Lectio Divina: Mark 2:18-22Monday, January 20, 2020Ordinary Time1) Opening prayerFather of heaven and earth,hear our prayers,and show us the way to Your peace in the world.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 2) Gospel Reading – Mark 2:18-22The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."3) Reflection• The five conflicts between Jesus and the religious authority. In Mark 2:1-12 we have seen the first conflict. It was about the forgiveness of sins. In Mark 2:13-17, the second conflict is on communion around the same table, with sinners. Today’s Gospel presents the third conflict concerning fasting. Tomorrow we have the fourth conflict concerning the observance of the Sabbath (Mk 2:13-28). The day after tomorrow is the last conflict concerning the cure on the Sabbath (Mk 3:1-6). The conflict concerning fasting has a central place. For this reason, the words on sewing a piece of new cloth on an old cloak and the new wine into fresh skins (Mk 2:21-22) should be understood in the light which also radiates clearly on the other conflicts, two before and two after.• Jesus does not insist on the practice of fasting. Fasting is a very ancient practice, practiced by practically all religions. Jesus himself practiced it during forty days (Mt 4:2). But He does not insist with His disciples that they do the same thing. He leaves them free. This is why the disciples of John the Baptist and those of the Pharisees, who were obliged to fast, want to know why Jesus does not insist on fasting.• When the bridegroom is with them they do not have to fast. Jesus responds with a comparison. When the bridegroom is with the friends of the bridegroom, that is, during the wedding feast, they do not need to fast. Jesus considers himself the bridegroom. The disciples are the friends of the bridegroom During the time in which Jesus is with the disciples, there is the wedding feast. A day will come in which the bridegroom will be absent and then, if they wish, they can fast. Jesus refers to His death. He knows and feels that if He wishes to continue on this path of freedom, the religious authority will want to kill Him.• To sew a new piece of cloth on an old cloak, pour new wine in new skins. These two affirmations of Jesus, which Mark places here, clarify the critical attitude of Jesus before religious authority. One does not sew a piece of new cloth on an old cloak. When the cloak is washed, the new piece of cloth tears the cloak and the tear becomes bigger. Nobody puts new wine in old skins, because the fermentation of the new wine will tear the old skins. New wine in new skins! The religion defended by the authority was like an old cloak, like an old skin. It is not necessary to want to change what is new and brought by Jesus, for old customs. The concepts brought by Jesus cannot be reduced to fit the measure of Judaism. Either one or the other! The wine which Jesus brings tears the old skins. It is necessary to know how to separate things. Jesus is not against what is “old”. What He wants to avoid is that the old impose itself on the new, and thus, He begins to manifest it.4) Personal questions• Beginning with the profound experience of God which encouraged Him interiorly, Jesus had liberty concerning the norms and religious practices. Today, do we have this same liberty and the freedom of the mystics?• A new piece of cloth on an old cloak, new wine in old skins. Does this exist in my life?5) Concluding prayerWe have recognized for ourselves,and put our faith in, the love God has for us. (1Jn 4:16)stswithuns.org.uk/newsletter-NL_20122020 … See MoreSee Less

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CHRISTIAN MORNING MEDITATION:A Disciple of the Lamb of God 19 January 2020Second Sunday in Ordinary TimeJohn 1:29-34 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, who am I to receive such a gift as new life in you through baptism? Help me to renew my baptismal promises with a deeper conviction and commitment to discipleship.Encountering Christ:1. Behold the Lamb: John refers to Jesus the Lamb, giving allusions to the paschal lamb slaughtered on Passover (Exodus 12). The blood of the lamb, spread on the door lintels, was as a “pass” from the angel of death. They consumed the lamb as nourishment as they fled from their state of slavery under the Egyptians. The lamb could also conjure images of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 that was led to slaughter as an offering for the sins of the people. John’s reference makes clear that Jesus is the one who will bring a new freedom from sin through a baptism that only he can perform. That baptism will be one of fire. Thank you, Lord for being the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”2. Baptism of Fire: John points to Jesus as the one upon whom the Spirit came down. And he makes the distinction between his baptism with water and Jesus’s baptism with the Holy Spirit. In this passage, the Holy Spirit is manifest as a dove, a symbol of peace. True peace comes only from a life lived fully in God, which implies a turning away from sin and a turning to God. It is the path of repentance and purification. The Holy Spirit is also manifested as fire, reflecting the purifying power of God that sets our hearts ablaze with His love. It is no wonder that Jesus expresses his intention to bring fire upon the earth (Luke 12:49). But he would never put us through what he himself did not endure first. Hence he proclaims, “I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! (Luke 12:50).3. A True Disciple: John the Baptist reveals qualities of a true disciple: faith, humility, and witness. John testifies that he did not know Jesus, and yet his entire life was oriented towards preparing the way. He walked in the darkness, but for the conviction of his faith. His faith was strong because he knew who he was in relation to Jesus: the one “unfit to unstrap his sandals.” Humility was the foundation of all his other virtues, bearing fruit in a powerful witness to the Savior of the world, even to the point of death. We can pray for John’s kind of humility to live as a true disciple.Conversing with Christ: Jesus send your Spirit upon me. Renew my faith and deepen my love for you. How can I thank you for the gift of the baptism that you endured so that I might have eternal life in you, the Father, and the Holy Spirit?Resolution: Lord, today by your grace, I will renew my baptismal promises and make of them a prayer of thanksgiving.stswithuns.org.uk/newsletter-NL_19122020 … See MoreSee Less

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CHRISTIAN MORNING MEDITATION:Lectio Divina: Mark 2:13-17Saturday, January 18, 2020Ordinary Time1) Opening prayerFather of love, hear our prayers.Help us to know Your willand to do it with courage and faith.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,one God, for ever and ever. Amen.2) Gospel Reading – Mark 2:13-17Jesus went out along the sea. All the crowd came to him and he taught them. As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed Jesus. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus heard this and said to them, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."3) Reflection• In yesterday’s Gospel, we saw the first conflict which arose concerning the forgiveness of sins (Mk 2:1-12). In today’s Gospel we meditate on the second conflict which arose when Jesus sat at table with the sinners (Mk 2:13-17). In the years 70’s, the time when Mark wrote, there was a conflict in the communities between Christians who had been converted from paganism and those from Judaism. Those from Judaism found it difficult to enter into the house of converted pagans and sit with them around the same table (cf. Acts 10:28; 11:3). In describing how Jesus faces this conflict, Mark directs the community to solve the problem.• Jesus taught, and the people were happy to listen to Him. Jesus goes out again to go near the sea. People arrive and He begins to teach them. He transmits the Word of God. In Mark’s Gospel, the beginning of the activity of Jesus is characterized by teaching and by acceptance on the part of the people (Mk 1:14,21,38-39; 2:2,13) in spite of the conflict with religious authority. What did Jesus teach? Jesus proclaimed the Good News of God (Mk 1:14). He spoke about God, but He spoke in a new way. He spoke from His experience, of the experience which He himself had of God and life. Jesus lived in God. Surely He had touched the heart of the people who liked to listen to Him (Mk 1:22,27). God, instead of being a severe Jew who threatens from afar with punishment and hell, becomes a friendly presence and a Good News for the people.• Jesus calls a sinner to be a disciple and invites him to eat in His house. Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector and he immediately leaves everything and follows Jesus. He begins to be part of the group of disciples. The text says literally: While Jesus was at table in His house. Some think that in his house means the house of Levi. But the most probable translation is that it was a question of the house of Jesus. It is Jesus who invites all to eat in His house: sinners and tax collectors, together with the disciples.• Jesus has come not for the just, but for sinners. This gesture or act of Jesus causes the religious authority to get very angry. It was forbidden to sit at table with tax collectors and sinners, because to sit at table with someone meant that he was considered a brother! Instead of speaking directly with Jesus, the scribes of the Pharisees speak with the disciples: How is it that He eats and drinks together with tax collectors and sinners? Jesus responds: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I came to call not the upright, but sinners! As before with the disciples (Mk 1:38), it is the conscience of His mission which helps Jesus to find the response and to point the way for the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus.4) Personal questions• Jesus calls a sinner, a tax collector, a person hated by the people, to be His disciple. What is the message for us in this act of Jesus?• Jesus says that He has come to call sinners. He provides a path to forgiveness. How do we act once we have His forgiveness? Do we consciously try to avoid sin?5) Concluding prayerMay the words of my mouth always find favor,and the whispering of my heart, in Your presence,Yahweh, my rock, my redeemer. (Ps 19:14)stswithuns.org.uk/newsletter-NL_18122020 … See MoreSee Less

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