Christ preaching at the seaport
Jan Brueghel
1597
London, Private Collection
Posted on 01/22/2020 9:11:01 PM PST by Salvation
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.
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.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.
For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Vincent, please go here.
For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Marianne Cope, please go here.
KEYWORDS: catholic; mk3; ordinarytime; prayer; saints;
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From: 1 Samuel 18:6-9, 19:1-7
Saul’s Jealousy of David
David Flees
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Commentary:
18:6-16. Saul’s admiration of David after the defeat of Goliath soon turned into envy and jealousy. The more the people’s regard and enthusiasm for David grew (to the point of composing a chant in his honor: cf. 21:12; 29:5), the more jealous the king became. Saul’sattempt on David’s life (cf. 19:9-10) confirms Saul’s malice and baseness. The key to this episode is provided by the text: “The Lord was with (David) and had departed from Saul” (v. 12; cf. 18:28). David’s successes (18:5, 14-15) are due to his skill but above all to God, who protects him.
19:1-24. David’s flight from the court of Saul allows the writer to include some episodes (not interconnected) which serve to highlight the difference between the baseness of Saul, and David’s generosity and shrewdness. At a formal government meeting (vv. 1-7) Saul proposes that David be killed. The only opposing voice is that of Jonathan, who stands up for his best friend. Friendship triumphs. Then in an informal situation at home Saul’s viciousness leads him to throw his spear at his shield-bearer, but David proves too quick. These two episodesare repeated—the first, at greater length in chapter 20, and the second, almost word for word, in 18:10-11. The sacred writer includes them here in passing, the more to contrast the two men.
The third episode takes place in David’s own house (vv. 11-17). Michal, his wife, cleverly arranges a trick to help David escape and frustrate her father’s plans. Saul can see that even his own daughter has abandoned him and is on David’s side. On the “image” (”teraphim”), see the note on Judges 17:5.
The last event (vv. 18-24) also has its parallel (10:10-12); both passages justify the popular saying recorded in v. 24: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” However, in this context the episode is a sort of legal suit in which Samuel is the witness and God the judge the verdict is in David’s favor, and Saul is condemned. Samuel who in his time anointed both of them and later came out in favor of David and against Saul (cf. 13:13-14), can now see that the Lord himself with his spirit is thwarting the evil intentions of Saul and preventing him from reaching David’s base. At Gibe-ah (cf. 1 Sam 10:9ff) a prophetical ecstasy was a method the Lord used to make known his plans for Saul, but now, here at Ramah, the ecstasy paralyzes Saul, leaves him naked for a whole day and prevents him from doing away with David. This is the final proof, solemnized by the presence of Samuel that David is the one who enjoys the Lord’s protection, whereas Saul has been rejected.
From: Mark 3:7-12
Cures Beside the Sea of Galilee
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Commentary:
10. During our Lord’s public life people were constantly crowding round Him to be cured (cf. Luke 6:19; 8:45; etc). As in the case of many other cures, St. Mark gives us a graphic account of what Jesus did to these people (cf. Mark 1:31, 41; 7:31-37; 8:22-26; John 9:1-7, 11, 15). By working these cures our Lord shows that He is both God and man: He cures by virtue of His divine power and using His human nature. In other words, only in the Word of God become man is the work of our Redemption effected, and the instrument God used to save us was the human nature of Jesus—His Body and Soul—in the unity of the person of the Word (cf. Vatican II, “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, 5).
This crowding round Jesus is repeated by Christians of all times: the holy human nature of our Lord is our only route to salvation; it is the essential means we must use to unite ourselves to God. Thus, we can today approach our Lord by means of the sacraments, especially and pre-eminently the Eucharist. And through the sacraments there flows to us, from God, through the human nature of the Word, a strength which cures those who receive the sacraments with faith (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, “Summa theologiae”, III, q. 62, a. 5).
Liturgical Colour: Green.
| First reading |
|---|
| 1 Samuel 18:6-9,19:1-7 © |
| Responsorial Psalm |
|---|
| Psalm 55(56):2-3,9-14 © |
| Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn6:63,68 |
|---|
| Or: | cf.2Tim1:10 |
|---|
| Gospel | Mark 3:7-12 © |
|---|
| Mark | |||
| English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
| Mark 3 |
|||
| 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.
