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The Word today, 2C

Updated: Mar 15


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January 20 - January 25, 2025


St Fabian, bishop of Rome, martyr; St Sebastian, martyr


Hebrews 5:1-10 There is an important echo of Gethsemane in this reading. In the original, a double meaning emerges: he prayed to the one who was able to save him from / out of death. Jesus was saved not from death, because he did indeed die, but he was saved out of death in his resurrection.


Mark 2:18-22 Why did Jesus feel so free to break with tradition and received practices? Partly because of what he said but really because of who he was. This radically new reality called for correspondingly new practices. There is a lesson for today’s church!


St Agnes, virgin and martyr


Hebrews 6:10-20 Does God keep his promises? Here the writer gives a resounding yes, based on the story of Abraham.


Mark 2:23-28 There are really two parts to our story today. The rst part is an argument from Scripture: David did what was forbidden and, Jesus, the son of David, may do likewise. There is more. As a common sense observation, Jesus notes that Sabbath regulation was for the sake of believer and not the other way around. Finally, the claim to be able to alter the Sabbath is really a claim to being equal to God.


St Vincent, deacon and martyr


Hebrews 7:1-3,15-17 The writer of Hebrews knew that Jesus was not a levitical priest. As a result, he had to seek out an alternative model, which he found in Melchizedek. Apart from his name etc. this gure suited because Jesus was without origin or issue, without beginning (he comes from heaven) and without end (in the resurrection).


Mark 3:1-6 Our conict story is again about the Sabbath but it is more intense because they were watching him. The Sabbath was meant to mark creation and liberation: what better gesture than to heal a man? And yet, tradition gets in the way.



Hebrews 7:25-8:6 The writer compares two kinds of the priesthood, that of the OT and that of Jesus. He strikes a note of continuity and discontinuity. The OT priesthood was a foreshadowing of the one to come, and consequently, lost its signicance once he had brought the perfect priesthood.


Mark 3:7-12 Jesus the healer comes to tremendous prole in this Gospel passage and there is an impression of widespread popularity and immense demand and intense pressure. It makes for a very dynamic portrait. Does it speak us to today? We too can bring our need of healing before the same Lord, present among us.


St Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor


Hebrews 8:6-13 The substance of this reading is a chain of quotations from the Hebrew Bible. The writer wants to show that the earlier covenant was always imperfect and that another better covenant was always to come. The Christian reader see the fullment of this in Jesus himself.


Mark 3:13-19 What was the meaning of the appointment of the Twelve? The historical Jesus was called only to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Accordingly, the twelve symbolised the twelve son of Jacobs, the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. The appointment of the twelve, there, is part of the restoration of Israel and, as such, a mark of God’s delity of Israel down the centuries, climaxing in the person and ministry of Jesus. Of course, it was more than a symbol: the apostles were to be bearers of Jesus message.


Conversion of St Paul, apostle


Acts 22:3-16 The conversion of St Paul had huge consequences for early Christianity. He was a man of terric energy and physical courage, inspired by a deep desire to do God’s will. His encounter with Jesus placed his great gifts of intellect and spirit at the service of the Christian movement, to its lasting enrichment up to today. He himself tells of his conversion in his own words in Galatians 1.


Mark 16:15-18 Our reading today is chosen for the very rst words which capture something of the ministry of Paul, who went out to the whole known world of his time, especially in the eastern Mediterranean.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025e, January 19). Second Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011925.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/


 
 
 

The Word today, Baptism

Updated: Mar 16


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January 13 - January 18, 2025


St Hilary, bishop and doctor


Hebrews 1:1-6 The rst four verses of this reading are really the introduction to Hebrews. It is a very rich opening, and nearly every word could be reected upon. The claims made about Jesus, a Galilean prophet executed by the Romans, are breath-taking.


Mark 1:14-20 We start today a fresh reading of the Gospel of Mark: may God gives us a listening heart to hear it afresh today! After the great cycle of feasts, the writer takes us back to the core proclamation of Jesus and the foundational calling of the rst disciples.



Hebrews 2:5-12 Who was / is Jesus? In the words of the Eucharistic Prayer IV, Made incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, he shared our human nature in all things but sin.


Mark 1:21-28 Jesus speaks (and acts) always from within, from the inside, so to speak, of his own authority.


St Ita, virgin


Hebrews 2:14-18 Today, we hear a great teaching from Hebrews: Jesus is able to help us because he become one of us. In this teaching, there is both hope and consolation.


Mark 1:29-39 Our Gospel reminds us of the sources of Jesus authority and spirituality: his own practice of prayer. Out of the prayer comes his willingness to proclaim the good news to everyone.


St Fursa, abbot and missionary


Hebrews 3:7-14 Conversion, as we know, is ongoing. Using Ps 95 as background, the writer reminds us, in the words of St Paul, that now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation! (2 Cor 6:2).


Mark 1:40-45 The compassion of Jesus is both immense and immediate. The leper inspires us to recognise our need of God.


St Antony of Egypt, abbot


Hebrews 4:1-5, 11 A threatening note enters our reading from Hebrews: those who left Egypt did not enter the promised land. Just to have made a start, even a good start, does not guarantee arrival!!


Mark 2:1-12 This Gospel passage is really about us: we too are carried by others; we too have our sins forgiven; we too learn to walk again in the light of Gospel.



Hebrews 4:12-16 Two-edged means really very sharp and penetrating. The opening phrase is often quoted - perhaps we can check it against our experience!


Mark 2:13-17 Our story is meant to be provocative on several levels: Jesus goes to the “wrong” people and, even worse, insists he was not sent to the conventionally holy who may not really know their need of God.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025c, January 12). The Baptism of the Lord. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011225.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/


 
 
 

The Word today, Christmas2

Updated: Mar 16


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January 06 - January 11, 2025


See special full-length notes


Isaiah 60:1-6 The ingathering of Israel is expanded here to all those who search for God. It is a thrilling reading, which has enriched how we imagine the Magi.


Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6 Who is called into relationship with God? All of us, every human being without distinction. The revelation in Christ is an unveiling of God’s longing for us.


Matthew 2:1-12 How can we discover or rediscover God and Christ? Only by recognising that “you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until the come to rest in God.” The human condition may be s u m m a r i s e d a s “ t h e h e a r t i n pilgrimage.”


St Raymond of Peñafort


1 John 3:22-4:6 Something of the difcult situation of the Johannine community comes to expression here. Clearly, there has been a split over doctrine and there is great anxiety that the true believers might be “contaminated” by false teaching at the hands of false prophets.


Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 Matthew “locates” the proclamation of Jesus with a mighty quotation from Isaiah. Following on the story of the Magi, we have a ringing afrmation of the inclusion of the Gentiles.



1 John 4:7-10 When we speak of the love of God, it could mean two things. The foundational gift is God’s love for us rst of all and in the strength of that love we are able to love in turn.


Mark 6:34-44 All the miracles are to be read at two levels. There is the level of a story in the life of Jesus. Then, there is the level of the story in my life today. Already, we hear echoes of the Eucharist in the telling: Jesus said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples. We are those disciples today.



1 John 4:11-18 Continuing from yesterday, how could we best respond to God’s astonishing love of us? 1 John explores in a very helpful way the many dimensions of the love affair between God and us.


Mark 6:45-52 One more, the miracle story are to be read at two levels. This us true especially of the walking on them water. When the later community felt the absence of Jesus, this story served to remind them: ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ We are the same today: we too need this word of presence and encouragement.



1 John 4:19-5:4 How would you know your love of God was genuine? Here’s a practical test. The letter of John — highly spiritual — is also highly practical: man who does not love the brother that he can see cannot love God, whom he has never seen.


Luke 4:14-22 Today we hear Luke’s telling of Jesus’ visit to his hometown and synagogue. Again, Luke “locates” the proclamation of Jesus, using another mighty citation from Isaiah. There can be no separation of the Gospel and the social teaching Jesus — these are one and the same.



1 John 5:5-13 Once again, some of the difculties of the community at the time of writing are evident: some were rejecting Jesus as the Son of God, denying at the same time the incarnation. With feeling and precision, the author appears for true orthodox belief.


Luke 5:12-16 Various skin diseases at the time were regarded not simply medically but also from the viewpoint of ritual purity. The victims of these complaints were excluded from the community and especially from the community at prayer. Restoration of health meant restoration to community too — hence the requirement to show himself to the priest.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025, January 5). The Epiphany of the Lord. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010525.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/


 
 
 
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