CCC Cross Reference:
1 Sm 1 489
Ps 116:12 224; Ps 116:13 1330; Ps 116:17 1330
Mk 1:15 541, 1423, 1427; Mk 1:16-20 787
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Reading 1
1 Sm 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
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
Mk 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.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 1 Samuel 1:1 – 8
There was a man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the highlands of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives, one called Hannah, the other Peninnah; Peninnah had children but Hannah had none. Every year this man used to go up from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there as priests of the Lord.
One day Elkanah offered sacrifice. He used to give portions to Penirinah and to all her sons and daughters; to Hannah, however, he would give only one portion, although he loved her more, since the Lord had made her barren. Her rival would taunt her to annoy her, because the Lord had made her barren. And this went on year after year; every time they went up to the temple of the Lord she used to taunt her. And so Hannah wept and would not eat. Then Elkanah her husband said to her, ‘Hannah, why are you crying and why are you not eating? Why so sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?’
Psalm: Psalm 115:12-19
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
How can I repay the Lord
for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
I will call on the Lord’s name.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people.
O precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;
you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
I will call on the Lord’s name.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Mark 1:14 – 20
After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’
As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men’. And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Monday of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time
From: 1 Samuel 1:1-8
Birth of Samuel
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[1] There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. [2] He had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
[3] Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD. [4] EIkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters; [5] and, although he loved Hannah, he would give Hannah only one portion, because the LORD had closed her womb. [6] And her rival used to provoke her sorely, to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. [7] So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. [8] And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?"
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Commentary:
1:1-7:17. The books of Samuel begin with an account of the birth of the man from whom they take their name, that is, Samuel, who will become a judge of Israel and a prophet. The beginning is like the book of Exodus, which also begins with a birth -- that of Moses. In fact, many of Moses' features apply to Samuel: just as Moses inaugurated a new and very important stage in the history of the people, so Samuel marks the start of the monarchical period, which will forever leave its imprint on the religious profile of Israel.
The story of Samuel comprises only the first part of 1 Samuel, the first seven chapters, which also contain the history of the ark. The narrative includes three distinct accounts arranged in such a way that the first and last have the same protagonist -- the birth, calling and activity of Samuel as a prophet (chaps. 1-3), the history of the ark (chaps. 4-6), and then Samuel's activity as a judge (chap. 7). Although these narratives may have been independent originally, in the final biblical text they form a perfect unity in doctrinal terms, from the point of view of the setting of events (the shrine at Shiloh), and in the identity of their protagonists, Samuel and the priests, the sons of Eli. The shrine at Shiloh, which was located between Bethel and Shechem and which was a main center of worship in the era of the judges (Judg 21:19-21), acquires special importance at this point: Shiloh will be where the monarchical power begins, and its splendor will transfer to the temple of Jerusalem when the ark moves there.
The sons of Eli were the last priests of Shiloh. Whereas Samuel was perfectly faithful to the will of God, the sons of Eli had gradually corrupted the practices of their priestly function; with their death, the temple at Shiloh ceases to have any importance.
The doctrinal thread moving through the three episodes is God's active intervention in all these important events in the life of the people: to him is due the prodigy of Samuel's birth (1:1-20)--Samuel, the man chosen to open the way to the monarchy; it is God who exposes the sin of the sons of Eli (chap. 2) and initiates the charming dialogue in which Samuel receives his calling (chap. 3). In the episode of the ark, it is the Lord who punishes his people by taking away the ark, the sign of his presence (chap. 4); it is he who visits countless misfortunes on the Philistines who have taken possession of the ark (chap. 5) and it is he who forces them to return it to Israel, which receives it with delight (chap. 6). Finally, the Lord makes Samuel a judge over his people (chap. 5), able to exercise his function at all the shrines of Israel--in Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah (7:15).
From the very start, the book of Samuel is a sort of religious interpretation of history, in the sense that it puts more emphasis on the meaning of the events it narrates than on their chronological order or their geographical situation. Samuel is a figure of Christ who will initiate the final stage of salvation through his complete obedience to the will of God (cf. Phil 2:8).
1:1-28. Samuel's birth is described with all the elements denoting a miraculous event, emphasizing divine intervention and the child's importance. With no hope of a human solution, a childless woman, humiliated by her husband's (other) fertile wife, seeks a way out of her anguish by asking God, her only hope, to give her a son. Her husband loves her, but he cannot understand her (v. 8).
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From: Mark 1:14-20
Jesus Begins to Preach and Calls His First Disciples
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[14] Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel."
[16] And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. [17] And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men." [18] And immediately they left their nets and followed him. [19] And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. [20] And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.
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Commentary:
14-15. "The gospel of God": this expression is found in St Paul (Rom 1:1; 2 Cor 11:7; etc.) where it means the same as "the gospel of Jesus Christ" (2 Thess 1:8; etc.), thereby implying the divinity of Jesus Christ. The imminence of the Kingdom requires a genuine conversion of man to God (Mt 4:17; Mk 6: 12; etc.). The prophets had already spoken of the need for conversion and for Israel to abandon its evil ways (Jer 3:22; Is 30:15; Hos 14:2; etc.).
Both John the Baptist and Jesus and his Apostles insist on the need for conversion, the need to change one's attitude and conduct as a prerequisite for receiving the Kingdom of God. Bl. John Paul II underlines the importance of conversion for entry into the Kingdom of God: "Therefore, the Church professes and proclaims conversion. Conversion to God always consists in discovering his mercy, that is, in discovering that love which is patient and kind (cf. 1 Cor 13:4) as only the Creator and Father can be; the love to which the 'God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ' (2 Cor 1:3) is faithful to the uttermost consequences in the history of his covenant with man: even to the Cross and to the death and resurrection of the Son. Conversion to God is always the fruit of the 'rediscovery' of this Father, who is rich in mercy.
"Authentic knowledge of the God of mercy, the God of tender love, is a constant and inexhaustible source of conversion, not only as a momentary interior act but also as a permanent attitude, as a state of mind. Those who come to know God in this way, who 'see' him in this way, can live only in a state of being continually converted to him. They live, therefore, "in statu conversionis" and it is this state of conversion which marks out the most profound element of the pilgrimage of every man and woman on earth "in statu viatoris" (Bl. John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 13).
16-20. In these verses the evangelist describes how Jesus called some of those who would later form part of the Apostolic College (3:16ff). From the start of his public ministry in Galilee the Messiah seeks co-workers to help him in his mission as Savior and Redeemer. He looks for them among people used to hard work, people for whom life is a struggle and whose life-style is plain. In human terms they are obviously at a disadvantage vis-a-vis many of those to whom they will preach; but this in no way prevents their self-surrender from being generous and free. The light lit in their hearts was enough to lead them to give up everything. A simple invitation to follow the Master was enough for them to put themselves completely at his disposal.
It is Jesus who chooses them: he interfered in the lives of the Apostles just as he interferes in ours, without seeking our permission: he is our Lord. Cf. note on Mt 4:18-22.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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