Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 02-07-2021

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 1
29.	And immediately going out of the synagogue they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.	Et protinus egredientes de synagoga, venerunt in domum Simonis et Andreæ, cum Jacobo et Joanne.	και ευθεως εκ της συναγωγης εξελθοντες ηλθον εις την οικιαν σιμωνος και ανδρεου μετα ιακωβου και ιωαννου
30.	And Simon's wife's mother lay in a fit of a fever: and forthwith they tell him of her.	Decumbebat autem socrus Simonis febricitans : et statim dicunt ei de illa.	η δε πενθερα σιμωνος κατεκειτο πυρεσσουσα και ευθεως λεγουσιν αυτω περι αυτης
31.	And coming to her, he lifted her up, taking her by the hand; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.	Et accedens elevavit eam, apprehensa manu ejus : et continuo dimisit eam febris, et ministrabat eis.	και προσελθων ηγειρεν αυτην κρατησας της χειρος αυτης και αφηκεν αυτην ο πυρετος ευθεως και διηκονει αυτοις
32.	And when it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all that were ill and that were possessed with devils.	Vespere autem facto cum occidisset sol, afferebant ad eum omnes male habentes, et dæmonia habentes :	οψιας δε γενομενης οτε εδυ ο ηλιος εφερον προς αυτον παντας τους κακως εχοντας και τους δαιμονιζομενους
33.	And all the city was gathered together at the door.	et erat omnis civitas congregata ad januam.	και η πολις ολη επισυνηγμενη ην προς την θυραν
34.	And he healed many that were troubled with divers diseases; and he cast out many devils, and he suffered them not to speak, because they knew him.	Et curavit multos, qui vexabantur variis languoribus, et dæmonia multa ejiciebat, et non sinebat ea loqui, quoniam sciebant eum.	και εθεραπευσεν πολλους κακως εχοντας ποικιλαις νοσοις και δαιμονια πολλα εξεβαλεν και ουκ ηφιεν λαλειν τα δαιμονια οτι ηδεισαν αυτον
35.	And rising very early, going out, he went into a desert place: and there he prayed.	Et diluculo valde surgens, egressus abiit in desertum locum, ibique orabat.	και πρωι εννυχον λιαν αναστας εξηλθεν και απηλθεν εις ερημον τοπον κακει προσηυχετο
36.	And Simon, and they that were with him, followed after him.	Et prosecutus est eum Simon, et qui cum illo erant.	και κατεδιωξαν αυτον ο σιμων και οι μετ αυτου
37.	And when they had found him, they said to him: All seek for thee.	Et cum invenissent eum, dixerunt ei : Quia omnes quærunt te.	και ευροντες αυτον λεγουσιν αυτω οτι παντες σε ζητουσιν
38.	And he saith to them: Let us go into the neighbouring towns and cities, that I may preach there also; for to this purpose am I come.	Et ait illis : Eamus in proximos vicos, et civitates, ut et ibi prædicem : ad hoc enim veni.	και λεγει αυτοις αγωμεν εις τας εχομενας κωμοπολεις ινα και εκει κηρυξω εις τουτο γαρ εξεληλυθα
39.	And he was preaching in their synagogues, and in all Galilee, and casting out devils.	Et erat prædicans in synagogis eorum, et in omni Galilæa, et dæmonia ejiciens.	και ην κηρυσσων εν ταις συναγωγαις αυτων εις ολην την γαλιλαιαν και τα δαιμονια εκβαλλων

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Mark CHAP. 1

1:29–31

29. And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

30. But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

31. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

BEDE. (in Marc. i. 7) First, it was right that the serpent’s tongue should be shut up, that it might not spread any more venom; then that the woman, who was first seduced, should be healed from the fever of carnal concupiscence. Wherefore it is said, And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, &c.

THEOPHYLACT. He retired then as the custom was on the sabbath-day about evening to eat in His disciples’ house. But she who ought to have ministered was prevented by a fever. Wherefore it goes on, But Simon’s wife’s mother was lying sick of a fever.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (v. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc. c. 1:32) But the disciples, knowing that they were to receive a benefit by that means, without waiting for the evening prayed that Peter’s mother should be healed. Wherefore there follows, who immediately tell him of her.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) But in the Gospel of Luke it is written, that they besought him for her. (Luke 4:38.) For the Saviour sometimes after being asked, sometimes of His own accord, heals the sick, shewing that He always assents to the prayers of the faithful, when they pray also against bad passions, and some times gives them to understand things which they do not understand at all, or else, when they pray unto Him dutifully, forgives their want of understanding; as the Psalmist begs of God, Cleanse me, O Lord, from my secret faults. (Ps. 19:12) Wherefore He heals her at their request; for there follows, And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up.

THEOPHYLACT. By this it is signified, that God will heal a sick man, if he ministers to the Saints, through love to Christ.

BEDE. (in Marc. i. 6, 8) But in that He gives most profusely His gifts of healing and doctrine on the sabbath day, He teaches, that He is not under the Law, but above the Law, and does not choose the Jewish sabbath, but the true sabbath, and our rest is pleasing to the Lord, if, in order to attend to the health of our souls, we abstain from slavish work, that is, from all unlawful things. It goes on, and immediately the fever left her, &c. The health which is conferred at the command of the Lord, returns at once entire, accompanied with such strength, that she is able to minister to those, of whose help she had before stood in need. Again, if we suppose that the man delivered from the devil means, in the moral way of interpretation, the soul purged from unclean thoughts, fitly does the woman cured of a fever by the command of God mean the flesh, restrained from the heat of its concupiscence by the precepts of continence.

PSEUDO-JEROME. For the fever means intemperance, from which, we the sons of the synagoguek, by the hand of discipline, and by the lifting up of our desires, are healed, and minister to the will of Him who heals us.

THEOPHYLACT. But he has a fever who is angry, and in the unruliness of his anger stretches forth his hands to do hurt; but if reason restrains his hands, he will arise, and so serve reason.

1:32–34

32. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

33. And all the city was gathered together at the door.

34. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

THEOPHYLACT. Because the multitude thought that it was not lawful to heal on the sabbath day, they waited for the evening, to bring those who were to be healed to Jesus. Wherefore it is said, And at even, when the sun had set. There follows, and he healed many that were vexed with divers diseases.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Now in that he says many, all are to be understood according to the Scripture mode of expression.

THEOPHYLACT. Or he says many, because there were some faithless persons, who could not at all be cured on account of their unfaithfulness. Therefore He healed many of those who were brought, that is, all who had faith. It goes on, and cast out many devils.

PSEUDO-AUGUSTINE. (Pseudo Aug. Quæst. e Vet. et Nov. Test. xvi.) For the devils knew that He was the Christ, who had been promised by the Law: for they saw in Him all the signs, which had been foretold by the Prophets; but they were ignorant of His divinity, as also were their princes, for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Cor. 2:8)

BEDE. (ubi sup.) For, Him whom the devil had known as a man, wearied by His forty days’ fast, without being able by tempting Him to prove whether He was the Son of God, he now by the power of His miracles understood or rather suspected to be the Son of God. The reason therefore why he persuaded the Jews to crucify Him, was not because he did not think that He was the Son of God, but because he did not foresee that he himself was to be condemned by Christ’s death.

THEOPHYLACT. Furthermore, the reason that He forbade the devils to speak, was to teach us not to believe them, even if they say true. For if once they find persons to believe them, they mingle truth with falsehood.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) And Luke does not contradict this, when he says, that devils came out of many, crying out and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God: (Luke 4:41) for he subjoins, And he rebuking them, suffered them not to speak; for Mark, who passes over many things for the sake of brevity, speaks about what happened subsequently to the abovementioned words.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) Again, in a mystical sense, the setting of the sun signifies the passion of Him, who said, As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5) And when the sun was going down, more demoniacs and sick persons were healed than before: because He who living in the flesh for a time taught a few Jews, has transmitted the gifts of faith and health to all the Gentiles throughout the world.

PSEUDO-JEROME. But the door of the kingdom, morally, is repentance and faith, which works health for various diseases; for divers are the vices, with which the city of this world is sick.

1:35–39

35. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

36. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

37. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

38. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

39. And he preached in their synagogues through out all Galilee, and cast out devils.

THEOPHYLACT. After that the Lord had cured the sick, He retired apart. Wherefore it is said, And rising very early in the morning, he went out and departed into a desert place. By which He taught us not to do any thing for the sake of appearance, but if we do any good, not to publish it openly. It goes on, and there prayed.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Not that He required prayer; for it was He who Himself received the prayers of men; but He did this by way of an economy, and became to us the model of good works.

THEOPHYLACT. For He shews to us that we ought to attribute to God whatever we do well, and to say to Him, Every good gift cometh down from above, (James 1:17) from Thee. It continues: And Simon followed him, and they that were with him.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Luke however says, that crowds came to Christ, and spoke what Mark here relates that the Apostles said, adding, And when they came to him, they said to him, All seek thee. (Luke 4:42) But they do not contradict each other; for Christ received after the Apostles the multitude, breathlessly anxious to embrace His feet. He received them willingly, but chose to dismiss them, that the rest also might be partakers of His doctrine, as He was not to remain long in the world. And therefore there follows: And he said, Let us go into the neighbouring villages and towns, that there also I may preach.

THEOPHYLACT. For He passes on to them as being more in need, since it was not right to shut up doctrine in one place, but to throw out his rays every where. It goes on: For therefore am I come.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) In which word, He manifests the mystery of His emptying himself, (Phil. 2:7) that is, of His incarnation, and the sovereignty of His divine nature, in that He here asserts, that He came willingly into the world. Luke however says, To this end was I sent, proclaiming the Dispensation, and the good pleasure of God the Father concerning the incarnation of the Son. There follows: And he continued preaching in their synagogues, in all Galilee.

AUGUSTINE. (de Cons. Evan. ii. 19) But by this preaching, which, he says, He continued in all Galilee, is also meant the sermon of the Lord delivered on the mount, which Matthew mentions, and Mark has entirely passed over, without giving any thing like it, save that he has repeated some sentences not in continuous order, but in scattered places, spoken by the Lord at other times.

THEOPHYLACT. He also mingled action with teaching, for whilst employed in preaching, He afterwards put to flight devils. For there follows: And casting out devils. For unless Christ shewed forth miracles, His teaching would not be believed; so do thou also, after teaching, work, that thy word be not fruitless in thyself.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) Again mystically if by the setting of the sun, the death of the Saviour is intended, why should not His resurrection be intended by the returning dawn? For by its clear light, He went far into the wilderness of the Gentiles, and there continued praying in the person of His faithful disciples, for He aroused their hearts by the grace of the Holy Spirit to the virtue of prayer.

Catena Aurea Mark 1

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

For: Sunday, February 7, 2021
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: Job 7:1-4, 6-7

Only the Sufferer Can Know His Own Grief (Continuation)
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(Then Job answered,) [1] "Has not man a hard service upon earth, and are not his days like the days of a hireling? [2] Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a hireling who looks for his wages, [3] so I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me. [4] When I lie down I say, 'When shall I arise?' But the night is long, and I am full of tossing till the dawn. [6] My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and come to their end without hope.

[7] "Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good."

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Commentary:

7:1-2. Well aware that his particular case is by no means unique, Job applies general statements (vv. 1-2) to his own predicament (3:10). The references to military service (cf. 14:14) and the position of a hireling graphically describe the limitations man labors under his whole life long. They are in line with biblical teaching about the plight of the world resulting from original sin and personal sins. This dramatic situation “makes man’s life a battle: ‘The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield, man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God’s grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.’ (Gaudium Et Spes, 37)” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 409).

No one can escape this struggle. However, as we know from experience, not everyone strives in the same way. “Man’s life on earth is warfare, and his days are spent under the burden of work. No one escapes this law, not even the easygoing who try to turn a deaf ear to it. They desert the ranks of Christ, and then take up other battles to satisfy their laziness, their vanity, or their petty ambitions. They become enslaved to their every whim. Since to be in a state of struggle is part and parcel of the human condition, let us try to fulfill our obligations with determination. Let us pray and work with good will, with upright motives and with our sights set on what God wants. This way our longing for Love will be satisfied and we shall progress along the path to sanctity, even if we find at the end of the day that we still have a long way to go” (St J. Escriva, Friends of God, 217).

7:7-10. In a supplication which begins formally with the word "Remember", Job argues that if death marks the end for him, then his suffering makes no sense; we can see that he is still very much taken up with the idea that death is a sort of goal and that it means the end of all the anguish of life (cf. 3:11-19; 10:20-22; 14:1-22). This approach belongs to a time when the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was as yet unclear. However, what Job says should not be taken as implying that there is no future life; it simply shows that he is so overwhelmed that he desires his suffering to cease as soon as possible. "Job spoke these words to register the fact that life is a very fragile thing--and, especially, to make the point that a person who dies never returns to this life of corruptibility and never again will pick up his ordinary life where he left off' (Didymus the Blind, In Iob, ad loc.).

From: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23

St Paul Does Not Exercise This Right
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[16] For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! [17] For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. [18] What then is my reward? Just this: that in my preaching I may make the gospel free of charge, not making full use of my right in the gospel.

[19] For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. [22] To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. [23] I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

The Need for Asceticism
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[24] Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. [25] Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. [26] Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air, but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

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Commentary:

15-18. As he already said in v. 12, St Paul makes it clear that he has not exercised so far, nor does he envisage doing so, his right to be supported by the faithful. Conscious that his God-given calling obliges him to preach the Gospel, he prefers to carry out that mission without receiving anything in exchange. His attitude shows both his greatness and his humility: he faces every kind of suffering, privation and danger for the sake of the Gospel (cf. 2 Cor 11:23-33), and yet he considers that he is doing no more than his duty. His policy recalls our Lord's teaching: "When you have done all that is commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty"' (Lk 17:10; cf. Mt 10:8).

To keep to this self-imposed policy, St Paul had to add to all his work of evangelization the additional effort to earn his own living. In the Acts of the Apostles, for example, we learn of his manual work in Corinth (18:3) and Ephesus (20:34); and he himself tells the Thessalonians that "we worked night and day, that we would not burden any of you, while we preached to you the gospel of God" (1 Thess 2:9; 2 Thess 3:9). Only in the case of the Philippians for whom he had very particular affection, did he allow any exception to this rule (cf. Phil 4:15-16). However, at no time did he feel that others were doing wrong in acting differently, "for the Lord had disposed that those who proclaim the Gospel be supported by it [...]. But he [Paul] went further and chose not even to take what was his due" (St Augustine, Sermon 46, 4).

16. The Church has often used these words of St Paul to remind the faithful that our Lord has called them to the apostolate through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. The Second Vatican Council explains what this apostolate involves: "The witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers to draw them towards the faith, or to the faithful to instruct them, strengthen them, incite them to a more fervent life; 'for Christ's love urges us on' (2 Cor 5:14), and in the hearts of all should the Apostle's words find echo: 'Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel' (1 Cor 9:16)" (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 6).

St John Chrysostom anticipates the kinds of excuse people might offer to avoid this duty: "There is nothing colder than a Christian who is not concerned about the salvation of others [...]. Do not say, I cannot help others: for, if you are truly a Christian it is impossible not to. Natural objects have properties that cannot be denied; the same is true of what I have just said, because it is the nature of a Christian to act in that way. Do not offend God by deception. If you said that the sun cannot shine, you would be committing an offense against God and making a liar of him. It is easier for the sinner to shine or give warmth than for a Christian to cease to give light: it is easier for that to happen than for light to become darkness. Do not say that that is impossible: what is impossible is the contrary [...]. If we behave in the correct way, everything else will follow as a natural consequence. The light of Christians cannot be hidden, a lamp shining so brightly cannot be hidden" (Hom. on Acts, 20).

19-23. Because he is one with Christ (cf. Gal 2:20), who "came not to be served but to serve, and to give us his life as a ransom for many" (Mt 20:28), the Apostle makes himself "all things to all men", so generous is he and so eager to save as many souls as possible, at the cost of whatever sacrifice and humiliation might be involved. "A Christian has to be ready to share his life with everyone at all times, giving to everyone the chance to come nearer to Christ Jesus. He has to sacrifice his own desires willingly for the sake of others, without separating people into watertight compartments, without pigeonholing them or putting tags on them as though they were merchandise or insect specimens. A Christian cannot afford to separate himself from others, because, if he did that, his life would be miserably selfish. He must become 'all things to all men, in order to save all men' (1 Cor 9:22)" (St. J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 124).

Obviously this concern for others should not lead to diluting the truths of faith. Referring to this point, St. Pope Paul VI wrote: "The apostle's art is a risky one. The desire to come together as brothers must not lead to a watering down or subtracting from the truth. Our dialogue must not weaken our attachment to our faith. In our apostolate we cannot make vague compromises about the principles of faith and action on which our profession of Christianity is based. An immoderate desire to make peace and sink differences at all costs is, fundamentally, a kind of skepticism about the power and content of the Word of God which we desire to preach. Only one who is completely faithful to the teaching of Christ can be an apostle. And only he who lives his Christian life to the full can remain uncontaminated by the errors with which he comes into contact" (Ecclesiam Suam, 33).

24-27. These similes taken from athletics would have been appropriate for the Corinthians, for their city hosted the biennial Isthmus games. Often, when speaking about the Christian life, the Apostle uses metaphors taken from sport-races (cf. Gal 5:7; Phil 3:12-14; 2 Tim 4:7), combats (1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 4:7) and laurel crowns (2 Tim 4:8).

A Christian's life on earth must needs involve interior striving; he should approach this with in a competitive, sportive spirit, facing up to any sacrifices that prove necessary, and not letting obstacles, failures or personal limitation get him down: "We should not be surprised to find, in our body and soul, the needle of pride, sensuality, envy, laziness and the desire to dominate others. This is a fact of life, proven by our personal experience. It is the point of departure and the normal context for winning in this intimate sport, this race toward our Father's house. St Paul says: "I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified' (1 Cor 9:26) [...]. In this adventure of love we should not be depressed by our falls, not even by serious falls, if we go to God in the sacrament of Penance contrite and resolved to improve. A Christian is not a neurotic collector of good behavior reports. Jesus Christ our Lord was moved as much by Peter's repentance after his fall as by John's innocence and faithfulness. Jesus understands our weakness and draws us to himself on an inclined plane. He wants us to make an effort to climb a little each day" (Christ Is Passing By, 75).

27. While we are in this present life, our perseverance can never be taken for granted: "Let no one feel assured of this gift with an absolute certainty, although all ought to have most secure hope in the help of God. For unless we are unfaithful to his grace, God will bring the good work to perfection, just as he began it, working both the will, and the performance (cf. Phil 2:13)" (Council of Trent, De Iustificatione, chap. 13). Therefore, the Apostle points out, the ascetical effort which every person must keep on making in this life includes physical mortification and self-control. Helped by God's grace and confident of his mercy, a Christian who makes this effort will be able to say as St Paul did at the end of his life, "there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day" (2 Tim 4:8).

From: Mark 1:29-39

The Curing of Peter's Mother-In-Law
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[29] And immediately He (Jesus) left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. [30] Now Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told Him of her. [31] And He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her; and she served them.

Jesus Cures Many Sick People
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[32] That evening, at sundown, they brought to Him all who were sick or possessed with demons. [33] And the whole city was gathered together about the door. [34] And He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Jesus Goes To a Lonely Place To Pray
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[35] And in the morning, a great while before day, He rose and went out to a lonely place, and there He prayed. [36] And Simon and those who were with Him followed Him, [37] and they found Him and said to Him, "Everyone is searching for you." [38] And He said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out." [39] And He went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

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Commentary:

34. Demons possess a supernatural type of knowledge and therefore they recognize Jesus as the Messiah (Mark 1:24). Through the people they possess they are able to publish this fact. But our Lord, using His divine powers, orders them to be silent. On other occasions He also silences His disciples (Mark 8:30; 9:9), and He instructs people whom He has cured not to talk about their cure (Mark 1:4; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26). He may have acted in this way to educate the people away from a too human and political idea of the Messiah (Matthew 9:30). Therefore, He first awakens their interest by performing miracles and gradually, through His preaching, gives them a clearer understanding of the kind of Messiah He is.

Some Fathers of the Church point out that Jesus does not want to accept, in support of the truth, the testimony of him who is the father of lies.

35. Many passages of the New Testament make reference to Jesus praying. The evangelists point to Him praying only on specially important occasions during His public ministry: Baptism (Luke 3:1), the choosing of the Twelve (Luke 6:12), the first multiplication of the loaves (Mark 6:46), the Transfiguration (Luke 9:29), in the garden of Gethsemane prior to His passion (Matthew 26:39), etc. Mark for his part, refers to Jesus' prayer at three solemn moments: at the beginning of His public ministry (1:35), in the middle of it (6:46), and at the end, in Gethsemane (14:32).

Jesus' prayer is prayer of perfect praise to the Father; it is prayer of petition for Himself and for us; and it also a model for His disciples. It is a prayer of perfect praise and thanksgiving because He is God's beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased (cf. Mark 1:11). It is a prayer of petition because the first spontaneous movement of a soul who recognizes God as Father is to ask Him for things. Jesus' prayer, as we see in very many passages (e.g. John 17:9ff) was a continuous petition to the Father for the work of redemption which He, Jesus, had to achieve through prayer and sacrifice.

