January 12, 2015

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Heb 1:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways
to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son,
whom he made heir of all things
and through whom he created the universe,

who is the refulgence of his glory,
the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.
When he had accomplished purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
as far superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say:

You are my Son; this day I have begotten you?

Or again:

I will be a father to him, and he shall be a Son to me?

And again, when he leads the first born into the world, he says:

Let all the angels of God worship him.

Responsorial Psalm PS 97:1 and 2b, 6 and 7c, 9

R. (see 7c) Let all his angels worship him.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Let all his angels worship him.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
Let all his angels worship him.
R. Let all his angels worship him.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.
R. Let all his angels worship him.

Alleluia Mk 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 1:14-20

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 1
14.	And after that John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,	Postquam autem traditus est Joannes, venit Jesus in Galilæam, prædicans Evangelium regni Dei,	μετα δε το παραδοθηναι τον ιωαννην ηλθεν ο ιησους εις την γαλιλαιαν κηρυσσων το ευαγγελιον της βασιλειας του θεου
15.	And saying: The time is accomplished, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel.	et dicens : Quoniam impletum est tempus, et appropinquavit regnum Dei : pœnitemini, et credite Evangelio.	και λεγων οτι πεπληρωται ο καιρος και ηγγικεν η βασιλεια του θεου μετανοειτε και πιστευετε εν τω ευαγγελιω
16.	And passing by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother, casting nets into the sea (for they were fishermen).	Et præteriens secus mare Galilææ, vidit Simonem, et Andream fratrem ejus, mittentes retia in mare (erant enim piscatores),	περιπατων δε παρα την θαλασσαν της γαλιλαιας ειδεν σιμωνα και ανδρεαν τον αδελφον αυτου του σιμωνος βαλλοντας αμφιβληστρον εν τη θαλασση ησαν γαρ αλιεις
17.	And Jesus said to them: Come after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.	et dixit eis Jesus : Venite post me, et faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum.	και ειπεν αυτοις ο ιησους δευτε οπισω μου και ποιησω υμας γενεσθαι αλιεις ανθρωπων
18.	And immediately leaving their nets, they followed him.	Et protinus relictis retibus, secuti sunt eum.	και ευθεως αφεντες τα δικτυα αυτων ηκολουθησαν αυτω
19.	And going on from thence a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were mending their nets in the ship:	Et progressus inde pusillum, vidit Jacobum Zebedæi, et Joannem fratrem ejus, et ipsos componentes retia in navi :	και προβας εκειθεν ολιγον ειδεν ιακωβον τον του ζεβεδαιου και ιωαννην τον αδελφον αυτου και αυτους εν τω πλοιω καταρτιζοντας τα δικτυα

14. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God,
15. And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent you, and believe the Gospel.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Evangelist Mark follows Matthew in his order, and therefore after having said that Angels minister, he subjoins, But after that John was put into prison, Jesus came, &c. After the temptation and the ministry of Angels, He goes back into Galilee, teaching us not to resist the violence of evil men.

THEOPHYL. And to show us that in persecutions we ought to retire, and not to await them; but when we fall into them, we must sustain them.

PSEUD-CHRYS. He retired also that He might keep Himself for teaching and for healing, before He suffered, and after fulfilling all these things, might become obedient unto death.

BEDE; John being put in prison, fitly does the Lord begin to preach: wherefore there follows, Preaching the Gospel, &c. For when the Law Ceases, the Gospel arises in its steps.

PSEUDO-JEROME; When the shadow ceases, the truth comes on; first, John in prison, the Law in Judea; then, Jesus in Galilee, Paul among the Gentiles preaching the Gospel of the kingdom. For to an earthly kingdom succeeds poverty, to the poverty of Christians is given an everlasting kingdom; but earthly honor is like the foam of water, or smoke, or sleep.

BEDE; Let no one, however, suppose that the putting of John in prison took place immediately after the forty days' temptation and the fast of the Lord; for whoever reads the Gospel of John will find, that the Lord taught many things before the putting of John in prison, and also did many miracles; for you have in his Gospel, This beginning of miracles did Jesus; and afterwards, for John was not yet cast into prison. Now it is said, that when John read the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, he approved indeed the text of the history, and affirmed that they had spoken truth, but said that they had composed the history of only one year after John was cast into prison, in which year also he suffered. Passing over then the year of which the transactions had been published by the three others, he related the events of the former period, before John was cast into prison. When therefore Mark had said that Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, he subjoins, saying, Since the time is fulfilled, &c.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Since then the time was fulfilled, when the fullness of time was come, and God sent His Son, it was fitting that the race of man should obtain the last dispensation of God. And therefore he says, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. But the kingdom of God is essentially the same as the kingdom of heaven, though they differ in idea. For by the kingdom of God is to be understood that in which God reigns; and this in truth is in the region of the living, where, seeing God face to face, they will abide in the good things now promised to them; whether by this region one chooses to understand Love, or some other confirmation of those who put on the likeness of things above, which are signified by the heavens. For it is clear enough that the kingdom of God is confined neither by place nor by time.

THEOPHYL. Or else, the Lord means that the time of the Law is completed; as if He said, Up to this time the Law was at work; from this time the kingdom of God will work, that is, a conversation according to the Gospel, which is with reason likened to the kingdom of heaven. For when you see a man clothed in flesh living according to the Gospel, do you not say that he has the kingdom of heaven, which is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost?

The next word is, Repent.

PSEUDO-JEROME; For he must repent, who would keep close to eternal good, that is, to the kingdom of God. For he who would have the kernel, breaks the shell; the sweetness of the apple makes up for the bitterness of its root; the hope of gain makes the dangers of the sea pleasant; the hope of health takes away from the painfulness of medicine. They are able worthily to proclaim the preaching of Christ who have deserved to attain to the reward of forgiveness; and therefore after he has said, Repent, He subjoins, and believe the Gospel. For unless you have believed, you shall not understand.

BEDE; Repent, therefore, and believe; that is, renounce dead works; for of what use is believing without good works? The merit of good works does not, however, bring to faith, but faith begins, that good works may follow.

16. Now as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
17. And Jesus said unto them, Come you after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
19. And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

GLOSS. The Evangelist, having mentioned the preaching of Christ to the multitude, goes on to the calling of the disciples, whom he made ministers of his preaching, whence it follows, And passing along the sea of Galilee, &c.

THEOPHYL. As the Evangelist John relates, Peter and Andrew were disciples of the Forerunner, but seeing that John had borne witness to Jesus, they joined themselves to him; afterwards, grieving that John had been cast into prison, they returned to their trade. Wherefore there follows, casting nets into the sea, for they were fishers. Look then upon them, living on their own labors, not on the fruits of iniquity; for such men were worthy to become the first disciples of Christ; whence it is subjoined, And Jesus said unto them, Come you after me. Now He calls them for the second time; for this is the second calling in respect of that, of which we read in John. But it is shown to what they were called, when it is added, I will make you become fishers of men.

REMIG. For by the net of holy preaching they drew fish, that is, men, from the depths of the sea, that is, of infidelity, to the light of faith. Wonderful indeed is this fishing! for fishes when they are caught, soon after die; when men are caught by the word of preaching, they rather are made alive.

BEDE; Now fisher's and unlettered men are sent to preach, that the faith of believers might be thought to lie in the power of God, not in eloquence or in learning. It goes on to say, and immediately they left their nets, and followed him.

THEOPHYL. For we must not allow any time to lapse, but at once follow the Lord. After these again, He catches James and John, because they also, though poor, supported the old age of their father. Wherefore there follows, And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, &c.

But they left their father, because he would have hindered them in following Christ. Do you, also, when you are hindered by your parents, leave them, and come to God. It is shown by this that Zebedee was not a believer; but the mother of the Apostles believed, for she followed Christ, when Zebedee was dead.

BEDE; It may be asked, how he could call two fishers from each of the boats, first, Peter and Andrew, then having gone a little further, the two others, sons of Zebedee, when Luke says that James and John were called to help Peter and Andrew, and that it was to Peter only that Christ said, Fear not, from this time you shall catch men; he also says, that at the same time, when they had brought their ships to land, they followed him. We must therefore understand that that transaction which Luke intimates happened first, and afterwards that they as their custom was, had returned to their fishing. So that what Mark here relates happened afterwards; for in this case they followed the Lord, without drawing their boats ashore, (which they would have done had they meant to return,) and followed Him, as one calling them, and ordering them to follow.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Further, we are mystically carried away to heaven, like Elias, by this chariot, drawn by these fishers, as by four horses. On these four corner-stones the first Church is built, in these as in the four Hebrew letters, we acknowledge the tetragrammaton, the name of the Lord, we who are commanded after their example, to hear the voice of the Lord and to forget the people of wickedness, and the house of our fathers' conversation, which is folly before God, and the spider's net in the meshes of which we, like gnats, were all but fallen, and were confined by things vain as the air, which hangs on nothing; loathing also the ship of our former walk. For Adam, our forefather according to the flesh, is clothed with the skins of dead beasts; but now, having put off the old man, with his deeds, following the new man we are clothed with those skins of Solomon, with which the bride rejoices that she has been made beautiful. Again, Simon, means obedient; Andrew, manly; James, supplanter; John, grace; by which four names, we are knit together into God's host; by obedience, that we may listen; by manliness, that we do battle; by overthrowing, that we may persevere; by grace, that we may he preserved. Which four virtues are called cardinal; for by prudence, we obey; by justice, we bear ourselves manfully; by temperance, we tread the serpent underfoot; by fortitude, we earn the grace of God.

THEOPHYL. We must know also, that action is first called, then contemplation; for Peter is the type of the active life, for he was more ardent than the others, just as the active life is the more bustling; but John is the type of the contemplative life, for he speaks more fully of divine things.

