Liturgical Readings for : Saturday, 13th January, 2024
Saturday of the First Week of Ordinary Time, Year 2
Optional Memorial of St Hilary, bishop and doctor of the Church
FIRST READING
A reading from the first book of Samuel. 9: 1-4, 17-19, 10:1a
The Lord told Samuel, ‘That is the man of whom I told you; Saul shall rule my people.’
Among the men of Benjamin there was a man named Kish son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah; a Benjaminite and a man of rank. He had a son named Saul, a handsome man in the prime of life. Of all the Israelites there was no one more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders taller than the rest of the people. Now some of the she-donkeys of Saul’s father Kish had strayed, so Kish said to Saul, ‘My son, take one of the servants with you and be off; go and look for the she-donkeys’. They passed through the highlands of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but did not find them; they passed through the land of Shaalim, they were not there; they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.
When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him,
‘That is the man of whom I told you; he shall rule my people’.
Saul accosted Samuel in the gateway and said, ‘Tell me, please, where the seer’s house is?‘
Samuel replied to Saul,
‘ I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place. You are to eat with me today.
In the morning I shall take leave of you and tell you all that is in your heart’.
Samuel took a phial of oil and poured it on Saul’s head; then he kissed him, saying,
‘Has not the Lord anointed you prince over his people Israel? You are the man who must rule the Lord’s people, and who must save them from the power of the enemies surrounding them.’
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 20
Response O Lord, your strength gives joy to the king.
O Lord, your strength gives joy to the king; how your saving help makes him glad!
You have granted him his heart’s desire; you have not refused the prayer of his lips. Response
You came to meet him with the blessings of success, you have set on his head a crown of pure gold.
He asked you for life and this you have given, days that will last from age to age. Response
Your saving help has given him glory. You have laid upon him majesty and splendour,
you have granted your blessings to him for ever. You have made him rejoice with the joy of your presence. Response
Gospel Acclamation Ps 118: 29
Alleluia, alleluia!
Bend my heart to your will, O Lord, and teach me your commands.
Alleluia!
or Lk 4: 18
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me to bring the Good News to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 2: 13-17 Glory to you, O Lord.
I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.
Jesus went out again to the shore of the lake; and all the people came to him, and he taught them. As he was walking on he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus, sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me’. And he got up and followed him.
When Jesus was at dinner in his house, a number of tax collectors and sinners were also
sitting at the table with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many of them among his followers. When the scribes of the Pharisee party saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples,
‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?‘
When Jesus heard this he said to them,
‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Saturday First Week in Ordinary Time Mark 2:113-17
In today’s gospel reading the religious experts, the scribes, express surprise at the company Jesus kept. They ask his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ Someone like Jesus, a religious teacher, was expected to keep better company than that; he should be in the company of religious people like himself. However, Jesus clearly did not restrict his company to those who were seen to have measured up in some way. He was happy to keep the company of those who were considered sinners, just as doctors are normally found in the company of the sick, at least during their working hours.
The gospel reading reminds us that the Lord is happy to be in our company, even when we have fallen short of what some people expect of us, even when we are far from being all that God is calling us to be. Our failings and weaknesses do not drive the Lord away or drag him down, rather his presence to us in our failings and weaknesses lifts us up. We can always come before the Lord in our brokenness and he never drives us away. His table is always set for us and there is always a place for us there, regardless of where we are on our life journey.
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The Scripture readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd
