FRIDAY 22 JANUARY

by | Jan 21, 2021 | Evangelium

St. Vincent (- 304)

USA: Day of prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

He was born in Huesca and became a deacon of the church of Saragossa (Zaragoza). He was tortured to death in Valencia, in the persecution of Diocletian. After his death, his cult spread rapidly through the Roman Empire.

 

Green / Red

Entrance Antiphon : Ps 65: 4

All the earth shall bow down before you, O God, and shall sing to you, shall sing to your name, O Most High!

 

Collect

Almighty ever-living God, who govern all things, both in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the pleading of your people and bestow your peace in our times. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

First reading : Hebrews 8:6-13

We have seen that Christ has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises. If that first covenant had been without a fault, there would have been no need for a second one to replace it. And in fact God does find fault with them; he says: See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will establish a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They abandoned that covenant of mine, and so I on my side deserted them. It is the Lord who speaks. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord.’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind. By speaking of a new covenant, he implies that the first one is already old. Now anything old only gets more antiquated until in the end it disappears.

 

Psalm 84(85):8,10-14

R/     Mercy and faithfulness have met.

 

  1. Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help. His help is near for those who fear him and his glory will dwell in our land.
  2. Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven.
  3. The Lord will make us prosper and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps.

 

Gospel Acclamation : cf.2Th2:14

Alleluia, alleluia! Through the Good News God called us to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Mark 3:13-19

Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve: Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges or ‘Sons of Thunder’; then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Grant us, O Lord, we pray, that we may participate worthily in these mysteries, for whenever the memorial of this sacrifice is celebrated, the work of our redemption is accomplished. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 22: 5

You have prepared a table before me, and how precious is the chalice that quenches my thirst.

 

Prayer after Communion

Pour on us, O Lord, the Spirit of your love, and in your kindness, make those you have nourished by this one heavenly Bread, one in mind and heart. Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

 

Meditation

Sometimes in street football, two team captains are asked to pick their players from a whole lot of friends. Each would seek to get the players that would work together to bring him victory. In today’s Gospel passage, we see Jesus choosing his close collaborators. He makes a personal choice of those he knows will work with him to realise his mission of spreading the Good News. With the same love that Jesus had for the Twelve, he chooses you and me to be his disciples