MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Saturday - January 15, 2022

Saturday - January 15, 2022

"When we pray we speak to God but when we read he speaks to us."

--St. Jerome

January 15, 2022

Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 310

 

Reading 1                                                     1 Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1

 

There was a stalwart man from Benjamin named Kish,

who was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror,

son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite.

He had a son named Saul, who was a handsome young man.

There was no other child of Israel more handsome than Saul;

he stood head and shoulders above the people.

 

Now the asses of Saul’s father, Kish, had wandered off.

Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you

and go out and hunt for the asses.”

Accordingly they went through the hill country of Ephraim,

and through the land of Shalishah.

Not finding them there,

they continued through the land of Shaalim without success.

They also went through the land of Benjamin,

but they failed to find the animals.

 

When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD assured him,

“This is the man of whom I told you; he is to govern my people.”

 

Saul met Samuel in the gateway and said,

“Please tell me where the seer lives.”

Samuel answered Saul: “I am the seer.

Go up ahead of me to the high place and eat with me today.

In the morning, before dismissing you,

I will tell you whatever you wish.”

 

Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head;

he also kissed him, saying:

“The LORD anoints you commander over his heritage.

You are to govern the LORD’s people Israel,

and to save them from the grasp of their enemies roundabout.

 

“This will be the sign for you

that the LORD has anointed you commander over his heritage.”

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

 

R.        (2a) Lord, in your strength the king is glad.

 

O LORD, in your strength the king is glad;

            in your victory how greatly he rejoices!

You have granted him his heart’s desire;

            you refused not the wish of his lips.

R.        Lord, in your strength the king is glad.

For you welcomed him with goodly blessings,

            you placed on his head a crown of pure gold.

He asked life of you: you gave him

            length of days forever and ever.

R.        Lord, in your strength the king is glad.

Great is his glory in your victory;

            majesty and splendor you conferred upon him.

For you made him a blessing forever;           

            you gladdened him with the joy of your face.

R.        Lord, in your strength the king is glad.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Lk 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor

and to proclaim liberty to captives.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 2:13-17

Jesus went out along the sea.

All the crowd came to him and he taught them.

As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,

sitting at the customs post.

Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

And he got up and followed Jesus.

While he was at table in his house,

many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples;

for there were many who followed him.

Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners

and tax collectors and said to his disciples,

“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus heard this and said to them,

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.

I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

 

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Reflection for Saturday: How to hear the voice of God

When Jesus says, "Follow Me," how do we know it's Jesus and not just our own imagination? Those of us who are already following Jesus need to be constantly on the alert for more "Follow Me" commands.

In every decision we face, where is Jesus and what is he trying to lead us into?

Are there any areas of our lives where we are not following Jesus? If so, what voices are pulling us away from the will of God?

Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and they follow me" (John 10:27). As our Good Shepherd, he wants what is best for us -- from the perspective of the Kingdom of God. We wish we could hear his voice clearly every time he speaks to us. He is never silent. He loves us too much to deny us any information that could help us follow him well.

Meanwhile, there are many wolves in shepherd's clothing who demand our obedience, not the least of which is our own misdirected will. Here's how to successfully sort the voice of Jesus from all other voices and noises:

1. Relationship with Jesus
2. Repentance
3. Renewal through the Holy Spirit
4. Relationships with others who are also filled with the Holy Spirit

(1) To hear the voice of Jesus and follow it, first we must be in a good relationship with him. We need to know him as our Savior without whom we will never reach Heaven. We need to know him as a personal friend who cares about us. We need to relate to him by connecting our lives to his life, our burdens to his burdens, our sufferings to his sufferings, and our joys to his joys.

(2) Next, we must examine our consciences in light of scripture and the traditional teachings of the Church: What have you heard that you have rebelled against? We must examine our decisions: What are you deaf to because you'd rather believe it's really not from Jesus? We must examine our lives: What area of your life is not fully given over to Christ and filled with Christ? (For example, are you sure that all of your political views have been taken over by Jesus Christ? Have you voted for a politician who has policies that are anti-christ, anti-life, immoral?) Whenever we cannot hear or we fail to hear the voice of Jesus, we need to admit that we've been separating ourselves from him, we need to obtain supernatural grace through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and we need to desire to increase our holiness with the help of the Holy Spirit.

(3) To hear the voice of Jesus and follow him well, we definitely need the help of the Holy Spirit. We must have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. Give the Holy Spirit permission to take over your life, your heart, and your soul. Start every morning with a prayer something like this: "Come Holy Spirit, fill me. Come Holy Spirit, open my ears to hear Jesus. Come Holy Spirit, change me."

(4) To discern the voice of Jesus amidst uncertainty and contrary voices, we benefit greatly from relationships with others who are also filled with the Holy Spirit. God confirms what he's telling us by reiterating it through Christian community. It's possible to successfully hear him in our hearts and yet remain uncertain. We long to hear God externally, in an audible voice. Although sometimes he does it that way, he usually echoes what he has spoken to our hearts through other externals (for example, a supernatural Word of Knowledge that someone speaks in a prayer meeting, or a friend being anointed during prayer and receiving an idea that matches what you've been thinking).

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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!”