·
28 Thomas Aquinas, Priest, Philosopher,
Teacher of the Faith, 1274 was an Italian[6][7] Dominican friar, Catholic priest, and Doctor
of the Church. He was an immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism, within which he is also known as the Doctor Angelicus and the Doctor Communis
·
30 Charles, King and Martyr, 1649 is a title of Charles
I, who was King
of England, of
Scotland, and of
Ireland from 1625 until his execution on 30 January 1649. The
title was used by high church Anglicans who regarded Charles' execution as a martyrdom
·
31 John Bosco,
Priest, Founder of the Salesian Teaching Order, 1888
·
1 Brigid of Kildare, Abbess of Kildare,
c.525 is one of Ireland's patron saints, along with Patrickand Columba. Irish hagiography makes her an early Irish Christian nun,[3]abbess, and foundress of several monasteries of nuns, including
that of Kildare in Ireland, which was famous and was revered.
·
2 THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE
TEMPLE (Candlemas) – may be celebrated on the Sunday
between 28 January and 3 February
·
3 Anskar, Archbishop of Bremen, Missionary in Denmark and Sweden,
865 also known as Anskar[1] or Saint Anschar, was a Archbishop
of Hamburg-Bremen – a northern part of the Kingdom of the East Franks. The See of Hamburg was designated a mission to bring Christianity to
Northern Europe, and Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North"
·
4 Gilbert of Sempringham, Founder of the Gilbertine Order,
1189 the founder of the Gilbertine Order, was the only Englishman to found a conventual order, mainly because the Abbot of Cîteaux declined his request to assist him in organising a
group of women who wanted to live as nuns, living with lay brothersand sisters, in 1148.[2] In the end he founded a double monastery of canons regular and nuns.
OLD TESTAMENT: Deuteronomy 18: 15 - 20 (all)
Deut 18:15 (NRSV)
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own
people; you shall heed such a prophet. 16 This is what you requested of the
LORD your God at Ho'reb on the day of the assembly when you said: "If I
hear the voice of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire,
I will die." 17 Then the LORD replied to me: "They are right in what
they have said. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their
own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to
them everything that I command. 19 Anyone who does not heed the words that the
prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. 20 But any
prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my
name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak--that prophet shall
die."
PSALM 111 (all but Roman Catholic)
Psal 111:1 (NRSV)
Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks
to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the company of
the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the
works of the LORD,
studied by all who
delight in them.
3 Full of honor
and majesty is his work,
and his
righteousness endures forever.
4 He has gained
renown by his wonderful deeds;
the LORD is
gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food
for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful
of his covenant.
6 He has shown his
people the power of his works,
in giving them the
heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his
hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts
are trustworthy.
8 They are
established forever and ever,
to be performed
with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent
redemption to his people;
he has commanded
his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome
is his name.
10 The fear of the
LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who
practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures
forever.
111 Confitebor
tibi (ECUSA BCP)
1 Hallelujah!
I will give thanks
to the Lord with my whole heart, *
in the assembly of the upright, in the
congregation.
2 Great
are the deeds of the Lord! *
they are studied by all who delight in them.
3 His
work is full of majesty and splendor, *
and his righteousness endures for ever.
4 He
makes his marvelous works to be remembered; *
the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He
gives food to those who fear him; *
he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has
shown his people the power of his works *
in giving them the lands of the nations.
7 The
works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; *
all his commandments are sure.
8 They
stand fast for ever and ever, *
because they are done in truth and equity.
9 He sent
redemption to his people;
he commanded his
covenant for ever; *
holy and awesome is his Name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom; *
those who act accordingly have a good
understanding;
his praise endures for ever.
Psalm 95: 1 - 2, 6 - 9 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 95:1 (NRSV) O
come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a
joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into
his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a
joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
6 O come, let us worship
and bow down,
let us kneel
before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our
God,
and we are the
people of his pasture,
and the sheep of
his hand.
O that today you
would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden
your hearts, as at Mer'ibah,
as on the day at
Mas'sah in the wilderness,
9 when your
ancestors tested me,
and put me to the
proof, though they had seen my work.
NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Corinthians 8: 1 - 13 (RCL)
1Cor 8:1 (NRSV)
Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess
knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 Anyone who claims to
know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; 3 but anyone who
loves God is known by him.
4 Hence, as to the
eating of food offered to idols, we know that "no idol in the world really
exists," and that "there is no God but one." 5 Indeed, even
though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as in fact there are
many gods and many lords-- 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom
are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom
are all things and through whom we exist.
7 It is not
everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed
to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an
idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 "Food will not bring
us close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off
if we do. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a
stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if others see you, who possess knowledge,
eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is
weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? 11 So by
your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. 12 But
when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience
when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food is a cause of
their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to
fall.
1 Corinthians 7: 32 -
35 (Roman Catholic)
1Cor 7:32 (NRSV) I
want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs
of the Lord, how to please the Lord; 33 but the married man is anxious about
the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are
divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin are anxious about the affairs
of the Lord, so that they may be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman
is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please her husband. 35 I say
this for your own benefit, not to put any restraint upon you, but to promote
good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord.
Revelation 12: 1 -
5a (C of E)
Reve 12:1 (NRSV) A
great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon
under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and
was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. 3 Then another
portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of
heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who
was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was
born. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the
nations with a rod of iron.
h/t Montreal Anglican
In 7:1,
Paul says: “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote ...” In today’s
reading, he continues to answer the Christians at Corinth, with advice. Much of
the meat sold in markets was left over from pagan festivals. Some members of
the community had scruples about eating such meat, but others considered such
scruples to be irrelevant, even to the point of showing contempt towards these
“weak believers” (v. 11).
Such an attitude seems to have been disrupting the community. Paul is on the
side of liberalism, but not at all costs.The quotes are from the strong, those smart people who have thought through the theology. In v. 1, Paul warns against being headstrong with knowledge: knowledge can be dangerous; what really matters is “love”: it builds the community. Real knowledge of God (v. 2), the “necessary knowledge”, is realizing that being known by God, in love, is what really counts. Smart people know that the Greco-Roman gods don’t exist (v. 4), that only God exists, so sacrificing to gods is meaningless, and should not concern us. In speaking about God as the source and destination of all that is, we should not forget Christ’s role as mediator in creation (v. 6). The weak, he says, have not yet matured in their thinking as Christians: they have not yet shed their cultural attachments to idols; they feel that eating sacrificial meat is disloyal to Christ.
Then vv. 8-9: in arguing that what one eats is irrelevant, the strong should be careful that their libertarian attitude does not impede the progress of “the weak” towards God. Then v. 10-11: if they see strong people joining in festive meals (often held in temples) where such meat is served, might they be tempted back into idolatry? So in joining in such meals you weaken the faith of fellow Christians: this offends Christ. Finally v. 12: in spite of his liberalism, if eating this meat might cause anyone to falter in the Way of God, he will abstain from all meat.
The questions Paul answers are found in 7:25 (“Now concerning virgins ...”); 8:1 (“Now concerning food sacrificed to idols ...”); 12:1 (“Now concerning spiritual gifts ...”); 16:1 (“Now concerning the collection for the saints ...”), 12 (“ Now concerning our brother Apollos ...”). [NOAB]
Here he tackles problems associated with living in a pagan environment. [ NJBC]
Comments: the strong and the weak: This terminology comes from Romans 15:1: “We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves”). [ NJBC]
Verse 1: “love builds up”: Authentic Christian knowledge must be rooted in love. In Philippians 1:9-10, Paul says: “And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best ...” [ NJBC]
Verses 2-3: The true blessedness consists, not in knowing, but being known by, God, and it is in love that one is thus known. [ NOAB]
Verse 4: “eating of food offered to idols”: Meat purchased in Greco-Roman cities was nearly always linked in some way with pagan religious practices, such as having been offered to an idol. [ CAB] Normally meat was available in the ancient world only after great festivals when the priests sold the surplus of the meat of sacrificial victims that was their share. The problem is also dealt with in Romans 14:1-15:13. [ NJBC]
Verse 6: Paul expands basic Old Testament (“The Lord is our God, the Lord alone”, Deuteronomy 6:4) and early Christian (“every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”, Philippians 2:11) confessions: see also Malachi 2:10 and Romans 11:36. They are combined to speak of God and Christ, each with regard to creation. See also 10:26. [ NOAB] God and “Jesus Christ” are unique – so other gods do not exist. [ CAB] To NJBC, this verse is probably from a baptismal liturgy.
Verse 7: “conscience”: The Greek word is syneidesis . It means awareness that one has sinned. [ NJBC]
Verse 8: “Food will not bring us close to God”: i.e. food is morally neutral. In 6:13, Paul says: “‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,’ and God will destroy both one and the other.” [ NJBC]
Verse 8: “We are no worse off it we do not eat, and no better off if we do”: NJBC says that the preferable translation is we are neither better off if we do not eat, nor worse off if we do eat.
Verse 10: The fact that the strong participated in temple banquets put the weak in an impossible position as regards invitations, e.g to family reunions at which idol-meat would be served. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “believers”: The Greek is adelphos, meaning brother. [ NJBC]
Verse 12: “Christ”: Meaning, here, the community. [ NJBC]
Verse 13: Renunciation of one’s rights for the sake of others. [ NOAB] Paul does not impose a course of action on the strong; he simply tells them what he would do. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: Mark 1: 21 - 28 (all)
Mark 1:21 (NRSV)
They went to Caper'naum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue
and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one
having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their
synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, "What have
you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who
you are, the Holy One of God." 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be
silent, and come out of him!" 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him
and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and
they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new teaching--with
authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." 28 At
once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
The “man with an unclean spirit” (v. 23) was, in our terms, possessed: he was under the influence of evil forces. In Jewish terms, he was under Satan’s direction, separated from God. The devil, speaking through this man (v. 24), asks what Jesus is doing meddling in the domain of evil; he recognizes who Jesus is and that his coming spells the end of the devil’s power. He understands the significance of the coming Kingdom. Wonder-workers of the day healed using ritual or magic, but Jesus exorcises simply through verbal command (v. 25), so clearly he is divine. V. 27, on the lips of the crowd, acknowledges Jesus’ “authority” in word and deed
Author's note:
Sometimes I have material left over when I edit Comments down to fit the available space. This page presents notes that landed on the clipping room floor. Some may be useful to you. While I avoid technical language in the Comments (or explain special terms), Clippings may have unexplained jargon from time to time.
A hypertext Glossary of Terms is
integrated with Clippings. Simply click on any highlighted word in the text and
a pop-up window will appear with a definition. Bibliographic references are
also integrated in the same way.
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Comments: the Israelites’ request after God gave Moses the
Ten Commandments at Sinai: See 5:23-31.
[ NOAB]
Verses 9-14: The people of Israel are to rely only on Yahweh for predictions concerning
the future, protection from harm, and how to face death. [ CAB]
Verse 10: “pass through fire”: Probably a reference to the ordeal of
passing through fire as a test of devotion to Molech, the god of Ammon: 12:31 commands
the Israelites not to do as other peoples do: “They would even burn their sons
and their daughters in the fire to their gods”. This pagan rite is also
mentioned in Leviticus 18:21;
2 Kings 16:3; 21:6 (the
rule of Manasseh); Jeremiah 7:31; 19:5; 32:35 and
elsewhere in the Old Testament. [ NOAB]
To CAB, this is child sacrifice.
Verses 15-22: NJBC suggests
that these verses are post-exilic.
Verse 15: “prophet”: This term is used distributively, i.e. prophets
will be raised up as the occasion requires. Each true prophet will be in
continuity with the prophetic office of Moses. See also Exodus 33:11;
Numbers 12:1-8;
Hosea 12:13.
This important verse was interpreted eschatologically:
- in Judaism: see Malachi 4:5-6 (“I
will send you the prophet Elijah [again]”); 1QS (Qumran Rule of the
Community) 9, and
- in early Christianity, e.g. John 1:21 (John
the Baptist); 6:14;
Acts 3:22-23 (Peter’s
sermon in the precincts of the Temple); 7:37 (Stephen’s
defence before a sanhedrin). [ NJBC]
Verse 15: “like me”: Moses is regarded as the fountainhead of
prophecy and the prototype of the true prophet: after telling of Moses’ death
in 34:1-7,
the author of Deuteronomy tells us: “Never since has there arisen a prophet in
Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew
face to face” ( 34:10).
[ NOAB]
Verse 18: “I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet”: This is
reminiscent of the prophetic call of Moses (Exodus 4; 12; 15-16)
and of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:9)
but “my words” may also include commandments. In the history there is a close
connection between prophecy and law (e.g. 2 Kings 17:13-15).
[ NJBC]
Verses 20-22: See also 13:1-5 (prophets
whose predictions come true but advocate following other gods shall not be
followed and shall be put to death); 1 Kings 22:26-28 (court
prophets counsel Ahab to fight a battle but Micaiah says that he will be proven
correct in opposing them by the disastrous result); Jeremiah 28.
[ NOAB] Prophets have roles
besides predicting the future, including interpreting past and present events.
Verse 20: See also Jeremiah 23:9-32.
In Jeremiah 28:16-17 the
prophet Hananiah “made this people trust in a lie”. Yahwehtells him through Jeremiah
“Within this year you will be dead, because you have spoken rebellion against
the Lord ”. [NJBC]
Verses 21-22: As in 13:1-5,
the criteria for the discernment of prophetic spirits reflect the crisis of
prophecy under the late monarchy. Correct prediction is insufficient by itself
and is not necessarily helpful to the prophet’s contemporaries! [ NJBC]
Psalm 111
Most scholars consider this psalm to
be post-exilic. [ NJBC]
In this psalm, salvation history has
been appropriated and inculcated by wisdom teachers.
Verse 1: “Praise the Lord !”:
The following two psalms open with the same words. [ NOAB]
Verses 3-10: These verses emphasize work, action: “deeds” in v. 2,
“work(s)” in vv. 3, 6 and 7,
“gained” in v. 4,
and “act” in v. 10.
In all but one instance, the same Hebrew word, asa is
used. Works are the events of salvation history. [ NJBC]
Verse 4: V. 4b explicitly
refers to Exodus 34:6 (although
this is not clear in the NRSV), so v. 4a probably
refers to Exodus 34:10.
(Exodus 34:10,
speaks of “marvels”, i.e. “marvellous works”.) [ NJBC]
Verse 5: “food”: See Exodus 16 (the
gift of manna). See also Psalm 105:40 (quail)
and 106:14.
[ NJBC]
Verse 9 is a summary of salvation and covenant.
Verse 10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”: These
words also appear in Proverbs 9:10.
This is a wisdomsaying. [ NJBC]
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
The questions Paul answers are found
in 7:25 (“Now
concerning virgins ...”); 8:1 (“Now
concerning food sacrificed to idols ...”); 12:1 (“Now concerning spiritual
gifts ...”); 16:1 (“Now concerning the collection for the saints ...”), 12 (“
Now concerning our brother Apollos ...”). [NOAB]
Here he tackles problems associated
with living in a pagan environment. [ NJBC]
Comments: the strong and the weak: This
terminology comes from Romans 15:1:
“We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to
please ourselves”). [ NJBC]
Verse 1: “love builds up”: Authentic Christian knowledge must be
rooted in love. In Philippians 1:9-10,
Paul says: “And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more
with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best ...” [ NJBC]
Verses 2-3: The true blessedness consists, not in knowing, but being
known by, God, and it is in love that one is thus known. [ NOAB]
Verse 4: “eating of food offered to idols”: Meat purchased in
Greco-Roman cities was nearly always linked in some way with pagan religious
practices, such as having been offered to an idol. [ CAB] Normally meat was available
in the ancient world only after great festivals when the priests sold the
surplus of the meat of sacrificial victims that was their share. The problem is
also dealt with in Romans 14:1-15:13.
[ NJBC]
Verse 6: Paul expands basic Old Testament (“The Lord is our God, the Lord alone”, Deuteronomy 6:4)
and early Christian (“every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”,
Philippians 2:11)
confessions: see also Malachi 2:10 and
Romans 11:36.
They are combined to speak of God and Christ, each with regard to creation. See
also 10:26.
[ NOAB] God and “Jesus Christ”
are unique – so other gods do not exist. [ CAB]
To NJBC, this verse is probably
from a baptismal liturgy.
Verse 7: “conscience”: The Greek word is syneidesis .
It means awareness that one has sinned. [ NJBC]
Verse 8: “Food will not bring us close to God”: i.e. food is
morally neutral. In 6:13,
Paul says: “‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,’ and God
will destroy both one and the other.” [ NJBC]
Verse 8: “We are no worse off it we do not eat, and no better off
if we do”: NJBC says that
the preferable translation is we are neither better off if we do not
eat, nor worse off if we do eat.
Verse 10: The fact that the strong participated in temple banquets
put the weak in an impossible position as regards invitations, e.g to family
reunions at which idol-meat would be served. [ NJBC]
Verse 11: “believers”: The Greek is adelphos,
meaning brother. [ NJBC]
Verse 12: “Christ”: Meaning, here, the community. [ NJBC]
Verse 13: Renunciation of one’s rights for the sake of others. [ NOAB] Paul does not impose a
course of action on the strong; he simply tells them what he would do. [ NJBC]
Mark 1:21-28
- vv. 21-28:
Teaching and healing at Capernaum
- vv. 29-31:
Healing of Peter’s mother-in-law
- vv. 32-34:
Healings during the evening
- vv. 35-39:
Jesus’ temporary withdrawal to a deserted place
- vv. 40-45:
Healing of the leper
Verses 21-22: See also Matthew 7:28-29 (“Now
when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his
teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their
scribes”) and Luke 4:31-32 (“He
went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the
sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with
authority”). [ NOAB]
Verse 21: “Capernaum”: A prosperous town on the main trade route
from eastern Syria to Palestine and
its port cities. [CAB]
Verse 22: “having authority”: BlkMk translates this as as
one possessing authority and notes that the Greek word, exousia,
is used elsewhere in Mark for Jesus' power to work miracles. “Scribes” whenever
based their teaching on tradition.
Comments: The Greek word is like the one in the Nicene Creed
which is translated as being or substance The Greek word, here and in
v. 27,
is exousia. The Canadian Anglican Book of Alternative Services says
in the Creed
of Nicea-Constantinople: “... Jesus Christ, ... of one being [ homoousion]
with the Father”. An older translation is substance.
Verse 24: “Have you come to destroy us?”: NJBC says that this is better
taken as a statement than as a question.
Verses 25-27: Jesus’ exorcisms were viewed as victorious moments in the
ongoing struggle with Satan. [ NJBC]
Verse 27: “with authority! He commands ...”: NJBC suggests that a better
translation may be With authority he commands .