Posted on 01/28/2014 9:51:21 PM PST by Salvation
January 29, 2014
Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 2 Sm 7:4-17
That night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?
I have not dwelt in a house
from the day on which I led the children of Israel
out of Egypt to the present,
but I have been going about in a tent under cloth.
In all my wanderings everywhere among the children of Israel,
did I ever utter a word to any one of the judges
whom I charged to tend my people Israel, to ask:
Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’
“Now then, speak thus to my servant David,
‘The LORD of hosts has this to say:
It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his Kingdom firm.
It is he who shall build a house for my name.
And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
And if he does wrong,
I will correct him with the rod of men
and with human chastisements;
but I will not withdraw my favor from him
as I withdrew it from your predecessor Saul,
whom I removed from my presence.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.’”
Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:4-5, 27-28, 29-30
R. (29a) For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
I will make your dynasty stand forever
and establish your throne through all ages.”
R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
“He shall cry to me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock that brings me victory!’
I myself make him firstborn,
Most High over the kings of the earth.”
R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
“Forever I will maintain my love for him;
my covenant with him stands firm.
I will establish his dynasty forever,
his throne as the days of the heavens.”
R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
Gospel Mk 4:1-20
On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A very large crowd gathered around him
so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
And he taught them at length in parables,
and in the course of his instruction he said to them,
“Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.
And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it
and it produced no grain.
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
And when he was alone,
those present along with the Twelve
questioned him about the parables.
He answered them,
“The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you.
But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that
they may look and see but not perceive,
and hear and listen but not understand,
in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.”
Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?
Then how will you understand any of the parables?
The sower sows the word.
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once
and takes away the word sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who,
when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy.
But they have no roots; they last only for a time.
Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
they quickly fall away.
Those sown among thorns are another sort.
They are the people who hear the word,
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches,
and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word,
and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
I noticed in the Gospel reading that Jesus talked about those who hear the word, not just those who only read the word.
And as a result, never live the Word.
Wednesday, January 29
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church honors St.
Constantius, a second century bishop in
Perugia Italy. His simple lifestyle and
great concern for the poor was an
embarrassment to the ruling class.
Because of this, he was tortured and
beheaded.
Daily Readings for:January 29, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. 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
ACTIVITIES
PRAYERS
o Prayer Before Confession - 2
» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!
Old Calendar: St. Francis De Sales, bishop, confessor and doctor; St. Gildas the Wise, abbot (Hist)
According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Francis de Sales. In the Ordinary Rite his feast is celebrated on January 24.
Historically today is the feast of St. Gildas the Wise, Scottish bishop and author and sometimes listed as Badonicus. He was born in the Clyde River area of Scotland. After becoming a disciple of St. Finnian, Gildas was a hermit for a time in Wales. He was also trained by St. Illtyd. He was famous for writing De Excidiio Britanniae, a Latin work describing moral decline in Britain.
St. Gildas the Wise
He was probably born about 517, in the North of England or Wales. His father's name was Cau (or Nau) and that he came from noble lineage.
He lived in a time when the glory of Rome was faded from Britain. The permanent legions had been withdrawn by Maximus, who used them to sack Rome itself and make himself Emperor.
Gildas noted for his piety was well educated, and was not afraid of publicly rebuking contemporary monarchs, at a time when libel was answered by a sword, rather than a Court order.
He lived for many years as an ascetic hermit on Flatholm Island in the Bristol Channel. Here he established his reputation for that peculiar Celtic sort of holiness that consists of extreme self-denial and isolation. At around this time, according to the Welsh, he also preached to Nemata, the mother of St David, while she was pregnant with the Saint.
In about 547 he wrote De Excidio Britanniae (The Ruin of Britain). In this he writes a brief tale of the island from pre-Roman times and criticizes the rulers of the island for their lax morals and blames their sins (and those that follow them) for the destruction of civilization in Britain. The book was avowedly written as a moral tale.
He also wrote a longer work, the Epistle. This is a series of sermons on the moral laxity of rulers and of the clergy. In these Gildas shows that he has a wide reading of the Bible and of some other classical works.
Gildas was an influential preacher, visiting Ireland and doing missionary work. He was responsible for the conversion of much of the island and may be the one who introduced anchorite customs to the monks of that land.
He retired from Llancarfan to Rhuys, in Brittany, where he founded a monastery. Of his work on the running of a monastery (one of the earliest known in the Christian Church), only the so-called Penitential, a guide for Abbots in setting punishment, survives.
He died around 571, at Rhuys. The monastery that he had founded became the center of his cult.
St. Gildas is regarded as being one of the most influential figures of the early English Church. The influence of his writing was felt until well into the Middle Ages, particularly in the Celtic Church.
Things to Do:
3rd Week in Ordinary Time
He will establish a house for you. (2 Samuel 7:11)
“What have you done for me lately?” This question has a way of creeping into our relationships, even though we know it shouldn’t. There is a part of us that wants to tie love and affection to merit or getting what we deserve. And it goes both ways: we can demand something from someone else in exchange for our love, but we can also feel that we are worthy of another’s love only if we earn it.
David showed some of this kind of thinking in today’s first reading. He had just finished building his palace in Jerusalem when he realized that he hadn’t built a suitable “palace” for the Lord. Perhaps he worried that God might be jealous of David’s new palace or that God might forget about his promises if David didn’t do great things for him.
God was quick to set David straight. He told him that he had never complained about the tent-like structure that housed the ark of the covenant. Then he reminded David that his favor wasn’t based on David’s actions. “It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock” (2 Samuel 7:8). God would always be with David; he didn’t need to earn God’s favor through lavish building projects.
In fact, God didn’t stop with reaffirming past promises. Rather than having David build God a house, Nathan told David, “He will establish a house for you” (2 Samuel 7:11). God wanted to establish a dynasty through David and a kingdom that would spread God’s light to all the nations.
This story shows that God’s plans aren’t just gracious and loving; they’re also much greater and more life-giving than we often imagine!
Do you, like David, worry about what you have done for God lately? Are you afraid that he might forget about you if you don’t get his attention? Put away your doubts and fear. God’s love for you is constant and unchanging; it always has been and always will be. And what’s more, he has things in store for you that you can’t even imagine. Rest in his love, and take joy in sharing it with others.
“Lord, thank you that you care about my life. Use me in any way you want to bring glory to your name.”
Psalm 89:4-5, 27-30; Mark 4:1-20
Daily Marriage Tip for January 29, 2014:
In 2 Samuel, we hear of King David giving in to lust for Bathsheba and then covering it up. Dont put yourself in places of temptation. Put your energy into the one you vowed to love.
Mark | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | |
Mark 4 |
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1. | AND again he began to teach by the sea side; and a great multitude was gathered together unto him, so that he went up into a ship, and sat in the sea; and all the multitude was upon the land by the sea side. | και παλιν ηρξατο διδασκειν παρα την θαλασσαν και συνηχθη προς αυτον οχλος πολυς ωστε αυτον εμβαντα εις το πλοιον καθησθαι εν τη θαλασση και πας ο οχλος προς την θαλασσαν επι της γης ην | Et iterum cpit docere ad mare : et congregata est ad eum turba multa, ita ut navim ascendens sederet in mari, et omnis turba circa mare super terram erat : |
2. | And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his doctrine: | και εδιδασκεν αυτους εν παραβολαις πολλα και ελεγεν αυτοις εν τη διδαχη αυτου | et docebat eos in parabolis multa, et dicebat illis in doctrina sua : |
3. | Hear ye: Behold, the sower went out to sow. | ακουετε ιδου εξηλθεν ο σπειρων του σπειραι | Audite : ecce exiit seminans ad seminandum. |
4. | And whilst he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate it up. | και εγενετο εν τω σπειρειν ο μεν επεσεν παρα την οδον και ηλθεν τα πετεινα και κατεφαγεν αυτο | Et dum seminat, aliud cecidit circa viam, et venerunt volucres cæli, et comederunt illud. |
5. | And other some fell upon stony ground, where it had not much earth; and it shot up immediately, because it had no depth of earth. | αλλο δε επεσεν επι το πετρωδες οπου ουκ ειχεν γην πολλην και ευθεως εξανετειλεν δια το μη εχειν βαθος γης | Aliud vero cecidit super petrosa, ubi non habuit terram multam : et statim exortum est, quoniam non habebat altitudinem terræ : |
6. | And when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. | ηλιου δε ανατειλαντος εκαυματισθη και δια το μη εχειν ριζαν εξηρανθη | et quando exortus est sol, exæstuavit : et eo quod non habebat radicem, exaruit. |
7. | And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. | και αλλο επεσεν εις τας ακανθας και ανεβησαν αι ακανθαι και συνεπνιξαν αυτο και καρπον ουκ εδωκεν | Et aliud cecidit in spinas : et ascenderunt spinæ, et suffocaverunt illud, et fructum non dedit. |
8. | And some fell upon good ground; and brought forth fruit that grew up, and increased and yielded, one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred. | και αλλο επεσεν εις την γην την καλην και εδιδου καρπον αναβαινοντα και αυξανοντα και εφερεν εν τριακοντα και εν εξηκοντα και εν εκατον | Et aliud cecidit in terram bonam : et dabat fructum ascendentem et crescentem, et afferebat unum triginta, unum sexaginta, et unum centum. |
9. | And he said: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. | και ελεγεν ο εχων ωτα ακουειν ακουετω | Et dicebat : Qui habet aures audiendi, audiat. |
10. | And when he was alone, the twelve that were with him asked him the parable. | οτε δε εγενετο καταμονας ηρωτησαν αυτον οι περι αυτον συν τοις δωδεκα την παραβολην | Et cum esset singularis, interrogaverunt eum hi qui cum eo erant duodecim, parabolam. |
11. | And he said to them: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but to them that are without, all things are done in parables: | και ελεγεν αυτοις υμιν δεδοται γνωναι το μυστηριον της βασιλειας του θεου εκεινοις δε τοις εξω εν παραβολαις τα παντα γινεται | Et dicebat eis : Vobis datum est nosse mysterium regni Dei : illis autem, qui foris sunt, in parabolis omnia fiunt : |
12. | That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand: lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. | ινα βλεποντες βλεπωσιν και μη ιδωσιν και ακουοντες ακουωσιν και μη συνιωσιν μηποτε επιστρεψωσιν και αφεθη αυτοις τα αμαρτηματα | ut videntes videant, et non videant : et audientes audiant, et non intelligant : nequando convertantur, et dimittantur eis peccata. |
13. | And he saith to them: Are you ignorant of this parable? and how shall you know all parables? | και λεγει αυτοις ουκ οιδατε την παραβολην ταυτην και πως πασας τας παραβολας γνωσεσθε | Et ait illis : Nescitis parabolam hanc ? Et quomodo omnes parabolas cognoscetis ? |
14. | He that soweth, soweth the word. | ο σπειρων τον λογον σπειρει | Qui seminat, verbum seminat. |
15. | And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown, and as soon as they have heard, immediately Satan cometh and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. | ουτοι δε εισιν οι παρα την οδον οπου σπειρεται ο λογος και οταν ακουσωσιν ευθεως ερχεται ο σατανας και αιρει τον λογον τον εσπαρμενον εν ταις καρδιαις αυτων | Hi autem sunt, qui circa viam, ubi seminatur verbum, et cum audierint, confestim venit Satanas, et aufert verbum, quod seminatum est in cordibus eorum. |
16. | And these likewise are they that are sown on the stony ground: who when they have heard the word, immediately recieve it with joy. | και ουτοι εισιν ομοιως οι επι τα πετρωδη σπειρομενοι οι οταν ακουσωσιν τον λογον ευθεως μετα χαρας λαμβανουσιν αυτον | Et hi sunt similiter, qui super petrosa seminantur : qui cum audierint verbum, statim cum gaudio accipiunt illud : |
17. | And they have no root in themselves, but are only for a time: and then when tribulation and persecution ariseth for the word they are presently scandalized. | και ουκ εχουσιν ριζαν εν εαυτοις αλλα προσκαιροι εισιν ειτα γενομενης θλιψεως η διωγμου δια τον λογον ευθεως σκανδαλιζονται | et non habent radicem in se, sed temporales sunt : deinde orta tribulatione et persecutione propter verbum, confestim scandalizantur. |
18. | And others there are who are sown among thorns: these are they that hear the word, | και ουτοι εισιν οι εις τας ακανθας σπειρομενοι οι τον λογον ακουοντες | Et alii sunt qui in spinas seminantur : hi sunt qui verbum audiunt, |
19. | And the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts after other things entering in choke the word, and it is made fruitless. | και αι μεριμναι του αιωνος τουτου και η απατη του πλουτου και αι περι τα λοιπα επιθυμιαι εισπορευομεναι συμπνιγουσιν τον λογον και ακαρπος γινεται | et ærumnæ sæculi, et deceptio divitiarum, et circa reliqua concupiscentiæ introëuntes suffocant verbum, et sine fructu efficitur. |
20. | And these are they who are sown upon the good ground, who hear the word, and receive it, and yield fruit, the one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred. | και ουτοι εισιν οι επι την γην την καλην σπαρεντες οιτινες ακουουσιν τον λογον και παραδεχονται και καρποφορουσιν εν τριακοντα και εν εξηκοντα και εν εκατον | Et hi sunt qui super terram bonam seminati sunt, qui audiunt verbum, et suscipiunt, et fructificant, unum triginta, unum sexaginta, et unum centum. |
Work for the Harvest | ||
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Wednesday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time
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Mark 4:1-20 On another occasion he began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, "Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." He added, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear." And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, "The mystery of the kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that ´they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.´" Jesus said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no root; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold." Introductory Prayer: Lord, I want to spend these moments close to you. I believe that you are here with me. Take over my life more and more and make it what it was meant to be. Lord, I put my trust in you. Petition:Jesus, make the soil of my heart open to your word, so that it will bear fruit for eternal life. 1. Beware of the Thieves: What the Father has planted in our lives is good. Goodness can bear fruit. But Christ has shown us that there is someone who does not want us to bear fruit. The devil tries to take goodness from our lives through enticing us with evil, filling our hearts with selfishness, and making us insensitive to the movements of grace in our soul. We need to renounce Satan every day by fixing our will on the goodness of Christ. This is done through sincere prayer and generosity of spirit. 2. Dig Deep: The strength of our resolve is tested by the difficulties we face. If we go deeper in our prayer each day and build up the habit of letting go of our own ego, we can face the bad times with peace and trust. When our spiritual roots are not deep, we find ourselves disoriented, even defeated by the tribulations that are part of an authentic Christian life. Christ teaches us to dig deep. With him as our friend, difficulties become a way to show our love and to do something that has eternal value. If I don’t fight, how can I merit a crown of victory? 3. Fruit in Docility: In order to bear fruit we must be docile to God’s word. But being docile does not mean being passive. For a Christian, docility to Christ and the Holy Spirit means willingness to work and serve. We are followers of the One who came to serve. The Spirit that is self-surrender moves us. To hear the Word of God and accept it means to make our lives an imitation of Christ’s total self-giving—day in and day out. God will grant fruit to our lives if we are willing to be other Christs in the here and now. Conversation with Christ:Lord, thank you for showing me how to bear fruit in my life. I want to imitate your self-surrender to the Father and to souls. I know that this requires a constant effort to go deep in my life and be docile to the Holy Spirit. Help me to live as a giver, not a taker. Your love will always be there to accompany me. Resolution: Today I will offer up a small sacrifice to ask God for the grace of acquiring the virtue that I need the most. |
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