Christ preaching at the seaport
Jan Brueghel
1597
London, Private Collection
Posted on 01/22/2014 7:36:07 PM PST by Salvation
January 23, 2014
Thursday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 1 Sm 18:6-9;19:1-7
When David and Saul approached
(on David’s return after slaying the Philistine),
women came out from each of the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,
singing and dancing, with tambourines, joyful songs, and sistrums.
The women played and sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought:
“They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me.
All that remains for him is the kingship.”
And from that day on, Saul was jealous of David.
Saul discussed his intention of killing David
with his son Jonathan and with all his servants.
But Saul’s son Jonathan, who was very fond of David, told him:
“My father Saul is trying to kill you.
Therefore, please be on your guard tomorrow morning;
get out of sight and remain in hiding.
I, however, will go out and stand beside my father
in the countryside where you are, and will speak to him about you.
If I learn anything, I will let you know.”
Jonathan then spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him:
“Let not your majesty sin against his servant David,
for he has committed no offense against you,
but has helped you very much by his deeds.
When he took his life in his hands and slew the Philistine,
and the LORD brought about a great victory
for all Israel through him,
you were glad to see it.
Why, then, should you become guilty of shedding innocent blood
by killing David without cause?”
Saul heeded Jonathan’s plea and swore,
“As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed.”
So Jonathan summoned David and repeated the whole conversation to him.
Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and David served him as before.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 56:2-3, 9-10a, 10b-11, 12-13
R. (5b) In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Have mercy on me, O God, for men trample upon me;
all the day they press their attack against me.
My adversaries trample upon me all the day;
yes, many fight against me.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
My wanderings you have counted;
my tears are stored in your flask;
are they not recorded in your book?
Then do my enemies turn back,
when I call upon you.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Now I know that God is with me.
In God, in whose promise I glory,
in God I trust without fear;
what can flesh do against me?
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
I am bound, O God, by vows to you;
your thank offerings I will fulfill.
For you have rescued me from death,
my feet, too, from stumbling;
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Gospel Mk 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
Feast Day: January 23
Born: 550 at Arnathus, Cyprus
Died: 616 at Arnathus, Cyprus
Patron of: Knights Hospitaller
St. John the Almsgiver
Feast Day: January 23
Born:(around)550 :: Died:619
St. John was born at Arnathus, in Cyprus, Greece and came from a rich family. He married and had a child. John was a good Christian who used his wealth and position to help poor people. When John's wife and child died of a disease, John became a priest and then a bishop.
In 608, he was given a very important position and made the patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt. St. John went to his new ministry determined to heal the divisions among his people. He made himself a promise that he would practice "charity without limits."
As he had come to serve, the first thing he did was ask for a complete list of his "masters" - the poor. When they were counted, the poor of Alexandria numbered 7,500. St. John promised to be their personal protector.
As patriarch, St. John made many changes to the way things were done and set new rules. He was respectful and kind, but firm. He set aside two days each week, Wednesday and Friday, and made himself available for anyone who wanted to see him.
People lined up in queues and waited patiently for their turn. Some were rich. Some were homeless and penniless. St. John treaded them all with the same respect and attention. When he found out that the church funds had eighty thousand pieces of gold, he divided it all among the hospitals and monasteries.
He set up a system so that poor people received enough money to support themselves. Refugees from neighboring areas were welcomed warmly. When the Persians attacked and robbed the people of Jerusalem of their wealth, St. John sent money and supplies to the suffering people. He even sent Egyptian workmen to help them rebuild their churches.
When people asked how St. John could be so charitable and unselfish, he had an amazing answer. Once when he was very young he had a dream or vision. He saw a beautiful girl and she represented "charity." She told him: "I am the oldest daughter of the King. If you are devoted to me, I will lead you to Jesus. No one is as powerful with him as I am. Remember, it was for me that he became a baby to redeem humankind."
St. John never grew tired of telling about that vision. He gently led the rich to be generous. He helped the poor trust that God would always be there for them. Because of his great charity, he is called "the almsgiver."
St. John died peacefully on November 11, 619.
Thursday, January 23
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church commemorates the
Espousal of the Virgin Mary to St.
Joseph. This feast was first celebrated
in the early 1500’s. Parents can look to
Our Lady and St. Joseph as role models
when raising their own children
| Mark | |||
| English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
| Mark 3 |
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| 7. | But Jesus retired with his disciples to the sea; and a great multitude followed him from Galilee and Judea, | Jesus autem cum discipulis suis secessit ad mare : et multa turba a Galilæa et Judæa secuta est eum, | και ο ιησους ανεχωρησεν μετα των μαθητων αυτου προς την θαλασσαν και πολυ πληθος απο της γαλιλαιας ηκολουθησαν αυτω και απο της ιουδαιας |
| 8. | And from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond the Jordan. And they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing the things which he did, came to him. | et ab Jerosolymis, et ab Idumæa, et trans Jordanem : et qui circa Tyrum et Sidonem multitudo magna, audientes quæ faciebat, venerunt ad eum. | και απο ιεροσολυμων και απο της ιδουμαιας και περαν του ιορδανου και οι περι τυρον και σιδωνα πληθος πολυ ακουσαντες οσα εποιει ηλθον προς αυτον |
| 9. | And he spoke to his disciples that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. | Et dicit discipulis suis ut navicula sibi deserviret propter turbam, ne comprimerent eum : | και ειπεν τοις μαθηταις αυτου ινα πλοιαριον προσκαρτερη αυτω δια τον οχλον ινα μη θλιβωσιν αυτον |
| 10. | For he healed many, so that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had evils. | multos enim sanabat, ita ut irruerent in eum ut illum tangerent, quotquot habebant plagas. | πολλους γαρ εθεραπευσεν ωστε επιπιπτειν αυτω ινα αυτου αψωνται οσοι ειχον μαστιγας |
| 11. | And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him: and they cried, saying: | Et spiritus immundi, cum illum videbant, procidebant ei : et clamabant, dicentes : | και τα πνευματα τα ακαθαρτα οταν αυτον εθεωρει προσεπιπτεν αυτω και εκραζεν λεγοντα οτι συ ει ο υιος του θεου |
| 12. | Thou art the Son of God. And he strictly charged them that they should not make him known. | Tu es Filius Dei. Et vehementer comminabatur eis ne manifestarent illum. | και πολλα επετιμα αυτοις ινα μη φανερον αυτον ποιησωσιν |
"συ ει ο υιος του θεου" ("Thou art the Son of God") begins verse 12 in the translations.
Daily Readings for:January 23, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: Almighty ever-living God, mercifully pour out your Spirit upon us, so that our hearts may possess the strong love by which the Martyr Saint Vincent triumphed over all bodily torments. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
RECIPES
ACTIVITIES
o Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Anointing of the Sick)
PRAYERS
o Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity
· Ordinary Time: January 23rd
· Optional Memorial of St. Vincent of Saragossa, deacon & martyr
Old Calendar: St. Raymund of Penafort, confessor; St. Emerentiana, virgin and martyr
St. Vincent of Saragossa, one of the greatest deacons of the Church, suffered martyrdom in Valencia in the persecution under Diocletian. He was born in Huesca, Spain.
According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII today is the feast of St. Raymond of Penafort which is now celebrated on January 7 on the General Roman Calendar. It is also the commemoration of St. Emerentiana whose veneration is connected with that of St. Agnes. She was venerated at Rome not far from the basilica of St. Agnes-Outside-the-Walls on the via Nomentana. The acts of St. Agnes make Emerentiana her foster sister; according to this source, while still a catechumen she was stoned at the tomb of the youthful martyr where she had gone to pray.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
St. Vincent of Saragossa
Vincent of Saragossa was one of the Church's three most illustrious deacons, the other two being Stephen and Lawrence. He is also Spain's most renowned martyr. Ordained deacon by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, he was taken in chains to Valencia during the Diocletian persecution and put to death. From legend we have the following details of his martyrdom. After brutal scourging in the presence of many witnesses, he was stretched on the rack; but neither torture nor blandishments nor threats could undermine the strength and courage of his faith. Next, he was cast on a heated grating, lacerated with iron hooks, and seared with hot metal plates. Then he was returned to prison, where the floor was heavily strewn with pieces of broken glass. A heavenly brightness flooded the entire dungeon, filling all who saw it with greatest awe.
After this he was placed on a soft bed in the hope that lenient treatment would induce apostasy, since torture had proven ineffective. But strengthened by faith in Christ Jesus and the hope of everlasting life, Vincent maintained an invincible spirit and overcame all efforts, whether by fire, sword, rack, or torture to induce defection. He persevered to the end and gained the heavenly crown of martyrdom. —The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Patron: Portugal; vine dressers; vinegar makers; vintners; wine growers; wine makers.
Symbols: Deacon holding a ewer; deacon holding several ewers and a book; deacon with a raven; deceased deacon whose body is being defended by ravens; deacon being torn by hooks; deacon holding a millstone.
Things to Do:
St. Emerentiana
St. Emerentiana was a Roman virgin, the foster sister of St. Agnes who died at Rome in the third century. Already as a catechumen she was conspicuous for her faith and love of Christ. One day she boldly upbraided the idolaters for their violent attacks on the Christians. The enraged mob retaliated by pelting her with stones. She died in the Lord praying at the tomb of St. Agnes, baptized in her own blood.
A church was built over her grave which, according to the Itineraries, was near the church erected over the place of burial of St. Agnes, and somewhat farther from the city wall. In reality Emerentiana was interred in the coemeterium majus located in this vicinity not far from the coemeterium Agnetis.
Patron: Those who suffer from digestive disorders.
Symbols: Young girl with stones in her lap, usually holding a palm or lily.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Day Six: Together... we seek to be in agreement
The disunity described in 1 Corinthians 1:12-13 reflects a distortion of the gospel, undermining the integrity of the message of Christ. To acknowledge conflict and division, as Chloe’s people did, is the first step to establishing unity.
Women like Deborah and Chloe raise a prophetic voice among God’s people in times of conflict and division, confronting us with the need to be reconciled. Such prophetic voices may enable people to gather in renewed unity for action.
As we strive to be united in the same mind and the same purpose, we are called to seek the Lord and his peace as the psalmist wrote.
Saint Vincent, Deacon and Martyr
Are my tears not stored in your vial? (Psalm 56:9)
In a popular joke, a husband explains his secret for dividing up responsibilities with his wife: “I let her make all the little decisions: where we live, how much we spend, how we educate our children. She leaves all the big decisions to me: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, global warming, the national debt.”
It’s a joke because, of course, husbands and wives need to make those vital “little” decisions together, and one individual has very little influence on the “big” issues. But it’s important to be clear about which responsibilities belong to God and which ones he’s delegated to us.
Sometimes we waste time and energy on things that aren’t our concern or don’t lie within our power. Once we have selected a caterer for a party and have given him a final head count, why worry whether we will run out of food? Why fret about tomorrow’s weather instead of making a back-up plan and getting some sleep?
Today’s Responsorial Psalm gives us an example. We can spend a lot of time keeping track of our tears and grievances. We want to make sure God—and everyone else—knows how much we’ve suffered. But the psalmist gently reminds us that it’s God’s job to keep track of the injustices against us. It’s our job to trust that he will carry forward his good plan in his time.
So when fears and anxieties crop up, place them in your Father’s capable hands. Ask him if there is anything you can do to improve your situation. If something comes to mind, do it, and leave the results to God. And if you tend to worry about things you can’t control, try humorously handing them over to God:
“Whoops! I forgot that I’m not in charge of the weather. Lord, that’s your department. You know how important this picnic is to me. Still, I’ll praise you for your wisdom and welcome you to be with us even if it rains.”
“Did I just try to make my grown-up son want to go to Mass? Again? That’s between him and you, Lord. Thank you for the ways I’ve seen you work in his life so far. I know that every family takes its name from you, Father, so I’ll trust you.”
“O God, help me remember who is in charge. Lord, I trust in you!”
1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7; Mark 3:7-12
Daily Marriage Tip for January 23, 2014:
“Where you put your time, you put your life.” (Clayton Barbeau) What are your deepest values? Does the way you spend your time reflect these? If not, why not? Take charge.
Keep Watch with Jesus Christ
Thursday, 23 January 2014 08:09
Two years ago I translated, in its entirety, a splendid text of Mother Mectilde de Bar entitled “On the Solemnity of Thursday.” In it, she pours out her soul in a torrent of amazement and thanksgiving and adoration. She sets forth why, in her particular Benedictine observance, Thursday is celebrated as a weekly return to the Cenacle where Our Lord instituted the Sacrament of His Love, and as a weekly festival of Corpus Christi. Catherine-Mectilde de Bar is, without any doubt, the most Eucharistic soul in what was a Eucharistic century par excellence, a century of saints surpassing all others, the great century of France’s mystic invasion, and the full flowering of the Council of Trent’s renewal of the Church in holiness. Here, again today, is an excerpt from “On the Solemnity of Thursday”.
Self–Emptying in His Presence
When we are before the Most Holy Sacrament, we must not be content merely to adore Him with lip-service; we need to lower ourselves into a profound emptying out of self, and recognize that we are nothing, that we are less than nothing and, in this disposition, offer to the spotless Lamb who immolates Himself for the salvation of the world not only a sacrifice of adoration and of thanksgiving, but again a sacrifice of submission, of abandonment, and of consecration. Let us adhere to His divine will, detach ourselves from creatures, and renounce all human consolation, so as to life in Jesus only, and only for Jesus.
At the Feet of Our Divine Master
We must never lose sight of our holy tabernacles: it is there that we find our strength and our virtue. If human infirmity and affairs allowed, we should pass our whole life at the feet of our divine Master; at least let us go there as often as possible, and quit so many futile occupations that rob us of precious time claimed for what we owe the love of a God.
To Live with Jesus
Far from us be distaste [for prayer], negligence, and frivolity. Alas! Is it possible that it should be burdensome for us to converse with our Sovereign Lord? Where is one better than close to one’s Father, to one’s Spouse, to one’s all? To live with Jesus, is this not to begin to live on earth the life that we are called to live in heaven? Ah! Can we say that we have faith if we complain of the length of time that we spend before the Most Holy Sacrament?
Imitate the Saints
What, however, does one see in the world, and perhaps even among us? Poor creatures, fragile nothings, worms of the earth to whom it costs to spend a half hour with the King of heaven and of earth. People consecrate days and nights to vain conversations, to futile entertainments, and always find too long the moments given to a God who forgets Himself for love of us. O heavens, be astonished! My Saviour, pardon them, or they know not what they do. Happy, says the Prophet, are those who dwell in Your house, O Lord, and who praise you unceasingly. The saints understand this truth; also, how many there are who spent their days and nights with God, and who complained all the same of the rapid passage of time. So do the saints act and think, because they are quickened by a lively faith: let us have their faith, and we will think and act as they did.
Pure Faith
All Christians ought to be in perpetual adoration before the Son of God in the Sacrament of the Altar. It is to make up for their coldness and indifference that the Institute was established. Let us carry out fervently so glorious a function and make of the altar our delights. Let our spirit and our body be bound thereto like two victims under the mastery of a pure and simple faith. If we are without taste for it, without light, without sensible consolation, we can, by the obscurity of our senses, render homage to this God who is hidden and brought to nothing. Let us abide before Him with patience, humility, and abandonment. Always it is for us a great honour to be able to keep watch with Jesus Christ.
Reparation
If nearly all Christians are ungrateful towards this mystery of love, we, at least, will not be and we will recognize the gift of God. One can say that the Eternal Father gives us, in our Institute, all that is most august of what He has; that He makes us the depositors and guardians of His most precious treasures. He gives us His divine Son, in whom He has placed all His good pleasure. This infinite gift, He gave first of all to men, and they failed to recognize it. He sought souls who would know how to appreciate its value, and He chose us. May Jesus find abundantly in us the glory and the delight that others refuse Him elsewhere! May we, by our ardour, worthily repair for the coldness and impiety of so many others. Weep without ceasing over their ingratitude, and ask our heavenly Father to take pity on those who profane His divine Son. Even if the humiliations He endures in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist had occurred but one time, we should want to groan all our life long to make reparation for them. They are renewed every day; yes, every day, and in an infinity of places, Jesus Christ is the object of the most cutting outrages, of the most horrible sacrileges. What shall we do at the sight of so many crimes? My God, we ought to die of sorrow.. Ah, at least, I will consecrate to You the rest of my life to repair, as best I can, Your glory, and to obtain of You that these cruel indignities to which You are exposed, at last come to an end.
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Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
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Mark 3:7-12 Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea. Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, "You are the Son of God." He warned them sternly not to make him known. Introductory Prayer: Lord, this time of prayer should be everything for me: the moment that I long for, the food that sustains me, the comfort that strengthens me. I know that you are at work in me even when I don’t feel you and don’t even seem able to perceive your presence. I want to pray fervently and from the heart, not just with my mind. Petition:Lord, help me to touch you in this moment of prayer. Help me to touch you in the Eucharist so that your presence will transform me. 1. Was Jesus Afraid? In yesterday’s Gospel text, Jesus silenced the Pharisees in the synagogue. So incensed were they against the Lord that they began to plot with the Herodians to kill him. Now Jesus has retreated from the synagogues to the lakeshore and the open fields. Was Christ afraid? Was he running from his enemies? Hardly. The Lord was simply aware that his hour had not yet come. When it does approach, he will embrace it by marching resolutely to Jerusalem and his passion and death. The ones who really are afraid are the demons. They recognize that God is manifesting his power through Christ, and they tremble before him. The Son of God has come to win back what Satan’s lies have stolen. Does Christ’s power accompanying me in my life give me the courage I need to confront any situation as his witness? 2. To Touch the Lord: In this vivid Gospel scene, the crowds of stricken humanity clamor around Jesus. Jews and gentiles journey from the far away regions of Idumea to the south, and Tyre and Sidon to the north, to catch a glimpse of the Master, to hear him speak words that no one has ever spoken before—to touch him and be healed of their infirmities. Oh, that we too had lived during the time of Christ in order to touch him and be cured of our sadness and selfishness, our heartache and egotism, our loneliness and lies, and even our physical ailments! Did Christ love those people who surrounded him by the lakeshore more than he loves us? No. He enables us to touch him more easily than they – every time we receive him in the Eucharist. Then why are we not yet healed? The disciples once cried out to Jesus, “Increase our faith!” And he replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed….” 3. The Person of Christ: Irresistible. How can we grow in our faith in Christ? How can we, too, experience the irresistible attraction of his person like the crowds in Mark’s Gospel did? Nothing fills our life as much as contemplating the figure of Christ and perceiving the irresistible power of attraction he exercises through the centuries. Draw close to him, and in the depths of your souls contemplate him in all of the beauty of his human and divine stature. Along with the Eucharist, it is through prayer that we can come to touch Christ. Prayer is the most solemn moment for confessing our love; it is the raison d’être of our life, the ideal of our apostolate, the nourishment of our whole existence. Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord, for letting me catch a glimpse of who you are through this meditation. Help me to respond to the attraction of your person with my whole life and to hold nothing back from you. Resolution: I will visit Christ in the Eucharist or make a spiritual communion to thank him for his love and to contemplate him in the beauty of his divine and human stature |
The phrase “for God’s greater glory” refers to the good works we do as Christians that inspire others to glorify God, the ultimate source of all that is good. We must keep this in mind because it is essential in uniting us in carrying out the will of God as revealed to us by Jesus. When David marched triumphantly back after slaying the giant Goliath, King Saul was so jealous that he contemplated killing David, but this was diffused by Jonathan’s timely advice. King Saul felt that he was robbed of his glory in the battle against the Philistines. Again, we find the same situation happening to the authorities when Jesus’ fame and following grew to such great extent and had robbed the glory from those who had been comfortably enjoying the power and prestige of being in authority. They had lost their credibility when Jesus stepped into the picture. This led to their plotting to get rid of Jesus. Today, we find this kind of behavior all over the world. Groups that are working for peace and justice are being persecuted. Those who rally against greed, exploitation, or corruption, suffer the same fates. Even among and within religious groups there is self-centered rivalry. Instead of rejoicing and celebrating the progress towards uniting in love, we allow the poison of envy to consume and divide us. Consequently, relationships are destroyed. If we profess to believe in God and in love, our actions must reflect our words.
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If trees were tall and grasses short,
As in some crazy tale,
If here and there a sea were blue
Beyond the breaking pale,
If a fixed fire hung in the air
To warm me one day through,
If deep green hair grew on great hills,
I know what I should do.
In dark I lie; dreaming that there
Are great eyes cold or kind,
And twisted streets and silent doors,
And living men behind.
Let storm clouds come: better an hour,
And leave to weep and fight,
Than all the ages I have ruled
The empires of the night.
I think that if they gave me leave
Within the world to stand,
I would be good through all the day
I spent in fairyland.
They should not hear a word from me
Of selfishness or scorn,
If only I could find the door,
If only I were born.
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