My Saturday Daily Blessings
Be still, quiet your heart and mind, the Lord is here loving you, talking to you.................
Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (Catholic Observance)
Saturday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time (Roman Rite Calendar)
*First Reading: 2 Sm 1:-1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27
David returned from his defeat of the Amalekites and spent two days in Ziklag.
On the third day a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage.
David asked him, "Where do you come from?"
He replied, "I have escaped from the camp of the children of Israel."
"Tell me what happened," David bade him.
He answered that many of the soldiers had fled the battle and that many of them had fallen and were dead, among them Saul and his son Jonathan.
David seized his garments and rent them, and all the men who were with him did likewise.
They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the soldiers of the LORD of the clans of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
"Alas! the glory of Israel, Saul, slain upon your heights; how can the warriors have fallen!
"Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished, separated neither in life nor in death, swifter than eagles, stronger than lions!
Women of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and in finery,
who decked your attire with ornaments of gold.
"How can the warriors have fallen?
in the thick of the battle, slain upon your heights!
"I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother!
most dear have you been to me; more precious have I held love for you than love for women.
"How can the warriors have fallen, the weapons of war have perished!"
On the third day a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage.
David asked him, "Where do you come from?"
He replied, "I have escaped from the camp of the children of Israel."
"Tell me what happened," David bade him.
He answered that many of the soldiers had fled the battle and that many of them had fallen and were dead, among them Saul and his son Jonathan.
David seized his garments and rent them, and all the men who were with him did likewise.
They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the soldiers of the LORD of the clans of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
"Alas! the glory of Israel, Saul, slain upon your heights; how can the warriors have fallen!
"Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished, separated neither in life nor in death, swifter than eagles, stronger than lions!
Women of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and in finery,
who decked your attire with ornaments of gold.
"How can the warriors have fallen?
in the thick of the battle, slain upon your heights!
"I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother!
most dear have you been to me; more precious have I held love for you than love for women.
"How can the warriors have fallen, the weapons of war have perished!"
*Responsorial Psalm: Ps 80:2-3, 5-7
"Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved."
*Gospel Reading: Mk 3:20-21
Jesus came with his disciples into the house.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, "He is out of his mind."
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, "He is out of his mind."
**Reflection:
Is the Lord Jesus honored in your home? Why would Jesus' relatives be so upset with him when he began his public ministry? On one occasion Jesus remarked that a man's enemies will be the members of his own household (Matthew 10:36). The Gospel of Mark records the reaction of Jesus' relatives when he went home: they came to seize him. They, no doubt, thought that Jesus must have gone mad or become a religious fanatic. How could a good home-body from Nazareth leave his carpentry trade and go off to become an itinerant preacher? Jesus had thrown away the security and safety of a quiet and respectable life close to his family and relatives. He probably expected some opposition or reaction from the highest religious authorities in Jerusalem. The hardest opposition, however, may come from someone close to us, even your own kin. Jesus met opposition with grace and with determination to fulfill his Father's will. Are you ready to obey and follow the Lord even if others oppose your doing so?
**Prayer:
Lord Jesus, may I always put you first and find joy in doing your will. May your love and charity grow in me, especially in the face of opposition and adversity." Amen.
Sources:
*Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
**Don Schwager
Author and Writer
Sword of the Spirit and
The Word Among Us
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