Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 318

Reading 1

2 SM 6:12B-15, 17-19

David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom 

into the City of David amid festivities.

As soon as the bearers of the ark of the LORD had advanced six steps, 

he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

Then David, girt with a linen apron, 

came dancing before the LORD with abandon, 

as he and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD

with shouts of joy and to the sound of the horn.

The ark of the LORD was brought in and set in its place 

within the tent David had pitched for it.

Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

When he finished making these offerings, 

he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.

He then distributed among all the people, 

to each man and each woman in the entire multitude of Israel, 

a loaf of bread, a cut of roast meat, and a raisin cake.

With this, all the people left for their homes.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 24:7, 8, 9, 10

R. (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Lift up, O gates, your lintels;

reach up, you ancient portals,

that the king of glory may come in!

R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Who is this king of glory?

The LORD, strong and mighty,

the LORD, mighty in battle.

R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Lift up, O gates, your lintels;

reach up, you ancient portals,

that the king of glory may come in!

R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Who is this king of glory?

The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.

R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Gospel

MK 3:31-35

The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house.

Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.

A crowd seated around him told him,

“Your mother and your brothers and your sisters

are outside asking for you.”

But he said to them in reply,

“Who are my mother and my brothers?”

And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,

“Here are my mother and my brothers.

For whoever does the will of God

is my brother and sister and mother.”

St. John Bosco

St. John Bosco

Feastday: January 31

1815 - 1888

In 1867 Pope Pius IX was upset with John Bosco because he wouldn't take his dreams seriously enough. Nine years earlier when Pope Pius IX met with the future saint who worked with neglected boys, he learned of the dreams that John had been having since the age of nine, dreams that had revealed God's will for John's life. So Pius IX had made a request, "Write down these dreams and everything else you have told me, minutely and in their natural sense." Pius IX saw John's dreams as a legacy for those John worked with and as an inspiration for those he ministered to.

Despite Scripture evidence and Church tradition respecting dreams, John had encountered skepticism when he had his first dream at the age of nine. The young Bosco dreamed that he was in a field with a crowd of children. The children started cursing and misbehaving. John jumped into the crowd to try to stop them -- by fighting and shouting. Suddenly a man with a face filled with light appeared dressed in a white flowing mantle. The man called John over and made him leader of the boys. John was stunned at being put in charge of these unruly gang. The man said, "You will have to win these friends of yours not with blows but with gentleness and kindness." As adults, most of us would be reluctant to take on such a mission -- and nine year old John was even less pleased. "I'm just a boy," he argued, "how can you order me to do something that looks impossible." The man answered, "What seems so impossible you must achieve by being obedient and acquiring knowledge." Then the boys turned into the wild animals they had been acting like. The man told John that this is the field of John's life work. Once John changed and grew in humility, faithfulness, and strength, he would see a change in the children -- a change that the man now demonstrated. The wild animals suddenly turned into gentle lambs.

When John told his family about his dream, his brothers just laughed at him. Everyone had a different interpretation of what it meant: he would become a shepherd, a priest, a gang leader. His own grandmother echoed the sage advice we have heard through the years, "You mustn't pay any attention to dreams." John said, "I felt the same way about it, yet I could never get that dream out of my head."

Eventually that first dream led him to minister to poor and neglected boys, to use the love and guidance that seemed so impossible at age nine to lead them to faithful and fulfilled lives. He started out by learning how to juggle and do tricks to catch the attention of the children. Once he had their attention he would teach them and take them to Mass. It wasn't always easy -- few people wanted a crowd of loud, bedraggled boys hanging around. And he had so little money and help that people thought he was crazy. Priests who promised to help would get frustrated and leave.

Two "friends" even tried to commit him to an institution for the mentally ill. They brought a carriage and were planning to trick him into coming with him. But instead of getting in, John said, "After you" and politely let them go ahead. When his friends were in the carriage he slammed the door and told the drive to take off as fast as he could go!

