February 17 Mon Weekday
[The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order]
Jas 1:1-11/Mk 8:11-13
18 Tue Weekday
Jas 1:12-18/Mk 8:14-21
19 Wed Weekday
Jas 1:19-27/Mk 8:22-26
20 Thu Weekday
Jas 2:1-9/Mk 8:27-33
21 Fri Weekday
[Saint Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church]
Jas 2:14-24, 26/Mk 8:34—9:1
22 Sat The Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle Feast
1 Pt 5:1-4/Mt 16:13-19
23 SUN SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Lv 19:1-2, 17-18/1 Cor 3:16-23/Mt 5:38-48 (79)
Please watch today’s homily by selecting the video below:
Pope Francis describes 5 “signs” of the holiness we need today in his exhortation “Guadete et exultate”. The first is perseverance, patience and meekness. God calls us in this “fast-paced, noisy and aggressive world” to keep on the right path ourselves, but also not desert others in bad times when anger and aggressiveness, ridicule and lying infest the world around us. (112-121)
Keep your sense of humor,. we need Joy today. “Hard times may come, when the cross casts its shadow, yet nothing can destroy the supernatural joy that “adapts and changes, but always endures, like a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved’”.
Boldness and passion are other signs of holiness for today. (129– 131} “Look at Jesus. His deep compassion reached out to others. It did not make him hesitant, timid or self-conscious, as often happens with us. Quite the opposite. His compassion made him go out actively to preach and to send others on a mission of healing and liberation. Let us acknowledge our weakness, but allow Jesus to lay hold of it and send us too on mission. We are weak, yet we hold a treasure that can enlarge us and make those who receive it better and happier. Boldness and apostolic courage are an essential part of mission.”
“Like the prophet Jonah, we are constantly tempted to flee to a safe haven. It can have many names: individualism, spiritualism, living in a little world, addiction, intransigence, the rejection of new ideas and approaches, dogmatism, nostalgia, pessimism, hiding behind rules and regulations. We can resist leaving behind a familiar and easy way of doing things. Yet the challenges involved can be like the storm, the whale, the worm that dried the gourd plant, or the wind and sun that burned Jonah’s head. For us, as for him, they can serve to bring us back to the God of tenderness, who invites us to set out ever anew on our journey.” (134)
Don’t go it alone, the pope says. We need to be with other in community, not apart by ourselves where we can “ grow too isolated, lose our sense of reality and inner clarity.” (141)
The common life, whether in the family, the parish, the religious community or any other, is made up of small everyday things. This was true of the holy community formed by Jesus, Mary and Joseph, which reflected in an exemplary way the beauty of the Trinitarian communion. It was also true of the life that Jesus shared with his disciples and with ordinary people. Let us not forget that Jesus asked his disciples to pay attention to details.
The little detail that wine was running out at a party.
The little detail that one sheep was missing.
The little detail of noticing the widow who offered her two small coins.
The little detail of having spare oil for the lamps, should the bridegroom delay.
The little detail of asking the disciples how many loaves of bread they had.
The little detail of having a fire burning and a fish cooking as he waited for the disciples at daybreak.
A community that cherishes the little details of love,[107] whose members care for one another and create an open and evangelizing environment, is a place where the risen Lord is present, sanctifying it in accordance with the Father’s plan. There are times when, by a gift of the Lord’s love, we are granted, amid these little details, consoling experiences of God.” (144-145)
Constant prayer is needed today, the pope says. The saints found ”an exclusive concern with this world to be narrow and stifling, and, amid their own concerns and commitments, they long for God, losing themselves in praise and contemplation of the Lord. I do not believe in holiness without prayer, even though that prayer need not be lengthy or involve intense emotions.”
“ We need to remember that “contemplation of the face of Jesus, died and risen, restores our humanity, even when it has been broken by the troubles of this life or marred by sin. We must not domesticate the power of the face of Christ”.[113] So let me ask you: Are there moments when you place yourself quietly in the Lord’s presence, when you calmly spend time with him, when you bask in his gaze? Do you let his fire inflame your heart? Unless you let him warm you more and more with his love and tenderness, you will not catch fire. How will you then be able to set the hearts of others on fire by your words and witness? If, gazing on the face of Christ, you feel unable to let yourself be healed and transformed, then enter into the Lord’s heart, into his wounds, for that is the abode of divine mercy.” (151-152)
10 Mon Saint Scholastica, Virgin Memorial
1 Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13/Mk 6:53-56
11 Tue Weekday [Our Lady of Lourdes]
1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30/Mk 7:1-13
12 Wed Weekday
1 Kgs 10:1-10/Mk 7:14-23
13 Thu Weekday
1 Kgs 11:4-13/Mk 7:24-30
14 Fri Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop Memorial
1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19/Mk 7:31-37
15 Sat Weekday ]
1 Kgs 12:26-32; 13:33-34/Mk 8:1-10
16 SUN SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Sir 15:15-20/1 Cor 2:6-10/Mt 5:17-37 or 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37
Take a look at our new website, http://www.ourmarygarden.com which tells you about our Mary Garden at Immaculate Conception Monastery, Jamaica, New York. It’s a treat for the eyes and the heart. A sermon of another kind. A sermon we need to hear.