Catena Aurea Mark 1

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Marguerite Bourgeoys

Feast Day: January 12
Born:1620 :: Died:1700

Marguerite was born in Troyes, France, and was the sixth of twelve children. Her parents were devout people and lived holy lives. When Marguerite was nineteen, her mother died. Marguerite took care of her younger brothers and sisters. Then her father died when she was twenty-seven.

The family was now raised and Marguerite prayed to know what to do with her life. The governor of Montreal, Canada, was visiting France. He tried to find teachers for the New World and he invited Marguerite to come to Montreal to teach school and religion classes. She said yes.

Marguerite gave away her all her money and belongings to other members of the family. They couldn't believe that she would really leave their civilized country to go to a wild new country across the ocean. But she did.

She sailed on June 20, 1653, and arrived in Canada in mid-November. Marguerite began the construction of a chapel in honor Our Lady of Good Help in 1657. Then in 1658, she opened her first school.

Marguerite needed the help of more teachers. She returned to France in 1659 and returned with four companions. In 1670, she went to France again and brought back six companions. These brave women became the first sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame.

St. Marguerite and her sisters helped people in the colony survive when food was scarce. They opened a vocational school and taught young people how to run a home and farm.

St. Marguerite's congregation was growing. By 1681 there were eighteen sisters. Seven were Canadian. They opened more missions and two sisters taught at the Indian mission. St. Marguerite herself received the first two Indian women into the congregation.

When Mother Marguerite was seventy three years old, she handed over her congregation to the new superior Marie Barbier, who the first Canadian to join the order. St. Marguerite's religious rule was approved by the Church in 1698.

Marguerite spent her last few years praying and writing an autobiography. On December 31, 1699, a young sister lay dying. Mother Marguerite asked the Lord to take her life in exchange.

By the morning of January 1, 1700, the sister was completely well and Mother Marguerite had a very high fever. She suffered for twelve days and died on January 12, 1700.

Catholic Spiritual Direction.com

Our Lady of Nazareth

January 12, 2015 by Dan Burke

OUR LADY OF NAZARETH

“And His Mother kept all these words in her heart.”
Luke 2:51

1. Scholars consider themselves amply justified in concluding that the evidence for these first two chapters of St. Luke have been drawn from Our Lady’s own lips, and are even the very words of Our Lady herself; and the repeated statement that she “kept all these words in her heart,” is taken as signifying that St. Luke took the narrative from her. She was a soul of not many words. Wherever we meet her, except on one occasion, she does little more than stand by and look on; when she does speak it is in the full and measured words of one who has an instinct to keep silence rather than to express herself at all.

2. On the other hand, the one occasion on which, as it were, she lets herself speak from her full heart, shows both the matter and the depth of her meditation. The Magnificat

teems with Scripture references. No one could have uttered that wonderful prayer who had not

(1) pondered long on the words of Holy Scripture,
(2) seen their application to and fulfillment in the Messiah,
(3) led her thoughts on from the consequences of His coming to the whole world.

The same is seen in the Angel’s words at the Annunciation; he is speaking to one who, he knows, thinks along this definite line. This, then, we may safely take it, is Our Lady’s “method” of meditation; from Scripture to our Lord, from our Lord to men, with herself affected by the conclusion as the “Handmaid of the Lord.” God promised, God redeemed, God spread the fruits of the redemption among men; and so long as this was done all was done. From this her “practical conclusion” was easily drawn; it was that she should dispose herself to be used by Him in whatever way He chose for this end, as His simple “Handmaid.”

3. Hence when later we find her saying of herself that she “kept all these words, pondering them in her heart,” we have little difficulty in following her mind. She took each scene in her Child’s life as it opened out before her; she gathered up every word that was spoken concerning Him. In each event she saw the guiding and redeeming hand of God; in every word she heard the echo of the voice of God. Both alike she interpreted in the light of her Son, seeing in them greater significance because He was the central figure, knowing that because of Him everything had its meaning, its purpose, its power, its lesson. The question: “Why hast thou done so?” was not once only, but continually in her heart. And for answer, as we see unmistakably in the Magnificat, she looked beyond the ages, and reflected on the fruit all this would bear to all mankind; the good tidings of great joy that it would be to all the people, so that all generations would bless the Lord for blessing her; the thoughts that out of many hearts would be revealed, making her agony, whatever it might be, worthwhile; the numbers that would give up all, and would set about their Father’s business, just because her Son had said the word, and given the example, in giving up even her, His dearly loved Mother.

Summary Meditation Points:

Our Lady is a soul of few words.
But a soul of much meditation; and the matter and manner of her meditations are not difficult to discover. “To restore all things in Christ,” might be given as their common title.
Hence one may easily estimate what it was she kept in her heart.

Editor’s Note: This meditation is from Archbishop Alban Goodier’s “The Prince of Peace” (1913).

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