Reading I
1 Sm 1:9-20

Hannah rose after a meal at Shiloh,
and presented herself before the LORD;
at the time, Eli the priest was sitting on a chair
near the doorpost of the LORD's temple.
In her bitterness she prayed to the LORD, weeping copiously,
and she made a vow, promising: "O LORD of hosts,
if you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid,
if you remember me and do not forget me,
if you give your handmaid a male child,
I will give him to the LORD for as long as he lives;
neither wine nor liquor shall he drink,
and no razor shall ever touch his head."
As she remained long at prayer before the LORD,
Eli watched her mouth, for Hannah was praying silently;
though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.
Eli, thinking her drunk, said to her,
"How long will you make a drunken show of yourself?
Sober up from your wine!"
"It isn't that, my lord," Hannah answered.
"I am an unhappy woman.
I have had neither wine nor liquor;
I was only pouring out my troubles to the LORD.
Do not think your handmaid a ne'er-do-well;
my prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery."
Eli said, "Go in peace,
and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."
She replied, "Think kindly of your maidservant," and left.
She went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband,
and no longer appeared downcast.
Early the next morning they worshiped before the LORD,
and then returned to their home in Ramah.

When Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah,
the LORD remembered her.
She conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son
whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.

Responsorial Psalm
1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

R (see 1) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory."
R My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes."
R My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
he humbles, he also exalts."
R My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage."
R My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Gospel
Mk 1:21-28

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!"
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
"What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Catholic Forum

HILARY of Poitiers

Also known as: Athanasius of the West; Doctor of the Divinity of Christ
Memorial: 13 January; formerly 14 January
Profile: Born of wealthy polytheistic, pagan nobility, Hilary's early life was uneventful as he married, had children (including Saint Abra), and studied on his own. Through his studies he came to believe in salvation through good works, then monotheism. As he studied the Bible for the first time, he literally read himself into the faith, and was converted by the end of the New Testament.

Hilary lived the faith so well he was made bishop of Poitiers from 353 to 368. Hilary opposed the emperor's attempt to run Church matters, and was exiled; he used the time to write works explaining the faith. His teaching and writings converted many, and in an attempt to reduce his notoriety he was returned to the small town of Poitiers where his enemies hoped he would fade into obscurity. His writings continued to convert pagans.

Introduced Eastern theology to the Western Church. Fought Arianism with the help of Saint Viventius Proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1851.
Born: 315 at Poitiers, France
Died: 368 of natural causes
Patronage: against snakes, backward children, snake bites
Prayers: Prayer for Perseverance in Faith...,
...Acknowledging that God is in His Creation
Additional Information: Ecole Initiative, by Karen Rae Keck
Christian Biographies, by James Keifer
For All The Saints, by Katherine Rabenstein
Catholic Information Network
Catholic Encyclopedia
Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
Lives of Illustrious Men, by Saint Jerome
Works: On the Councils at CCEL
On the Councils at NewAdvent
On the Trinity at CCEL
On the Trinity at NewAdvent
Homilies on the Psalms at CCEL
Homilies on the Psalms at NewAdvent
Translate: | | | |
Readings: To those who wish to stand in God's grace, neither the guardianship of saints nor the defenses of angels are wanting.

- Saint Hilary: Commentary on the Psalms, 365AD
We have been promised, and he who made the promise is trustworthy: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

Yes, in our poverty we will pray for our needs. We will study the sayings of your prophets and apostles with unflagging attention, and knock for admittance wherever the gift of understanding is safely kept. But yours it is, Lord, to grant our petitions, to be present when we seek you and to open when we knock.

Impart to us, then, the meaning of the words of Scripture and the light to understand it, with reverence for the doctrine and confidence in its truth. Grant that we may express what we believe. Through the prophets and apostles we know about you, the one God the Father, and the one Lord Jesus Christ. May we have the grace, the face of heretics who deny you, to honor you as God, who is not alone, and to proclaim this as truth.

- from a sermon on the Trinity by Saint Hilary

From: Mark 1:21-28

Jesus in the Synagogue of Capernaum

[21] And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the sabbath He
entered the synagogue and taught. [22] And they were astonished at His
teaching, for He taught them as one who had authority, and not as the
scribes. [23] And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with
an unclean spirit; [24] and he cried out, "What have You to do with us,
Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are,
the Holy One of God." [25] But Jesus rebuked him saying, "Be silent,
and come out of him!" [26] And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and
crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. [27] And they were all
amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is
this? A new teaching! With authority He commands even the unclean
spirits, and they obey Him." [28] And at once His fame spread
everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

Commentary:

21. "Synagogue" means meeting, assembly, community. It was--and
is--used by the Jews to describe the place where they met to hear the
Scriptures read, and to pray. Synagogues seem to have originated in
the social gatherings of the Jews during their exile in Babylon, but
this phenomenon did not spread until much later. In our Lord's time
there were synagogues, in Palestine, in every city and town of any
importance; and, outside Palestine, wherever the Jewish community was
large enough. The synagogue consisted mainly of a rectangular room
built in such a way that those attending were facing Jerusalem when
seated. There was a rostrum or pulpit from which Sacred Scripture was
read and explained.

22. Here we can see how Jesus showed His authority to teach. Even when
He took Scripture as His basis--as in the Sermon on the Mount--He was
different from other teachers, for He spoke in His own name: "But I
say to you" (Matthew 7:28-29). Our Lord speaks about the mysteries of
God, and about human relationships; He teaches in a simple and
authoritative way because He speaks of what He knows and testifies to
what He has seen (John 3:11). The scribes also taught the people, St.
Bede comments, about what is written in Moses and the prophets; but
Jesus preached to them as God and Lord of Moses himself (St. Bede, "In
Marci Evangelium Expositio"). Moreover, first He does and then He
preaches (Acts 1:1)--not like the scribes who teach and do not do
(Matthew 23:1-5).

23-26. The Gospels give us many accounts of miraculous cures, among the
most outstanding of which are those of people possessed by the devil.
Victory over the unclean spirit, as the devil is usually described, is
a clear sign that God's salvation has come: by overcoming the Evil One,
Jesus shows that He is the Messiah, the Savior, more powerful than the
demons: "Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of
this world be cast out" (John 12:31). Throughout the Gospel we see
many accounts of this continuous and successful struggle of our Lord
against the devil.

As time goes on the devil's opposition to Jesus becomes ever clearer;
in the wilderness it is hidden and subtle; it is noticeable and violent
in the case of possessed people; and radical and total during the
Passion, the devil's "hour and the power of darkness" (Luke 22:53).
And Jesus' victory also becomes ever clearer, until He triumphs
completely by rising from the dead.

The devil is called unclean, St. John Chrysostom says, because of his
impiety and withdrawal from God. In some ways he does recognize
Christ's holiness, but this knowledge is not accompanied by charity.
In addition to the historical fact of this cure, we can also see, in
this possessed man, those sinners who must be converted to God and
freed from the slavery to sin and the devil. They may have to struggle
for a long time but victory will come: the Evil One is powerless
against Christ (cf. note on Matthew 12:22-24).

27. The same authority that Jesus showed in His teaching (1:22) is now
to be seen in His actions. His will is His command: He has no need of
long prayers or incantations. Jesus' words and actions already have a
divine power which provokes wonder and fear in those who hear and see
Him.

Jesus continues to impress people in this way (Mark 2:12; 5:20-42;
7:37; 15:39; Luke 19:48; John 7:46). Jesus of Nazareth is the
long-awaited Savior. He knows this Himself and He lets it be known by
His actions and by His words; according to the gospel accounts (Mark
1:38-39; 2:10-11; 4:39) there is complete continuity and consistency
between what He says and He does. As Vatican II teaches ("Dei Verbum",
2) Revelation is realized by deeds and words intimately connected with
each other: the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery
contained in them; the deeds confirm the teaching. In this way Jesus
progressively reveals the mystery of His Person: first the people sense
His exceptional authority; later on, the Apostles, enlightened by God's
grace, recognize the deepest source of this authority: "You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).

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.

The Word Among Us

Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Meditation
Mark 1:21-28

Imagine if someone at Mass cried out or shrieked madly. The display would likely be greeted by pandemonium, emphatic shush-ing, or shocked silence. Yet while the people in the synagogue at Caper-naum were astonished at Jesus’ teaching (Mark 1:22) and amazed at his authority over unclean spirits (1:27), they don’t seem to have been particularly surprised that someone had an unclean spirit.

Throughout the New Testament, it is taken almost for granted that men, women, even children might be indwelt by demons or unclean spirits (Mark 7:25; Luke 8:2,27; Acts 8:7). Evil, mysterious, hostile to health and goodness, demons were once viewed as inferior gods—the personification of the powers behind human sickness, idolatry, and heresy. Now, however, as we are able to peer more clearly into the world of microbes and to diagnose more accurately mental illnesses, we seem to have relegated demons to the realm of fairy tales and monsters under the bed.

Yet it is a truth of our faith that spiritual, non-corporeal beings—angels, in other words—exist (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 328). And some of these angels, we know, rebelled against God, rejecting him and his reign (CCC, 391, 392). Chief among these is Satan, whom we call the devil. Satan and his demons act out in our world their hatred for God. They whisper lies and half truths to bind us in fear or ignorance of God’s love. They tempt us with unclean thoughts, stir up in us dissatisfaction with our lives and our loved ones, and yes, even afflict us with disease.

This collection of truths can be quite dispiriting. Satan seems so powerful and fearsome! Yet as powerful as he is, the devil is still a created being, finite in his power and limited in his abilities. Ultimately, he cannot defeat God’s love or his plans for his kingdom (CCC, 395). He and his demons are real. We need to believe this, even as we trust that God, in his mercy, will gently and powerfully guide us—and all human history—until Jesus comes again in glory.

