Thursday, January 15, 2026

 Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

 (I Samuel 4:1-11; Mark 1:40-45)

 After every natural catastrophe – earthquake, hurricane, fire – humans ask themselves how God could have permitted it.  They wonder whether God has been capricious all along, whether they did not respond properly to His initiatives, or whether He exists at all.  Such questions echo the elders of Israel in today’s first reading.

  “’Why has the Lord permitted us to be defeated today by the Philistines?’” the men ask themselves. Apparently assuming that the problem lies with God’s lack of attention, they summon the Ark of the Covenant to be brought to the battlefront.  “Surely the Lord will wake up,” the elders now seem to say, “when He sees His people’s need.”  Of course, the tactic fails.  God knows quite well of their vulnerability yet chooses not to support the Israelites. 

 God has His reasons which will always remain obscure to humans.  We might speculate in the case under consideration that God is changing the center of human authority from judges to a king as well as the center of cultic worship from Shiloh to Jerusalem. Or it may be that God is chastening his people for thinking that the mere presence of holy things, not their becoming holy, is what is most important.  Still, God’s ways are often inscrutable.  If we could figure them out, we would sit on an equal level with God.  But this does not mean that God caresses and despises humans at whim.  No, He has definitively chosen to support His people when He sent us his Son, Jesus Christ.  Like the leper Jesus cures in today’s gospel, God loves us despite our not always heeding His commands.  

 

Wednesday, January 14, 20216

 

Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

(I Samuel 3:1-10.19-20; Mark 1:1-29-39)

Feeling called, like Samuel in today’s first reading, is an almost universal experience.  Most youth have a sense that they are called to do something or be something greater than they presently are or are doing.  Although they may not consider their calling with this term, they experience a vocation. “Vocation” is derived from the Latin vocatio meaning a “calling.” It may originate from an inner sense of destiny or something outside that attracts their attention like a poster to join the army.  In either case, they are moved to do something so that they might realize what they feel called to be.

Samuel senses his vocation to serve the Lord which apparently comes in a dream.  His words respond to the voice he hears while sleeping. He says, “Here I am.”  Church members should also sense a call to serve the Lord.  Most will not discern a calling to be a priest or religious sister.  But they may sense a call to a lay ministry like bringing Communion to the homebound.  Or they may discern a call to live as saints in the world; that is, raising a family, working at a job, serving the greater community with the love and diligence of Jesus’ disciples.

We sometimes resist our calling.  The fun or left side of our brain may signal that a Church ministry or even identifying too closely with our faith would be restrictive.  This type of thinking surrenders to unfounded fear.  We experience deep freedom when we serve the Lord.  He accompanies us, strengthens us, and fulfills us so that we feel his love. 

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

 Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

(I Samuel 1:9-10; Mark 1:21-18)

“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? ...”  The devil’s question in the gospel resounds in the consciences of people today.  Seniors, reflecting over their lives, wonder if Jesus’ wisdom is any more efficacious than that of other sages.  The middle-aged, finding a measure of identity in a faith tradition, still refuse to follow all the tenets of the founder.  The young are mostly indifferent to Jesus as they pursue a life of autonomy and security. 

To be sure, Jesus has much to add to the lives of all.  The elderly will find hope in him. Even if they have not achieved fame or have had a family to remember them, he promises them eternal life.  The middle-aged will find in Jesus a more solid foundation for life than possessions or international experiences.  His ways will add a depth of meaning proven worthwhile by the saints over the centuries.  The young will have a way out of the insularity of self-concern.  They will learn from Jesus how to love with their hearts.

Just as Jesus brought freedom to the demoniac, he can free us to achieve the fullness of spirit that our creation as humans offers.  By no means is his way easy as it calls us beyond personal desires.  But whatever the difficulties it entails, it assures us of his companionship as friend and guide.

Monday, January 12, 2026

 

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

(I Samuel 1:1-6; Mark 1:14-20)

The first words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are telling.  He says them in in today’s gospel passage: “This is the time of fulfillment.” It is fair, even necessary, to ask, “fulfillment of what?” What are the desires and hopes that are now going to be fulfilled?

In an insightful article journalist David Brooks says that among Americans there has been a telling shift in hopes and desires.  No longer do they want love, at least as defined in a classical way of giving oneself completely to another, either one person, a group of people, or a cause.  Rather, he says, today most people want autonomy, a detachment from others so that one they might pursue personal interests without commitments standing in the way.

For Jesus fulfillment means the connecting of people to God.  This desire has been named “the holy longing.” Jesus is here to bring us much closer to the Lord and to one another.  He is present in the Church which gathers us as brothers and sisters and directs our corporate self to his loving Father.

 

Sunday, January 11, 2026

 

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

(Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17)

In the Gospel of Matthew, the Baptism of Jesus reveals to the world that he is the Son of God. The evangelist does not emphasize so much the water of the river as the voice from heaven. The story reaches its climax when the Father proclaims, “This is my beloved Son…” At this moment all present know the means God has chosen to save the world.

These words have resonance in the first reading. They are taken from the second part of the Book of the prophet Isaiah. The exiles from Jerusalem have lived in Babylon for decades when God tells them, “Enough.” He recognizes that they have suffered sufficiently to be cleansed of their sins. He chooses an agent to carry out His plan to save them. He describes the agent as His servant in terms similar to what is said of Jesus in the Gospel. He is “pleased” with His servant to whom He has given His “spirit.”

Biblical scholars have had difficulty identifying who this servant is. Some say he is a collective person -- the people of Israel. But the four “Songs of the Suffering Servant” do not fit well with a collective person. In sum, these passages from the second part of Isaiah give a portrait more of an individual. They say, for example: “And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant” (Isaiah 49:5). So, who is the servant? Perhaps one of the prophets like Jeremiah who suffered so much in Jerusalem before he was taken to Babylon?

The Gospel provides a more satisfactory answer. The servant is Jesus of Nazareth. We see his suffering clearly during Holy Week when the four “Songs” are read. However, to accept this answer, we must broaden the dimensions of the story. The servant has not come to save only the exiles of Israel but the whole world. His self-sacrifice will redeem all men and women so that they may walk with heads high in justice.

We encounter Jesus Christ above all in the sacraments. Consider this: In Baptism, he sanctifies our being. In Penance and the Anointing of the Sick, he heals our souls. In Confirmation and especially in the Eucharist, he nourishes and strengthens us. And in Matrimony and Holy Orders, he prepares us to fulfill our destiny.

The emphasis of this Christmas season has always been on God's gift. Above all, he has given us his own Son as our redeemer. By carrying out this mission, Jesus shows God's love for us. Now we can reciprocate his loving initiative. As St. Paul exhorts the community of Christians in Rome, we can clothe ourselves with Christ. That is, we can help others, not only our relatives but also those in need elsewhere.

A Christian church insists that each of its members have an "inner journey" and an "outer journey." The "inner journey" consists of Scripture meditation and prayer. The "outer journey" involves community service. This might be visiting the sick or bringing meals to the elderly. Just as it is essential that we always pray, it is meritorious that we lend a hand in helping others.

While we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, we can hardly forget our own baptisms. Like Jesus in the Gospel, we have been anointed with the Holy Spirit. Jesus will please God by illuminating our path to Him. In return, may we illuminate the paths of others to Him by our humble service.