Tuesday January 11

 Tuesday of 1st Week in Ordinary Time

GOD’S SAVING POWER

                             

Introduction

Extraordinary vocations are, at times, described in the bible in terms of barrenness, which, through prayer and faith in God’s power, produces life. It underlines God’s gratuitous grace, God’s power and also the difficulty, the struggle of faith, to lead to redemption. Samuel, then became the fruit of prayer and faith in God’s power.

In the Gospel, Mark shows the power of God at work in Jesus, the Messiah. It is a power that is contested by the powers of evil that must struggle and come to grip with opposition and suffering, but which will ultimately win – through struggle and contradiction. Such is also the power of God today in the world, the power of God in answer to our faith and prayer.

 

Opening Prayer

God, source of all power,
we like to imagine that we can do great things,
but when it comes to your work,
to your kingdom of truth and justice,
we have to recognize, perhaps grudgingly,
that we are weak and ineffective.
Help us to acknowledge this weakness
not as defeat, but as our real strength,
to let your power reveal itself
in suffering, in struggles,
and in gentleness and love,
which you show us in Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

 

Reading 1: 1 Sm 1:9-20

Hannah rose after a meal at Shiloh,
and presented herself before the LORD;
at the time, Eli the priest was sitting on a chair
near the doorpost of the LORD’s temple.
In her bitterness she prayed to the LORD, weeping copiously,
and she made a vow, promising: “O LORD of hosts,
if you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid,
if you remember me and do not forget me,
if you give your handmaid a male child,
I will give him to the LORD for as long as he lives;
neither wine nor liquor shall he drink,
and no razor shall ever touch his head.”
As she remained long at prayer before the LORD,
Eli watched her mouth, for Hannah was praying silently;
though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.
Eli, thinking her drunk, said to her,
“How long will you make a drunken show of yourself?
Sober up from your wine!”
“It isn’t that, my lord,” Hannah answered.
“I am an unhappy woman.
I have had neither wine nor liquor;
I was only pouring out my troubles to the LORD.
Do not think your handmaid a ne’er-do-well;
my prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery.”
Eli said, “Go in peace,
and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
She replied, “Think kindly of your maidservant,” and left.
She went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband,
and no longer appeared downcast.
Early the next morning they worshiped before the LORD,
and then returned to their home in Ramah.

When Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah,
the LORD remembered her.
She conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son
whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.

 

Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

(see 1) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
he humbles, he also exalts.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

 

Alleluia See 1 Thes 2:13

Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel Mk 1:21-28

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

 

Intercessions:

–       That in the Church, we may bring to one another the healing of forgiveness and compassion, we pray:

–       That all who are ill may keep hoping that they will be cured and that at least they may bear their suffering in patience, we pray:

–       That in our communities, we may consider it our task to share each other’s pain and to lighten each other’s burden, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Almighty God and Father,
through this bread and this wine
you want Jesus, your Son, to join us today
in our struggle to be free
as disciples who serve you and our neighbor.
Let him drive out from us
the rebellious spirit of pride and selfishness
and fill us with his good spirit,
the Holy Spirit of love and strength,
that with your Son, we may be yours,
now and for ever.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God, we are afraid
of struggles and pain,
of weakness and apparent defeat.
Keep reminding us, not harshly but gently,
that this was the way of your Son
and that this is the way in which you always win.
And if we do not understand fully,
help us to grow in faith and trust
in your own plan for success
and in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Blessing

Jesus was teaching with authority. Why? Because he fully believed in what he said and backed up his teaching with signs. Perhaps the greatest sign was that he lived what he taught. May we too, live as we believe, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary:

Authenticity in Authority

A cardinal ingredient of authority is authenticity. We meet two such people in today’s readings. Jesus, who is authenticity incarnate, talks and acts with authority—he teaches with authority and casts out evil forces with authority. His authenticity is so great that the evil spirits acknowledge him to be who he is and obey him.  The other person of authenticity we meet is Hannah who pours out her soul before the Lord and from whom prayer flows as continuously as her very breath. She is bold enough to defend herself before suspicious Eli, who in turn, recognizes her authenticity and blesses her. If the authority of Jesus comes from his authenticity as God, the authority of Hannah comes from her authenticity as a woman of faith standing before God. Those who do not claim their rightful authenticity and authority before God and the world can only sit around and get astonished. 

 

Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF