Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mk 3:13 – 19 The Call of Jesus
Today’s Gospel passage from St. Mark tells us that Jesus chose twelve apostles from among those who were following Him.
If we pay attention to the brothers and sisters around us, who, like us, have been baptized into Christ through receiving the same sacrament of baptism, that is, having crucified the old mortal self with Christ, so that the sinful self may fade away and they may no longer be slaves to sin (cf. Rom 6:6 – 7), we will find that, just like the apostles chosen by Jesus (cf. Lk 6:14 – 16), they are diverse in terms of personality, life experiences, and educational backgrounds. Yet, through receiving the same gift of the Holy Spirit and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they have become children of God (cf. Rom 8:14). And by sharing in the same cup of blessing, they are united in the blood of Christ, and by partaking of the same broken bread, they are incorporated into the body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 10:16 – 17), gradually forming an integral part of the Church, which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself established upon St. Peter.
The merciful Lord Jesus did not choose those with superior knowledge, nor did He call social elites. Instead, He called fishermen, those who supported themselves with their own hands, such as Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, Zebedee’s sons James and his brother John; and He also called those who had received a certain level of education, like the tax collector Matthew. Each of them had different life backgrounds, interpersonal relationships, and personalities. The Lord Jesus did not change them but invited them to proclaim the Gospel to all creatures in their lives, so that through their proclamation, all people might be freed from sin and death.
Similarly, our Lord Jesus Christ calls each of us to be His disciples at different times and stages of our lives according to His holy will. Let us draw strength from the twelve apostles who have followed Jesus since the beginning of His public ministry and have now been specially chosen by Him. Let us imitate their virtues and follow Christ closely, fulfilling the mission He has entrusted to us in a worthy manner. Amen.
Thursday of Second Week of Ordinary Time Or Optional memorial of Vincent the Martyr Gospel: Mark 3:7-12 The Crowd Seeking Jesus
Today, the Church celebrates the Optional memorial of Vincent the Martyr. The Roman Martyrology tells us that St. Vincent the Deacon was the first martyr in Spain and the patron saint of Lisbon, Algarve, and Valencia.
Today’s Mass Gospel, taken from the Gospel of St. Mark, recounts how after Jesus withdrew to the seaside of Galilee, a large crowd flocked to Him, seeking His healing.
Today, among those who came to Jesus, some were followers from Galilee and Judea, while others came from Jerusalem, Idumea, the other side of the Jordan, Tyre, and Sidon. They came to Jesus not to listen to His proclamation of the Kingdom of God, but to be healed. This scene reminds me of the star-chasing fans and obsessive stalkers that we often see in life, who are willing to abandon their studies for their idols. Such situations also occur within our respective parishes, where some fellow believers, upon hearing others speak of Jesus in their daily lives, receive Christian baptism without much understanding, naively crucify their old selves marked by death along with Christ, and receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit, yet they fail to emulate the virtuous example of St. Vincent by discerning God’s holy will in their lives and acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord.
Today, let us follow the example of St. Vincent, living our lives under the illumination of the Holy Spirit of God, and courageously bearing witness to the true faith according to the will of the Holy Spirit. St. Vincent, pray for us. Amen.
Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr Gospel: Mk 3:1-6 The Lord on the Sabbath
Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of the martyrdom of St. Agnes. St. Ambrose, the bishop, tells us that today is St. Agnes’s birthday, and it is said that she was martyred at the age of twelve. The heinous violence did not spare even this young girl. The power of faith was so immense that it led such a young maiden to bear witness to it. Her slender body had hardly any space to bear wounds, yet she was able to endure such a blow and even overcome it. Girls of her age cannot even bear the anger of their own parents, and when pricked by a needle, they cry out as if severely wounded. But when she faced the blood-stained executioners, she showed no fear. She remained unmoved while bearing the heavy chains; she surrendered her entire body to the swords of the brutal soldiers. She was so young that she did not even understand death, yet she was prepared to face it. Against her will, they dragged her to the altar. Amid the flames, she stretched out her hands to God and, on the blasphemous altar, made the gesture of Christ’s victory. Her neck and hands were bound by chains, but her slender limbs were not restrained.
Today’s Mass Gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark, which tells of how Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath and the controversy that ensued.
We often act like those who were spying on Jesus today, enjoying finding fault with others and using their weaknesses to attack them. Those who were observing Jesus’ today were no different. They hoped to find flaws in everything Jesus did so that they could attack and frame Him. For in their view, one should work for six days and rest on the seventh day. So, if someone healed another person on the seventh day, they were not observing the law regarding the Sabbath that God had established.
Today, when Jesus saw the man with a withered hand living in great pain, He did not choose to turn a blind eye. On the contrary, Jesus chose to take the initiative to reach out, setting an example for us. As Christians, whenever we see those who are seriously ill or in difficult situations in our daily lives, we should also, like Christ, take the initiative to care for them, offer them help within our capabilities, and pray for them. May they receive some comfort through our prayers and the selfless assistance we provide to them and no longer suffer from pain and sorrow.
On this Memorial Day of the St. Agnes, the virgin martyr, let us follow the example of this martyred virgin and bear witness to the true faith through our practical actions. St. Agnes, pray for us. Amen.
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