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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
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