THURSDAY 19 January

SAINT FILLAN

St. Fillan, son of Feriach was also known as Foelan. Extravagant miracles attributed to him, such as the one in which his prayers caused a wolf that had killed the ox he was using to drag materials to the church he was building. Fillan died on January 19.

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 on 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 7: 25-8 : 6

The power of Jesus to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him. To suit us, the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated, beyond the influence of sinners, and raised up above the heavens; one who would not need to offer sacrifices every day, as the other high priests do for their own sins and then for those of the people, because he has done this once and for all by offering himself. The Law appoints high priests who are men subject to weakness; but the promise on oath, which came after the Law, appointed the Son who is made perfect for ever. The great point of all that we have said is that we have a high priest of exactly this kind. He has his place at the right of the throne of divine Majesty in the heavens, and he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true Tent of Meeting which the Lord, and not any man, set up. It is the duty of every high priest to offer gifts and sacrifices, and so this one too must have something to offer. In fact, if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are others who make the offerings laid down by the Law and these only maintain the service of a model or a reflection of the heavenly realities. For Moses, when he had the Tent to build, was warned by God who said: See that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. We have seen that he 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.

Psalm 39(40): 7-10, 17

R/ Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.

You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I.

In the scroll of the book it stands written that I should do your will. My God, I delight in your law in the depth of my heart.

Your justice I have proclaimed in the great assembly. My lips I have not sealed; you know it, O Lord.

O let there be rejoicing and gladness for all who seek you. Let them ever say: ‘The Lord is great’, who love your saving help.

Gospel Acclamation: cf. Jn6:63,68   

Alleluia, alleluia! Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!

Gospel: Mark 3:7-12      

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lakeside, and great crowds from Galilee followed him. From Judaea, Jerusalem, Idumaea, Transjordania and the region of Tyre and Sidon, great numbers who had heard of all he was doing came to him. And he asked his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, to keep him from being crushed. For he had cured so many that all who were afflicted in any way were crowding forward to touch him. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, would fall down before him and shout, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he warned them strongly not to make him known.

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

Jesus has always been kind to those who have heard of him and sought him. That is why we can see the multitude that came to meet him in today’s Gospel. We also want to touch Christ! We are like this crowd made up of both holy and unclean spirits who recognise his authority as the Son of God, and who want to be healed. We need to touch Christ present in the Eucharist. In this deep and permanent relationship with Christ in the Eucharist, we are healed of our sufferings, and our spirits of fear, sadness, selfishness, and hypocrisy are cast out.