MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Thursday - January 27, 2022

Thursday - January 27, 2022

"The divine law surprises us. It goes so much against our experience of the natural laws of the world"

-Bl. Eugene Marie of Jesus

January 27, 2022

THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Lectionary: 320

 

Reading 1                                                     2 Sm 7:18-19, 24-29

 

After Nathan had spoken to King David,

the king went in and sat before the LORD and said,

“Who am I, Lord GOD, and who are the members of my house,

that you have brought me to this point?

Yet even this you see as too little, Lord GOD;

you have also spoken of the house of your servant

for a long time to come:

this too you have shown to man, Lord GOD!

 

“You have established for yourself your people Israel as yours forever,

and you, LORD, have become their God.

And now, LORD God, confirm for all time the prophecy you have made

concerning your servant and his house,

and do as you have promised.

Your name will be forever great, when men say,

‘The LORD of hosts is God of Israel,’

and the house of your servant David stands firm before you.

It is you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel,

who said in a revelation to your servant,

‘I will build a house for you.’

Therefore your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer to you.

And now, Lord GOD, you are God and your words are truth;

you have made this generous promise to your servant.

Do, then, bless the house of your servant

that it may be before you forever;

for you, Lord GOD, have promised,

and by your blessing the house of your servant

shall be blessed forever.”

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14

 

R.        (Lk 1:32b)  The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

 

LORD, remember David

            and all his anxious care;

How he swore an oath to the LORD,

            vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.

R.        The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

“I will not enter the house where I live,

            nor lie on the couch where I sleep;

I will give my eyes no sleep,

            my eyelids no rest,

Till I find a home for the LORD,

            a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

R.        The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

The LORD swore an oath to David

            a firm promise from which he will not withdraw:

“Your own offspring

            I will set upon your throne.”

R.        The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

“If your sons keep my covenant,

            and the decrees which I shall teach them,

Their sons, too, forever

            shall sit upon your throne.”

R.        The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

For the LORD has chosen Zion,

            he prefers her for his dwelling:

“Zion is my resting place forever;

            in her I will dwell, for I prefer her.”

R.        The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Ps 119:105                   

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;

all who come to him will live for ever.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 4:21-25

 

Jesus said to his disciples,

“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket

or under a bed,

and not to be placed on a lampstand?

For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;

nothing is secret except to come to light.

Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”

He also told them, “Take care what you hear.

The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,

and still more will be given to you.

To the one who has, more will be given;

from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

 

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ARE YOU HIDING ANY GIFTS?

Are the gifts that God has given you meant to be kept for yourself (i.e., hidden)? The lamp in today's Gospel reading is the light of Christ within you. Every good gift that you've received -- your talents, your hard-earned money, your wisdom, your home, etc. -- is a beam of the light of Christ trying to shine outward from you.

 

Why do we sometimes hide our gifts? It's because we think they're not enough -- not good enough, not ready enough, or not humble enough to show them to others and let them shine.

 

We are treasure chests full of gifts! To share these treasures requires exposing ourselves, opening up the lid and letting others look inside to pick up and use the gifts that could benefit them. Does the thought of that make you feel too vulnerable?

 

We cannot do much for the kingdom of God without exposing what we naturally want to protect. Jesus exposed his back to the scourging whips, his head to thorns, and his body to the pain of the cross, because he loves you! Are you willing to expose his presence within you by sharing your gifts so that others may discover that Jesus loves them, too?

 

We can learn from the snake. In order to reproduce, the female snake must warm herself, so she lies on rocks in the open sunlight. This is a huge risk, because there are hawks circling above searching for dinner. We, too, must take the risk of lying open in God's "Son-Light" where people can see us, so that we can reproduce the love that he's been giving to us.

 

Exposing the light in us means sharing our gifts even when it's inconvenient. It means offering our gifts to others even when it results in rejection and ridicule. It means that when we get hurt for openly sharing ourselves, instead of closing up and running away, we choose to become stronger in loving others unconditionally.

 

When we share our giftedness, we share Jesus. One of the greatest gifts we receive is the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, and when we let others experience his true presence within us, we become Eucharist for them.

 

Jesus was not kidding when he said: "Listen carefully .... To those who have, more will be given; from those who have not, what little they have will be taken away." We have gifts, but if we behave like we don't, they become useless and ineffective; we lose them.

 

On the other hand, "In the measure you give you shall receive, and more besides." The more generous we are in sharing ourselves with others, the more we grow in our giftedness. However, no benefit to ourselves is as awesome as watching others receive God because of the gifts we share!

 

Today's Prayer

 

You, my Lord, want me docile to Your Holy Spirit. Give me strength and wisdom to act with courage in giving to my neighbors what You have entrusted to me to share. 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!”