of God; and if there is anything that prophet speaks which is not the Word of God, then he will be condemned. But Jesus is God, and therefore every single word He speaks literally and truly is the Word of God. So when we read in Scripture what He says, and when in prayer the insight becomes clear that we know what His Will is for us, then we need to be obedient because we can know that that is the Word of God. We are told by Moses that we have to be obedient to that prophet, and we hear from the people in Capernaum that He spoke with authority, and not like the scribes.
Now the question is: Are we willing to do that? The demons were obedient to Him, but unfortunately we who claim to believe in Him oftentimes are not. We, number one, try to take matters into our own hands rather than seeking His Will. Number two, we know what His commandments are and we refuse to do them. You want to go back to that question where we started with marriage? What is the one commandment that Jesus Himself gave us? To love. To love your neighbor. To lay down your life for your friend. That is what He commanded us. It is true for every last one of us, but in a particular way it has to apply to married persons because you have made a vow to love one person, not to complain about them, not to rip them to shreds, not to treat them like trash, but to love them. As I often point out at marriages, this will at times (as all of you who are married know) be the most difficult person in the world to love. Sometimes they will be the easiest person in the world to love; sometimes they will be the most difficult person on the face of the earth to love. That is why you do not make a vow to love everybody else. They go home; you do not have to deal with them. But there is one other person who is at home, and you have to deal with that person every day. That is the person you are called to love, while being required, of course, to love everyone else in the proper sense. There is this one person who is your means to holiness, who is your means to become a saint.
And so whether you are married or single, it matters not. Your whole focus must be on doing the Will of God. That is what Saint Paul is calling us to. It is more difficult for a married person to do that because it is easy to be divided. But if a married person recognizes the vocation to which they have been called and seeks to do the Will of God in the midst of that vocation, then there is no division at all because everything you are to do in that marriage is the Will of God for you. Your spouse does not take you away from God, unless you allow that to happen. You are to build one another up. You are to pray together. You are to help one another to become saints. For everyone here who is married, you really need to look at that and ask yourself, “Am I living the vow I made? Am I truly loving this person the way Jesus loves me? Am I praying with this person? Am I helping this person to grow in virtue?” Not by being so miserable that they can only grow in virtue by having to live with you, but rather by helping them in charity to be able to grow in virtue. That is what a married couple is supposed to be about. Your marriage is a spiritual union, first and foremost. What are you doing to build up that spiritual union?
If you go to a marriage counselor today, they will tell you all about how important it is to work on communication. They will talk about the relationship. They will talk about the physical aspect of marriage. All of those things are important, but they all build on the spiritual foundation, which marriage counselors completely ignore. You cannot have a truly good marriage if it is not spiritually based. So you need to pray, not only alone, but together as a couple and with your kids. You need to make sure you are helping one another, building one another up, not tearing one another down. That is what married life is supposed to be about.
If you are doing that, then you are truly living according to the way of God; you do not have a divided heart then. But if we claim to believe in Christ and we claim we are going to be obedient to Him, then we go off and do our own thing and refuse to live the way that He chooses for us to live, we do have a divided heart. We have to make that choice of how we are going to do things, and we need to recognize Who it is we are listening to: the prophet God raised up like Moses to tell the people His Will, and when He speaks, He speaks with authority. He speaks the Word of God. He speaks with such authority that even the demons obey Him immediately. Now the question is: What about us? Are we willing to obey Him? Are we willing to seek His Will? Are we willing to listen to His voice and follow Him? Are we willing to recognize that in Him we have an entirely new teaching with authority? In that obedience which we choose to give to Him, are we willing to follow Him with an undivided heart to be completely obedient to Him, seeking His Will in all things and striving in our daily lives to carry it out as perfectly as we are able?
* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 109 (110) |
|---|
| The Messiah, king and priest |
| The Lord has said to my lord: “Sit at my right hand while I make your enemies into your footstool”. From Sion the Lord will give you a sceptre, and you will rule in the midst of your foes. Royal power is yours in the day of your strength, glorious and holy; from the time of your birth, before the dawn. The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: “You are a priest for ever, a priest of the priesthood of Melchisedech”. The Lord is at your right hand, and on the day of his anger he will shatter kings. He will judge the nations, he will pile high their skulls; he will drink from the stream as he goes – he will hold his head high. 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. |
| Psalm 111 (112) |
|---|
| How blessed are the just |
| Blessed is the man who fears the Lord and loves his commands above all things. His seed will be powerful on earth: the descendants of the just will be blessed. Glory and riches will fill his house, and his righteousness will stand firm for ever. He rises up in the darkness, a light for the upright, compassionate, generous, and just. Happy the man who takes pity and lends, who directs his affairs with wisdom – he will never be shaken. The just man will be remembered for ever, no slander will he fear. His heart is ready, hoping in the Lord; his heart is strong, it will not fear, until he looks down on his defeated enemies. He gives alms and helps the poor: his righteousness will endure for ever, his future will be glorious. The transgressor will see, and be enraged: he will grind his teeth and fade away. The desires of the wicked will perish. 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. |
| Canticle | Apocalypse 19 |
|---|---|
| The wedding of the Lamb | |
| Alleluia. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, because his judgements are true and just. Alleluia. Alleluia. Praise our God, all his servants, and you who fear him, small and great. Alleluia. Alleluia. For the Lord reigns, our God, the Almighty: let us rejoice and exult and give him glory. Alleluia. Alleluia. The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his spouse has made herself ready. Alleluia. 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. |
|
| A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here. |
| Canticle | Magnificat |
|---|---|
| My soul rejoices in the Lord | |
| My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation. For he has shown me such favour – me, his lowly handmaiden. Now all generations will call me blessed, because the mighty one has done great things for me. His name is holy, his mercy lasts for generation after generation for those who revere him. He has put forth his strength: he has scattered the proud and conceited, torn princes from their thrones; but lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever. 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. |
|
| Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God. |
| 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 that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
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