Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mark 2:18-22 Christian’s Fasting and Prayer
We often judge others based on the common lifestyles and the ways people handle different things, applying our own standards. To us, this seems so reasonable that we consider those who share similar ways of handling things as our friends. As for those who do not follow our lifestyles, we regard them as outsiders and are unwilling to associate with them. Similarly, when we see those who lead a consecrated life in the Church, who willingly entrust themselves to God and behave differently from us, at first, we may approach them and talk to them. However, as our interaction deepens and we find that their behaviors and manners are different from ours, we choose to distance ourselves from them and stop associating with them.
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord! Since we have been reborn in Christ through the sacrament of Baptism, we should renounce all sinful behaviors, no longer live under the shadow of sin and death, and not continue to live in our past sinful ways as before. Instead, we should always live out the spirit of the Gospel and in all places, actively convey the love and affection of Christ to those whom we have distanced ourselves from and isolated, and encourage the world to join us in living out the joy of the Gospel.
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel: John 1:29-34 Christ, the Lamb of God Who Takes Away the Sin of the World
Today is the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. We encounter John the Baptist once again.
When John saw Jesus approaching, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (cf. John 1:29). By calling Jesus: “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” John led the Jewish people to recall how God had guided their ancestors out of Egypt. At that time, in obedience to God’s command, Moses instructed the elders of Israel to have each household prepare a Passover lamb. After it was slaughtered, they were to mark the lintel and doorposts of their homes with the lamb’s blood using hyssop, so that the destroyer would pass over houses covered by the blood of the lamb (cf. Exodus 12:21-28). This also reminded them of Abraham, the father of all nations, who obeyed Godes command to go to Moriah and offer his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice to God (cf. Genesis 22:1-19). In John’s time, the lamb had come to symbolize the scapegoat that served as a sin offering for others.
Today, John directly pointed out the mission Jesus was to accomplish:to take away the sin of the world. This means Jesus would act as the true Passover Lamb, with the Cross as His altar. On this altar, He would offer Himself to the Father to atone for all the sins committed by humanity, reconcile the world with God, and free all people living under the power of sin and death. Our old self, marked by the death of sin, is united with His human flesh, crucified with Him. When He rose from the dead, we began a new life in Him.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! By receiving the baptism of our Lord Jesus and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we have become children of God. Let us imitate John the Baptist, always proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to the world and in all places. Let us also follow the example of Jesus Christ’s goodness and humility, contributing our part to the reconciliation between people and between humanity and nature.
St. John the Baptist, pray for us! Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God Who Takes Away the Sin of the World, have mercy on us!
The Memorial of St. Anthony the Abbot Gospel: Mark 2:13-17 St. Anthony, Loving Father of All Monks
Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Anthony the Abbot. St. Anthony, also known as “Anthony the Great,” was an Egyptian hermit who was later venerated as a saint. He was born around January 12, 251 AD, and died on January 17, 356 AD. Known by many other titles (such as “Anthony of Egypt,” “Anthony the Abbot,” and “Anthony of the Desert”), he is also called the “Father of All Monks” for his foundational role in the monastic tradition. His biography was written by Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, and translated into Latin, spreading the concept of Christian monasticism to Western Europe. Although not the first hermit, he was among the earliest, entering the wilderness for asceticism around 270 AD, and making “desert spirituality” renowned. It is said that in the Eastern desert, he resisted supernatural temptations, a theme that became a classic subject in art and literature. He is invoked as a patron against infectious diseases, particularly skin ailments, which were formerly known as “St. Anthony’s Fire.”
The Gospel reading for today’s Mass is taken from the Holy Gospel according to Mark, which tells of Jesus calling Levi (also known as Matthew), whom the Pharisees considered a public sinner, and the subsequent rebuke of Jesus by their scribes.
We often judge people based on the common habits of society, the way they approach various situations, and according to our own personal standards. In our eyes, this seems perfectly reasonable. Those who share our lifestyle and habits are our friends. As for those who do not follow our way of life, we regard them as strange, even unwilling to associate with them.
At times, we also look upon our brothers and sisters who have chosen a life of complete self-giving to God, living a consecrated life, in a similar manner. In our view, because these brothers and sisters who have given themselves entirely to God and live a consecrated life act differently within the Church, and may even seem incompatible with us in some aspects, when we interact with them, we too, like the scribes in today’s Gospel, see them as outsiders, keep our distance, and are unwilling to share communion with them.
Today, let us imitate St. Anthony the Abbot, returning to the desert of our own hearts to seek communion with God. Let us draw strength from prayer, so that our thoughts, words, and actions may increasingly resemble those of Christ, and contribute our part to healing the divisions in the world—reconciliation between people, and between humanity and nature.
St. Anthony the Abbot, Loving Father of all monks, pray for us. Amen.
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