5TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 1 / (Green)
Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.
1st Reading: Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Man’s life on earth is a thankless job,
his days are those of a mercenary.
Like a slave he longs for the shade of
evening, like a hireling waiting for his wages.
Thus I am allotted months of boredom
and nights of grief and misery.
In bed I say, “When shall the day break?”
On rising, I think, “When shall evening
come?” and I toss restless till dawn.
My days pass swifter than a weaver’s
shuttle, heading without hope to their end.
My life is like wind, you well know it,
O God; never will I see happiness again.
2nd Reading: 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23
Because I cannot boast of announcing the gospel: I am bound to do it. Woe to me, if I do not preach the gospel! If I preached voluntarily, I could expect my reward, but I have been trusted with this office, against my will. How can I, then, deserve a reward? In announcing the gospel, I will do it freely, without making use of the rights given to me by the gospel. So, feeling free with everybody, I have become everybody’s slave, in order to gain a greater number. To the weak, I made myself weak, to win the weak. So, I made myself all things to all people, in order to save, by all possible means, some of them. This, I do, for the gospel, so that I, too, have a share of it.
Gospel: Mk 1:29-39
On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. As Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever, they immediately told him about her. Jesus went to her and, taking her by the hand, raised her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. That evening, at sundown, people brought to Jesus all the sick and those who had evil spirits: the whole town was pressing around the door. Jesus healed many who had various diseases, and drove out many demons; but he did not let them speak, for they knew who he was.
Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus went off to a lonely place where he prayed. Simon and the others went out also, searching for him; and when they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Let us go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there, too; for that is why I came.” So Jesus set out to preach in all the synagogues throughout Galilee; he also cast out demons.
Lectio Divina
Read: A depressed Job moans the weariness and boredom of the human condition. Paul too narrates the compelling conditions of his life and vocation, but unlike Job, he delights in it with a sense of freedom. Jesus is hemmed in by the sick and the needy, yet he still finds time to respond to their needs and spend time with his Father.
Reflect: The human condition, with its ordinariness and boredom, demands and work, sickness and suffering, can sometimes be almost unbearable, as Job experienced. One may suffer compassion fatigue and burnout by rubbing shoulders with such realities day in and day out. However, the one who can see through such depressing events and discern God’s designs and one’s own vocation within all these, can transform them into channels of grace for oneself and for others. Like Jesus, those who remain connected to the source of grace, shall never run dry.
Pray: Pray for a heart that remains grounded in God so as to respond to the world around.
Act: Reach out and help a person in need.
Daily Reflection 2018
Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.
CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.
Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Copyright © 2O17
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com
