Liturgical Readings for : Saturday, 20th January, 2024
Saturday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2
Optional Memorials of Ss Fabian, pope and martyr and
Sebastian, martyr
FIRST READING
A reading from the second book of Samuel. 1: 1-4, 11-12, 17, 23-27
How did the heroes fall in the thick of the battle.
David returned from his rout of the Amalekites and spent two days in Ziklag. On the third day a man came from the camp where Saul had been, his garments torn and earth on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground and did homage.
‘Where do you come from?‘ David asked him.
‘I have escaped from the Israelite camp‘ he said.
David said to him, ‘What happened? Tell me.’
He replied,
‘The people have fled from the battlefield and many of them have fallen.
Saul and his son Jonathan are dead too.‘
Then David took hold of his garments and tore them, and all the men with him did the same. They mourned and wept and fasted until the evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, for the people of the Lord and for the House of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. Then David made this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan:
Alas, the glory of Israel has been slain on your heights!
How did the heroes fall?
Saul and Jonathan, loved and lovely,
neither in life, nor in death, were divided.
Swifter than eagles were they, stronger were they than lions.
O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul who clothed you in scarlet and fine linen,
who set brooches of gold on your garments. How did the heroes fall in the thick of the battle?
O Jonathan, in your death I am stricken, I am desolate for you, Jonathan my brother.
Very dear to me you were, your love to me more wonderful than the love of a woman.
How did the heroes fall and the battle armour fail?
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 79
Response Let your face shine on us, 0 Lord, and we shall be saved.
1. O shepherd of Israel, hear us, you who lead Joseph’s flock,
shine forth from your cherubim throne upon Ephraim, Benjamin, Manasseh.
O Lord, rouse up your might, O Lord, come to our help. Response
2. Lord God of hosts, how long will you frown on your people’s plea?
you have fed them with tears for their bread, an abundance of tears for their drink.
You have made us the taunt of our neighbours, our enemies laugh us to scorn. Response
Gospel Acclamation 2 Cor 5: 19
Alleluia, alleluia!
God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.
Alleluia!
or Acts 16: 14
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 3:20-21 Glory to you, O Lord.
His relatives said he was out of his mind.
Jesus went home again, and once more such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal.
When his relatives heard of this, they set out to take charge of him, convinced he was out of his mind.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Saturday Second Week in Ordinary Time Mark 3:20-21
Today’s very short gospel reading from Mark suggests that Jesus was misunderstood by his own family. They had come to hear that so many people were coming to Jesus for help that he and his disciples had no time even to eat. They concluded that Jesus must be ‘out of his mind’ and they wanted to take him back to Nazareth, back home, for his own good. Jesus’ family meant well, but they completely misinterpreted Jesus.
Having set out on his mission of bringing God’s merciful and healing love to all, Jesus was never going to return to Nazareth and live the hidden life he had lived before he left there. There are misunderstandings in every family. A member of a family can set out on a path that just makes no sense to other family members. Jesus’ family was no different to most human families. The members of Jesus’ family had to learn to let him go to God’s purpose for his life, even if it made little sense to them. We often have to let go of those we care about, even if the path they are taking is very concerning to us. We sometimes just have to let them be.
The members of Jesus’ family were trying to control him, but we cannot control Jesus. Our calling is to surrender to Jesus and to try and go where he is leading us. Jesus once said, ‘the Spirit blows where it wills’. What is true of the Holy Spirit is true of Jesus who is full of the Holy Spirit. Far from trying to control Jesus, we invite him to control us, in the sense of becoming Lord of our lives. When Jesus becomes Lord of our lives, we don’t lose our freedom. Rather, we become truly free, free to live in the fully human way for which God has created us.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd
