Bible Diary for January 12th – 18th
domingo
12 de eneroth
The Baptism of the Lord
1st Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins. A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by a strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.
2nd Reading: Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Beloved: The grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good. When the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, He saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.
Gospel: Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Reflexión:
The role of the messenger is not to proclaim himself; he is not his own message. Instead, his mission is to proclaim another. The church, like Isaiah and John the Baptist, is called to be a messenger: making straight the way of the Lord and announcing his arrival. The church is not itself the Good News. When the church becomes confused about its role and preaches itself, rather than Christ, it falls into what Pope Francis calls “spiritual narcissism.” Today, Lord, may I have the courage and faith to prepare a way for you in my life.
lunes
13 de eneroth
San hilario
1st Reading: Hebrews 1:1-6:
Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, He spoke to us through the Son, whom He made heir of all things and through whom He created the universe, who is the refulgence of His glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by His mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
For to which of the angels did God ever say: You are my Son; this day I have begotten you? Or again: I will be a father to him, and he shall be a Son to me? And again, when he leads the first born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him.
Gospel: Mark 1:14-20:
After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel. ”As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.
Reflexión:
The Gospels record no instances in which a potential recruit rejects his personal call. It is as if such a calling—if it truly comes from the Lord—is literally irresistible. But perhaps Jesus’ choices were not arbitrary.
Surely Simon and his brother were not the only fishermen Jesus encountered along the shore. Perhaps, as Jesus discerned, they were predisposed for such a summons, already yearning for a task and a mission greater than casting nets into the lake. If a stranger says to you, “I have the answer to your problem,” this will seem merely bizarre if you are not conscious of having a problem. But if you do have a problem, and you receive such a message— well, at least he’s got your attention.
“Many are called but few are chosen.” Perhaps it is only those already on a quest for answers who are ready to respond when the call comes—whether that call comes from a mysterious stranger on the beach, or the needs of our neighbor, or the demands of history. But those who are content merely with mending their nets are not likely to drop everything when the Lord issues that call.
martes
14 de eneroth
1st Reading: Hebrews 2:5-12:
It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. Instead, someone has testified somewhere: What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, subjecting all things under his feet.
In “subjecting” all things to him, he left nothing not “subject to him.” Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,” but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor” because he suffered death, he who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,” that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers” saying: I will proclaim your name to my brethren, in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28:
Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him! ”The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
Reflexión:
Authority is the keyword in today’s gospel reading. It occurs in two senses. There is Jesus’ authority in the sense of his power to command and be obeyed—even by evil spirits who recognize and name him as “the Holy One of God.” But there is authority in another sense: his capacity to preach and speak “with authority”—“not like teachers of the law.”
Jesus’ authority does not come from learned study, office, or lineage. He preaches and acts as one who lives and embodies the truth of his message. It is his very nature. People can sense his authenticity, but their response is more of wonder than of confession: “What is this?” They are not yet ready to recognize him as clearly as the evil spirits who “know who he is.”
Among the saints, there were many who lacked any official office, who had no special training or theological education. And yet their contemporaries could perceive in them an authority that was lacking in “teachers of the law.” As Christians, we too must speak with authority—not simply by quoting authoritative texts or showing off our learning, but with the authority that comes from backing up professions of faith with the way we live.
miércoles
15 de eneroth
1st Reading: Hebrews 2:14-18:
Since the children share in blood and Flesh, Jesus likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the Devil, and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life. Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39:
On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him. Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.
Reflexión:
The Gospel text describes a whirlwind of activity as Jesus enters a new town and is immediately beset by a crowd pressing around the door. Both here and in the nearby villages where he preached “throughout Galilee” and also casts out demons,
Jesus seems to be surrounded by needy people; “everyone” is looking for him. The sick and possessed recognize him by his good works; even the nameless “demons” know who he is. But this wide view of a suffering world is balanced by attention to a particular person in need: the mother-in-law of Simon. Jesus’ compassion is not directed just toward the nameless crowd; each person he healed was someone’s mother, spouse, or child. Yet he could not linger; it was time to move on, to another village, another person in need, another crowd hungry for the good news. That, he says, is why he came.
