The Return Of The Twelve

FEBRUARY 03, 2024 - SATURDAY
Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
Optional Memorial of Saint Ansgar, Bishop (White)
Optional Memorial of Saint Blase, Bishop and Martyr (Red)
Lectionary: 328
CYCLE B - YEAR II

Reading 1
1 Kgs 3:4-13

Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,
because that was the most renowned high place.
Upon its altar Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings.
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered:
“You have shown great favor to your servant, my father David,
because he behaved faithfully toward you,
with justice and an upright heart;
and you have continued this great favor toward him, even today,
seating a son of his on his throne.
O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant,
king to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him: “Because you have asked for this–
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right–
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.
In addition, I give you what you have not asked for,
such riches and glory that among kings there is not your like.”

Responsorial Psalm
PS 119:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

R. (12b) Lord, teach me your statutes.

How shall a young man be faultless in his way?
By keeping to your words.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

Within my heart I treasure your promise,
that I may not sin against you.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your statutes.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

With my lips I declare
all the ordinances of your mouth.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

Alleluia
Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 6:30-34

The Apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them,
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.
When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.

REFLECTION:

Jesus cares about me and invites me too to come away and rest a while. I will be helped if I can go to a ‘deserted place’ occasionally to allow my soul to catch up. Otherwise, as T. S. Eliot says, I have the experience of God’s action in my life, but miss its meaning because I don’t give time to reflection.

I may be too busy or too poor ‘to get away from it all’. It can restore my frayed nerves and re-orient me to what really matters. I will never regret the time I give to this daily encounter with God.

PRAYER:

Lord, there are times when I want to get away from the crowds, when I feel oppressed by company. There are other times when I just wish that somebody knew that I exist; I can have too much of aloneness. If I can reach you in prayer and know that you are more central to me than my own thoughts, I feel at peace, as the apostles must have felt.

The Child Was Filled With Wisdom (FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD - B)

FEBRUARY 02, 2024 - FRIDAY
FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD (White)
WORLD DAY FOR CONSECRATED AND RELIGIOUS LIFE
Lectionary: 524
CYCLE B - YEAR II

Reading 1
Mal 3:1-4

Thus says the Lord GOD:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 24:7, 8, 9, 10

R. (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!

R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.

R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!

R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Who is this king of glory?
The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.

R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Reading 2
Heb 2:14-18

Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.

Alleluia
Lk 2:32

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

A light of revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Lk 2:22-40

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
—and you yourself a sword will pierce—
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

Or

LK 2:22-32

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”

REFLECTION:

At the Presentation in the Temple, Mary and Joseph made ‘the Offering of the Poor’ – two pigeons instead of the lamb which was the offering of the better-off. They met Simeon, one of ‘the Quiet in the Land’ Jews who awaited God’s coming to his people in a spirit of prayer and quiet watchfulness, rather than the expectation of a triumphant warlord. In my prayer I join Mary in listening to Simeon’s lovely but loaded message.

PRAYER:

Jesus, you share my humanity in every way. Like you I want to grow and become strong, filled with wisdom. I still have miles to go before I sleep. May the favor of God be with me as with you.

Jesus Sends Out The Twelve Two By Two

FEBRUARY 01, 2024 - THURSDAY
Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
Lectionary: 326
CYCLE B - YEAR II

Reading 1
1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12

When the time of David's death drew near,
he gave these instructions to his son Solomon:
"I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
as they are written in the law of Moses,
that you may succeed in whatever you do,
wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill
the promise he made on my behalf when he said,
'If your sons so conduct themselves
that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart
and with their whole soul,
you shall always have someone of your line
on the throne of Israel.'"
David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.
The length of David's reign over Israel was forty years:
he reigned seven years in Hebron
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David,
with his sovereignty firmly established.

Responsorial Psalm
1 Chronicles 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12bcd

R. (12b) Lord, you are exalted over all.

"Blessed may you be, O LORD,
God of Israel our father,
from eternity to eternity."

R. Lord, you are exalted over all.

"Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory."

R. Lord, you are exalted over all.

"LORD, you are exalted over all.
Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty;
you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you."

R. Lord, you are exalted over all.

"In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all."

R. Lord, you are exalted over all.

Alleluia
Mk 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
"Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them."
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,

and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

REFLECTION:

We are all sent out by Jesus to do the things he gave most of his time to. So each of us is invited to pray so that we remain in touch with the Good News that we are then invited to preach, each in his or her unique way. Mostly, we do this by our love for those we meet each day for it is this that more than anything else heals people and sets them free from the demons that make them feel insignificant or bad about themselves.

The best portion of a good person's life “is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love” (William Wordsworth). Be with Jesus in a quiet place for some time and then listen to his appreciation of how life-giving are your “little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love”.

PRAYER:

Lord I pray that strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, I may radiate the light of your love to those I encounter in my daily life. Help me to have a deeper understanding of the needs of others and give me the courage to witness the joy of my faith.