Daily Readings for: January 18, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Ham a la King on Corn Bread Squares

ACTIVITIES

Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Penance)

PRAYERS

Ordinary Time: January 18th

Friday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Prisca, virgin and marty; St. Peter's Chair at Rome (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Peter's Chair at Rome and the commemoration of St. Prisca. The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on February 22.

Regarding St. Prisca, the Martyrology reads: "In the city of Rome, the holy virgin and martyr Prisca; after many tortures she gained the crown of martyrdom under Emperor Claudius II (about 270)." Prisca should not be confused with Priscilla, the wife of Aquila, mentioned in the Acts, whose feast dates to the earliest days of Christianity.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

St. Prisca
Prisca, who is also known as Priscilla, was a child martyr of the early Roman Church. Born to Christian parents of a noble family, Prisca was raised during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius. While Claudius did not persecute Christians with the same fervor as other Roman emperors, Christians still did not practice their faith openly. In fact, Prisca's parents went to great lengths to conceal their faith, and thus they were not suspected of being Christians.

Prisca, however, did not feel the need to take precaution. The young girl openly professed her dedication to Christ, and eventually, she was reported to the emperor. Claudius had her arrested, and commanded her to make a sacrifice to Apollo, the pagan god of the sun.

According to the legend, Prisca refused, and was tortured for disobeying. Then, suddenly, a bright, yellow light shone about her, and she appeared to be a little star.

Claudius ordered that Prisca be taken away to prison, in the hopes that she would abandon Christ. When all efforts to change her mind were unsuccessful, she was taken to an amphitheatre and thrown in with a lion.

As the crowd watched, Prisca stood fearless. According to legend, the lion walked toward the barefoot girl, and then gently licked her feet. Disgusted by his thwarted efforts to dissuade Prisca, Claudius had her beheaded.

Seventh-century accounts of the grave sites of Roman martyrs refer to the discovery of an epitaph of a Roman Christian named Priscilla in a large catacomb and identifies her place of interment on the Via Salaria as the Catacomb of Priscilla.

— Excerpted from Ordinary People Extraordinary Lives.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The path of Christian discipleship involves walking the path of justice, mercy and humility. The metaphor of ‘walking’ has been chosen to link together the 8 days of prayer because, as an active, intentional and ongoing act, the metaphor of walking communicates the dynamism which characterizes Christian discipleship. Further, the theme of the tenth assembly of the WCC to be held in Busan, Korea, in 2013 - ‘God of life lead us to Justice and Peace’ resonates with the image of the Trinitarian God who accompanies humanity and walks into human history while inviting all people to walk in partnership.

The eight sub-themes for the week, related to different modes of walking, enable us to focus on various dimensions of an authentic Christian discipleship which walks the path of righteousness that leads to life (Prov 12:28a).

Day One: Walking in Conversation
We reflect on the importance of the practices of dialogue and conversation, as a means of overcoming barriers. Both in ecumenism, and in the struggles for liberation of people across the globe, the skills of speaking and listening are recognized as essential. In such authentic conversation we can come to recognize Christ more clearly.

Vatican Resources

26 posted on 01/18/2013 7:02:19 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

When Jesus saw their faith . . . (Mark 2:5)

Wherever Jesus went, a crowd formed. Whether it was in the middle of Jerusalem, on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, or on quiet provincial roads, people just seemed to gravitate toward him. Jews, Samaritans, and even Gentiles forgot their differences just to be near Jesus and hear him speak. The importance of national, racial, and religious divisions paled before their longing for hope and the promise of peace and forgiveness that Jesus offered.

We are not unlike those crowds. As believers in Christ, we all want to follow and glorify the Lord. We all want to know the touch of the One who came into this world so that we could be reconciled with God and begin to experience eternal life, right now. Today, as we begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we should pray as one vast crowd that all national, racial, and religious differences will fade as we seek the love and life that Jesus wants to pour out on us.

Just as it’s true that Jesus came to heal each of us individually and to restore each of us individually to his Father, it is also true that he has done the same thing for the entire body of Christ. Together we form one body, and God wants it whole. He wants to heal our collective wounds and fortify our combined weaknesses. He wants to see us working together—just as the four men in today’s Gospel worked together to bring their friend to Jesus. He wants us to work together so that we can bring his kingdom to this earth.

As Christians, we may disagree on many things, but we all know that Jesus does not want his people divided. On our own, maybe we can’t figure out exactly what kind of healing his body needs, but that shouldn’t stop us. As we pray this week, let’s implore the Lord to make us one body. Let’s pray earnestly for peace and reconciliation among Christians of all cultures, races, and denominations. Let’s seek it with all our heart, and open ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God is faithful, and nothing is impossible for him!

“Father, you created us to be one—one with you and one with each other. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, and use me, starting today, to heal and unite your broken body.”

Hebrews 4:1-5, 11; Mark 2:1-12

27 posted on 01/18/2013 7:07:19 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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