Daily Liturgy
Monday January 10
Monday of 1st Week in Ordinary Time
DISCIPLES TODAY
Introduction
A word about the books of Samuel. After the confused times of the settlement in Palestine comes a more stable era with the kings. This period is important because the very vague “salvation” described earlier, – a land of their own for the Hebrews, their growth as a people – turns now into messianism on the basis of the kingship of David: an ideal king will come in whom the promises will be fulfilled. Jesus, descendant of David, will found the eternal kingdom promised to David. In today’s reading in Year II, Samuel appears as the prophet who reluctantly prepares the foundation of a Hebrew kingdom. Only a king can unify and defend the people.
In the Gospel, Jesus begins to preach the coming of the kingdom of God among people. He calls for penance and conversion and chooses his first disciples. These same words are addressed to us today: “Repent, be converted, be fishers of people for the kingdom.”
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God,
you invite us, disciples of your Son today,
to be wholly converted to the Gospel
and to help extend your kingdom.
Give us hearts open to the Good News
and the generosity to share it
with people of our day.
We ask you this through Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
First Reading: 1 S 1:1-8
There was a man from Ramathaim, in the hills of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah. He was son of Tohu, son of Jeroham, of the clan of Zuph. He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children but Hannah had none.
Every year Elkanah went to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of Hosts at Shiloh. The priests there were the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas. Whenever Elkanah offered sacrifice, he gave portions to his wife, Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. To Hannah, however, he gave the more delightful portion because he loved her more, although she had no child. Yet Hannah’s rival used to tease her for being barren.
So it happened every year when they went to Yahweh’s house, Peninnah irritated Hannah and she would weep and refuse to eat. Once Elkanah, her husband, asked her, “Hannah, why do you weep instead of eating? Why are you sad? Are you not better off with me than with many sons?”
Responsorial Psalm 116:121-13, 14-17, 18-19
To you, O Lord, I will offer you a sacrifice of praise
What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
To you, O Lord, I will offer you a sacrifice of praise
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
To you, O Lord, I will offer you a sacrifice of praise
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord—
in your midst, Jerusalem.
To you, O Lord, I will offer you a sacrifice of praise
Verse before the Gospel: Mk 1:15
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
Repent and believe in the Gospel
Gospel: Mk 1:14-20
After John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God. He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.”
As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” At once, they abandoned their nets and followed him. Jesus went a little farther on and saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee; they were in their boat mending their nets. Immediately, Jesus called them and they followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men.
Intercessions
– For the Church dear to us, that the Lord may help it to keep renewing itself, so that it may stay on the road of the Gospel and that people can live the Gospel as good news, we pray:
– For those who leave their nets to follow Jesus, the Lord, that they may live the Gospel so as to make it visible and tangible, we pray:
– For all of us in our communities, that the Lord may help us to take the Gospel seriously and to live it in close union with the Lord, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God,
in these gifts of bread and wine,
we place our goodwill
to follow your Son
wherever he calls us.
Let our encounter here
with your Son and with each other
mark a new beginning for us
of unity and loyal love,
that the seed of your kingdom
may grow among us
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
we know what you can do
with weak, fallible people.
In the strength of your Son,
help us to do what surpasses our forces:
to be your people
and to be to the world
the sign that you love everyone
and that friendship and justice
are no empty words for you and for us.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
The time is now. Repent and believe the good news. Come and follow me. Be my disciples. Jesus spoke these words long ago. He addresses them here and now to us. May you heed these words, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Follow Him; Not an Idea
The opening message of Jesus’ ministry has two announcements and two calls to action: two announcements that the Time and the Kingdom are here; two calls for change and belief. At this point, he does not explain what is meant by the Time or the Kingdom, or how to change. The world will know, gradually, as this Time and the Kingdom unfold in his very being. What we need to do is to follow him, live with him. This is the call given to Simon and Andrew: “Follow me”. The same call is given to James and John. To you and me. As Pope Benedict observed, being Christian is an encounter not with an ethical choice or lofty idea, but with an event, a person (cf. Deus Caritas Est, # 1). You follow him, trusting that in the course of the following, everything will unfold at the right time.
Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;
written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF