Monday, January 22, 2024

23-JAN-'24, Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time


Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 318


Reading 1

2 Samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19

David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom

into the City of David amid festivities.

As soon as the bearers of the ark of the LORD had advanced six steps,

he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

Then David, girt with a linen apron,

came dancing before the LORD with abandon,

as he and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD

with shouts of joy and to the sound of the horn.

The ark of the LORD was brought in and set in its place

within the tent David had pitched for it.

Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

When he finished making these offerings,

he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.

He then distributed among all the people,

to each man and each woman in the entire multitude of Israel,

a loaf of bread, a cut of roast meat, and a raisin cake.

With this, all the people left for their homes.


Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 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!


Alleluia

See Matthew 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;

you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel

Mark 3:31-35

The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house.

Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.

A crowd seated around him told him,

"Your mother and your brothers and your sisters

are outside asking for you."

But he said to them in reply,

"Who are my mother and my brothers?"

And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,

"Here are my mother and my brothers.

For whoever does the will of God

is my brother and sister and mother."


Reflection 1

Catholic Daily Reflections


Doing the Will of God


“Here are my mother and my brothers.  For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”  Mark 3:34–35


Jesus said many things that caused people to pause and think. Today’s Gospel passage is one of those times. Just prior to the passage quoted above, Jesus was told that His mother and brothers were outside looking for Him. After hearing this, instead of going to greet them, He asked those around Him, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Then He looked around and answered His own question with the above quoted Scripture.


What may have caused some people to pause and think at that time, and even now when this passage is read, is that Jesus’ comments can easily be misunderstood. Some will conclude that He was distancing Himself from His own family and that He was even disowning them to a certain extent. But nothing could be further from the truth.


First of all, we know that Jesus had a perfect love for His dear mother Mary and that she loved Jesus with a perfect reciprocal love. As for His “brothers,” it was common to refer to one’s extended family (such as cousins) as brothers and sisters. Therefore, these brothers who were coming to see Jesus were relatives to one degree or another. And though our Blessed Mother, the mother of Jesus, was perfect in every way, Jesus’ extended family was not. Recall that some of them thought Jesus was out of his mind and tried to prevent His public ministry.


But back to our question: Was Jesus disowning His family members in some way? Certainly not. Instead, He was establishing a deeper context for His new family in grace. Though biological bonds are a gift and must be respected and cherished, the spiritual bonds established by our joint conformity to the will of God is of much greater importance. Jesus simply pointed to this fact, elevating the spiritual family bond over the purely natural. Of course, it’s also important to point out that Jesus’ mother was first and foremost His mother, not only because she gave physical birth to Jesus, but primarily because she was in perfect conformity to the will of God with Him and, thus, the most intimate member of His family by grace. And the same can be true for all of us. When we conform our wills to the will of God, we become Jesus’ “mother” in the sense that He enters our world through us. And we become His “brothers and sisters” in that we become intimate members of His eternal family and enjoy a profound and spiritual union with Him.


Reflect, today, upon the fact that you are called to be so much more than just a physical brother or sister of Christ Jesus. You are called to the most intimate and transforming familial union imaginable. And this union is more fully accomplished when you seek to fulfill the will of God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength.


Reflection 2

One Bread, One Body


DANCING IN THE AISLES


“He sacrificed an ox and a fatling. Then David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the Lord with abandon.” —2 Samuel 6:13-14


Most of us don’t dance that much, especially at church. If we did dance at church, we probably wouldn’t do it at the time for the offertory collection at Mass. However, David danced after sacrificing countless oxen and fatlings during the ark’s progress into Jerusalem (2 Sm 6:13). The total of this offering could add up to hundreds of oxen and fatlings, which could cost very many thousands of dollars in today’s economy. After David danced, he “offered holocausts and peace offerings” (2 Sm 6:17). “He then distributed among all the people, to each man and each woman in the entire multitude of Israel, a loaf of bread, a cut of roast meat, and a raisin cake” (2 Sm 6:19). David’s further offerings and his generous provision of supper for a multitude cost him at least several thousand more dollars.


Few of us have David’s monetary resources. We can’t give the Lord hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, we can give with David’s attitude. We can dance as we empty our pockets, close our savings accounts, sell what we have (Mk 10:21), and give sacrificially to the Church. We must give “not sadly, not grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7).


Give and dance; dance and give. Rejoice that God has given you something to give, and that He will mercifully accept your gift.


Prayer:  Father, send the Holy Spirit to give me dancing lessons. May I dance as David danced.


Promise:  “Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to Me.” —Mk 3:35


Praise:  For several decades, St. Marianne continued the ministry to the isolated lepers on Moloka’i that was begun by St. Damian.


Reflection 3

By Fr. Josep GASSÓ i Lécera

(Ripollet, Barcelona, Spain)


“Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother”


Today, we find Jesus surrounded by a crowd of people in both a very concrete and compromising scene. Jesus' closer relatives had arrived from Nazareth and Capernaum. But, seeing so many people around, they chose to wait outside and send for Him instead. The crowd tells Him: “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.” But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” (Mk 3:31).


Jesus' answer is by no means a rejection towards His relatives. Jesus just moved away from them to follow the divine call and now, He also means that, intimately, He has given them up too: not because of lack of feelings or scorn of His family ties, but because He completely belongs to God the Father. Jesus Christ actually lived what He precisely expects from His disciples.


Jesus has chosen a spiritual family instead of His earthly one. He looks over the heads of those sitting next to Him and says: “And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mk 3:34-35). In other places of His Gospel, Saint Mark mentions Jesus glancing around too.


Is Jesus trying to tell us His only relatives are those who listen to Him attentively? Of course not! His relatives are not those who listen to Him but those who listen to and abide by God's will: it is those who are His brother, His sister, His mother...


Jesus is exhorting those sitting there —and everybody else— to enter their hearts in spiritual communion with Him by abiding with the Divine Will. At the same time, however, He also praises His mother, the Virgin Mary, who is always blessed for having believed.


Prayers

My dear Lord, I desire deeply to become more fully a member of Your most intimate family in grace. Help me to always dedicate myself to the complete fulfillment of the will of our Father in Heaven. And as I conform my will more fully with that of the Father’s, draw me deeper and deeper into union with You. Jesus, I trust in You.


Heavenly Father, you are the source of all true friendship and love. In all my relationships, may your love be my constant guide for choosing what is good and for rejecting what is contrary to your will.


Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy


Reflection 23: When God Seems Silent

At times, when we seek to know our merciful Lord all the more, He will appear to be silent.  Perhaps sin has gotten in the way or perhaps you have allowed your own idea of God to cloud His true voice and His true presence.  At other times, Jesus hides His presence and remains hidden for a reason.  He does so as a way of drawing us deeper.  Do not worry if God seems silent for this reason.  It’s always part of the journey (See Diary #18).


Reflect, today, upon how present God seems to be.  Perhaps He’s abundantly present, perhaps He seems distant.  Now set that aside and realize the fact that God is always intimately present to you whether it feels like it or not.  Trust Him and know that He is always with you regardless of how you feel.  If He seems distant, first examine your conscience, admit any sin that may be in the way, and then make an act of love and trust in the midst of whatever you may be going through.


Lord, I trust in You because I believe in You and in Your infinite love for me.  I trust that You are always there and that You care for me in all moments of my life.  When I fail to sense Your divine presence in my life, help me to seek You and to trust You all the more.  Jesus, I trust in You.


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