Today, 21st of January, we celebrate
Saint Agnes
Beloved, we love God because
he first loved us.
If anyone says, “I love God,”
but hates his brother, he is a liar;
for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen
cannot love God whom he has not seen.
This is the commandment we have from him:
Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves also the one begotten by him.
In this way we know that we love the children of God
when we love God and obey his commandments.
For the love of God is this,
that we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome,
for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
R./ 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.
From fraud and violence he shall redeem them,
and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
May they be prayed for continually;
day by day shall they bless him.
R./ Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R./ Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
“Courage, courage, my daughters; remember that God does not give anyone more burdens than they can bear, and His Majesty is with those who are troubled.” These words, written by Saint Teresa, beautifully illustrate the Gospel passage from Mark in today’s liturgy. A passage worth recalling, especially when we are tired of rowing against the wind and fear creeps in.
It’s a passage that I find somewhat humorous. Mark recounts that after Jesus fed the five thousand—a task that seems quite exhausting—He instructed His disciples to get into the boat and row toward Bethsaida, where He would meet them after dismissing the crowd. Afterward, it appears Jesus sought some solitude to pray. He got there ahead of them and, moved with compassion at seeing them struggle, went out to meet them… in a way that scared them even more than the stormy waves, because He approached by walking on the water! As if they hadn’t already been stunned when Jesus told them to feed the massive crowd. Their fear dissolved, though, when they heard a few simple yet powerful words capable of dispelling all anxiety: “Take courage; it is I.” And as He climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
When we feel weary and afraid in the face of life’s struggles and hardships, it’s so helpful to remember the Lord’s words: “Take courage; it is I. Do not be afraid.” Mark concludes by saying that the disciples were still in shock, their minds clouded by everything they had just experienced during the multiplication of the loaves.
We need to shake off that fog, recall the miracle that is our life, and recognize how God has been with us every step of the way. How many times has He rescued us from existential depths? How often have we, whether filled with fervor or experiencing dryness, seen the sea grow calm, the suffering subside, or what seemed like unbearable pain turn into peace? Obstacles have fallen, or our capacity to endure has grown. We must trust His word: the Lord is with us in both storm and calm. He is. He is here.
Virginia FernándezIntroduction
Speaking in the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus says that God’s word is fulfilled today, that he proclaims and is the Good News of joy to everyone.
Similarly, Jesus proclaims to us today in our Eucharistic assemblies the good news of God’s liberating love, and he is himself that Good News, for he is present among us. This Eucharist is for us, here today, the moment of grace. The Spirit of Jesus rests on us now and gives us the capacity to speak and to be his message of hope, joy, and love to our neighbor.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, loving Father,
here in this Eucharistic assembly,
you let your Son speak to us today
his stirring words of hope and joy.
Pour out on us the Spirit of Jesus,
let him open us to the Word of your Son
and to his living presence,
that we too, may go out to our brothers and sisters
to speak to them his liberating word,
to be his healing presence,
and to be grace to all whom we encounter,
on account of your Son in our midst,
Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever.
Liturgy of the Word
Intentions
– Lord, give courage and eloquence to all teachers in the Church, that they may help us understand your Word and proclaim it as Good News to all, we pray:
– Lord, open our eyes to the miseries of people; make us concerned about those imprisoned in their fears and in the grip of injustice. Help us to bring them liberation, we pray:
– Lord, make us receptive to your word. Free us from banality and fear, from our self-security and certainties. Let your words of freedom be fulfilled in us today, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Invisible God of people,
you let your Son ask of us today,
to make your gratuitous love visible
in a world filled with fear.
Give us Jesus to eat and to drink,
that we may overcome
the forces of evil in and around us.
Let his self-sacrificing love,
his gentleness and loyalty
become flesh and blood in us
and brighten this world,
because you loved us first
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, loving Father,
this Eucharistic celebration has been for us,
a moment of grace.
We thank you for opening our eyes and ears
that we, in our turn,
may be to the deaf and the blind your message of joy.
We thank you for liberating us
to bring your freedom to those captive of their fears
and our own inhumanity.
All this you have made possible
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
We will make the message of our Lord Jesus Christ Good News of hope and joy only if the Sprit of truth and love speaks in our words and if then, we commit ourselves to what we say, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