Through it all he found encouragement and support through his dreams. In one dream, Mary led him into a beautiful garden. There were roses everywhere, crowding the ground with their blooms and the air with their scent. He was told to take off his shoes and walk along a path through a rose arbor. Before he had walked more than a few steps, his naked feet were cut and bleeding from the thorns. When he said he would have to wear shoes or turn back, Mary told him to put on sturdy shoes. As he stepped forward a second time, he was followed by helpers. But the walls of the arbor closed on him, the roof sank lower and the roses crept onto the path. Thorns caught at him from all around. When he pushed them aside he only got more cuts, until he was tangled in thorns. Yet those who watched said, "How lucky Don John is! His path is forever strewn with roses! He hasn't a worry in the world. No troubles at all!" Many of the helpers, who had been expecting an easy journey, turned back, but some stayed with him. Finally he climbed through the roses and thorns to find another incredible garden. A cool breeze soothed his torn skin and healed his wounds.

In his interpretation, the path was his mission, the roses were his charity to the boys, and the thorns were the distractions, the obstacles, and frustrations that would stand in his way. The message of the dream was clear to John: he must keep going, not lose faith in God or his mission, and he would come through to the place he belonged.

Often John acted on his dreams simply by sharing them, sometimes repeating them to several different individuals or groups he thought would be affected by the dream. "Let me tell you about a dream that has absorbed my mind," he would say.

The groups he most often shared with were the boys he helped -- because so many of the dreams involved them. For example, he used several dreams to remind the boys to keep to a good and moral life. In one dream he saw the boys eating bread of four kinds -- tasty rolls, ordinary bread, coarse bread, and moldy bread, which represented the state of the boys' souls. He said he would be glad to talk to any boys who wanted to know which bread they were eating and then proceeded to use the occasion to give them moral guidance.

He died in 1888, at the age of seventy-two. His work lives on in the Salesian order he founded.

Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 317

Reading 1

2 SM 5:1-7, 10

All the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said:

“Here we are, your bone and your flesh.

In days past, when Saul was our king, 

it was you who led the children of Israel out and brought them back.

And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall shepherd my people Israel 

and shall be commander of Israel.’”

When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron, 

King David made an agreement with them there before the LORD, 

and they anointed him king of Israel.

David was thirty years old when he became king, 

and he reigned for forty years: 

seven years and six months in Hebron over Judah, 

and thirty-three years in Jerusalem

over all Israel and Judah.

Then the king and his men set out for Jerusalem 

against the Jebusites who inhabited the region.

David was told, “You cannot enter here: 

the blind and the lame will drive you away!” 

which was their way of saying, “David cannot enter here.”

But David did take the stronghold of Zion, which is the City of David. 

David grew steadily more powerful,

for the LORD of hosts was with him.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 89:20, 21-22, 25-26

R. (25a) My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.

Once you spoke in a vision,

and to your faithful ones you said:

“On a champion I have placed a crown;

over the people I have set a youth.”

R. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.

“I have found David, my servant;

with my holy oil I have anointed him,

That my hand may be always with him,

and that my arm may make him strong.”

R. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.

“My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,

and through my name shall his horn be exalted.

I will set his hand upon the sea,

his right hand upon the rivers.”

R. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.

Gospel

MK 3:22-30

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, 

“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and

“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”

Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, 

“How can Satan drive out Satan?

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

And if a house is divided against itself, 

that house will not be able to stand.

And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, 

he cannot stand; 

that is the end of him.

But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property 

unless he first ties up the strong man.

Then he can plunder his house. 

Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies 

that people utter will be forgiven them.

But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit 

will never have forgiveness, 

but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”

For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Sundays Readings

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 67

Reading 1

IS 8:23-9:3

First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun

and the land of Naphtali;

but in the end he has glorified the seaward road,

the land west of the Jordan,

the District of the Gentiles.

Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness:

for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom 

a light has shone.

You have brought them abundant joy

and great rejoicing,

as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,

as people make merry when dividing spoils.

For the yoke that burdened them,

the pole on their shoulder,

and the rod of their taskmaster

you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 27:1, 4, 13-14

R/ (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom should I fear?

The LORD is my life’s refuge;

of whom should I be afraid?

R/ The Lord is my light and my salvation.

One thing I ask of the LORD;

this I seek:

To dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD

and contemplate his temple.

R/ The Lord is my light and my salvation.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD with courage;

be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD. 

R/ The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Reading 2

1 COR 1:10-13, 17

I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that all of you agree in what you say,

and that there be no divisions among you,

but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.

For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters,

by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you.

I mean that each of you is saying,

“I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” 

or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”

Is Christ divided?

Was Paul crucified for you?

Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel,

and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,

so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

Gospel

MT 4:12-23

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,

he withdrew to Galilee.

He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,

in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 

that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet

might be fulfilled:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles,

the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death 

light has arisen.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,

Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,

casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.

He said to them,

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

At once they left their nets and followed him.

He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,

James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.

They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.

He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father

and followed him.

He went around all of Galilee,

teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,

and curing every disease and illness among the people.

Or

MT 4:12-17

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,

he withdrew to Galilee.

He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,

in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet

might be fulfilled:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles,

the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death 

light has arisen.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle Lectionary: 519

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

Lectionary: 519

Reading 1

ACTS 22:3-16

Paul addressed the people in these words:

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,

but brought up in this city.

At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law

and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.

I persecuted this Way to death,

binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.

Even the high priest and the whole council of elders

can testify on my behalf.

For from them I even received letters to the brothers

and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem

in chains for punishment those there as well.

“On that journey as I drew near to Damascus,

about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.

I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,

‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’

And he said to me,

‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’

My companions saw the light

but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me.

I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’

The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus,

and there you will be told about everything

appointed for you to do.’ 

Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light,

I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.

“A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law,

and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,

came to me and stood there and said,

‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.’

And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.

Then he said,

‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will,

to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice;

for you will be his witness before all

to what you have seen and heard.

Now, why delay?

Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away,

calling upon his name.’”

Or

ACTS 9:1-22

Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,

went to the high priest and asked him

for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,

if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,

he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.

On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,

a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

He said, “Who are you, sir?”

The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” 

The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,

for they heard the voice but could see no one.

Saul got up from the ground,

but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;

so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.

For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.

There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,

and the Lord said to him in a vision, AAnanias.”

He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”

The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight

and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. 

He is there praying,

and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias

come in and lay his hands on him,

that he may regain his sight.”

But Ananias replied,

“Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,

what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.

And here he has authority from the chief priests

to imprison all who call upon your name.”

But the Lord said to him,

“Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine

to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,

and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”

So Ananias went and entered the house;

laying his hands on him, he said,

“Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,

Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,

that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes

and he regained his sight.

He got up and was baptized,

and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.

He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,

and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,

that he is the Son of God.

All who heard him were astounded and said, 

“Is not this the man who in Jerusalem

ravaged those who call upon this name,

and came here expressly to take them back in chains

to the chief priests?”

But Saul grew all the stronger

and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus,

proving that this is the Christ.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 117:1BC, 2

R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

or:

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Praise the LORD, all you nations;

glorify him, all you peoples!

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

or:

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

For steadfast is his kindness toward us,

and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

or:

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MK 16:15-18

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:

“Go into the whole world

and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;

whoever does not believe will be condemned.

These signs will accompany those who believe:

in my name they will drive out demons,

they will speak new languages.

They will pick up serpents with their hands,

and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.

They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Lectionary: 315

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 315

Reading 1

1 SM 24:3-21

Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel 

and went in search of David and his men 

in the direction of the wild goat crags.

When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave, 

which he entered to relieve himself.

David and his men were occupying the inmost recesses of the cave.

David’s servants said to him, 

“This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 

‘I will deliver your enemy into your grasp; 

do with him as you see fit.’”

So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul’s mantle.

Afterward, however, David regretted that he had cut off 

an end of Saul’s mantle.

He said to his men,

“The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, 

the LORD’s anointed, as to lay a hand on him, 

for he is the LORD’s anointed.”

With these words David restrained his men 

and would not permit them to attack Saul.

Saul then left the cave and went on his way.

David also stepped out of the cave, calling to Saul, 

“My lord the king!”

When Saul looked back, David bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul:

“Why do you listen to those who say, 

‘David is trying to harm you’?

You see for yourself today that the LORD just now delivered you 

into my grasp in the cave.

I had some thought of killing you, but I took pity on you instead.

I decided, ‘I will not raise a hand against my lord, 

for he is the LORD’s anointed and a father to me.’

Look here at this end of your mantle which I hold.

Since I cut off an end of your mantle and did not kill you, 

see and be convinced that I plan no harm and no rebellion.

I have done you no wrong, 

though you are hunting me down to take my life.

The LORD will judge between me and you, 

and the LORD will exact justice from you in my case.

I shall not touch you.

The old proverb says, ‘From the wicked comes forth wickedness.’

So I will take no action against you.

Against whom are you on campaign, O king of Israel?

Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea!

The LORD will be the judge; he will decide between me and you.

May he see this, and take my part,

and grant me justice beyond your reach!”

When David finished saying these things to Saul, Saul answered, 

“Is that your voice, my son David?”

And Saul wept aloud.

Saul then said to David: “You are in the right rather than I; 

you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.

Great is the generosity you showed me today, 

when the LORD delivered me into your grasp

and you did not kill me.

For if a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed?

May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day.

And now, I know that you shall surely be king 

and that sovereignty over Israel shall come into your possession.”

Responsorial Psalm

PS 57:2, 3-4, 6 AND 11

R. (2a) Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

Have mercy on me, O God; have mercy on me,

for in you I take refuge.

In the shadow of your wings I take refuge,

till harm pass by.

R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

I call to God the Most High,

to God, my benefactor.

May he send from heaven and save me;

may he make those a reproach who trample upon me;

may God send his mercy and his faithfulness.

R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

Be exalted above the heavens, O God;

above all the earth be your glory!

For your mercy towers to the heavens,

and your faithfulness to the skies.

R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

Gospel

MK 3:13-19

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted 

and they came to him.

He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,

that they might be with him

and he might send them forth to preach 

and to have authority to drive out demons:

He appointed the Twelve:

Simon, whom he named Peter; 

James, son of Zebedee, 

and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, 

that is, sons of thunder;

Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,

Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; 

Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,

and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

March for Life

March for Life

   January 22nd marks the 41st anniversary of Roe V Wade where it became legal for women to get abortions. People will gather and march in DC and other areas in the US. With the weather being as it is, some people will not be able to be there for the march. Let us all take some time out of our day and pray for the children that we will never know, the women who felt they had no choice, the men who have no say, and the people who stand to change this law. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and may God's will prevail. 

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
Lectionary: 313

Reading 1

1 SM 17:32-33, 37, 40-51

David spoke to Saul:

“Let your majesty not lose courage.

I am at your service to go and fight this Philistine.”

But Saul answered David,

“You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him,

for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth.”

David continued:

“The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear,

will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine.”

Saul answered David, “Go! the LORD will be with you.”

Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi

and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag.

With his sling also ready to hand, he approached the Philistine.

With his shield bearer marching before him,

the Philistine also advanced closer and closer to David.

When he had sized David up,

and seen that he was youthful, and ruddy, and handsome in appearance,

the Philistine held David in contempt.

The Philistine said to David,

“Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?”

Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods

and said to him, “Come here to me,

and I will leave your flesh for the birds of the air

and the beasts of the field.”

David answered him:

“You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar,

but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts,

the God of the armies of Israel that you have insulted.

Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand;

I will strike you down and cut off your head.

This very day I will leave your corpse

and the corpses of the Philistine army for the birds of the air

and the beasts of the field;

thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God.

All this multitude, too,

shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves.

For the battle is the LORD’s and he shall deliver you into our hands.”

The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters,

while David ran quickly toward the battle line 

in the direction of the Philistine.

David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone,

hurled it with the sling,

and struck the Philistine on the forehead.

The stone embedded itself in his brow,

and he fell prostrate on the ground.

Thus David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone;

he struck the Philistine mortally, and did it without a sword.

Then David ran and stood over him;

with the Philistine’s own sword which he drew from its sheath

he dispatched him and cut off his head.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 144:1B, 2, 9-10

R. (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,

who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.

R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

My refuge and my fortress,

my stronghold, my deliverer,

My shield, in whom I trust,

who subdues my people under me.

R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

O God, I will sing a new song to you;

with a ten-stringed lyre I will chant your praise,

You who give victory to kings,

and deliver David, your servant from the evil sword.

R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

Gospel

MK 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue.

There was a man there who had a withered hand.

They watched Jesus closely

to see if he would cure him on the sabbath

so that they might accuse him.

He said to the man with the withered hand,

“Come up here before us.”

Then he said to the Pharisees,

“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?”

But they remained silent.

Looking around at them with anger

and grieved at their hardness of heart,

Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

He stretched it out and his hand was restored.

The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel

with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

Pro-Life Video

Pro-Life Video

  With the 41st March for Life rally this week in DC, I decided to post this video that I saw a few months back. It is one of the most compelling videos about how people deal year after year after having an abortion. It is not so clear and easy after as Planned Parenthood lets on and others. Please pray some extra Hail Mary's this week for those who are marching and for those women who feel they have no other choice.

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and may we as a nation come to realize the truth about abortion.

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
Lectionary: 312

Reading 1

1 SM 16:1-13

The LORD said to Samuel:

“How long will you grieve for Saul,

whom I have rejected as king of Israel?

Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.

I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,

for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”

But Samuel replied:

“How can I go?

Saul will hear of it and kill me.”

To this the LORD answered:

“Take a heifer along and say,

‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’

Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do;

you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.”

Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him.

When he entered Bethlehem,

the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired,

“Is your visit peaceful, O seer?”

He replied:

“Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.

So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet.”

He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves

and invited them to the sacrifice.

As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought,

“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”

But the LORD said to Samuel: 

“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,

because I have rejected him.

Not as man sees does God see,

because he sees the appearance

but the LORD looks into the heart.”

Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel,

who said, “The LORD has not chosen him.”

Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said,

“The LORD has not chosen this one either.”

In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,

but Samuel said to Jesse,

“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”

Then Samuel asked Jesse,

“Are these all the sons you have?”

Jesse replied,

“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said to Jesse,

“Send for him;

we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.” 

Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.

He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold

and making a splendid appearance.

The LORD said,

“There–anoint him, for this is he!” 

Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,

anointed him in the midst of his brothers;

and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David. 

When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 89:20, 21-22, 27-28

R. (21a) I have found David, my servant.

Once you spoke in a vision,

and to your faithful ones you said:

“On a champion I have placed a crown;

over the people I have set a youth.”

R. I have found David, my servant.

“I have found David, my servant;

with my holy oil I have anointed him,

That my hand may be always with him,

and that my arm may make him strong.”

R. I have found David, my servant.

“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,

my God, the Rock, my savior.’

And I will make him the first-born,

highest of the kings of the earth.”

R. I have found David, my servant.

Gospel

MK 2:23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,

his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.

At this the Pharisees said to him,

“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”

He said to them,

“Have you never read what David did

when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?

How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest

and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,

and shared it with his companions?”

Then he said to them,

“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”