Saturday January 29

 

 

Saturday of 3rd Week of Ordinary Time

Why Are You Afraid?

           

Introduction

One of the most poignant, dramatic pages of the Old Testament is read to us today. David, the faithful servant of God, has committed adultery and murder. The prophet arouses the king’s indignation against those committing injustice and then tells David: That is what you have done! That man is you! The king’s acknowledgment and repentance is immediate and deep; God’s forgiveness too is instantaneous and absolute. “That person is you” applies often to us too; when we judge and condemn, is it not often our faults we condemn in others?

Many people are afraid today. Our times are very insecure in many aspects, with wars, violence, and economic and moral crises. Life seems to move too fast for many. And the Church, in its leaders and members, is often upset and afraid. God seems far away, like a God who sleeps, a God who seems indifferent to our fears and incertitude. Where are our faith and hope? Let us turn to him who journeys with us and wakes us up, Jesus, our Lord and brother here among us.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord, our God, merciful Father,
you do not seek the death of sinners,
but that they repent and live.
Your heart is too large to reject us
when we have been unfaithful to you.
Open our eyes to our share
in the evil in and around us;
give us new hearts,
humble in recognizing your patient mercy.
Make us toward our neighbor
understanding, patient and forgiving
for you have brought us pardon and peace
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Reading 1: 2 Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17

The LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he came to him,
Nathan said: “Judge this case for me!
In a certain town there were two men, one rich, the other poor.
The rich man had flocks and herds in great numbers.
But the poor man had nothing at all
except one little ewe lamb that he had bought.
He nourished her, and she grew up with him and his children.
She shared the little food he had
and drank from his cup and slept in his bosom.
She was like a daughter to him.
Now, the rich man received a visitor,
but he would not take from his own flocks and herds
to prepare a meal for the wayfarer who had come to him.
Instead he took the poor man’s ewe lamb
and made a meal of it for his visitor.”
David grew very angry with that man and said to him:
“As the LORD lives, the man who has done this merits death!
He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold
because he has done this and has had no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David: “You are the man!
Thus says the LORD God of Israel:
‘The sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have despised me
and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.’
Thus says the LORD:
‘I will bring evil upon you out of your own house.
I will take your wives while you live to see it,
and will give them to your neighbour.
He shall lie with your wives in broad daylight.
You have done this deed in secret,
but I will bring it about in the presence of all Israel,
and with the sun looking down.'”

Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Nathan answered David: “The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin:
you shall not die.
But since you have utterly spurned the LORD by this deed,
the child born to you must surely die.”
Then Nathan returned to his house.

The LORD struck the child that the wife of Uriah had borne to David,
and it became desperately ill.
David besought God for the child.
He kept a fast, retiring for the night
to lie on the ground clothed in sackcloth.
The elders of his house stood beside him
urging him to rise from the ground; but he would not,
nor would he take food with them.

 

Responsorial Psalm PS 51:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

(12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Free me from blood guilt, O God, my saving God;
then my tongue shall revel in your justice.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

 

Alleluia Jn 3:16

Alleluia, alleluia.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel Mk 4:35-41

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind,
and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

 

Intercessions:

–          For the many who bear the burden of sin and guilt; for those who suffer from the sins of others, that they may keep trusting in God’s forgiveness and goodness, we pray:

–          For those who are hardened in sin, that they may be touched by the Spirit of the Lord to repent and change their ways, we pray:

–          For ourselves and those dear to us, that the good there is in us may be stronger than evil in us and around us, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Merciful Father,
humbly we bring before you
this bread and this wine
as an offering of reconciliation.
Let your Son be, here among us,
the Lamb that takes our sins away
and restores us in your love.
And may our bonds with you and each other
become closer and deeper,
because we have experienced your forgiveness
in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

God of mercy,
we know that we are the people
who have failed you and one another
by our inability to love and serve,
our fear from committing ourselves,
our guilty silence.
Help us to brave
the waves and the storms of life
by the strength of this Eucharist.
Grant this through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

 

Blessing

Our patient God is a merciful, forgiving, loving God. That should also be our own attitude and the mark of our communities. May God give you this patient, forgiving love, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary:

Speaking Truth to Power

Nathan is a prophet much needed for our times—one who can nonchalantly speak truth to the powers that are, within and outside the Church, be it about state-sponsored terrorism, rejection of immigrants, climate change, gender violence, sexual abuse, or clericalism. When nation-wide peaceful protests arose in a country when its government ventured to pass a law that was clearly discriminatory, a citizen-religious I know felt troubled by the silence of the Church in that country and wrote to a church official about it. But the official’s reply was an appeal to prudence as the Church was an easy target for the government that had already initiated financial investigations and income tax notices against ecclesial institutions…Sadly, we would rather risk the sheep to preserve our institutions and finances! We need Nathans who speak truth to power.

 

Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF