Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 01-18-10

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 01-18-10 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

January 18, 2010

 

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Responsorial Psalm Reading 2 Gospel

Reading I
1 Sm 15:16-23
Samuel said to Saul:
“Stop! Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”
Saul replied, “Speak!”
Samuel then said: “Though little in your own esteem,
are you not leader of the tribes of Israel?
The LORD anointed you king of Israel and sent you on a mission, saying,
‘Go and put the sinful Amalekites under a ban of destruction.
Fight against them until you have exterminated them.’
Why then have you disobeyed the LORD?
You have pounced on the spoil, thus displeasing the LORD.”
Saul answered Samuel:  “I did indeed obey the LORD
and fulfill the mission on which the LORD sent me.
I have brought back Agag, and I have destroyed Amalek under the ban.
But from the spoil the men took sheep and oxen,
the best of what had been banned,
to sacrifice to the LORD their God in Gilgal.”
But Samuel said:
“Does the LORD so delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as in obedience to the command of the LORD?
Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission than the fat of rams.
For a sin like divination is rebellion,
and presumption is the crime of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the command of the LORD,
he, too, has rejected you as ruler.”

Responsorial Psalm
50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
R.  (23b)  To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R.        To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R.        To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R.        To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Gospel
Mk 2:18-22
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
“Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them,
“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.

Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Immaculata Victrix

By

Father Mark

 on January 18, 2010 7:09 PM |

In the spiritual combat that is the daily experience of so many priests, nothing can take the place of a confident recourse to the Immaculate Virgin Mary. By begging Our Lord Jesus to grant His priests victory through the intervention and intercession of His Mother, we glorify His own desire to see her unique and irreplaceable role acknowledged and glorified.

O my Jesus,
save and sanctify all Thy priests!
Let not one of those whom Thou hast chosen
and anointed for Thyself be lost.
Let not the Evil One,
the sworn enemy of our souls,
overcome them,
but, rather, let Thy Immaculate Mother
crush the head of the ancient serpent,
and, by her intercession
preserve Thy priests in purity and in holiness of life. Amen.

[annalex]

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 2
18.	And the disiples of John and the Pharisees used to fast; and they come and say to him: Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast; but thy disciples do not fast?	Et erant discipuli Joannis et pharisæi jejunantes : et veniunt, et dicunt illi : Quare discipuli Joannis et pharisæorum jejunant, tui autem discipuli non jejunant ?	και ησαν οι μαθηται ιωαννου και οι των φαρισαιων νηστευοντες και ερχονται και λεγουσιν αυτω δια τι οι μαθηται ιωαννου και οι των φαρισαιων νηστευουσιν οι δε σοι μαθηται ου νηστευουσιν
19.	And Jesus saith to them: Can the children of the marriage fast, as long as the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.	Et ait illis Jesus : Numquid possunt filii nuptiarum, quamdiu sponsus cum illis est, jejunare ? Quanto tempore habent secum sponsum, non possunt jejunare.	και ειπεν αυτοις ο ιησους μη δυνανται οι υιοι του νυμφωνος εν ω ο νυμφιος μετ αυτων εστιν νηστευειν οσον χρονον μεθ εαυτων εχουσιν τον νυμφιον ου δυνανται νηστευειν
20.	But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them; and then they shall fast in those days.	Venient autem dies cum auferetur ab eis sponsus : et tunc jejunabunt in illis diebus.	ελευσονται δε ημεραι οταν απαρθη απ αυτων ο νυμφιος και τοτε νηστευσουσιν εν εκειναις ταις ημεραις
21.	No man seweth a piece of raw cloth to an old garment: otherwise the new piecing taketh away from the old, and there is made a greater rent.	Nemo assumentum panni rudis assuit vestimento veteri : alioquin aufert supplementum novum a veteri, et major scissura fit.	και ουδεις επιβλημα ρακους αγναφου επιρραπτει επι ιματιω παλαιω ει δε μη αιρει το πληρωμα αυτου το καινον του παλαιου και χειρον σχισμα γινεται
22.	And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: otherwise the wine will burst the bottles, and both the wine will be spilled, and the bottles will be lost. But new wine must be put into new bottles.	Et nemo mittit vinum novum in utres veteres : alioquin dirumpet vinum utres, et vinum effundetur, et utres peribunt : sed vinum novum in utres novos mitti debet.	και ουδεις βαλλει οινον νεον εις ασκους παλαιους ει δε μη ρησσει ο οινος ο νεος τους ασκους και ο οινος εκχειται και οι ασκοι απολουνται αλλα οινον νεον εις ασκους καινους βλητεον

[annalex]

18. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say to him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples fast not?
19. And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
21. No man also sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up takes away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
22. And no man puts new wine into old bottles: else the new wine does burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

GLOSS. As above, the Master was accused to the disciples for keeping company with sinners in their feasts, so now, on the other hand, the disciples are complained of to the Master for their omission of fasts, that so matter for dissension might arise amongst them. Wherefore it is said, And the disciples of John and the Pharisees used to fast.

THEOPHYL. For the disciples of John being in an imperfect state, continued in Jewish customs.

AUG. But it may be thought that he added Pharisees, because they joined with the disciples of John in saying this to the Lord, whilst in Matthew relates that the disciples of John alone said it: but the words which follow rather show that those who said it spoke not of themselves, but of others. For it goes on, And they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples, &c. For these words show, that the guests who were there came to Jesus, and had said this same thing to the disciples, so that in the words which he uses, they came, he speaks not of those same persons, of whom he had said, And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting. But as they were fasting, those persons who remembered it, come to him. Matthew then says this, And there came to him the disciples of John, saying, because the Apostles also were there, and all eagerly, as each could, objected these things.

CHRYS. The disciples of John, therefore, and of the Pharisees, being jealous of Christ, ask Him, whether He alone of all men with His disciples could, without abstinence and toil, conquer in the fight of the passions.

BEDE; But John did not drink wine and strong drink, because he who has no power by nature, obtains more merit by abstinence. But why should the Lord, to whom it naturally belonged to forgive sins, shun those whom he could make more pure, than those who fast? But Christ also fasted, lest He should break the precept, He ate with sinners, that you might see His grace, and acknowledge His power. It goes on; And Jesus said to them, Can the children, &c.

AUG. Mark here calls them children of the nuptials, whom Matthew calls children of the bridegroom; for we understand the children of the nuptials to be not only those of the bride-groom, but also of the bride.

PSEUD-CHRYS. He then calls Himself a bridegroom, as if about to be betrothed to the Church. For the betrothal is giving an earnest, namely, that of the grace of the Holy Ghost, by which the world believed.

THEOPHYL. He also calls Himself a bridegroom, not only as betrothing to Himself virgin minds, but because the time of His first coming is not a time of sorrow, nor of sadness to believers, neither does it bring with it toil, but rest. For it is without any works of the law, giving rest by baptism, by which we easily obtain salvation without toil. But the sons of the nuptials or of the Bridegroom are the Apostles; because they, by the grace of God, are made worthy of every heavenly blessing, by the grace of God, and partakers of every joy.

PSEUD-CHRYS. But intercourse with Him, He says, is far removed from all sorrow, when He adds, As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. He is sad, from whom some good is far removed; but be who has it present with him rejoices, and is not sad.

But that He might destroy their elation of heart, and show that He intended not His own disciples to be licentious, He adds, But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken, &c. as if He said, The time will come, when they will show their firmness; for when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them, they will fast as longing for His coming, and in order to unite to Him their spirits, cleansed by bodily suffering. He shows also that there is no necessity for His disciples to fast, as having present with them the Bridegroom of human nature, Who every where executes the words of God, and Who gives the seed of life. The sons of the Bridegroom also cannot, because they are infants, be entirely conformed to their Father, the Bridegroom, Who, considering their infancy, deigns to allow them not to fast: but when the Bridegroom is gone, they will fast, through desire of Him; when they have been made perfect, they will be united to the Bridegroom in marriage, and will always feast at the king's banquet.

THEOPHYL. We must also understand, that every man whose works are good is the son of the Bridegroom; he has the Bridegroom with him, even Christ, and fasts not, that is, does no works of repentance, because he does not sin: but when the Bridegroom is taken away by the man's falling into sin, then lie fasts and is penitent, that he may cure his sin.