February 3 Mon Weekday (Fourth Week in Ordinary Time)
[Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr;
2 Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13/Mk 5:1-20
4 Tue Weekday
2 Sm 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30—19:3/Mk 5:21-43
5 Wed Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr Memorial
2 Sm 24:2, 9-17/Mk 6:1-6
6 Thu Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs Memorial
1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12/Mk 6:7-13
7 Fri Weekday
Sir 47:2-11/Mk 6:14-29
8 Sat Weekday
[Saint Jerome Emiliani; Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin;
1 Kgs 3:4-13/Mk 6:30-34
9 SUN FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Is 58:7-10/1 Cor 2:1-5/Mt 5:13-16
Orlando Hernández
The Gospel (Mk 4: 35-41) for the Saturday of the third week in Ordinary Time tells the dramatic story of Jesus’ miracle when He saved His disciples from the “violent squall” that befell their boats in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. I love how Jesus was peacefully sleeping in the stern.
According to the fourth chapter of Mark He had just finished a long day, standing on perhaps this very same boat, preaching to the many people that were on the shore. Our human Brother got tired, like all of us. The disciples had to wake Him and even dared to reprimand their Master: “ Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing ?” Our Lord swiftly takes care of the situation, as if this dangerous natural phenomenon were just a little, unruly child: “ Quiet! Be still!”
Jesus is apparently disappointed at their lack of faith, and they seemed to confirm His opinion as they say (One of my most beloved sentences in the Bible!): “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” They still did not understand the incredible Blessing that they were living with. Even now, some of us, at certain moments find ourselves at the perilous edge of our faith in difficult, stormy times. The Loving One is sleeping quietly within us, and we just can’t find the way to “wake Him”, or so we think. I also find myself suddenly, even in the midst of my most recollected moments, asking Him the question: “Who ARE You? “
I was thinking about this Gospel on our Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, as I stood on the prow of the wooden ship that was giving us a ride on the Sea of Galilee. Conditions were totally different from those in the Gospel. The blue waters of the Lake were totally calm, reflecting the clouds in the sky. It was very beautiful and comforting. On the shore we could discern the traditional sites of the Sermon on the Mount, of the place where Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”, and of the ruins of the ancient town of Capernaum. I wondered where along that shore was the cove where Jesus stood on the boat and told His parables. To think that some 2,000 years ago He WAS here, at this lake, filled me with emotion.
Everyone in the boat was so quiet. The vessel was large enough for us to walk around, from one side to the other. The water was so still that we did not have to sit down. There was such peace, and yet I remembered the Gospel, how from one minute to the other a dreadful storm could come along and threaten our lives. Either way, our Lord is always with us, resting in our hearts.
As we were returning, the boat staff played recorded music, well-known religious hymns like “Amazing Grace”, “How Great Thou Art”, and Gospel songs at a faster tempo. Many of us started to hum or sing along, even lift our arms, clap our hands, and “dance”. The Holy Spirit of joy was palpable. We would move around, look into each others eyes without fear, and smile, even laugh. There was such fellowship to this group of Pilgrims, so much love. I thank God every time I think of them.
The boat on the Sea of Galilee can be seen as a symbol of our Church, carrying the people of God. We move on, forward, to where Jesus is taking us. Sometimes it gets turbulent, but no matter what our problems, we’re in this boat together and our ship’s Master is always with us.
January 27 Mon Weekday
[Saint Angela Merici, Virgin]
2 Sm 5:1-7, 10/Mk 3:22-30
28 Tue Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church Memorial
2 Sm 6:12b-15, 17-19/Mk 3:31-35
29 Wed Weekday
2 Sm 7:4-17/Mk 4:1-20
30 Thu Weekday
2 Sm 7:18-19, 24-29/Mk 4:21-25
31 Fri Saint John Bosco, Priest Memorial
2 Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17/Mk 4:26-34
1 Sat Weekday
2 Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17/Mk 4:35-41
2 SUN THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD Feast
Mal 3:1-4/Heb 2:14-18/Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32
The Victor's Place 