Vol. 37   No. 13           January 31,  2010             (Cycle C) 4th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Save us, Lord our God, and gather us together from the nations, that we may proclaim your holy name and glory in your praise. PENITENTIAL RITE Calling Jeremiah and entrusting him with a mission portrays God’s loving plan for humanity. This plan is realized through love, which St Paul presents as the greatest of all gifts. Let us ask: Do I believe that God has a plan for humanity? Do I believe that love is the greatest force? Do I fulfil the demands of love? I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER Let us pray: Lord our God, help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all people as you love them. We ask this… FIRST READING (This reading tells of the call and commission of Prophet Jeremiah who announces God’s word to all.) A reading from the Book of Jeremiah (1:4-5,17-19) The word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. But you, gird up your loins; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (70) Response: My lips will tell of your help. In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me, free me: pay heed to me and save me. R./ Be a rock where I can take refuge, a mighty stronghold to save me; for you are my rock, my stronghold. Free me from the hand of the wicked. R./ It is you, O Lord, who are my hope, my trust O Lord, since my youth. On you I have leaned from my birth, from my mother’s womb you have been my help. R./ My lips will tell of your justice and day by day of your help. O God, you have taught me from my youth and I proclaim your wonders still. R./ SECOND READING (In this passage St Paul speaks of the greatest gift of all—the virtue of charity. He stresses the primacy of love in the life of a Christian.) A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians (12:31–13:1-13) Earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Jn 1:12-14) Alleluia, alleluia! The Word became flesh and dwelt among us; to all who received him he gave power to become children of God. Alleluia! GOSPEL (The presence and the mission of Jesus evoke different responses in the listeners. Jesus suffers the fate of all prophets: rejection by his own people.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to      St Luke (4:21-30) Jesus began to say to all in the synagogue, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own country’.” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But passing through the midst of them he went away. This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Beloved in Christ, God our loving Father sent His Son Jesus amidst us as the messenger of truth, love and mercy. With faith let us bring our needs before God in prayer, saying: Response: Lord, in your love, hear us. 1. For our Pope, cardinals, bishops and priests: that they may give an example to the world as messengers of love and true prophets to proclaim God’s word. R./ 2. For leaders of all nations: that they may listen to the voice of the prophets in their midst. Grant them the grace to welcome God’s message. R./ 3. For mutual respect and tolerance between the followers of the various religions: that all may practise religious freedom and work for harmony and peace among all peoples. R./ 4. For all those who are working for peace and justice: that they may find that God upholds them when they suffer. May they experience God’s power and care in their ministry. R./ 5. For ourselves who are gathered in this assembly: that we may grow in intimacy with the Lord through the practice of daily prayer and reading of Scripture. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Loving Father, we thank and praise you for your blessings and gifts. Help us to be messengers of hope, instruments of peace and agents of love in a world beset with injustice and hatred. We ask this… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, be pleased with the gifts we bring to your altar, and make them the sacrament of our salvation. We ask this… Preface (P 33) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. All things are of your making, all times and seasons obey your laws, but you chose to create man in your own image, setting him over the whole world in all its wonder. You made man the steward of creation, to praise you day by day for the marvels of your wisdom and power, through Jesus Christ our Lord. We praise you, Lord, with all the angels in their song of joy: All: Holy, holy, holy… COMMUNION ANTIPHON Let your face shine on your servant, and save me by your love. Lord, keep me from shame, for I have called to you. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, you invigorate us with this help to our salvation. By this Eucharist give the true faith continued growth throughout the world. We ask this…   LITURGY AND LIFE   It is interesting to note the different reactions of the same people towards Jesus. The first reaction is that of appreciation: “All spoke well of him.” The second response is that of wonder: “They were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” The third reaction manifested is unbelief: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” Finally, the fourth reaction, there is an intense feeling of rage: “All in the synagogue were filled with rage” that they wanted to hurl him off the cliff. Their movement from appreciation to rage was very quick. Appreciation: In appreciating, the focus is never on oneself, but on the other person. Focusing attention on others for their welfare is a sure way to happiness. The gospels present the truth that wherever Jesus is accepted and recognized, he could work greater miracles. Wherever people are loved and appreciated, there is greater accomplishment and greater growth. The contrary effect produces opposite results. Wonder: Wonder is at the heart of every achievement. The more we wonder the more we discover; the more we discover the more we appreciate. He who begins to wonder at the marvel of creation believes more strongly in its creator; he who begins to wonder at the dynamism of the human body begins to appreciate it with greater respect for it; he who begins to wonder at the power of love, begins to nourish and nurture it. Wonder is not only a recognition of the greatness of the other but also the realization of our own possibilities. A sense of wonder inflames our initiatives. Unbelief: Lack of belief is the restricting of self. All in the synagogue thought, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” Joseph is a just man, but silent. The greatness of his silence is not recognized, rather it is ignored. They did not expect the son of an ordinary man to do something extraordinary. They made reference to the past in order to justify their supposition. Often, the reference to the past is made in order to restrict us. The memories of the past can weigh us down. Jesus accepted to be a carpenter’s son, but he did not limit himself to the form that people have made for a carpenter’s son. It is said that the “I can’t attitude” of people has stopped more people from accomplishing the greatness they could have achieved. Rage: What good can come out of destroying a person? You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong; you cannot establish sound security on borrowed money; you cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. On the contrary, the presence of your enemy (they are not your real enemies but you consider them so) should be considered an opportunity to grow. Your enmity should enable you to rouse up your initiatives not for destroying the enemy, but in outdoing the enemy in doing good. It is very hurtful to be rejected by one’s own townsfolk. Jesus was saddened by what happened to him at Nazareth, the incident grieved him; but he didn’t get embittered and bury his gifts but took his gifts elsewhere, and he proceeded with his mission. — Fr Devasia Puthiyaparambil, ssp     February 2010 READINGS OF THE WEEK Psalter Week 4 1 Mon (G) 2 Sam 15:13-14,30,16:5-13; Ps 3:2-3,4-5,6-7; Mk 5:1-20 2 Tue (W) PRESENTATION OF THE LORD (Day of Consecrated Life), Fst. Malachi 3:1-4; Ps 23:7,8,9,10; Heb 2:14-18; Lk 2:22-40 3 Wed (R) St Blaise, 2 Sam 24:2,9-17; Ps 31:1-2,5,6,7; Mk 6:1-6 4 Thu (R) St John de Britto, (Fst.), 1 Cor 9:19-27; Ps 66:1-7; Jn 12:20-32 5 Fri (R) St Agatha, Sir 47:2-13; Ps 17:31,47,50,51; Mk 6:14-29 6 Sat (R) Sts Gonsalo Garcia, Paul Miki & Co. (Fst.), 2 Cor 4:4-10; Ps 30:3-4,6.8,17.21; Jn 12:24-26