FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 28, 2024
Greetings, beloved family and Happy Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time!
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Today’s Bible Readings: Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), January 28, 2024
Reading 1, Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9
Reading 2, First Corinthians 7:32-35
Gospel, Mark 1:21-28
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JANUARY – MONTH OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS: The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. After the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, the Angel Gabriel appeared to St. Joseph and told him that the Childâs name should be called Jesus, meaning âGod Saves.â According to Jewish law, on the 8th day after his birth a male child was to be circumcised, receive his name, and become a full member of Godâs covenant people. According to the old Roman liturgical calendar, the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus was celebrated on January 1st, eight days after Christmas, the same day that He was given His sacred name. Currently we celebrate the Solemnity of the Mother of God on January 1st and honor the Holy Name of Jesus on January 3rd. For Catholics, Jesusâ sacred name is the object of a special devotion symbolized by the monogram âIHS,â (sometimes called a Christogram), which is the first three letters of the Greek spelling of His name.
On this special feast day, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on the first memorial anniversary of his death. We pray for the repose of his gentle soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May the gentle soul of Pope Benedict XVI and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ⌠Amen đ âď¸đŻâď¸đŻâď¸đŻ
Please let us continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen đ
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amenđ
A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen đ
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) | Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Mark 1:21â28
He taught them as one having authority
“Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, âWhat have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you areâthe Holy One of God!â Jesus rebuked him and said, âQuiet! Come out of him!â The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, âWhat is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.â His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.”
In today’s Gospel reading, the people of Capernaum were astonished by Jesusâ teaching and then by His subsequent action in releasing a possessed man from his demons who attempted to disturb the teaching session which the Lord was having at that time in the synagogue. In their astonishment, they started asking what it all meant, âWhat is this?â they asked. The unclean spirit had taken hold of the possessed man, not momentarily, but in an enduring way. He was permanently possessed by this spirit. It made him address Jesus in very aggressive tones, âWhat do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?â Jesus knew that the voice of the spirit speaking through this man was not the manâs real voice. He was aware that it was not the manâs true self that he was encountering. Rather than being offended how this man addressed Him, Jesus set about the work of healing him and delivering him from this alien spirit. Jesus restored his true self. After Jesus engaged him, the man was himself again. He was free from his demons. What Jesus did for this man He can do for all of us. The same Jesus who spoke with authority in the synagogue of Capernaum is alive among us as risen Lord. The powerful, life-giving word that Jesus addressed to that man he continues to address to each of us. The crowd on that occasion said, âHere is a teaching that is new and with authority behind itâ. The word of Jesus has lost none of its newness or its authority. It is a word that remains alive today. The response to the psalm today calls out to us: âO that today you would listen to His voice! Harden not your heartsâ. Jesus continues to address His word to us today, and that word has the power to deliver us from our demons, from those spirits that diminish us. He continues to speak His word to us in the face of our apparent unresponsiveness or even hostility towards Him. He is not put off by that, just as He was not put off by the aggressive tone of the possessed man in the Gospel reading today.
According to the Gospel, Jesusâ opening words to the man were, âBe quietâ. They might well be His first words to us as well. We need to be quiet if we are to listen to the Lordâs word. We need to find some stillness if the Lordâs word is to make the same kind of impact on us that it made on the man in todayâs Gospel reading. That stillness may take the form of a few quiet moments after Mass sitting with the Lordâs word to us in the Gospel reading or one of the other readings. As we sit in stillness and in quiet we name those unclean spirits in our lives that prevent us from being our best self, and we ask the Lord to speak with authority for our healing and our liberation. What the Lord did for that man and what he can do for us, he calls on us to do for one another. He speaks His life-giving word into our lives so that we can speak that same word into each otherâs lives. We know only too well that the words we speak can be forces for good or forces for harm. We will have learnt that some words do harm us, wheras other words build us up. Some words can leave deep wounds and other words can heal and renew. Some words can give our demons a new lease of life and other words disempower our demons. Words do matter, both what we say and how we say it. It is true that actions speak louder than words, but words themselves are actions in their own right; they do something. The authoritative word of Jesus in todayâs Gospel reading did something wonderful; it brought healing and new life to a very disturbed person. Todayâs Gospel reading might prompt us to look at what our own words do. We might also ask: âWhere do our words come from?â Jesusâ words came from the depth of His relationship with God. That is why they were such a power for good. As followers of Jesus, our words are to come from the depth of our relationship with Him. Only then will they share in the power for good that his words had. Sometimes our words come from a more superficial place; they might be a reaction to the careless or aggressive words that are spoken to us. Jesus did not just react to the hostile words that were spoken to Him in todayâs Gospel reading; His words came from a deeper place. Our calling is to allow our words to come from that same deeper place so that they will have the same power for good that Jesus’ words had. There were many who saw what Jesus did and heard what He said and who were not amazed by it all. Many found what He said and did disturbing and wanted to get rid of Him. We need a certain disposition of heart to be open to the wonder and beauty of the Lordâs words and actions among us. We might pray for that disposition of heart today.
