Wednesday February 23, 2022

Wednesday of 7th Week in Ordinary Time

POLYCARP OF SMYRNA

 

Introduction

St Polycarp of Smyrna was a disciple of John the Evangelist and one of the most renowned of the early bishops of Asia. He died a martyr at the age of 86, offering his death as a eucharist of thanksgiving. He declared to his judges: “How could I become disloyal to my King, to whom I owe my salvation?” He is venerated both in the East and in the West. Let us celebrate his and our faithfulness.

 

Opening Prayer

“True God in whom there is no lie,”
we admire St Polycarp and we thank you
for the example of his deep faith and courage.

Like him, may we live our life
as a sacrifice that pleases you.
Help us to face with him
contradictions and difficulties in life
with great serenity and trust in you.
Keep us always faithful to you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

1st Reading – James 4:13-17

Beloved: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit” you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.

Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.” But now you are boasting in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, it is a sin.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 49:2-3, 6-7, 8-10, 11

(Matthew 5:3) Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

 Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all who dwell in the world,
 Of lowly birth or high degree,
rich and poor alike.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

 Why should I fear in evil days
when my wicked ensnarers ring me round?
 They trust in their wealth;
the abundance of their riches is their boast.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,
or pay his own ransom to God;
 Too high is the price to redeem one’s life; 
 he would never have enough
to remain alive always and not see destruction.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

 For he can see that wise men die,
and likewise the senseless and the stupid pass away,
leaving to others their wealth.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

 

Alleluia – John 14:6

Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel – Mark 9:38-40

 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

 

Intentions

–          For the Church we love, that it may bring forgiveness and love to all, welcome all, care for all, inspire all with the gentle power of the Holy Spirit, we pray:

–          For lawmakers, that the Spirit may prompt them to make good laws that are fair to all, we pray:

–          For outcasts and victims of discrimination, that our communities may accept them fully and make our love so spontaneous and warm that they feel accepted, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Our faithful God,
we bring this bread and this wine before you,

as the signs that we are willing to follow Jesus

if need be even on the way of the cross.
Let no difficulties or contradictions
ever separate us from him
but make us grow more like him
and closer to him,

who is our Lord for ever.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
let this holy eucharist
confirm and strengthen our faithfulness
to your Son Jesus Christ.
Make us servants of one another
who try day after day
to become more like Jesus your Son,
who lives with you and with us for ever.

 

Blessing

We should learn to appreciate whatever good is done by whatever person. The Spirit inspires many people to do good in a variety of ways. Good for them! May Almighty God bless them and you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary 

Apostolic Jealousy

Given that John spoke in first person plural (“we”), he was evidently speaking on behalf of all twelve disciples who were upset that an “outsider” was casting out devils in Jesus’ name. We can understand their frustration: It is just a few passages before that we read about their own inability to cast out demons despite being the accredited disciples of Jesus (cf. Mk 9:14-18). Now, they have to face the ignominy of an outsider successfully performing miracles, which makes their own inability to do so all the more humiliating. In reality, the disciples were no different from the priests and Pharisees of their times who felt threatened by the “authority” with which Jesus taught and lived. Jesus wants them to have a generous heart to appreciate goodness wherever it is present, irrespective of loyalties and memberships. After all, God can raise up descendants for the Kingdom even from stones (cf. Lk 3:8)! Apostolic humility can save us much heartburn.

Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF