Tuesday 29
January 2013
First reading
Hebrews
10:1-10
Since the Law has no more than a reflection
of these realities, and no finished picture of them, it is quite incapable of
bringing the worshippers to perfection, with the same sacrifices repeatedly
offered year after year. Otherwise, the offering of them would have stopped,
because the worshippers, when they had been purified once, would have no
awareness of sins. Instead of that, the sins are recalled year after year in
the sacrifices. Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins,
and this is what he said, on coming into the world:
You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,
prepared a body for me.
You took no pleasure in holocausts or
sacrifices for sin;
then I said,
just as I was commanded in the scroll of
the book,
‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey
your will.’
Notice that he says first: You did
not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the
sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and
you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to
obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the
second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body
made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the Son of God. He came, not to
offer sacrifices but to live a human life as it should be lived, that is, in
full obedience to his Father. He came as he says so often to do the will of his
Father. This was his offering to God. It cost him his Passion and Death but he
persevered till the end. Such was his love for his Father.
In the Old Testament times and maybe
even today people offer animal sacrifices. They were not nor are pleasing to
God. He is not interested in the blood of dumb animals being spilt for our
sins. Likewise we may not offer animal sacrifices but other sacrifices, such as
fasting, almsgiving, gifts to churches etc. These also are in the same category
as animal sacrifices. Unless they help us to live a life of obedience to God
our Father, they have no value in his eyes. He wants from his children
obedience out of love.
Psalm
Psalm
39:2,4,7-8,10,11
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
I waited, I waited for the Lord
and he stooped down to me;
he heard my cry.
He put a new song into my mouth,
praise of our God.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
You do not ask for sacrifice and
offerings,
but an open ear.
You do not ask for holocaust and victim.
Instead, here am I.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
Your justice I have proclaimed
in the great assembly.
My lips I have not sealed;
you know it, O Lord.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
I have not hidden your justice in my
heart
but declared your faithful help.
I have not hidden your love and your
truth
from the great assembly.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Ps118:135
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
Or
Mt11:25
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the
kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Mark
3:31-35
The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived
and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting
round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers
and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my
brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here
are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is
my brother and sister and mother.’
Jesus’ New Family
His mother and his brothers are
standing outside. Those outside are those to whom the secret of God’s kingdom
has not been granted (4:11). Mark is telling us that simple blood relationship
is not a guarantee of salvation. Jesus will also say there are people more
blessed than the one that simply suckled him. The greatness of Mary does not
lie primarily in being his biological mother. That is a gift, which does not
guarantee salvation. Did not Judas receive one of the greatest gifts? There is
no salvation without obedience. Jesus
always stresses this (11:28). Position and ministry in the Church are gifts for
others. They do not guarantee the salvation of the recipient. Those who love
and serve God are the ones who enter the Kingdom. In this matter, the Mother of
Jesus is our model for she is the “handmaid of the Lord”. What are you?
Wednesday 30
January 2013
First reading
Hebrews
10:11-18
All the priests stand at their duties
every day, offering over and over again the same sacrifices which are quite
incapable of taking sins away. He, on the other hand, has offered one single
sacrifice for sins, and then taken his place forever, at the right hand of
God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool
for him. By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal
perfection of all whom he is sanctifying. The Holy Spirit assures us of this;
for he says, first:
This is the covenant I will make with
them
when those days arrive;
and the Lord then goes on to say:
I will put my laws into their hearts
and write them on their minds.
I will never call their sins to mind,
or their offences.
When all sins have been forgiven, there
can be no more sin offerings.
The work of Salvation is the work
of God in us. He sanctifies us. We cannot sanctify ourselves. However we must
allow him to sanctify us. To do this we must follow Mary in her declaration, “I
am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your Word”. We
must put no obstacles in the way of God’s grace working in us. The greatest obstacle
is our ego.
Psalm
Psalm
109:1-4
You are a priest for ever, a priest like
Melchizedek of old.
The Lord’s revelation to my Master:
‘Sit on my right:
your foes I will put beneath your feet.’
You are a priest for ever, a priest like
Melchizedek of old.
The Lord will wield from Zion
your sceptre of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes.
You are a priest for ever, a priest like
Melchizedek of old.
A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot
you.
You are a priest for ever, a priest like
Melchizedek of old.
The Lord has sworn an oath he will not
change.
‘You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old.’
