The Catholic Calendar for Friday, January 19, 2001
Second Week in Ordinary Time
Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Hebrews 8:6-13
Psalm 85:8,10-14
Mark 3:13-19
Full text: http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/index.htm
A Reflection on Today's Scripture:
Now Christ is down to serious business: the business of His Father!
He, in the jargon of today, outlines His "mission statement" in
Hebrews: ...to perfect a new testament and to serve as God for His
people, a people He calls His own. In the Gospel of Mark He goes on
to select His staff, the apostles, His chosen ones to carry out that
mission. All is ready to move ahead!
To continue in the jargon of today, Christ lets us know His logo for
His mission. It is that of MERCY! He will be a God of MERCY to show
mercy for our iniquities, and He will no longer even remember our
sins.
What a challenging role model! We cannot forgive sins in the same
way, but we can forgive ...and try to forget. So often ours is more a
situation where we are long on remembering and short on forgiving!
We see a contrast in looking at the names of the apostles and the
logo of Christ. Peter would be known as the Rock... and James, the
son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James, He named the sons of
thunder. These names depict strength and power, but for Himself He
chooses MERCY, a gentle quality, which indeed takes strength.
Help us, O Lord to realize that strength lies not in the loud
commotion and competition of the marketplace! Strength lies in the
ability to gently extend our hand in forgiveness to those who have
caused us harm!
- Joan of Jesus, ocds
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