BEDE; But in a mystical sense, it may thus be expressed; that the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, because every man who boasts of the works of the law without faith, who follows the traditions of men, and receives the preaching of Christ with his bodily ear, and not by the faith of the heart, keeps aloof from spiritual goods, and wastes away with a fasting soul. But he who is incorporated into the members of Christ by a faithful love cannot fast, because he feasts upon His Body and Blood. It goes on, No one sews a piece of rough that is new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that fills it up takes away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

PSEUD-CHRYS. As if He said, because these are preachers of the New Testament, it is not possible that they should serve old laws; but you who follow old customs, fitly observe the fasts of Moses. But for these, who are about to hand down to men new and wonderful observances, it is not necessary to observe the old traditions, but to be virtuous in mind; some time or other however they will observe fasting with other Virtues. But this fasting is different from time fasting of the law, for that was one of restraint, this of goodwill; on account of the fervor of the Spirit, Whom they cannot yet receive, Wherefore it goes on, And no one puts new wine into old bottles: else the new wine does burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new Wine must be put in new bottles.

BEDE; For He compares His disciples to old bottles, who would burst at spiritual precepts, rather than be held in restraint by them. But they will be new bottles, when after the ascension of the Lord, they are renewed by desiring His consolation, and then new wine will come to the new bottles, that is, the fervor of the Holy Ghost will fill the hearts of spiritual men. A teacher must also take heed not to commit the hidden things of new mysteries to a soul, hardened in old wickedness.

THEOPHYL. Or else the disciples are likened to old garments on account of the infirmity of their minds, on which it was not fitting to impose the heavy command of fasting.

BEDE; Neither was it fitting to sew on a new piece; that is, a portion of doctrine which teaches a general fast from all the joy of temporal delights; for if this be done, the teaching is rent, and agrees not with the old part. But by a new garment is intended good works, which are done externally, and by the new wine, is expressed the fervor of faith, hope, and charity, by which we are reformed in our minds.

Catena Aurea John 2

[annalex]

Lamentation over the Dead Christ with Saints

Sandro Botticelli

c. 1490
Tempera on panel, 140 x 207 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich

[Salvation]

Vespers -- Evening Prayer

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

Introduction

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 here.

Psalm 44 (45)
The wedding of the King

You have been given more than human beauty, and grace is poured out upon your lips.

My heart cries out on a joyful theme:

  I will tell my poem to the king,

  my tongue like the pen of the swiftest scribe.

You have been given more than human beauty,

  and grace is poured out upon your lips,

  so that God has blessed you for ever.

Strap your sword to your side, mighty one,

  in all your greatness and splendour.

In your splendour go forth, mount your chariot,

  on behalf of truth, kindness and justice.

Let your right hand show you marvels,

  let your arrows be sharp against the hearts of the king’s enemies

 – the peoples will fall before you.

Your throne is firm, O God, from age to age,

  your royal sceptre is a sceptre of justice.

You love uprightness, hate injustice

 – for God, your God has anointed you

  with the oil of gladness, above all your companions.

Myrrh and aloes and cassia anoint your garments.

From ivory palaces the sound of harps delights you.

In your retinue go the daughters of kings.

At your right hand, the queen is adorned with gold of Ophir.

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.

You have been given more than human beauty, and grace is poured out upon your lips.

---

Psalm 44 (45)
The King's bride

Look, the Bridegroom is coming: go out to greet him.

Listen, my daughter, and understand;

  turn your ears to what I have to say.

Forget your people, forget your father’s house,

  and the king will desire you for your beauty.

  He is your lord, so worship him.

The daughters of Tyre will bring you gifts;

  the richest of your subjects will beg you to look on them.

How great is the king’s daughter, within the palace!

  She is clothed in woven gold.

She will be taken to the king in coloured garments,

  her maidens will escort her to your presence.

In gladness and rejoicing they are brought

  and led to the house of the king.

Instead of your fathers you will have sons:

  you will make them rulers over all the world.

I will remember your name

  from generation to generation.

And so your people will do you honour

  for ever and 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.

Look, the Bridegroom is coming: go out to greet him.

---

Canticle	Ephesians 1

God the Saviour

God planned, in the fullness of time, to found everything in Christ.

Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

  who has blessed us, in Christ,

  with every spiritual blessing in heaven.

In love, he chose us before the creation of the world,

  to be holy and spotless in his sight.

He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ,

  simply because it pleased him to do so.

This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace,

  of his free gift to us in his Beloved,

in whose blood we have gained redemption,

  and the forgiveness of our sins.

This he did according to the riches of his grace,

  which he gave us in abundance,

with all wisdom and discernment,

  revealing to us the mysteries of his will,

  because it pleased him to do so.

In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time,

  to bring all things together in Christ,

  from the heavens and from the earth.

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.

God planned, in the fullness of time, to found everything in Christ.

---

Short reading	1 Thessalonians 2:13 ©

We constantly thank God for you because as soon as you heard the message that we brought you as God’s message, you accepted it for what it really is, God’s message and not some human thinking; and it is still a living power among you who believe it.

---

Short Responsory

Lord, let my prayer come before you.

– Lord, let my prayer come before you.

Let it rise like incense before you.

– Lord, let my prayer come before you.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– Lord, let my prayer come before you.

---

Canticle	Magnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

May my soul always proclaim your greatness, O God, my God.

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.

May my soul always proclaim your greatness, O God, my God.

---

Prayers and Intercessions

Let us praise Christ, who loves and cares for his Church. Let us call on him trustingly, saying:

– Lord, grant the prayers of your people.

Lord Jesus, bring all men to salvation

  and lead them to recognise your truth.

– Lord, grant the prayers of your people.

Watch over our Pope N. and our Bishop N.,

  and give them the support of your strength.

– Lord, grant the prayers of your people.

Take care of those who long for justice:

  let them pass their lives in happiness and safety.

– Lord, grant the prayers of your people.

Lord, be the refuge of the poor

  and their help in tribulation.

– Lord, grant the prayers of your people.

To the dead to whom in this life you gave the honour of the priesthood

  grant the gift of celebrating your glory for ever in heaven.

– Lord, grant the prayers of your people.

---

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.

---

Almighty God, who gave your unworthy servants the strength for today’s work,

  accept our evening sacrifice of praise

  as thanks for the gifts we have received from you.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

  who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

  God for ever and ever.

Amen.

---

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

[annalex]

It always amuses me how “utres” become “bottles”, things that obviously won’t break with reuse.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

The New Joy of the Bridegroom

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Monday, 2nd week in OT

Father Walter Schu, LC  

Mark 2:18-22

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to him and objected, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."



Introductory Prayer: Jesus, what a joy and what a gift to have this time to be alone with you! I want to know you more deeply. I want to hope in you more firmly. I want to love you with greater constancy in my daily life. Only you can give me these gifts. Only you can make me a bold and joyful apostle of your Kingdom.

Petition: Lord, help me to experience the new joy that comes from carrying the cross alongside you.

1. The Joy of the Bridegroom   The Old Testament prophets, especially Hosea and Isaiah, describe the relationship between Israel and Yahweh as a marriage covenant. Israel is the bride, often an unfaithful one, and Yahweh is the bridegroom. When Christ refers to himself as the bridegroom, he is appropriating a title that had been reserved to God alone. Clearly, Jesus is much more than an ordinary rabbi. What experience do we most associate with a bridegroom and the wedding feast? Joy! “Although it is true that the cross is never absent from an authentically Christian life, it is equally true that the God who meets us on that cross is the same God who created the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the mountains, laughter, sunlight, and every earthly delight” (John Bartunek, LC, The Better Part, p. 365). Christ came to bring us joy, a joy that would last into eternity.

2. Should Christians Fast?   Christ says that when the bridegroom is taken away, then his disciples will fast. This is his first reference in the Gospel of Mark to his coming passion. Fasting is a way of sharing in Christ’s sufferings. Fasting, sacrifices, and acts of self-denial are also means to detach ourselves from earthly goods in order to cling more firmly to Christ himself. They make us aware of how much we need God. But these ways of sharing Christ’s cross should not make us glum followers. “Some Christians give the impression that following Christ is a somber affair, or that the Christian life consists above all of dour sacrifices and boring obligations. Joyless, dreary, dull. No wonder their friends want to stay as far away from Christianity as possible!... If our friendship with Christ does not fill us with contagious enthusiasm, we’re probably being a half-hearted friend” (John Bartunek, LC, The Better Part, p. 365).

