Saturday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time &
Saint Fabian, Pope & Saint Sebastian, Martyr
Biographical Information about St. Fabian
Biographical Information about St. Sebastian
Readings for Saturday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Commentary:
Reading 1 Heb 9:2-3, 11-14
Today, Hebrews contrasts the tradition of Jewish animal sacrifice or sin offering with what Jesus has done for us. He describes, in detail, how Christ becomes the sacrifice that seals the new covenant. Using this specific Hebrew Law and imagery, he explains how the Lord came as the ultimate offering for our salvation.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
We are given a song of praise, celebrating God’s lordship over all of His creation.
Gospel Mk 3:20-21
References seem to indicate that Jesus went back to Matthew’s house and his mother and friends came to get him because he was acting strangely.
Reflection:
We have to wonder about the Gospel today. It is only two verses long but it seems strangely out of place. These two verses continue yesterday’s Gospel in which the original 12 are named. So we have the twelve and Jesus going back to Matthew’s house and a huge crowd is following them because Jesus has been miraculously curing the sick (and since he gave this authority to his disciples perhaps they were also doing some of this) and preaching that God’s Kingdom was there for those who believed in the Son of Man and followed the Father’s Law.
Ok, let’s picture the scene. We are sent in Galilee, Jesus home neighborhood. A huge group of people are following Jesus along with twelve students he has picked up along the way. They are not identified by the crowd as of necessarily high quality and at least one of them is a tax collector.
They go into a small house, Matthew’s, to get something to eat, and the people who have been following him crowd right in with them “making it impossible for them even to eat”. Various versions of scripture word this first verse differently but the meaning is the same.
Next we have word of this gathering reaching his mother and family. Now let’s ask ourselves; what would our parents have thought if they had heard from friends and neighbors that their child had come back with some unknown or even known followers and a huge crowd of people were following them? On top of that they would certainly have heard that Jesus had been confronting the scribes and Pharisees (their religious leaders, even ones from Jerusalem) along his trip. What would they have done and thought?
In secular language let’s picture this; Jesus and his disciples seated in a room with people crowding all around them so they can’t even get a bite to eat. Outside the house, those who could not get inside are crowded around the door. Here comes Mary and some of her family or perhaps Joseph’s family to speak with her son. People outside pass word in that; “Jesus, your mother is hear with your family and they are asking if you have lost your mind.” Does that sound so far fetched now?
We have reflected now a length about the historical situation. Let’s ask ourselves what this passage says to us as we consider how the Lord wants us to follow his example. First it’s clear, following the Lord is not always going to be popular. There will be times when even our families will wonder about our motives. Next, it is also clear that there will be those around us that hunger to hear the words of life. That is what Jesus was about, that is what he sent his disciples to do.
Today, in addition to having the examples of two of the early martyrs of the Church to see as examples (these two were not very popular with the Roman Emperor Caius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius who had them put to death), we hear in the short powerful Gospel that the Lord asks us to walk a difficult road. We accept this challenge gladly for it leads us to heaven.
Pax
Saint Fabian, Pope & Saint Sebastian, Martyr
Biographical Information about St. Fabian
Biographical Information about St. Sebastian
Readings for Saturday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Commentary:
Reading 1 Heb 9:2-3, 11-14
Today, Hebrews contrasts the tradition of Jewish animal sacrifice or sin offering with what Jesus has done for us. He describes, in detail, how Christ becomes the sacrifice that seals the new covenant. Using this specific Hebrew Law and imagery, he explains how the Lord came as the ultimate offering for our salvation.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
We are given a song of praise, celebrating God’s lordship over all of His creation.
Gospel Mk 3:20-21
References seem to indicate that Jesus went back to Matthew’s house and his mother and friends came to get him because he was acting strangely.
Reflection:
We have to wonder about the Gospel today. It is only two verses long but it seems strangely out of place. These two verses continue yesterday’s Gospel in which the original 12 are named. So we have the twelve and Jesus going back to Matthew’s house and a huge crowd is following them because Jesus has been miraculously curing the sick (and since he gave this authority to his disciples perhaps they were also doing some of this) and preaching that God’s Kingdom was there for those who believed in the Son of Man and followed the Father’s Law.
Ok, let’s picture the scene. We are sent in Galilee, Jesus home neighborhood. A huge group of people are following Jesus along with twelve students he has picked up along the way. They are not identified by the crowd as of necessarily high quality and at least one of them is a tax collector.
They go into a small house, Matthew’s, to get something to eat, and the people who have been following him crowd right in with them “making it impossible for them even to eat”. Various versions of scripture word this first verse differently but the meaning is the same.
Next we have word of this gathering reaching his mother and family. Now let’s ask ourselves; what would our parents have thought if they had heard from friends and neighbors that their child had come back with some unknown or even known followers and a huge crowd of people were following them? On top of that they would certainly have heard that Jesus had been confronting the scribes and Pharisees (their religious leaders, even ones from Jerusalem) along his trip. What would they have done and thought?
In secular language let’s picture this; Jesus and his disciples seated in a room with people crowding all around them so they can’t even get a bite to eat. Outside the house, those who could not get inside are crowded around the door. Here comes Mary and some of her family or perhaps Joseph’s family to speak with her son. People outside pass word in that; “Jesus, your mother is hear with your family and they are asking if you have lost your mind.” Does that sound so far fetched now?
We have reflected now a length about the historical situation. Let’s ask ourselves what this passage says to us as we consider how the Lord wants us to follow his example. First it’s clear, following the Lord is not always going to be popular. There will be times when even our families will wonder about our motives. Next, it is also clear that there will be those around us that hunger to hear the words of life. That is what Jesus was about, that is what he sent his disciples to do.
Today, in addition to having the examples of two of the early martyrs of the Church to see as examples (these two were not very popular with the Roman Emperor Caius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius who had them put to death), we hear in the short powerful Gospel that the Lord asks us to walk a difficult road. We accept this challenge gladly for it leads us to heaven.
Pax
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