January 4
Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
7:45 AM - James & Gretchen Hughes / Family
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
1 John 4:7-10
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8
R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The mountains shall yield peace for the people,
and the hills justice.
He shall defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Gospel Acclamation
Luke 4:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mark 6:34-44
When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.
“Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”
Reflection
In today’s readings, the theme of love permeates the entire setting. John begins with his wonderful treatise on the love of God saying, “...everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.” When a mother comforts a crying child, God’s love is there. When someone visits a sick person to bring them Holy Communion or just a listening ear, God’s love is there. When people from Holy Cross go to the Samaritan Center to spend time with the hungry, God’s love is there. Conversely, John says that those who do not have love do not know God, because God is love. We can tell by the way people talk or act whether they have love and know God. If they are judgmental love is not present. If they are angry or temperamental then love is not there. Love is the opposite of anger, temperament, or judgement. In this way, John has given us a wonderful lesson in how to discern love.
We also see the love of Jesus Christ at work in the Gospel. When he is moved with pity at the plight of the crowd, he decides to act. In doing so, he showed us his mastery over the things that control our lives. Physics and biology are put aside with ease as Jesus takes a few loaves and fish and multiplies them through his power. Jesus does his miracles out of his love for his people. He acts in ways that alleviate the suffering of those around him. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the saint honored by our church today did the same type of things in her life. She saw the sadness of the children she encountered and took action to educate them and give them a future that was bright with possibility, starting schools that ultimately evolved into the parochial school system we know today. Love is in education as well!
Peace,
Deacon Dare
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