Liturgical Readings for : Monday, 8th January, 2024
Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time, Cycle 2
FIRST READING
A reading from the first book of Samuel. 1: 1-8
Hannah’s rival would taunt her because the Lord had made her barren.
There was a man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the highlands of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives, one called Hannah, the other Peninnah; Peninnah had children but Hannah had none. Every year this man used to go up from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord Sabaoth in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there as priests of the Lord.
One day Elkanah offered sacrifice. He used to give portions to Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; to Hannah, however, he would give only one portion, although he loved her more, since the Lord had made her barren. Her rival would taunt her to annoy her, because the Lord had made her barren. And this went on year after year; every time they went up to the temple of The Lord she used to taunt her. And so Hannah wept and would not eat. Then Elkanah her husband said to her,
‘Hannah, why are you crying and why are you not eating? Why so sad?
Am I not more to you than ten sons?’
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 115
Response A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or Alleluia
1. How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name. Response
2. My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people.
a precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful. Response
3. Your servant, Lord, your servant am I; you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; I will call on the Lord’s name. Response
4. My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, a Jerusalem. Response
Gospel Acclamation Acts 16: 14
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Or Mk 1: 15
Alleluia, alleluia!
The kingdom of God is close at hand, repent and believe the Good News.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 1: 14-20 Glory to you, O Lord.
Repent and believe the Good News.
After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God.
‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’
As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them,
‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men‘.
And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Monday, First Week in Ordinary Time Mark 1:14–20
Any meeting between two or more people has the potential to be a good news event. The meeting that Peter, Andrew, James and John had with Jesus in today’s gospel was such a good news event, because the reign of God, the power of God, was present to them in the person of Jesus. That power of God present in Jesus to Peter, Andrew, James and John was the power of love, a love that called on them to repent, to turn towards God, a love that promised forgiveness, healing, acceptance, a love that gave them a mission in life. The kind of meeting that these two sets of brothers had with Jesus is offered to each one of us. Jesus is not just a figure of history who belongs to the past.
He is a living Lord, present in his church and in the world today. He is constantly calling us to meet with him as Peter, Andrew, James and John met with him, and each of these meetings proclaims good news for us. He meets with us and speaks to us through the Sacraments, in particular the Eucharist, through the Scriptures, from deep within our own hearts, through other people, through nature. Each time the Lord meets with us we will first hear from him the good news of God’s unconditional love for us. Graced by that good news, we will also hear the call to mission, the call to be good news for others, to be the Lord’s body in the world, his feet, his hands, his mouth, his eyes, his ears.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.