Our Lord wants to give us an example of the kind of attitude a Christian should have: he should make a habit of addressing God as son to Father in the midst of and through his everyday activities--work, family life, personal relationships, apostolate -- so as to give his life a genuinely Christian meaning, for, as Jesus will point out later on, "apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

"You write: 'To pray is to talk with God. But about what?' About what? About Him, about yourself: joys, sorrows, successes and failures, noble ambitions, daily worries, weaknesses! And acts of thanksgiving and petitions: and love and reparation. In a word: to get to know Him and to get to know yourself: 'to get acquainted!'" (St. J. Escriva, The Way).

38. Jesus tells us here that His mission is to preach, to spread the Good News. He was sent for this purpose (Luke 4:43). The Apostles, in turn, were chosen by Jesus to be preachers (Mark 3:14; 16:15). Preaching is the method selected by God to effect salvation: "it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21). This is why St. Paul says to Timothy: "Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and teaching" (2 Timothy 4:1-2). Faith comes from hearing, we are told in Romans 10:17, where St. Paul enthusiastically quotes Isaiah: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!" (Romans 10:15; Isaiah 52:7).

The Church identifies preaching the Gospel as one of the main tasks of bishops and priests. St. Pius X went so far as saying that "for a priest there is no duty more grave or obligation more binding (to dispel ignorance)" (Acerbo Nimis). In this connection Vatican II states: "The people of God is formed into one in the first place by the Word of the living God (cf. 1 Peter 1:23; Acts 6:7; 12:24), which is quite rightly sought from the mouths of priests (2 Corinthians 11:7).

For since nobody can be saved who has not first believed (Mark 16:16), it is the first task of priests as co-workers of the bishops to preach the Gospel of God to all men (2 Corinthians 11:7). In this way they carry out the Lord's command 'Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature' (Mark 16:15) (cf. Malachi 2:7; 1 Timothy 4:11-13; etc.) and thus set up and increase the people of God" (Presbyterorum Ordinis).

Jesus' preaching is not just limited to words: He backs up His teaching with His authority and with deeds. The Church also has been sent to preach salvation and to effect the work of salvation which it proclaims--a work done through the Sacraments and especially through the renewal of the sacrifice of Calvary in the Mass (Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 6).

In the Church of God all of us should listen devoutly to the preaching of the Gospel and we all should feel a responsibility to spread the Gospel by our words and actions. It is the responsibility of the hierarchy of the Church to teach the Gospel authentically -- on the authority of Christ.

Daily Word For Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

"The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: "All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 116)

Logical Bible Study podcast on the daily mass Gospel reading for Sunday, February 7, 2021. Today's Gospel reading is Mark 1:29-39, “He cast out devils and cured many who were suffering from disease.”

Logical Bible Study - February 7

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Jerusalem Bible translation (used in this study):

On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to wait on them.

That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.

In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.

NABRE translation (USA):

On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

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Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs for this passage:

- 2602 (in 'Jesus prays') - Jesus often draws apart to pray in solitude, on a mountain, preferably at night. He includes all men in his prayer, for he has taken on humanity in his incarnation, and he offers them to the Father when he offers himself. Jesus, the Word who has become flesh, shares by his human prayer in all that “his brethren” experience; he sympathizes with their weaknesses in order to free them. It was for this that the Father sent him. His words and works are the visible manifestation of his prayer in secret.

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Questions for discussion, reflection and personal application:

1. How does the healing Jesus performs in this passage (verses 30-31) compare with the exorcism we heard about last week (verse 25)? What new realm of Jesus’ authority is seen here?
2. How do you picture the scene in verses 32-34? Why does Jesus silence the demons?
3. After a day like this passage describes, what pressures could Jesus be feeling as a new day dawns? How might this relate to his decision to move on (verse 38)?
4. What do you think Jesus prayed for during his prayer time?
5. What do you do when you need to get away and be with God?
6. What goals would you like to set for your “quiet time” with God—for example, a certain amount of time, saying the Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet, or a Scripture reading plan?

(Questions from Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics and adapted from The Catholic Serendipity Bible For Personal and Small Group Study (NAB), Zondervan, 1999, The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Gospel of Mark, Ignatius Press, 2001-2010, and from the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: Mark, Baker Academic, 2008)

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Meditation on the Gospel Reading from Daily Scripture Reading and Meditations :

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Readings at Mass

My life is but a breath

I should be punished if I did not preach the Gospel

He cast out devils and cured many who were suffering from disease

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Mark CHAP. 1