Weekly Reflection

Presence

"Come to me all you who are burdened and I will give you rest." Here I am, Lord. I come to seek your presence.
I long for your healing power.

Freedom

By God’s grace I was born to live in freedom,

free to enjoy the pleasures he created for me.

Lord, grant that I may live as you intended,

with complete confidence in your loving care.

Consciousness

Lord, you are present in all things. I take time to simply sit and be with you so that my mind rests and I can feel your peace.

The Word of God   Mark 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come forward." Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Some thoughts on today's scripture

• We see in this Gospel story how Jesus had to deal with a lot of opposition to his plans to create a more caring and just environment for people to live in. A physically disabled person could not participate fully with the celebrations in the synagogue because he was considered to be impure. Even if he was present in the community, he was marginalized. He had to remain far away from the rest.
• Jesus asks two things of the physically disabled person: Get up and stand in the middle! The disabled person has to “resurrect”, to get up, to live in the middle and to take his place in the centre of the community! The marginalized, the excluded, have to live in the middle! They cannot be excluded. They must be together with the others.

• The disabled man was called to stand in the centre of the community. In our community, do the poor and the excluded have a privileged place?

• Have you been in confrontation with persons such as the Herodians and the Pharisees who place the law above the well-being of persons? How did you feel? What did you do?

• Listen      to Jesus express his care for you in an area of your life in which you experience yourself in conflict with others. Dwell with his sensitivity and compassion for you rather than any advice he might offer you. Simply be with him, rest in him, in the knowledge that he knows how you feel; he’s experienced these things himself.

Conversation

Jesus, you speak to me through the words of the Gospels. I pray that I will respond to your call today. Teach me to recognise your hand at work in my daily living.

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

O ANTIPHONS

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BNumrDfOwGA2aZKjU4CGhdL2ZKKyhDcQe6E-KWlpZD4/edit?usp=sharing

Pope's Prayer Intention for 2021

Pope Francis has a monthly prayer intention for each month.

This month's intention is:  

JANUARY

Intention for Evangelization: – Human Fraternity May the Lord give us the grace to live in full fellowship with our brothers and sisters of other religions, praying for one another, open to all.