MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Sunday - January 16, 2022

Sunday - January 16, 2022

"The greater the trials, the more splendidly does the virtue of patience shine forth in them."

--St. Thomas Aquinas

January 16, 2022

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 66

 

Reading 1                                                     Is 62:1-5

 

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent,

   for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,

until her vindication shines forth like the dawn

   and her victory like a burning torch.

 

Nations shall behold your vindication,

   and all the kings your glory;

you shall be called by a new name

   pronounced by the mouth of the LORD.

You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,

   a royal diadem held by your God.

No more shall people call you “Forsaken, “

   or your land “Desolate, “

but you shall be called “My Delight, “

   and your land “Espoused.”

For the LORD delights in you

   and makes your land his spouse.

As a young man marries a virgin,

   your Builder shall marry you;

and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride

   so shall your God rejoice in you.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              Ps 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10

 

R. (3) Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

 

Sing to the LORD a new song;

            sing to the LORD, all you lands.

Sing to the LORD; bless his name.

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Announce his salvation, day after day.

Tell his glory among the nations;

            among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Give to the LORD, you families of nations,

            give to the LORD glory and praise;

            give to the LORD the glory due his name!

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Worship the LORD in holy attire.

            Tremble before him, all the earth;

Say among the nations: The LORD is king.

            He governs the peoples with equity.

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

 

Reading 2                                                     1 Cor 12:4-11

 

Brothers and sisters:

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;

there are different forms of service but the same Lord;

there are different workings but the same God

who produces all of them in everyone.

To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit

is given for some benefit.

To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom;

to another, the expression of knowledge according to the

same Spirit;

to another, faith by the same Spirit;

to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit;

to another, mighty deeds;

to another, prophecy;

to another, discernment of spirits;

to another, varieties of tongues;

to another, interpretation of tongues.

But one and the same Spirit produces all of these,

distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. 

 

Alleluia                                                                      2 Thes 2:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel

to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Jn 2:1-11

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran short,

the mother of Jesus said to him,

“They have no wine.”

And Jesus said to her,

“Woman, how does your concern affect me?

My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servers,

“Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,

each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus told them,

“Fill the jars with water.”

So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them,

“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”

So they took it.

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,

without knowing where it came from

— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,

the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,

“Everyone serves good wine first,

and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;

but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee

and so revealed his glory,

and his disciples began to believe in him.

 

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How to handle conflicts without sinning

The Gospel story this Sunday gives us a good example of how to handle conflicts without sinning.

 

Mary sees a need and wants Jesus to do something about it. She knows full well that only a miraculous intervention will solve the problem. She wants the divine in him to respond to her request, but the human nature of Jesus responds first: He doesn't want to reveal his divinity with this kind of miracle. He's eager to heal souls, not empty wine jars.

 

"Woman, how does your concern affect me?" he says. "My hour has not yet come." This is like saying, "I respect your request, holy Daughter of Eve, but think about how a miracle in this situation would affect the ministry I'm about to start! People will come to me for party favors and other earthly pleasures, but I want to give them eternal salvation."

 

We Catholics like to use this scripture as faith-building evidence of the Blessed Mother's ability to help us. We see her in this story as a mother who can get for us whatever we want from Jesus, because she can make him change his mind. Jesus told her no, but the conflict was resolved her way. Mary won, Jesus lost.

 

Isn't this how we view conflicts? It's not resolved until someone's a winner and someone else is a loser. Therefore, when we make requests of God and he doesn't give us what we want, we feel like we're the loser, so we pray harder, trying to make God become the loser. And when that doesn't work, we ask the Blessed Mother to side with us and influence her Son against his will.

 

But God wants us to be the winner from the start! He always wants what's best for us. Mary knew this when she told the wine stewards, "Do whatever my Son tells you."

 

Conflicts are not inherently bad. Conflicts become sacred opportunities for wonderful solutions when we entrust them to God. Mary trusted that Jesus cared about the people at the party. Jesus trusted that the Father cared about both the people and his ministry. It was a win-win situation.

 

Today's Prayer

 

I thank you, Blessed Mother, because you intercede for my needs before your Son. I wait with confidence while working the changes that Jesus wants to make in my life. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”