It is important that we remain conscious of great social challenges: the need to address poverty, sickness, and the common good. But that does not excuse us from the need to notice and attend to the needs of the person right before us. Each one is precious in the eyes of the Lord.
jueves
16 de eneroth
1st Reading: Hebrews 3:7-14:
The Holy Spirit says: Oh, that today you would hear his voice, “Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert, where your ancestors tested and tried me and saw my works for forty years. Because of this I was provoked with that generation and I said, ‘They have always been of erring heart, and they do not know my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter into my rest.’”
Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.
Gospel: Mark 1:40-45:
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean. ”Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them. ”The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
Reflexión:
The Gospel of Mark is famous for the secrecy in which Jesus cloaks his identity. Over and over again he performs some wondrous deed, but then enjoins the witness to keep quiet about what he or she has seen. Scholars have debated this running theme. Perhaps he wants to avoid the exact outcome described here: “that Jesus could no longer openly enter any town.” Perhaps he does not want to be dismissed or embraced as merely a “wonder worker.” Perhaps it is premature to disclose his Messianic identity until his disciples are able truly to understand what it means to be the Messiah. This is not a Messiah who comes in glory, but one who is going to suffer and die.
Today is the feast of St. Anthony, one of the earliest of the desert fathers. Though St. Anthony went to great lengths of self-denial, what impressed others was the “soul’s joy” that shone from his features. More important than recognition is to be recognized for the right reason.
viernes
17 de eneroth
St. Anthony the Great
1st Reading: Hebrews 4:1-5, 11:
Let us be on our guard while the promise of entering into his rest remains, that none of you seem to have failed. For in fact we have received the Good News just as our ancestors did. But the word that they heard did not profit them, for they were not united in faith with those who listened. For we who believed enter into that rest, just as he has said:
As I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter into my rest,” and yet his works were accomplished at the foundation of the world. For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this manner, And God rested on the seventh day from all his works; and again, in the previously mentioned place, They shall not enter into my rest.
Therefore, let us strive to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall after the same example of disobedience.
Gospel: Mark 2:1-12:
When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” –he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”
He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
Reflexión:
There are numerous protagonists in this story. First: the friends of the paralytic, whose faith Jesus acknowledges. When there is no way to Jesus, they make a way, believing that in Jesus’ presence their friend will be healed. (Do we also carry our friends to Jesus in prayer?)
Then there is the paralyzed man, whom Jesus first forgives, before healing him. Jesus sees the paralytic, addresses him with love, restores his spirit, and raises him to full humanity.
Then there are the grumblers, those who want Jesus to operate according to rules they can control and define: Heal if you must, but not forgive sins! They are scandalized that he proclaims a kingdom of mercy, rather than a kingdom of law and order. Are they sincerely furious that Jesus usurps God’s exclusive prerogative of forgiveness? Or are they furious over the scandal of forgiveness itself?
Pope Francis asks us to go to the margins, to the peripheries where people are alone and hurting: not just to the respectable people inside the house, but to those who are of no account, those who are left outside. Jesus came for them. He saw them. He loved them. And so must we.
sábado
18 de eneroth
1st Reading: Hebrews 4:12-16:
The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
Gospel: Mark 2:13-17:
Jesus 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.”
Reflexión:
Christians often contrast themselves favorably with the “Pharisees” —as if the very word were a synonym for “hypocrites.” Jesus does not vilify these good and “righteous” people. But he makes it clear that his mission is elsewhere: to restore and heal what is lost and broken.
The first object of his attention in this text is Levi, a tax collector. His job—which put him at the service of the Roman occupiers, and probably involved a certain amount of graft—would make him an object of derision. When the good people see that Jesus is dining in the home of Levi, along with a lot of other “sinners,” they are scandalized.
We often assume that God’s priorities reflect our own scale of value, particularly when it comes to what causes “scandal” and what confers respectability. Respectability is a matter of appearances; what matters to Jesus is what is in the heart. As the author of Hebrews observes, “all creation is transparent” to God; our hearts our transparent to him. The question is not whether we are among those called sinners or among the righteous—but whether we are among those whose self-righteousness effectively sets them beyond the reach of God’s mercy. The Savior comes only for those who know they need saving.