Monday - January 10, 2022
"Every piece of my flesh and every drop of my blood
tell you that I am a Christian."
--St. Chi Zhuzi
TODAY'S READINGS
Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 305
Reading 1 1 Sm 1:1-8
There was a certain man from Ramathaim, Elkanah by name,
a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim.
He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu,
son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
He had two wives, one named Hannah, the other Peninnah;
Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.
This man regularly went on pilgrimage from his city
to worship the LORD of hosts and to sacrifice to him at Shiloh,
where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
were ministering as priests of the LORD.
When the day came for Elkanah to offer sacrifice,
he used to give a portion each to his wife Peninnah
and to all her sons and daughters,
but a double portion to Hannah because he loved her,
though the LORD had made her barren.
Her rival, to upset her, turned it into a constant reproach to her
that the LORD had left her barren.
This went on year after year;
each time they made their pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the LORD,
Peninnah would approach her,
and Hannah would weep and refuse to eat.
Her husband Elkanah used to ask her:
“Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?
Why do you grieve?
Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
Responsorial Psalm 116:12-13, 14-17, 18-19
R. (17a) To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
Alleluia Mk 1:15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 1:14-20
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
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WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
This Sunday's readings are full of expectation. What are you waiting for? How do you need God to come and rescue you from injustices, or deliver you from evil, or comfort you as you wait for loved ones to turn their hearts back to God? What guidance have you been seeking while feeling confused and uncertain?
Do you feel Christ's gift of peace within you as you wait expectantly? Or do you feel frustrated, worried, and impatient?
In the Gospel reading, we see John the Baptizer's congregation filled with expectancy because they hoped that he was their finally-arrived Messiah. Yearning for God to intervene against injustices, foreign oppression, and sin, they latched onto the fiery enthusiasm of John and his baptism of repentance.
God, however, had something much better in mind, more complete. The real Messiah would baptize with the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit. Whereas John could only call people to repentance, the real Messiah would empower them to grow in holiness by giving them his own Spirit of holiness.
When Jesus submitted himself to John's baptism, it was not because he needed to repent; he was sinless. He was uniting himself to our need for repentance, thus starting his ministry of delivering us from evil and eventually take our sins to the cross.
In Christian baptism, we are immersed into the holiness of Jesus as well as his ministry, his priesthood, his prophetic sharing of the Good News, his servant leadership, and yes, his sufferings for the benefit of the salvation of others. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do as Jesus did, and the Father says, "You are my beloved child; with you I am well pleased!"
What do you expect? What do you think should happen in your daily life because of your baptism? Expectation is a good attitude -- unless it's based on impatience, which usually leads to disappointment. Expectation that's based on the goodness of God and what he wants for us is the attitude that brings us joy, greater faith, and even miracles.
Today's Prayer
Thank You, my Lord, for Your special love for me. Give me the grace of recognizing You in my brothers and sisters, whom You love, too, beyond appearances. Amen.
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The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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