- Admin
- Jan 12, 2024
- 3 min read
January 15 - January 20, 2024
St Ita, virgin
1 Samuel 15:16-23 Today we hear of a clash between a prophet and a king, between Samuel and Saul. Details of this story are difficult for us today: why would God order extermination? Yet, even in this excerpt there is something for reflection: what does God require from us—outward gesture or inward obedience?
Mark 2:18-22 The gospel is about the shock of the new: in Jesus, new teaching must lead to new practices to sustain new life.
St Fursa, abbot
1 Samuel 16:1-13 As we saw at Christmas, Bethlehem and king David are important in Christian religious imagination. Today we hear why this is so, as a very persistent Samuel is sent to find a king to succeed the rejected Saul. The fact that David was originally a shepherd also resonates in the story of Jesus, the Son of David, our good shepherd and our king.
Mark 2:23-28 This Gospel, very familiar, is more powerful than we think. The Sabbath was given by God at creation and to Moses on Mount Sinai. Jesus sets the Sabbath aside, which means his authority is somehow even greater
St Antony, abbot
1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 This story of the weak against the strong, the small against the mighty, has inspired people down the centuries. For Israel at the time, then as now a very small state surrounded by powerful enemies, the story offered great encouragement. There is a message for today: it is not always the mighty who have the last say.
Mark 3:1-6 Our conflict 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.
1 Samuel 18:6-9, 19:1-7 In the stories we are hearing, Saul comes across as an unstable character, capable of unpredictable violence. He is dangerously jealous of the younger David. A good word put in by Jonathan, Saul’s son, calms the king down, at least for the moment. There’s something for us too: in a conflict, the right word can be very effective.
Mark 3:7-12 Jesus was immensely attractive to people, who felt drawn to him and made signifcant sacrifices to get to hear him. We are not as “gospel greedy” today but we could be if we listened from within.
1 Samuel 24:3-21 Today, a drama takes place. Saul, again unstable, sets out to kill David. By a brilliant, generous gesture, David convinces Saul of his good intentions. It’s a great story with a lesson for us as well: not exercising power can be much more effective than exercising it.
Mark 3:13-19 For any Bible reader, the number twelve must recall the twelves tribes of Israel, descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob. By appointing twelve men, Jesus symbolises his own programme: the restoration of Israel. In reality, they are not all equally important and one of them will turn out to be really dangerous.
St Fabian, bishop of Rome, martyr
St Sabastian, martyr
2 Samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 17, 19, 23-27 There can be great humanity in bible stories. Today, David gets news that his enemy is dead…and yet, he weeps for him. In a very touching lament, David mourns both Saul and Jonathan. The poem of lament is very generous, very humane.
Mark 3:20-21 Today’s Gospel is short and enigmatic. Who are these relatives? The same people seem to be involved later in the chapter: 3:31 (confirmed by the omitted v. 19b: “he went home”). The issue is that even those closest to the prophet will not understand him and will even reject him.
References
-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024h, January 14). Second Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011424.cfm
-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/
