Friday of the Second week in Ordinary Time Letter to the Hebrews 8:6-13. Brothers and sisters: now our high priest has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one. But he finds fault with them and says: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they did not stand by my covenant and I ignored them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and I will write them upon their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his fellow citizen and kinsman, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me, from least to greatest. For I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sins no more. When he speaks of a new covenant, he declares the first one obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is close to disappearing. Psalms 85(84):8.10.11-12.13-14. Show us, O LORD, your kindness, And grant us your salvation. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 3:13-19. Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: (he appointed the twelve:) Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. Commentary of the day Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church Sermon 311, 2 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach The blessed apostles… were the first to see Christ hanging on the cross. They mourned his death and were seized with fear before the miracle of his resurrection but, very soon, transported by love at this manifestation of his power, they no longer hesitated to shed their own blood to prove the truth of what they had seen. Now think, my brethren, of what was asked of these men: to go out into the whole world preaching that a dead man was raised and ascended into heaven, suffering for the preaching of this truth whatever pleased an enraged world: privations, chains, torments, burnings, wild beasts, cross and death. Was this for some unknown cause? Was it for his own glory that Peter died ? For his own advantage that he preached? He would die; another than he was glorified. He was put to death; another worshipped. Only the burning flame of charity joined to conviction of the truth can explain a courage like this! What they preached they had seen. People don’t die for some truth of which they are not sure. Or should they have denied what they had seen? They did not deny it: they preached that death which they knew while living; they knew for what life they were despising the present life. They knew for what happiness they were bearing transitory trials, for what reward they were treading underfoot all these sufferings. Their faith! It weighed more in the scales than the whole world.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 01:18:20 +0000
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