“Lord Jesus, deliver everyone who is under the oppression of the devil. Speak your truth to those who believe lies; heal those who are sick through demonic influence; shield those whom Satan tempts through lust, addiction, or greed.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Tuesday, January 13, 2004 >>

St. Hilary

1 Samuel 1:9-20

1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8

Mark 1:21-28

View Readings

THE SOUNDS OF SATAN

“Jesus rebuked him sharply: ‘Be quiet! Come out of the man!’ ” —Mark 1:25

In the inner city neighborhood in which I live, there are many bars that feature live rock music almost nightly. The noise into the night is deafening. This is symptomatic of intense demonic activity in my neighborhood. We in the neighborhood need Jesus to give the command: “Be quiet! Come out” of this neighborhood.

In the entertainment industry, the decibel level has gone up in music, movies, sports, etc. This may indicate that much of this industry is serving Satan rather than the Lord. We need Jesus to give the command: “Be quiet! Come out” of this industry.

In the average American home, the TV set is on for almost seven hours a day. We have the noisiest homes in the history of the human race. In this context, Satan breaks up family after family. Our only hope is for Jesus to give the command: “Be quiet! Come out” of these families.

Jesus comes “not crying out, not shouting, not making His voice heard in the street” (Is 42:2). Jesus is the silent Savior and Deliverer. “It is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the Lord” (Lam 3:26). “By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies” (Is 30:15). Jesus commands us: “Be still, and know that I am God!” (Ps 46:11, KJV)

Prayer: Father, may I accept Your gift of silence each day.

Promise: “My prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery.” —1 Sm 1:16

Praise: St. Hilary, a married man from a pagan background, was led by his study of Scripture to become a Christian.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Does God Ever Forget You?
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Tuesday, January 13, 2004

1 Sm 1, 9-20 / Mk 1:21-28

That feeling can hit us all. The feeling of being forgotten, abandoned. Sometimes it strikes the elderly who are ready to go home to the Lord, and are waiting for the call that doesn’t come and doesn’t come. Sometimes it strikes people whose troubles just keep multiplying for no fault of their own. And too often it strikes all of us, as problems linger indefinitely with no resolution in sight.

When we get that lost and forgotten feeling, it’s time to remember what Jesus told us so often, namely, that God never forgets anyone, and that not a single flower dies and not a single sparrow ever falls from the sky without God’s knowing it. God doesn’t forget us, He simply has a different timetable and a different plan. And that means that we have to learn how to wait. But more than just wait. We have to wait with trusting and hopeful hearts. If we can do that, whatever comes and whenever it comes, it will have purpose and work for the good. That is God’s promise.

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Hilary was born into a noble family in France during the fourth
century and was raised as a pagan. As Hilary began his education in
rhetoric and literature, he encountered the Scriptures and became
interested in the Christian religion. As Hilary learned more about the
Scriptures and began to apply his learning to matters of religion, he
was drawn to Christianity and decided to be baptized. Shortly after
his conversion, Hilary wrote several treatises on matters of Faith and
Scripture and gained a wide reputation for wisdom and holiness.

Hilary's teaching impressed many people and, although he was
married, was chosen to serve as bishop of Poitiers. Hilary accepted
the office against his will and soon became embroiled in battling the
Arian heresy. Hilary's work earned him the nickname "Athanasius of
the West"; Athanasius was a staunch defender of the Church and
wrote many works defending the divinity of Christ against the
teachings of the Arians. Hilary wrote several letters to leaders that
promoted the Arian heresy and tried to show them their errors and
bring them back to the true Faith. The most well know of the works
penned by Hilary is De Trinitate, which was written as an explanation
and defense of the teachings of the Church.

In his work against the Arians, Hilary made many enemies, one of
whom was Emperor Constantius. When Hilary refused to sign a
condemnation of the works of Athanasius, who was adamant in
defense of the Faith in the East, he was banished from France by the
emperor. Hilary's brother bishops helped keep his diocese by being
usurped by an Arian and helped govern it until the day he returned.
When the bishop who encouraged Constantius to banish Hilary was
challenged to a debate with Hilary the other bishop backed down and
requested that Hilary be restored to his diocese rather than face a
fight he felt sure he would lose. Hilary continued to be a staunch
defender of the faith and orthodoxy until his death around the year
368. Hilary is the patron of those bitten by snakes.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is
most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured. -St. Colette

TODAY IN HISTORY

1381 Birth of St Colette
1958 9,000 scientists of 43 nations petition UN for nuclear test ban

TODAY'S TIDBIT

For those who use the four-volume set to pray the Liturgy of the
Hours, volume three is used during Ordinary Time until Ash
Wednesday. In the weekday cycle of readings for Mass, we are
currently in Year 2. In the Sunday cycle of readings, we are currently
in Year C.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for all people who have terminal illnesses.

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