3. “Behold, I Make All Things New.”    The movie The Passion of the Christ puts this phrase from Revelation on Christ’s lips when he meets his mother Mary as he carries the cross to Calvary. Christ’s “narrow gate” of the cross leads to a radically new way of life. It brings an abundance of joy, a new vigor, interior peace. The new wine of the life of grace that Christ pours out on his followers must change not only their way of life, but even their internal attitudes and consciousness. As St. Teresa of Avila once put it, “A sad saint is a bad saint.” What obstacles in my life do I need to overcome in order to follow Christ with greater joy and to radiate that joy to others?

Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord, for the new life you came to bring — your own divine life of grace inside me and each of your followers who is faithful to you. Help me to share that joy with others. I long to be a true apostle of your joy.

Resolution: Today I will forget about myself and seek only to help make those around me joyful.

[annalex]

It is remarkable how Botticelli resolves the problem of the halos getting in the way in close scenes. The halo becomes a transparent disk shown in deep perspective so that little real estate of the canvas is used up by it.

But a genius that he is, he doesn’t follow the system dogmatically. Mary’s halo is facing the viewer, providing a focal point which is her face, yet going behind St. John’s embrace. The white kerchief completes the round pattern encasing her head.

And the halo on Christ is absent altogether. We are left to wonder if that is simply because in the crowded composition around His head there is no space for it, or because of a theological consideration of His Divine Self being at work elsewhere at this very moment.

For what it’s worth, I have never seen Christ without a halo in canonical iconography.

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

Making Do Isn’t Enough for Your Spirit!

January 18th, 2010 by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

1 Sm 15:16-23 / Mk 2:18-22

Making do is an admirable and most practical skill that can at times mean the difference between survival and disaster. Many is the family that avoided starvation by discovering how to make do with whatever was at hand. Indeed, many gourmet dishes, sweetbreads for example, have their origins with impoverished peasants who found a way to convert disgusting throwaways into succulent morsels. In more instances than one could count, the habit of making do is a manifestation of both courage and character. It says to the world, “We will survive, we will not be destroyed.”

There are, however, limits to the virtues of making do. It can skew our perspective and cause us to settle for too little: Sometimes just surviving isn’t enough. Sometimes what appears to be survival isn’t that at all, but just a long, slow death. That’s what Jesus had in mind when He said that trying to put new wine into old wineskins doesn’t work.

There are times when we need to start afresh, and that is especially true when it comes to our inner lives. Simple patchwork, just holding things together, isn’t good enough. We need, as Jesus said, to be born again, not physically, but spiritually. For each of us that rebirth will take a somewhat different shape, because our personal histories are different. But in every case, the rebirth will involve a radical opening of our spirits to the Holy Spirit of God.

When it comes to what you’re really about, don’t settle for just making do. Open your heart to the Spirit and get a whole new life!

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

All Issues > Volume 26, Number 1

<< Monday, January 18, 2010 >>

Saint of the Day

1 Samuel 15:16-23
View Readings

Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23

Mark 2:18-22
Similar Reflections

SCARED OUT OF YOUR SKIN?

"No, new wine is poured into new skins." —Mark 2:22

 

Before we accepted Jesus as Lord, Savior, and God by His terms, we had an old nature, an "old self" (Eph 4:22). "We lived at the level of the flesh" (Eph 2:3); we had "old skins" (Lk 5:37), that is, an old fleshly nature. When we accepted Jesus, we laid "aside [our] former way of life and the old self which deteriorates through illusion and desire, and [acquired] a fresh, spiritual way of thinking" (Eph 4:22-23). We "put on that new" skin, the new nature in Christ (Eph 4:24).

