Monday, January 13 2014 Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading
1 Samuel 1:1-8

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, Elkanah by name,
a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim.
He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu,
son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
He had two wives, one named Hannah, the other Peninnah;
Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.
This man regularly went on pilgrimage from his city
to worship the LORD of hosts and to sacrifice to him at Shiloh,
where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
were ministering as priests of the LORD.
When the day came for Elkanah to offer sacrifice,
he used to give a portion each to his wife Peninnah
and to all her sons and daughters,
but a double portion to Hannah because he loved her,
though the LORD had made her barren.
Her rival, to upset her, turned it into a constant reproach to her
that the LORD had left her barren.
This went on year after year;
each time they made their pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the LORD,
Peninnah would approach her,
and Hannah would weep and refuse to eat.
Her husband Elkanah used to ask her:
“Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?
Why do you grieve?
Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 116:12-13, 14-17, 18-19

R. (17a) To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.

My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.

R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.

My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.

R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.

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.

REFLECTION
by
One Bread, One Body - Reflection for January 13, 2014

LOVING THE BARREN

"But Hannah was childless." –1 Samuel 1:2

As we begin this new year, we want to lead as many people as possible to Jesus (1 Cor 9:19). If we love both the Lord and people, we will give others the greatest gift of all – life in Christ Jesus.

However, we find that many Christians have not led or even tried to lead others to Jesus. They are spiritually barren. Many people ignore this situation, but this is foolhardy, considering that the Lord has commanded us and will hold us accountable to be fruitful and multiply (Gn 1:28) and to make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19). On the other hand, a few people blame barren Christians for not trying to share their faith in Jesus (see 1 Sm 1:6-7). This attitude of blaming and shaming is counter-productive.

Possibly we can learn from Elkanah, the husband of the physically barren Hannah. When Elkanah offered sacrifice, he gave "a double portion to Hannah because he loved her" (1 Sm 1:5). Those who are spiritually unfruitful need a double portion of God's Word, prayer, and Christian community. They need to be loved into accepting and then giving God's love. "We, for our part, love because He first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). The love of Christ will impel us (2 Cor 5:14) to share the love of Jesus with all whom we meet. Love makes us spiritually fruitful.

PRAYER: Father, I will speak out of the abundance of love in my heart (Lk 6:45).

PROMISE: "This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Reform your lives and believe in the gospel!" –Mk 1:15

PRAISE: St. Hilary was praised by Sts. Augustine and Jerome as "a fair cedar transplanted out of this world into the Church."