February 19
Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
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Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
9:00 AM – Mary Stanley / Sue & Sandy Hoddinott
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
James 3:1-10
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly, for we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. It is the same with ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes. In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions.
Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this need not be so.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 12:2-3, 4-5, 7-8
R. (8a) You will protect us, Lord.
Help, O LORD! for no one now is dutiful;
faithfulness has vanished from among the children of men.
Everyone speaks falsehood to his neighbor;
with smooth lips they speak, and double heart.
R. You will protect us, Lord.
May the LORD destroy all smooth lips,
every boastful tongue,
Those who say, “We are heroes with our tongues;
our lips are our own; who is lord over us?”
R. You will protect us, Lord.
The promises of the LORD are sure,
like tried silver, freed from dross, sevenfold refined.
You, O LORD, will keep us
and preserve us always from this generation.
R. You will protect us, Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
See Mark 9:6
Alleluia, alleluia.
The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.
R.Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mark 9:2-13
Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, the disciples no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He told them, “Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
“You will protect us, Lord.”
Reflection
Sometimes we wonder what the purpose of our faith is. All the sacrifices we make in our lives for the Kingdom of God are hard to keep up with. We want to serve the Lord and we do the best we can, but sometimes we lose track of the path and spend some time getting back to where we should be. Our readings today explore two aspects of this phenomenon. The popular saying: “actions speak louder than words” is appropriate in this context. We all say things that we want to accomplish, but the actual carrying out of what we have said is sometimes not forthcoming. James tells us that anyone who has learned to do what they say they will do can achieve control of their bodies. He points out that small things like bits in horse’s mouths and rudders on ships can make a big thing like a horse or a ship go where we tell them to. But the tongue of a human being can cause a lot of trouble, sending us to the fires of Gehenna, or hell. So where does our faith come in? Jesus supplies the answer to this question.
The Transfiguration that is depicted in Mark’s gospel shows us several things about why we need to spend our time and efforts getting ourselves under control for the Kingdom of God. We see Jesus being glorified, being bathed in dazzling whiteness. We see Elijah and Moses, two figures from the past appearing and speaking with him. We see Peter totally misread the situation, opting to make tents so the moment can be preserved. These events tell us of the greater glory that is in store for all of us who have faith and who serve God through that faith. God’s plan is coming to fruition and we who serve the Kingdom will help to bring it to our world. Let us always seek to control ourselves so we can be more Godly people. It isn’t easy, but it is the way we can achieve heaven.
Keep the faith,
Deacon Dare
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