If you try to dabble in Christianity without radically changing your life, beware! The Holy Spirit will not only see right through you; He will "burst" right through you (see Lk 5:37). The abundant, new wine (Jn 2:7ff) of the Spirit "will spill out" (Lk 5:37) and you will lose what little spiritual life you thought you had (Mt 13:12). In fact, you will lose your taste for the things of God. You will say, " I find the old wine better" (Lk 5:39). That is to say, you will prefer your old lifestyle of sin to the life in the Spirit you tried to dabble in. The same principle applies to the new wine of Jesus' eucharistic cup. If you receive the new wine of the Eucharist unworthily, that is, with old skin, you may be drinking a judgment on yourself (1 Cor 11:29) and might even be bringing illness upon yourself (1 Cor 11:30).

Jesus' plan is not to just add a little flavor and richness to the old wine; rather, His new wine is so rich and explosive that our old skins can't begin to contain it (Mk 2:22). His plan is good; it is for our welfare, not for our destruction (Jer 29:11). Receive your new skin today! Receive the rich new wine of life in the Spirit.

 

Prayer: Father, I am totally Yours. Do with me what You will.

Promise: "Obedience is better than sacrifice." —1 Sm 15:22

Praise: Feeling herself slip back into her "old ways," Maureen went to Confession and received a new heart for Christ.

[Salvation]

Compline -- Night Prayer

Compline (Night Prayer)

Introduction

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.

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This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience. In a communal celebration of Compline, one of the penitential acts given in the Missal may be recited.

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Hymn

Christ, thou who art the light and day,

Who chasest nightly shades away,

Thyself the Light of Light confessed,

And promiser of radiance blest:

O holy Lord, we pray to thee,

Throughout the night our guardian be;

In thee vouchsafe us to repose,

All peaceful till the night shall close.

O let our eyes due slumber take,

Our hearts to thee forever wake:

And let thy right hand from above

Shield us who turn to thee in love.

O strong defender, hear our prayers,

Repel our foes and break their snares,

And govern thou thy servants here,

Those ransomed with thy life-blood dear.

Almighty Father, this accord

Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord,

Who with the Holy Ghost and thee

Doth reign through all eternity.

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Psalm 85 (86)
A poor man's prayer in time of trouble

Lord God, you are full of mercies, patient and true.

Turn your ear to me, Lord, and hear me,

  for I am poor and destitute.

Keep my life safe, for I am faithful;

  O God, save your servant, who trusts in you.

Take pity upon me, O Lord,

  for I call to you all the day long.

Make your servant’s heart glad,

  for to you, O Lord, I have raised it.

For you, Lord, are gentle and mild:

  you are kind to all those who call on you.

Let your ears hear my prayer, O Lord!

  Turn to the voice of my pleading!

In my time of trouble I call on you,

  for you, O Lord, will hear me.

No other god is like you, O Lord,

  and nothing compares with your works.

All people – all nations you made –

  will come and worship before you;

  they will give glory to your name.

For you are great, you work wonders:

  you alone are God.

O Lord, teach me your paths,

  and I will come to your truth.

Make my heart simple and guileless,

  so that it honours your name.

I will proclaim you, Lord my God,

  and give you praise with all my heart.

I will give glory to your name for ever,

  for your great kindness is upon me:

  you have rescued me from the deepest depths.

O God, the proud rise against me,

  in the meetings of the powerful they seek my life:

  they do not keep you in their sight.

And you, Lord, are a God of compassion,

  full of mercies, patient and true.

Look upon me, have mercy upon me,

  give your strength and protection to your servant:

  your servant, the child of your handmaid.

Give me a sign of your goodness,

  let my enemies see it and be confounded;

because you, O Lord, have helped me and given me comfort.

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.

Lord God, you are full of mercies, patient and true.

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Reading	1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

God chose that we should receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us; so that, asleep or awake, we should still live with him.

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Short Responsory

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

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Canticle	Nunc Dimittis

Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.

  You have fulfilled your promise.

My own eyes have seen your salvation,

  which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.

A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;

  the glory of your people Israel.

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.

Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

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Let us pray.

Give our bodies rest, Lord, to restore them; and let the seeds sown by our labours today grow and yield an eternal harvest.

Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

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May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.

A M E N

	Alma Redemptoris Mater

Revered mother of our Redeemer,

  the way to heaven for us, now and always,

  come to our help as we fall and strive to rise.

All nature stood still in wonder

  when you gave flesh

  to your own flesh’s Creator.

Virgin at Gabriel’s greeting,

  Virgin now and always –

  take pity on us sinners.