Most of what we know about this saint comes from the poet Prudentius. His Acts have been rather freely colored by the imagination of their compiler. But Saint Augustine, in one of his sermons on Saint Vincent, speaks of having the Acts of his martyrdom before him. We are at least sure of his name, his being a deacon, the place of his death and burial.
According to the story we have, the unusual devotion he inspired must have had a basis in a very heroic life. Vincent was ordained deacon by his friend Saint Valerius of Zaragossa in Spain. The Roman emperors had published their edicts against the clergy in 303, and the following year against the laity. Vincent and his bishop were imprisoned in Valencia. Hunger and torture failed to break them. Like the youths in the fiery furnace, they seemed to thrive on suffering.
Valerius was sent into exile, and Dacian, the Roman governor, now turned the full force of his fury on Vincent. Tortures that sound very modern were tried. But their main effect was the progressive disintegration of Dacian himself. He had the torturers beaten because they failed.
Finally he suggested a compromise: Would Vincent at least give up the sacred books to be burned according to the emperor’s edict? He would not. Torture on the gridiron continued, the prisoner remaining courageous, the torturer losing control of himself. Vincent was thrown into a filthy prison cell—and converted the jailer. Dacian wept with rage, but strangely enough, ordered the prisoner to be given some rest.
Friends among the faithful came to visit him, but he was to have no earthly rest. When they finally settled him on a comfortable bed, he went to his eternal rest.
The martyrs are heroic examples of what God’s power can do. It is humanly impossible, we realize, for someone to go through tortures such as Vincent had and remain faithful. But it is equally true that by human power alone no one can remain faithful even without torture or suffering. God does not come to our rescue at isolated, “special” moments. God is supporting the super-cruisers as well as children’s toy boats.
Marianne Cope was born in Germany and was brought to New York state by her parents when she was still a baby. She was the oldest of ten children. Her parents lived, struggled, and worked for their kids. She saw generosity in action at home everyday. She quit school after eighth grade to work in a factory to financially support her ailing father, her mother, and her many siblings. The challenges inherent to migration, a new culture, illness, a large family, and poverty turned Marianne into a serious, mature woman when she was just a teen. She fulfilled her long delayed desire to enter religious life in 1862. Once professed, she moved quickly into leadership positions. She taught in German-speaking Catholic grade schools, became a school principal, and was elected by her fellow Franciscans to positions of governance in her Order. She opened the first hospitals in her region of central New York, dedicating herself and her Order to the time-honored religious vocation of caring for the sick, regardless of their ability to pay for medical services. She was eventually elected Superior General. In her early forties she was already a woman of wide experience: serious, administratively gifted, spiritually grounded, and of great human virtues. But this was all preparation. She now began the second, great act of her drama. She went to Hawaii.
In 1883 she received a letter from the Bishop of Honolulu begging her, as Superior General, to send sisters to care for lepers in Hawaii. He had written to various other religious Orders without success. Sister Marianne was elated. She responded like the prophet Isaiah, saying, “Here I am, send me” (Is 6:8). She not only sent six sisters, she sent herself! She planned to one day return to New York but never did. For the next thirty-five years, Sister Marianne Cope became a type of recluse on remote Hawaii, giving herself completely to the will of God.
Sister Marianne and her fellow Franciscans managed one hospital, founded another, opened a home for the daughters of lepers, and, after a few years of proving themselves, opened a home for women and girls on the virtually inaccessible island of Molokai. Here her life coincided with the final months of Saint Damien de Veuster. Sister Marianne nursed the future saint in his dying days, assuring him that she and her sisters would continue his work among the lepers. After Father Damien died, the Franciscans, in addition to caring for the leprous girls, now cared for the boys as well. A male Congregation eventually relieved them of this apostolate.
Sister Marianne Cope lived the last thirty years of her life on Molokai until her death in 1918. She was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 and canonized by him in 2012. She loved the Holy Eucharist, the Virgin Mary, and the Church. And because she loved God first, she loved those whom God loves, her brothers and sisters in Christ. She sacrificed for them, left home and family for them, put her health at risk for them, and became a saint through them.
Pray for Pope Francis.
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We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.
The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
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