In our first reading today from the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses proclaimed to the people of Israel, that the Lord their God would raise up a great Prophet like himself from among them, and how in this Prophet, the Word of God would be revealed and brought into the midst of this world, among Godâs people, which is in fact a prophecy and prediction of the coming of the Messiah, the Holy One of God, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Through Christ, the salvation of God and His love has been made clear and evident to us, and He has brought unto us all the reassurances that as long as we all remain faithful to Him, obeying the Law and commandments of God, all of us shall remain in Godâs grace and be saved. Also, the Lord warned against all those false prophets and leaders, messengers and all those who sought to misappropriate and misuse the word of God and the truth for their own benefits and advantages. He told the people how all those so-called prophets who would speak differently from what He has shown, taught and revealed, would be crushed, destroyed and they would meet their end, because of the wicked deeds that they would do among the people of God. This is also a reminder for all the people of God, and hence to all of us as well, that we must be careful not to be easily swayed by the lies and falsehoods which the evil one would definitely attempt to plant in our midst, spreading the seeds of discord and doubt among us.
In our second reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, the Apostle St. Paul reminded all the people and the faithful in Corinth not to be anxious and not to be overly concerned with their various worldly matters and attachments, and that was why, he told all of them that they should all be focused on the Lord and how to do His will, and to do their respective parts, whether as husbands or wives, which he used as examples, in living their lives worthily in accordance to Godâs will, and not to follow the whim of their desires and any other worldly temptations and attachments, which would easily lead them astray down the wrong path of sin and evil. St. Paul reminded the faithful in Corinth of all these things because at that time, there were strife and division among the Christians in Corinth, as there were oppositions to the teachings and works of St. Paul among a segment of the faithful there, especially from among the Christians recently converted from the Jewish diaspora community. This issue and other disagreements among the faithful in the region of Corinth had caused divisions and conflicts to break out among the members of the Body of Christ, and this led to the disruption in the works and efforts of the Lordâs Apostles and disciples in proclaiming the Good News and the truth, and hence, the faithful were exhorted to remain faithful to the teachings and truth of Christ, and not be easily swayed by all sorts of worldly temptations and desires.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, all of us are reminded that in the Lord lies our hope and salvation, and He is our God and Master, and we are all His people, His beloved ones who are always cared for by Him, ever always precious in His sight. The Lord has shown His love to us, and fulfilled everything that He has promised to us since the very beginning, and He would not let harm come to us, His beloved ones. This is what He had done and reaffirmed to us again and again throughout time and history, as shown in our Scripture readings today. All of us should always therefore commit ourselves to the Lord and remain firmly focused on Him at all times, and not be swayed or tempted by worldly desires and evils. We are all called to be always focused on the Lord and centre our lives and existence on Him. We are reminded that the various temptations present all around us in this world, the falsehoods of the devil and all those seeking our ruin and destruction can bring us to our downfall, and we have to be ever vigilant lest all those distractions and temptations mislead us down this wrong path. We have to put our faith and trust as always in the Lord, and allow Him to lead and guide us down the path of righteousness and grace. This is why we should remind ourselves to grow ever more in our relationship with God, embracing His love and truth, His mercy and kindness at all times, and rejecting the wickedness of the world. Let us all commit ourselves ever more wholeheartedly to the Lord, and let us do our best so that in each and every moments of our lives, we will always strive to be exemplary and inspirational in our way of life, that through our dedication and good examples, many others may also be helped and inspired to turn away from the path of wickedness and sin, and instead embracing the Lord as their Master and Saviour as all of us had done. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the Lord bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, and inspire us all that we may truly be His worthy disciples and followers, and be the shining beacons of His Light in this darkened world today. Amen đ
SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church and Saint Peter Nolasco, Confessor.
SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 ) is the Dominican order’s greatest glory and ranks among the greatest writers and theologians of all time. He was the 13th century theologian who showed that the Catholic faith is in harmony with philosophy and all other branches of knowledge. He taught philosophy and theology with such genius that he is considered one of the leading Christian thinkers. A deeply speculative mind, he joined a remarkable life of prayer, a precious memento of which has been left to us in the Office of Corpus Christi. He’s a perfect model of childlike simplicity and goodness, his innocence, on a par with his genius, earned for him the title of “Angelic Doctor.” St. Thomas was born in 1226 into a wealthy and noble family in Aquino, Italy, having relatives among the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. His father Landulph was the Count of Aquino, and his mother Theodora, the Countess of Teano. At age five, Thomas was sent to study at Monte Cassino, the abbey founded by St. Benedict and placed him under the care of the Benedictines of Monte Cassino. His teachers were surprised at the progress the boy made, for he surpassed all his fellow pupils in learning as well as in the practice of virtue. The boy’s intellectual gifts and serious disposition impressed the monks, who urged his father to place him in a university by the time he was 10. At the University of Naples, he learned philosophy and rhetoric while taking care to preserve his morals against corruption by other students. When he became of age to choose his state of life, St. Thomas renounced the things of this world and resolved to enter the Order of St. Dominic in spite of the opposition of his family. Some members of his family resorted to all manner of means over a two-year period to break his constancy. When Thomas set off to enter the newly founded Dominican order to be a poor mendicant friar, his mother held him prisoner in the family castle in order to dissuade him. His brothers went as far as trying to destroy his purity, and thus his vocation, by tempting him with a prostitute. However Thomas resisted and turned to God for help; as a result, angels were sent to guard and preserve his chastity. St. Thomas persevered in his vocation. This long ordeal only strengthened his vocation, and eventually he escaped and joined the Dominicans of Naples in 1243, at the age of seventeen. As a reward for the Saintâs fidelity, his purity of mind and body, and remarkable intelligence, God conferred upon him the gift of perfect chastity, which has merited for him the title of the Angelic Doctor.
After making his profession at Naples, St. Thomas studied at Cologne under the celebrated St. Albert the Great. Here he was nicknamed the âDumb Oxâ because of his silent ways and huge size, but he was really a brilliant student. At the age of twenty-two, he was appointed to teach in the same city. At the same time he also began to publish his first works. After four years he was sent to Paris. The Saint was then a priest. At the age of thirty-one he received his Doctorate. At Paris, he was honored with the friendship of the King, St. Louis, with whom he frequently dined. In 1261, Urban IV called him to Rome, where he was appointed to teach, but he positively declined to accept and ecclesiastical dignity. St. Thomas not only wrote (his writings fill twenty hefty tomes characterized by brilliance of thought and lucidity of language), but he preached often and with the great fruit. Clement IV offered him the Archbishopric of Naples, which he also refused. He was mild in word and kind in deed. He believed everyone was as innocent as he himself was. When someone sinned through weakness, Thomas bemoaned the sin as if it were his own. The goodness of his heart shone in his face, no one could look upon him and remain disconsolate. How he suffered with the poor and the needy was most inspiring. Whatever clothing or other items he could give away, he gladly did. He kept nothing superfluous in his efforts to alleviate the needs of others.
St. Thomas’ best-known achievements are his works of theology. These include the Summa Contra Gentiles, the Compendium Theologiae, and the great Summa Theologica – an explanation and summary of the entire body of Catholic teaching, has been standard for centuries, even to our own day. At the 16th century Council of Trent it was consulted after the Bible, placed on the Altar along with the Bible for easy reference during discussion. In December 1273, however, the scholar proclaimed that he could write no more, following a mystical experience in which he said he had âseen things that make my writings look like straw.â But he complied with a request ordered there by Gregory X, to attend the Council of Lyon to help reunite the Latin and Greek churches. On his way there, however, Thomas became ill and stopped at a Cistercian abbey. The monks treated him with reverence, and it was to them that he dictated a final work of theology: a commentary on the Old Testament’s Song of Songs. The saint did not live to finish this commentary, however. He fell sick and nearing death, he made a final confession and asked for the Eucharist to be brought to him. In its presence, he declared: âI adore you, my God and my Redeemer ⌠for whose honor I have studied, labored, preached, and taught.â He died at the Cistercian monastery of Fossa Nuova on March 7, 1274, at about the age of fifty. After he died his lifelong companion and confessor testified, “I have always known him to be as innocent as a five-year-old child. Never did a carnal temptation soil his soul, never did he consent to a mortal sin.” He cherished a most tender devotion to St. Agnes, constantly carrying relics of this virgin martyr on his person. He was canonized in 1323 by Pope John XXII and made a Doctor of the Church in 1567. In 1965, the Second Vatican Council taught that seminarians should learn âunder the guidance of St. Thomas,â in order to âillumine the mysteries of salvation as completely as possible.â St. Thomas Aquinas is the Patron Saint of schools and of sacred theology; philosophers; theologians; apologists; students; universities; academics; against storms; against lightning; apologists; book sellers; Catholic academies; Catholic schools; Catholic universities; chastity; colleges; learning; lightning; pencil makers; ; publishers; scholars; schools; storms; University of Vigo.
PRAYER:Â Father of wisdom, You inspired St. Thomas Aquinas with an ardent desire of holiness and study of sacred doctrine. Help us, we pray, to understand what he taught and to imitate what he lived. Amenđ
SAINT PETER NOLASCO, CONFESSOR: St. Peter Nolasco (1182-1256) is a French Saint and founder of the Mercedarian or Nolascan Order (The Order of Our Lady of Mercy or Ransom) founded in Spain in 1218, for the purpose of attending to the sick and ransoming Christian captives from the Moors. It was originally a military order. St. Peter Nolasco was born in c.1182 at Recaud, near Carcassonne, in Southern France, of noble and wealthy parents. His distinguishing virtue was the love of his neighbour, which seemed to be presaged by this incident that when he was a baby in his cradle, a swarm of bees one day lighted upon him, and formed a honey-comb on his right hand and he was not harmed. From his youth, he was noted for his piety, almsgiving and charity. He lost his parents early in life. The Albigensian heresy was, at that time, making way in France. Christians were persecuted throughout a large part of the Iberian peninsula. Peter, out of the hatred he had for that sect, withdrew into Spain, after having sold his estates. This gave him an opportunity of fulfilling a vow at our Lady’s of Mount Serrat, which he had made some time previous. After this, he went to Barcelona; and having there spent all his money in ransommg the Christian captives from the slavery of their enemies, he was often heard saying, that he would willingly sell himself to redeem others, or become a slave in the stead of any captive.
God showed him, by the following event, how meritorious in his sight was this desire. He was one night praying for the Christian captives, and deliberating with himself how he might obtain their deliverance, when the Blessed Virgin appeared to him (1228) and told him, that he would render himself most dear to her Son and herself, if he would institute, in her honour, an Order of Religious men, who should devote themselves to the ransoming Captives from the infidels. In compliance with her wish, St. Peter delayed not to follow the heavenly suggestion, and instituted the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the redemption of Captives, in which he was aided by St. Raymond of Penafort and James the First, King of Aragon, both of whom had, on thatâľ same night, received the intimation from the Mother of God. Besides the usual vows, all Religious of this Order are required to take a fourth vow, namely, to offer themselves as slaves to the Moors, if they can in no other way obtain the ransom of the Christians. The new Merecedarian Order, Our Lady of Ransom, was approved by Pope Gregory IX in 1230. In the beginning St. Peter Nolasco and his associates were lawmen, but Pope Clement V decreed that the Master General of the Order should always be a Priest. On one occasion St. Peter Nolasco ransomed 400 at Valencia and Granada; twice he traveled to Africa as “the Ransomer,” not without peril to his own life; and records show that through his personal efforts a total of 890 Christians regained their liberty.
Having taken a vow of virginity, he spent his whole life in the most perfect purity. He excelled in every virtue, especially in patience, humility, and abstinence. He foretold future events by the gift of prophecy, wherewith God had favoured him. Thus, when king James was laying siege to Valentia, then in the possession of the Moors, he received assurance from the Saint that he would be blessed with victory. He was frequently consoled with the sight of his Angel Guardian and the Virgin Mother of God. At length, worn out with old age, he received an intimation of his approaching death. When he was seized with his last sickness, he received the holy Sacraments, and exhorted his Religious Brethren to love the Captives. After which, he began most devoutly to recite the Psalm, I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; and at these words from Psalm 110: The Lord has sent Redemption to His people, he breathed forth his soul into the hands of his Creator, at Christmas midnight, on December 25, 1256 at Barcelona, Spain. He was canonized in 1628. St. Peter Nolasco is the Patron Saint of fishermen.
PRAYER FOR THE INTERCESSION OF ST. PETER NOLASCO: O God, you clothed our Father, Saint Peter Nolasco, with the love of Christ; and through the Blessed Virgin Mary you made him a messenger of love and liberty for Christians held in captivity. Help us to imitate him by working for the redemption of all the oppressed and for the building up of your Church. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amenđ
PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, St. Thomas Aquinas and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the safety and well-being of all students, for all universities, for philosophers, theologians, apologists, scholars and teachers. We continue to pray for all those who are sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for an end to wars, political and religious unrest. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for those affected directly or indirectly, for all Healthcare workers and for an end to the coronavirus disease.. Amen. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and for all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world⌠Amenđ
Let us pray:
Lord of all holiness, please continue to draw me into the life of perfection. Help me to grow in every virtue and to continually be aware of every gift of grace I am given. Please help me, especially, to be attentive to every small and subtle grace and to respond to those graces with a truly open and grateful heart. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen đ
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Mother Mary, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Peter Nolasco ~ Pray for usđ
Thanking God for the gift of this new year and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all as we begin this Ordinary Time. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe, healthy, prosperous and grace-filled New Year and Sunday ~ Amenđ
Blessings and Love always, Philomena đ
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