Thursday January 21

Second Week In Ordinary Time

 

JESUS CHRIST, Mediator, Healer

 

Introduction

      Christ Jesus is the mediator, perfect, unique, who offered himself once for all. All who believe in him get access to God through him. He intercedes for us. That is his ministry now.

      In the gospel Mark gives a summary of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. Yesterday we heard how the Pharisees are blind to him and attack him on legal points; the crowds flock to him because of his healing power, not so much to be converted. The demons know who Jesus is, but, of course, they do not believe in him. Here we have different attitudes, but no faith yet. This is why perhaps Mark imposes silence on the spirits. We offer this eucharist together with Christ, our only Savior and Mediator, who always intercedes for us.

 

Opening Prayer

God, our Father,
through your Son, Jesus Christ,
you brought healing to your people
and came to bind us to you
in a lasting covenant of love.
May we not only admire his saving power
but accept him in faith as our brother,
your Son, our Lord and Savior.
Make him the ground and meaning of our lives
and fill us with his Holy Spirit,
that we may build up among us
your kingdom and a community
of faith, hope and love.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.

 

Reading 1: Heb 7:25—8:6

Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:
holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners,
higher than the heavens.
He has no need, as did the high priests,
to offer sacrifice day after day,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people;
he did that once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests,
but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,
appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.

The main point of what has been said is this:
we have such a high priest,
who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne
of the Majesty in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up.
Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices;
thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer.
If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest,
since there are those who offer gifts according to the law.
They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary,
as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle.
For God says, “See that you make everything
according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry
as he is mediator of a better covenant,
enacted on better promises.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17

(8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, “The LORD be glorified.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

 

Alleluia: See 2 Tm 1:10

Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: Mk 3:7-12

Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.

 

Intercessions:

–         That today many find Jesus and deeply believe in him, we pray:

–         That Jesus may touch the hearts of many and heal them from their selfishness, we pray:

–         That all the Churches that claim Christ as their head may find unity in him, even if the road is long and difficult, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
we offer you the sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord,
and our only mediator.
May he intercede for us, your people,
and bind us forever to you
in a covenant of lasting friendship and fidelity,
that we may belong to you
as the people you have saved
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

God our Father, in this Eucharist
your Son, Jesus, has brought before you
our prayers, our good intentions,

and also our weakness, our hesitant faith.
Yet, we are sure you accept us
because of him, our only priest and mediator.
Make our faith and love grow,
that your Son may be the Lord of our lives,
your saving presence,
and we your faithful people,
now and for ever.

 

Blessing

Many have heard about Jesus and his message. Yet, some do not believe. The way we live should confirm our faith, even though faith is a free gift, a grace from God. May Almighty God give you faith, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

All Glory belongs to GOD and not to us

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Agnes, a third century Virgin and Martyr in Rome. At the age of 12, Saint Agnes endured torture and death because she refused the marriage proposal from people in power. She had accepted Jesus as her only spouse and she was willing to die for what she believed in, even at the tender age of 12. She sacrificed her life for what she believed in.

We have learned a thing or two about sacrifice this past year. Half a million people have lost their lives in the past one year due to the pandemic. Our faith, patience and trust certainly have been challenged and tested with the loss of jobs, financial struggles and living with this trauma while having little access to liturgy and sacraments. The Church, that is we, have a big role to play in this time of illness and fear. We have a mission to bring healing to the wounded humanity.

People from all corners of the region flocked to the shores of Galilee to touch Jesus and be healed by him. Healing remained a major part of the mission of the Jesus and he demanded the same from his followers. We are asked to heal the sick, to care for the brothers and sisters in need.

The devil knows the identity of Jesus more than anyone else. “You are the Son of God.” Does it not sound strange that this recognition of his identity does not come from his chosen disciples, but from the possessed people. Mark gives an important lesson to his readers through the response of Jesus. He shuts them up. Jesus refuses to take such accolades from the evil forces. Devil is deceptive. But Jesus refuses to entertain any such a conversation.

Who doesn’t love to be appreciated and acknowledged by the public of our achievements and merits? But when we work for establishing God’s Kingdom, all glory belongs to God and not to us. Our services in our Church communities becomes meaningful when we stop running behind honours and accolades. Let us not be tricked by the devil to search for our personal glory.

We are commissioned to radiate healing and love of Jesus for others through our witness of life. We should be inspired by people like Saint Agnes, and numerous saints of the past; and more importantly, hundreds of thousands of people who risk their own lives to be at the service of their brothers and sisters. My prayer is that their example inspires me to live for my convictions as bravely as they died for theirs.