Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time &
Saint Vincent of Saragossa, Deacon and Martyr
Biographical Information about St. Vincent
Readings for Monday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time[1]
Commentary:
Reading 1 Heb 9:15, 24-28
Hebrews continues this week, speaking of Christ as the mediator of the new covenant. He is our great intercessor, having offered his life so our sins might be forgiven. He has done this once and for all eternity.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The psalm is a song of praise to God for his saving work. From our perspective, knowing that he sent us His Son for our salvation, we see clearly the reference to Jesus as God’s saving hand is extended.
Gospel Mk 3:22-30
The reading from Mark’s Gospel takes up the story from Saturday when Jesus had taken his disciples to Matthew’s house for a meal but could not eat because of the crowd. If you remember, his mother and family came to get him and the word passed it was that they thought he had lost his mind.
That word comes not from the scribes from Jerusalem who start picking up on that and going further, calling Jesus a servant of the devil. Finally Jesus is forced to confront them. He asks why Satan would send someone to attack himself. He goes on with two other examples and ends with a condemnation of the attack saying; “But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
Reflection:
If we are to live the life of Christ then compassion must be our motto. Can you see the Lord in the story above from Mark’s Gospel? As he is attacked and condemned by the scribes, he knows the doom they have sealed for themselves.
It would be as if naturalists, while exploring in Africa were suddenly attached by a rare and endangered species of animal and the only way to survive was to kill them. They would feel something like the anguish the Lord must have suffered as the scribes blasphemed against to Holy Spirit and, in doing so, condemned themselves to spend eternity with the very Satan with whom they accused the Lord of being in league.
If we are truly compassionate, when we face opposition of any kind, the gate to love that person is opened to us. Compassion flows from the Lord in His gift to us, the Holy Spirit. It was given to us at our Baptism, an indelible gift that marks us as God’s adopted Children. All we need to do is reach for that gift when people persecute us or attack us and the compassion of the Lord will well up in us. It will banish the feelings for hated and revenge. Those emotions come from Satan.
Compassion allows us to try, with humility, to show our errant brothers and sisters where the have gone wrong. The Lord tries to do this with the scribes in the Gospel today. We know that if our brothers and sisters attack us they are committing a sin. Is it not always sinful to hurt another person? In doing so they are placing themselves at risk. It is our duty to at least warn them of the consequences.
It is difficult, what the Lord shows us. We have our whole lives to get it right but we don’t know how long that might be so we had better get started.
Pax
Saint Vincent of Saragossa, Deacon and Martyr
Biographical Information about St. Vincent
Readings for Monday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time[1]
Commentary:
Reading 1 Heb 9:15, 24-28
Hebrews continues this week, speaking of Christ as the mediator of the new covenant. He is our great intercessor, having offered his life so our sins might be forgiven. He has done this once and for all eternity.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The psalm is a song of praise to God for his saving work. From our perspective, knowing that he sent us His Son for our salvation, we see clearly the reference to Jesus as God’s saving hand is extended.
Gospel Mk 3:22-30
The reading from Mark’s Gospel takes up the story from Saturday when Jesus had taken his disciples to Matthew’s house for a meal but could not eat because of the crowd. If you remember, his mother and family came to get him and the word passed it was that they thought he had lost his mind.
That word comes not from the scribes from Jerusalem who start picking up on that and going further, calling Jesus a servant of the devil. Finally Jesus is forced to confront them. He asks why Satan would send someone to attack himself. He goes on with two other examples and ends with a condemnation of the attack saying; “But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
Reflection:
If we are to live the life of Christ then compassion must be our motto. Can you see the Lord in the story above from Mark’s Gospel? As he is attacked and condemned by the scribes, he knows the doom they have sealed for themselves.
It would be as if naturalists, while exploring in Africa were suddenly attached by a rare and endangered species of animal and the only way to survive was to kill them. They would feel something like the anguish the Lord must have suffered as the scribes blasphemed against to Holy Spirit and, in doing so, condemned themselves to spend eternity with the very Satan with whom they accused the Lord of being in league.
If we are truly compassionate, when we face opposition of any kind, the gate to love that person is opened to us. Compassion flows from the Lord in His gift to us, the Holy Spirit. It was given to us at our Baptism, an indelible gift that marks us as God’s adopted Children. All we need to do is reach for that gift when people persecute us or attack us and the compassion of the Lord will well up in us. It will banish the feelings for hated and revenge. Those emotions come from Satan.
Compassion allows us to try, with humility, to show our errant brothers and sisters where the have gone wrong. The Lord tries to do this with the scribes in the Gospel today. We know that if our brothers and sisters attack us they are committing a sin. Is it not always sinful to hurt another person? In doing so they are placing themselves at risk. It is our duty to at least warn them of the consequences.
It is difficult, what the Lord shows us. We have our whole lives to get it right but we don’t know how long that might be so we had better get started.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
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