Sunday, January 29, 2012 (Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Be assured that he who shall always walk faithfully in God's presence, always ready to give Him an account of all his actions, shall never be separated from Him by consenting to sin.
-- St Thomas Aquinas

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20
15 Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me; to him you shall listen;
16 according to all that you desired of Yahweh your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Yahweh my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die.
17 Yahweh said to me, They have well said that which they have spoken.

18 I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.
19 It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
20 But the prophet, who shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.
Psalms: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
(A Song fo Praise)
1 Oh come, let’s sing to Yahweh. Let’s shout aloud to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let’s come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let’s extol him with songs!
6 Oh come, let’s worship and bow down. Let’s kneel before Yahweh, our Maker,
7 For he is our God. We are the people of his pasture, And the sheep in his care. Today, oh that you would hear his voice!
8 Don’t harden your heart, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
9 When your fathers tempted me, Tested me, and saw my work.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
32 But I desire to have you to be free from cares. He who is unmarried is concerned for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; 33 but he who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife. 34 There is also a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. 35 This I say for your own profit; not that I may ensnare you, but for that which is appropriate, and that you may attend to the Lord without distraction.
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28
(A Man with an Evil Spirit)
21 They went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught.
22 They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes.
23 Immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out,
24 saying, “Ha! What do we have to do with you, Jesus, you Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!”
25 Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”
26 The unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
27 They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!”
28 The report of him went out immediately everywhere into all the region of Galilee and its surrounding area.