Daily Mass Readings, January 26, 2003

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[JMJ333]

January 26, 2003
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm: Sunday Week 7 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Reading II Gospel

Reading I
Jon 3:1-5, 10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah, saying:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast
and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.

When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.

R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.

R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice
and teaches the humble his way.

R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Reading II
1 Cor 7:29-31

I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out.
From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping,
those rejoicing as not rejoicing,
those buying as not owning,
those using the world as not using it fully.
For the world in its present form is passing away.

Gospel
Mk 1:14-20

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.

[JMJ333]

I didn't realize this was the case. I do know that the oldest catholic sect, the church of Antioch, is in Northern Iraq, and have been under assault for the last 40+ years by militant muslims. Do you remember the nun who was beheaded late last year over there? I feel extreme pity for the many innocent Iraqi citizens, who are under the yoke of such a tyrannical government. They are unable to stand up against them. My prayers go up for them.

[afraidfortherepublic]

How many years in advance does the Catholic church set the liturgical calendar and pick the Mass readings? It was just chilling that the reading from Jonah was picked for yesterday -- one day in advance of the UN report and 2 days in advance of the State of the Union speech. I can't remember -- is it a 10 year calendar? 3 years? 12 years?

[afraidfortherepublic]

Yesterday's second reading is a show stopper too.

[Desdemona]

How many years in advance does the Catholic church set the liturgical calendar and pick the Mass readings?

The Lectionary is on a three-year cycle using the gospels as a basis. Year A is Matthew, B is Mark (the current one) and C is Luke with exceptions for the Holy Days and special feasts. I'm not sure when the readings themselves were set, how long ago.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Go Here to learn more about Nineveh, or just put Nineveh into your search engines and you will turn up many interesting facts. It appears that ancient Nineveh is now the site (or near the site) of modern day Mosul, sometimes spelled Mossul. It is located in the heart of the Kurdish area but is the home of a number of Christian Assyrians. A Christian community has flourished there for 1000s of years and the people still speak Aramaic -- the language of Jesus, although it is fast declining and may soon be extinct.

[afraidfortherepublic]

The Lectionary is on a three-year cycle using the gospels as a basis...

Thank you. Yes, I think I've heard that.

Years ago, however, it used to be longer which is why I was suggesting a longer period. The Catholic Daily Missel (the one with the 10 book mark ribbons in it) that everyone used to use pre-Vatican II was good for at least 10 years. Then they told us not to buy them any more (around 1968) because they were going to make so many changes and the churches would provide us with the readings until everything settled. We've never gone back to owning our own missels and carrying them to church on Sunday.

I wonder what would happen if they decided to require personal missels again? Would the people welcome it, or would they quit and no longer participate?