Friday of 2nd Week in Ordinary Time

AGNES, Virgin and Martyr 

 

Introduction

Few saints have been as popular in Rome as the twelve or thirteen-year old girl martyr St. Agnes. At a time of massive defections from the faith, in 305 she endured torture with idealism and patient faithfulness. Even the young can make hard decisions. As her name comes either from Gr. agnos (pure) or from L. agnus (lamb), she is celebrated  today by the pope blessing unblemished lambs from whose wool the pallium (liturgical vestment of archbishops) will be woven. 

 

Opening Prayer

God our Father,
youth and innocence are no obstacle
to understand the message of your Son
and to follow him with courage.
Let the quiet strength of St. Agnes inspire us
not to be ashamed of your Son
and of his message of life and freedom
even in the face of contradiction.
As we bear the name of your Son,
help us to be ever faithful to him,
for he is our Lord for ever.

 

Reading 1: 1 Sm 24:3-21

Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel
and went in search of David and his men
in the direction of the wild goat crags.
When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave,
which he entered to relieve himself.
David and his men were occupying the inmost recesses of the cave.

David’s servants said to him,
“This is the day of which the LORD said to you,
‘I will deliver your enemy into your grasp;
do with him as you see fit.'”
So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul’s mantle.
Afterward, however, David regretted that he had cut off
an end of Saul’s mantle.
He said to his men,
“The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master,
the LORD’s anointed, as to lay a hand on him,
for he is the LORD’s anointed.”
With these words David restrained his men
and would not permit them to attack Saul.
Saul then left the cave and went on his way.
David also stepped out of the cave, calling to Saul,
“My lord the king!”
When Saul looked back, David bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul:
“Why do you listen to those who say,
‘David is trying to harm you’?
You see for yourself today that the LORD just now delivered you
into my grasp in the cave.
I had some thought of killing you, but I took pity on you instead.
I decided, ‘I will not raise a hand against my lord,
for he is the LORD’s anointed and a father to me.’
Look here at this end of your mantle which I hold.
Since I cut off an end of your mantle and did not kill you,
see and be convinced that I plan no harm and no rebellion.
I have done you no wrong,
though you are hunting me down to take my life.
The LORD will judge between me and you,
and the LORD will exact justice from you in my case.
I shall not touch you.
The old proverb says, ‘From the wicked comes forth wickedness.’
So I will take no action against you.
Against whom are you on campaign, O king of Israel?
Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea!
The LORD will be the judge; he will decide between me and you.
May he see this, and take my part,
and grant me justice beyond your reach!”
When David finished saying these things to Saul, Saul answered,
“Is that your voice, my son David?”
And Saul wept aloud.
Saul then said to David: “You are in the right rather than I;
you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.
Great is the generosity you showed me today,
when the LORD delivered me into your grasp
and you did not kill me.
For if a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed?
May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day.
And now, I know that you shall surely be king
and that sovereignty over Israel shall come into your possession.”

 

Responsorial Psalm PS 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11

(2a) Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Have mercy on me, O God; have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge,
till harm pass by.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
I call to God the Most High,
to God, my benefactor.
May he send from heaven and save me;
may he make those a reproach who trample upon me;
may God send his mercy and his faithfulness.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

 

Alleluia 2 Cor 5:19

Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel Mk 3:13-19

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

 

Intercessions:

–          That the pope, Peter’s successor, may be our rock of faith, our model of healing and mercy, and thus the sign of unity in the Church, we pray:

–          That our apostles today, our bishops, may exercise their authority as a service for community building, we pray:

–          That missionaries may discover all the good there is in the hearts and minds of people and their culture, to heal, ennoble and perfect them in Christ, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
with bread and wine we remember
how your Son laid down his life
for us, his friends.
Let him fill us with fresh courage
to go his way and to be close to him
in life and in death,
for he is our Lord for ever.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord, almighty God,

by what is young and frail
you put to shame those who think
they are experienced and strong.
By the word and the body of Jesus Christ
give us the courage to live up
to the demands of the gospel.
Like to St. Agnes,
may your Son mean so much to us
that he is our life even in death
and that with him we rise
above pain and sorrow,
for he is our Lord for ever.

 

Blessing

In his lifetime, Jesus chose the Twelve Apostles. All along history he continued to choose many to do his work. His work has to continue, and today he calls many to be our leaders and guides. May we fully cooperate with them, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary:

When the Authorities Digress

There is something deeply noble about David, a nobility that arises from a fierce fidelity to the Lord. Even when he had his enemy (Saul) at his feet, he spares him—for the sole reason that to raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed is equivalent to raising one’s hand against the Lord Himself. However, this would not prevent him from course-correcting Saul. In the Gospel, Jesus calls and appoints the apostles. Yet the history of the Church shows that not all their successors have remained faithful to the Lord. This must give us pause. We must respect the authority given by God; but it shall not stop us from pointing out their errors when they digress. And we shall do it as David did—fearlessly, but respectfully and lovingly. To judge them ultimately must be left to God who alone knows human hearts in depth.

 

Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF