Replies

Daily Readings for:January 26, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. 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

o Fall or Winter Sunday Dinner Menu

ACTIVITIES

o Teaching About the Mass

PRAYERS

o Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 1

o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (1st Plan)

o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (2nd Plan)

· Ordinary Time: January 26th

· Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: Third Sunday after Epiphany

As He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And He said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb'edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb'edee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Ordinarily today is the feast of Sts. Timothy and Titus but it is superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 9:1-4. This reading is another prophecy, concerning the messianic days, given by Isaiah in the eighth century B.C. It describes the new era of liberty and joy, which the future Messiah will usher in.

The second reading is from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 1:10-13, 17. St. Paul corrects the Corinthians for the pride that was causing them to form factions and divisions.

The Gospel is from St. Matthew 4:12-23. The prophet Isaiah announced a future of liberation and great joy for all of Galilee, through the image of light that dispels the darkness in which the people walk. The Gospel, quoting verbatim the same passage of the prophet Isaiah, presents Jesus as the Light thus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. He is the light that was promised to dispel the darkness of sin and to free man from the obscurity in which he is enclosed.

The light becomes an efficacious means to express God’s involvement in human history. God manifests Himself as ‘The Light’ that disperses the darkness. The light illuminates, encircles, defines things, emphasises the colours and gives depth to space. The light heartens and comforts: to be in an enlightened place helps us to accept reality for what it is and makes one feel happier, more certain and protected.

God’s initiative with regard to men permits them to have a renewed relationship with reality. In God’s light everything assumes a new significance, its authentic and definitive meaning. A light which illuminates gives strength and permits the disclosure of the universe and man. This is why, after saying, ‘on those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone’ (Is 9:1), the text adds, ‘you have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing’ (Is 9:2).

A joy and happiness that became real in Jesus’ presence. He is the promised light that has come into our midst, His physical presence that expresses the definitive arrival of the Light. The light that shines brightly marks God’s initiative performing His first merciful and free step towards a wounded humanity.

This dynamic is expressed through Jesus call of the first Apostles. He chooses them with an unequivocal call, ‘Follow Me’. Faced with God’s sudden interruption in their lives He invited them to abandon the nets and trust themselves totally to the Lord for a new ‘catch’, a new definitive horizon. At the Last Supper, the end of His earthly life, Jesus reminds His disciples ‘you did not choose me, no, I chose you’ (Jn 15:16).

This Sunday’s Gospel invites us to remember that our personal vocation is founded on God’s original and absolutely free choice. His invitation towards us, therefore, is an invitation to make a final decision to let Him conquer or re-conquer us to mark a turning point in our lives.

Let us ask the Lord, for us and the whole Church, for the gift of a true conversion of our hearts enabling us to receive Christ as the only Light to follow. Christ is the only one that really dispels the darkness within and around us.

From the Congregation for the Clergy

The Word Among Us

Meditation: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

I urge … that you be united. (1 Corinthians 1:10)

The Corinthian church was out of control. Some members were visiting prostitutes. One was even having an affair with his stepmother! They were taking each other to court. Some were abusing the Lord’s Supper. Others did not believe in the resurrection. No matter where you looked, there were signs of division and discord.

Are there divisions in your home? If so, take heart, because Jesus wants to help you resolve them. Look at the way Paul responded to the Corinthians’ chaotic situation. Before he addressed any specific issues, he thanked God for all the blessings they had received. “God is faithful,” he wrote. “He will keep you firm to the end” (1 Corinthians 1:9, 8).

Paul didn’t panic. He knew the Corinthians were in God’s hands. Confident in that knowledge, he addressed their challenges one by one, patiently and carefully.

This is a model for our families. Even if your home appears to be out of control, always remember that the Lord is present with you. He is always pouring his blessings on you, always offering grace for healing and reconciliation.

So bless your home every day. Use holy water if you can. Set the tone for the rest of your family. Try to practice forgiveness at every opportunity. Without forgiveness, division gains the upper hand and can cause deep wounds. But with forgiveness, the divisions caused by all kinds of sin can be disarmed. Judgments can stop; wounds can be healed.

Not only does forgiveness resolve the specific division; it can also help heal divisive behavior in general so that there is more unity. And with more unity comes more love.

So let’s make it our goal to practice forgiveness. Let’s ask Jesus to heal all divisions!

“Lord, I consecrate my home to you. Come, Holy Spirit, and teach us how to forgive one another.”

Isaiah 8:23–9:3; Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14; Matthew 4:12-23

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

(Isaiah 8:23–9:3; Psalm 27:1,4,13-14; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23)

1. In the first reading, Isaiah speaks of the great promise we have been given of “abundant joy” and “great rejoicing”. This is a promise for each one of us, for in Christ the “yoke” that has “burdened” us has been “smashed.” Does your Christian witness reflect this great joy that you have received, even during difficult times? How can you make your life a greater reflection of it?

2. In the Responsorial, Psalm 27 reflects these promises as well by telling us that we shall “see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living,” not just when we get to heaven. And this will occur when we “gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple.” What does this mean to you? What role does your prayer and Scripture reading play in this?

3. In the second reading, St. Paul urged that Christian brothers and sisters in the church at Corinth overcome their many “rivalries,” and be united in Christ and have no divisions. How can you help build greater unity within your parish?

4. During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, what steps can you take individually, and together, to promote Christian unity with non-Catholic Christians? Why not spend time this week praying for Christian unity.

5. In the Gospel, Jesus begins his preaching with the word “repent”. Did you spend any time during the previous week reflecting on, and repenting of any sins you may have committed (what you have done or omitted doing)? How important is it for you to have a regularly scheduled examination of conscience, for example, as part of your daily prayer life? How important should it be?

6. In the Gospel, we are also told that when called by the Lord the disciples responded “immediately,” and left everything to follow him. What are some of the obstacles that can keep you from responding immediately when the Lord calls you or reveals his will to you? What steps can you take, with the Lord, to overcome them?

7. In the meditation, we hear ends these words: “Not only does forgiveness resolve the specific division; it can also help heal divisive behavior in general so that there is more unity. And with more unity comes more love.” Do you believe this? Why or why not? The meditation then ends with these words: “So let’s make it our goal to practice forgiveness. Let’s ask Jesus to heal all divisions!” We are called to forgive one another as God has forgiven us. Is there someone in your family (or outside of it) that needs to experience your forgiveness?. Are you willing to gift them this freeing gift of forgiveness?

8. Take some time now to pray and ask the Lord to bring healing and reconciliation to your family through the gift of forgiveness. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as a starting point.