MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Sunday - January 22, 2023

 

Sunday - January 22, 2023

Virtues are formed by prayer. 

Prayer preserves temperance. 

Prayer suppresses anger. 

Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.

~Saint Ephrem

January 22, 2023

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 67

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Is 8:23—9:3

 

First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun

and the land of Naphtali;

but in the end he has glorified the seaward road,

the land west of the Jordan,

the District of the Gentiles.

 

Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness:

for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom

a light has shone.

You have brought them abundant joy

and great rejoicing,

as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,

as people make merry when dividing spoils.

For the yoke that burdened them,

the pole on their shoulder,

and the rod of their taskmaster

you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14

 

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.

 

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom should I fear?

The LORD is my life’s refuge;

of whom should I be afraid?

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

One thing I ask of the LORD;

this I seek:

To dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD

and contemplate his temple.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD with courage;

be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

 

Reading II                                                     1 Cor 1:10-13, 17

 

I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that all of you agree in what you say,

and that there be no divisions among you,

but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.

For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters,

by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you.

I mean that each of you is saying,

“I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,”

or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”

Is Christ divided?

Was Paul crucified for you?

Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel,

and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,

so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

 

Alleluia         

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom

and cured every disease among the people.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Mt 4:12-23 or 4:12-17

 

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,

he withdrew to Galilee.

He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,

in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet

might be fulfilled:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles,

the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death

light has arisen.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,

Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,

casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.

He said to them,

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

At once they left their nets and followed him.

He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,

James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.

They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.

He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father

and followed him.

He went around all of Galilee,

teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,

and curing every disease and illness among the people.

 

or

 

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,

he withdrew to Galilee.

He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,

in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet

might be fulfilled:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles,

the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death

light has arisen.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

**********************************

Helping those who live in darkness

Who’s troubling you? In this Sunday’s Gospel passage, we hear of the fulfillment of the prophecy given by Isaiah in the first reading: Because of Jesus Christ, the people you know who are living in darkness have seen the light that will heal them. Who is making no effort to get out of their sin-induced misery? Who is overshadowed by the demons of spiritual death and destruction? Whose stubbornness is causing you great anguish?

 

Through your prayers and faithful love, Jesus has been revealed to them. Even as they fight against this truth and hide from him, the great light of Christ cannot be turned off. Soon or eventually this will cause great rejoicing, not only for you, but for those who are being rescued.

 

Elsewhere (Luke 12:49-50), Jesus expressed his feelings about people who live in darkness: “How great is my anguish until it is accomplished!” Thus, he knows your anguish and shares it, but more deeply and fervently. He is doing more than you know, more than you can imagine, to accomplish the victory for which you’ve been praying. He is doing everything possible — as well as the impossible — to bring it to fulfillment.

 

Pray that Divine Providence will use the bad consequences of each person’s stubborn rebellion to draw them to himself. Pray that God will use others to bring them into his light. Pray that God will work in his own way (which might not be the way you would choose) to dissolve their spiritual rebellion. Pray that after their conversion they will spread the light of Christ powerfully. And pray that their conversion will be deep, definite and permanent.

 

We don’t pray to change God’s mind; he’s already working to bring the light of Christ to people who live in darkness. We pray to place these people into his arms, since they’re not doing it for themselves.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, Help me to leave in Your hands the affections and people that don’t let me follow You in freedom. Thank You for calling me to a life abundant in You. Amen.

 

 

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!”