Search
Our Sunday Reflection - February 4, 2024
-
-
"Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted."
Psalm 147
-
-
-
Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
We gather on this midwinter day, as we do each Sunday, to celebrate the meal that Jesus left us so that we could be nourished by him as we continue our journey to the kingdom. We give praise and thanks to God for this opportunity, even as we acknowledge our failings, our sinfulness, and our need for God’s mercy. Let us lift our voices in song and prayer to our God.Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
There’s nothing like listening to a passage from Job to bring a person down. What happens to the poor guy ranges from tragic to miserable, leaving him in the throes of despair. Still, he turns to God for mercy and healing, much as the people of Capernaum later looked to Jesus. Listening to the word of God today, may we renew our trust in the Lord in the face of illnesses and difficulties.Reflections
- Job’s life has become a drudgery: restless nights followed by forgettable days. Every evening he ends his day without hope. He has no confidence that his life will change. A couple of weeks ago we heard Jesus call Andrew and Simon. They abandon their nets of drudgery and follow him to a brand-new life. Today we see Jesus enter Simon’s mother-in-law’s house, where she lay in bed ill. His healing touch leads to her a new life, a life of ministry to her fellow disciples. Often we feel as Job did, stuck in a rut and despairing of our misfortune. May we instead find hope in Christ, as his first disciples did, allowing him to guide us to a life of service, a life with purpose, a life for the kingdom.
- Interestingly, the Greek word egeiro, which Mark uses to describe how Jesus raised Simon’s mother-in-law out of bed, is used in a slightly different form by the angel who greets the women at the tomb when they come to anoint Jesus’ body. Recall that Mark wrote his Gospel long after Jesus’ death and resurrection. It would appear that Mark intentionally used the same word the angel did to describe what Jesus did here. Jesus is truly raising her to a new life, a life of ministry to and for others..
- Often we just have to learn things by ourselves. Sometimes it’s because we’re unsure if we can trust the person who’s teaching us. Sometimes it’s because what we’re told seems unbelievable. But often it’s simply because we learn better when we figure it out on our own. In today’s Gospel, Mark says that Jesus did not permit the demons he drove out to speak “because they knew him” (Mark 1:34). Later, we will hear again and again that despite following him for a long period of time, the disciples still misunderstood who Jesus was. They only learn little by little over time. Perhaps Jesus realized he had to wait patiently for his disciples to gradually learn who he was. What the demons could have revealed would not have enabled true learning.
Question of the Week
How do I best learn more deeply about Jesus?
-from Pastoral Patterns
-
readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, February 4, 2024
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, February 4, 2024
-
Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
-
-
-
-
News from the Vatican
-
12 hours agoAs Pope Francis departs Singapore, young people and Catholic educators have expressed gratitude for his visit, voicing their belief that embracing his message of fraternity and dialogue amid... -
yesterdayPope Francis on his first day of events in Singapore told national authorities they have a role to play in helping broker an end to global conflicts and praised their commitment to multilateralism... -
3 days ago“Let us not be afraid to scale down our plans when necessary, not in order to diminish them but to make them even more beautiful through the gift of ourselves and the acceptance of others,” Pope...
-
-