You are a priest for ever, a priest like
Melchizedek of old.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
1S3:9,Jn6:68
Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Or
Alleluia, alleluia!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the
sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for
ever.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Mark
4:1-20
Jesus began to teach by the lakeside,
but such a huge crowd gathered round him that he got into a boat on the lake
and sat there. The people were all along the shore, at the water’s edge. He
taught them many things in parables, and in the course of his teaching he said
to them, ‘Listen!, Imagine a sower going out to sow. Now it happened that, as
he sowed, some of the seed fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and
ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground where it found little soil and sprang
up straightaway, because there was no depth of earth; and when the sun came up
it was scorched and, not having any roots, it withered away. Some seed fell
into thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no crop. And
some seeds fell into rich soil and, growing tall and strong, produced crop; and
yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold.’ And he said, ‘Listen, anyone who
has ears to hear!’
When
he was alone, the Twelve, together with the others who formed his company,
asked what the parables meant. He told them, ‘The secret of the kingdom of God
is given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables, so
that they may see and see again, but not perceive; may hear and hear again, but
not understand; otherwise they might be converted and be forgiven.’
He
said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand
any of the parables? What the sower is sowing is the word. Those on the edge of
the path where the word is sown are people who have no sooner heard it than
Satan comes and carries away the word that was sown in them. Similarly, those
who receive the seed on patches of rock are people who, when first they hear
the word, welcome it at once with joy. But they have no root in them, they do
not last; should some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word,
they fall away at once. Then there are others who receive the seed in thorns.
These have heard the word, but the worries of this world, the lure of riches
and all the other passions come in to choke the word, and so it produces
nothing. And there are those who have received the seed in rich soil: they hear
the word and accept it and yield a harvest, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’
Seed and Harvest
The thrust of the
parable is that the seed though it meets unsuitable soil produces a wonderful
harvest when it falls on fertile land. Thirty, sixty and a hundredfold is very
good. When we accept Jesus into our lives wholeheartedly then we produce a
mighty harvest. Jesus said, “as long as you remain in me and I in you, you
produce much fruit”. In order to accept Jesus we have to listen to the Word of
God and repent of our sins. We cannot produce fruit without obedience to the
Word of God. Jesus through the Spirit can put a new heart in us, but we must
come to him daily with humility and sincerity begging him to heal us of our
sinfulness. If we do this constantly he is able to touch us and bring about a
harvest in us. Do you approach him daily?
Thursday 31
January 2013
First reading
Hebrews
10:19-25
Through the blood of Jesus we have the
right to enter the sanctuary, by a new way which he has opened for us, a living
opening through the curtain, that is to say, his body. And we have the supreme
high priest over all the house of God. So as we go in, let us be sincere in
heart and filled with faith, our minds sprinkled and free from any trace of bad
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us keep firm in the hope
we profess, because the one who made the promise is faithful. Let us be
concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works. Do not
stay away from the meetings of the community, as some do, but encourage each
other to go; the more so as you see the Day drawing near.
Through Jesus we have become the beloved
children of God. We can approach h God, our Father, with the utmost confidence.
We should live in his presence at all times.
Psalm
Psalm
23:1-6
Such are the men who seek your face, O
Lord.
The Lord’s is the earth and its
fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm.
Such are the men who seek your face, O
Lord.
Who shall climb the mountain of the
Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things.
Such are the men who seek your face, O
Lord.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Such are the men who seek your face, O
Lord.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Ph2:15-16
Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright
stars
because you are offering it the word of
life.
Alleluia!
Or
Ps118:105
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Mark
4:21-25
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Would you
bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it
on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed,
nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear,
let him listen to this.’
He
also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure
out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who
has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be
taken away.’
Your Light is Seen
Jesus is the
Lamp: “he who follows me will not be walking in darkness but will have the
light of life”. We have come to know Jesus as Lord. What are we doing with this
faith? We are to reveal that Jesus is Lord by our lives lived according to our
faith and the values of Jesus: sincerity, honesty, purity of heart and body,
love and concern for others. Jesus may now be hidden but one day he will be
revealed as Lord to the whole world. Do you realise this? To live in the light
of Jesus we must constantly listen to his Word. The more we are open to Jesus
and his Word then the more we will come to know him. Otherwise the little faith
we have will perish. Is the goal of your life, renewed day by day, to know
Jesus and live by his Word?
Friday 1
February 2013
First reading
Hebrews
10:32-39
Remember all the sufferings that you had
to meet after you received the light, in earlier days; sometimes by being
yourselves publicly exposed to insults and violence, and sometimes as
associates of others who were treated in the same way. For you not only shared
in the sufferings of those who were in prison, but you happily accepted being
stripped of your belongings, knowing that you owned something that was better
and lasting. Be as confident now, then, since the reward is so great. You will
need endurance to do God’s will and gain what he has promised.
Only a little while now, a very little
while,
and the one that is coming will have
come; he will not delay.
The righteous man will live by faith,
but if he draws back, my soul will take
no pleasure in him.
You and I are not the sort of people who
draw back, and are lost by it; we are the sort who keep faithful until our
souls are saved.
Jesus is our treasure. We need to have
him in love in our hearts. This come through our own constant prayer to and
with him. It is a life of faith, but nonetheless real. In faith we are to
experience the presence of Jesus within us.
Psalm
Psalm
36:3-6,23-24,39-40
The salvation of the just comes from the
Lord.
If you trust in the Lord and do good,
then you will live in the land and be
secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
he will grant your heart’s desire.
The salvation of the just comes from the
Lord.
Commit your life to the Lord,
trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like
the light,
your cause like the noon-day sun.
The salvation of the just comes from the
Lord.
The Lord guides the steps of a man
and makes safe the path of one he loves.
Though he stumble he shall never fall
for the Lord holds him by the hand.
The salvation of the just comes from the
Lord.
The salvation of the just comes from the
Lord,
their stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
and saves them: for their refuge is in
him.
The salvation of the just comes from the
Lord.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Ps118:27
Alleluia, alleluia!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts,
and I will muse on your wonders.
Alleluia!
Or
Mt11:25
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the
kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Mark
4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds, ‘This is what
the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while
he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does
not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear,
then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time:
he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’
He
also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we
find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the
soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows
into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds
of the air can shelter in its shade.’
Using
many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were
capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but
he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.
God at Work in our
Life
God is at work in the world. He is at work in you if you open yourself to him.
God has a plan for the world and a plan for you. We do not know how God works
but we need to cooperate with him. How are we to do this? We cannot see God or
hear him, but we know his will. He reveals it through the Word of God. There we
learn what he requires of us. With his grace, we must follow this. Then daily
in our prayer, we open ourselves to his guidance, allowing him to work things
out in our lives. In silence, let us invite him to take over our lives. He
works in a gentle and unobtrusive way. Our life like the mustard seed will
mature and become the home of blessings for others. Can you put your trust in
him?
Saturday 2
February 2013
First reading
Malachi
3:1-4
The Lord God says this: Look, I am going
to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking
will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are
longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to
resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he
is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as
refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold
and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be
made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as
in former days, as in the years of old.
We all need to be purified. Only God can
do this. However we must cooperate with him. We need to surrender to him. This
can only be done through prayer. Prayer is to allow God to work in us. It means
sitting quietly in the conscious awareness of God’s presence. We must do this
daily and in the course of time he will purify us from our sins and other failings.
Psalm
Psalm
23:7-10
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord,
he is the king of glory.
O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord,
he is the king of glory.
Who is the king of glory?
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant,
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord,
he is the king of glory.
O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord,
he is the king of glory.
Who is he, the king of glory?
He, the Lord of armies,
he is the king of glory.
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord,
he is the king of glory.
____________________
Second reading
Hebrews
2:14-18
Since all the children share the same
blood and flesh, Christ too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could
take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free
all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.
For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent
from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely
like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high
priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. That is, because he has
himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.
Jesus of Nazareth, though always God by
nature, emptied himself and became a human being and a servant, even a slave,
to all (Phil 2:6). He became in every way like us except that he never in any
way sinned. He had all the physical and mental limitations that every human
being has. Because of his life of loving obedience, God raised him in his
humanity to the level of God. He is now Lord to the glory of the Father. If we
share in his loving obedience to God, then he will have us share in his own
divine glory (Rev. 3:21)
Gospel
Acclamation
Lk2:32
Alleluia, alleluia!
The light to enlighten the Gentiles
and give glory to Israel, your people.
Alleluia!
Gospel
Luke
2:22-40
When the day came for them to be
purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in
the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord –
and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of
the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
Now
in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he
looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had
been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he
had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the
Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the
Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:
‘Now, Master, you can let your servant
go in peace,
just as you promised;
because my eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared for all the
nations to see,
a light to enlighten the pagans
and the glory of your people Israel.’
As the child’s father and mother stood
there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed
them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the
fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is
rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the
secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’
There
was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She
was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven
years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left
the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just
at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who
looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When
they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to
Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity,
and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.
Looking
in the Wrong Direction
Jesus is the Messiah the Israelites
have long awaited. However, he does not come in the way they expect. As a
result, the priests do not recognize him. The only ones to recognize him are
his parents, Simeon and Anna and others who humbly wait on God. He comes so
humbly that only the humble and sincere of heart realise who he is. He is the
Truth and those who love the truth acknowledge him. We must not impose our
expectations on God but allow him to act in his own way. God comes today as he
did silently in the arms of Mary but many do not recognize him. Do you recognize
him? Unless we are humble of heart and full of faith, we will miss him. How
does Jesus, Lord and Saviour, come into your life? Where can you meet him? How
can you serve him?
