Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 2-09-03

Reading I
Jb 7:1-4, 6-7

Job spoke, saying:
Is not man's life on earth a drudgery?
Are not his days those of hirelings?
He is a slave who longs for the shade,
a hireling who waits for his wages.
So I have been assigned months of misery,
and troubled nights have been allotted to me.
If in bed I say,"When shall I arise?"
then the night drags on;
I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle;
they come to an end without hope.
Remember that my life is like the wind;
I shall not see happiness again.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (cf. 3a) Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading II
1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23

Brothers and sisters:
If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!
If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,
but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
What then is my recompense?
That, when I preach,
I offer the gospel free of charge
so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
Although I am free in regard to all,
I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some.
All this I do for the sake of the gospel,
so that I too may have a share in it.

Gospel
Mk 1:29-39

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.

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

St Paul Does Not Exercise This Right

[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.

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, 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).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Mark 1:29-39

The Curing of Peter's Mother-In-Law

[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

[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

[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.

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.

The World Among Us

Sunday, February 09, 2003

Meditation
Mark 1:29-39

Imagine being in the entourage of a famous athlete. Every game is sold out because of the crowd’s interest in the star player. After the game, fans clamor for an autograph or just to get a glimpse of their hero. The adulation of the crowds would surely be intoxicating, both for the athlete and all the people who surround him.

That’s one way to imagine the kind of commotion Jesus stirred up wherever he went. Even early in his ministry, the crowd’s interest in Jesus had the capacity of reaching frenzied proportions. And the scene from today’s gospel is no exception. Not only had Jesus made a deep impression on the people with his teaching, he also drove out an unclean spirit, healed Peter’s mother-in-law, and performed cures for all the sick and possessed who crowded around his door. No wonder, when Jesus disappeared early in the morning, the disciples went looking for him: Like a popular athlete, he too had fans to attend to! But Jesus gave the disciples an unexpected answer: “Let us go on” (Mark 1:38).

Jesus never allowed the admiration of the crowds to distract him from his purpose. The Father had sent him into the world to open the way for the kingdom, and Jesus worked until he reached his goal (Luke 13:32-33). He always kept his eyes on this goal, no matter how busy he was or how many people made demands on him. The gospel was everything to Jesus, and he longed to see everyone embrace his message.

Two thousand years later, Jesus remains just as focused. When he enters into our hearts at baptism and gives himself to us in the Eucharist, his one goal is to deliver us from sin and establish his kingdom in us. He wants to comfort and encourage us, and he wants to pierce our hearts with his truth, to deliver us from evil, and to commission us as his servants. Will you let Jesus reveal himself to you at Mass today? Will you let him give you a glimpse of what his kingdom can look like in your life? Are you willing to be sent out as a witness to his kingdom?

“Lord Jesus, I open my heart to you. Establish your kingdom in me. Use me to bring others to you.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, February 9, 2003 >>

5th Sunday Ordinary Time

Job 7:1-4, 6-7
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23

Psalm 147
Mark 1:29-39

View Readings

LIFE-LINES

“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope. Remember that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again.” —Job 7:6-7

Job had formerly been “healthy, wealthy, and wise.” After suffering severe tragedies, he came to the conclusion that man’s life was drudgery (Jb 7:1), slavery (Jb 7:2), and misery (Jb 7:3). Solomon, the wisest man in the world, thought everything in life was vanity (Eccl 1:2). Jesus also taught that life presented impossible problems (see Mt 19:26). Therefore, to be saved we must lose our lives (Lk 9:24).

The only hope in life is Jesus, Who is “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” (Jn 14:6) and “the Resurrection and the Life” (Jn 11:25). When our lives mean Christ (Phil 1:21), we are saved from life’s dilemmas and we have eternal life (see Jn 17:3).

Every Sunday, we have the weekly, world-wide celebration of risen life in Jesus. Even in the most difficult circumstances of life, we are full of hope, through “the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pt 1:3). Every Sunday is the day of life which imbues every other day and moment of life with a hope which will not leave us disappointed (see Rm 5:5).

Live in hope by living in Christ, our Life. Beginning with Sunday, live every day in Christ.

Prayer: Father, send me the Spirit of life so that I will love people enough to tell them there is hope in Life, that is, in Jesus.

Promise: “I do all that I do for the sake of the gospel in the hope of having a share in its blessings.” —1 Cor 9:23

Praise: Praise Jesus, our Life, Resurrection, and Hope!

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