Friday, January 13, 2012 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Regarding Baptism, baptize as follows: after first explaining all these points, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of hte Holy Spirit, in running water.
-- The Didache 7:1

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah;
5 and they said to him, Behold, you are old, and your sons don’t walk in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. Samuel prayed to Yahweh.

7 Yahweh said to Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them.
10 Samuel told all the words of Yahweh to the people who asked of him a king.
11 He said, This will be the manner of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them to him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots;
12 and he will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.
13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14 He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
15 He will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
16 He will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants.
18 You shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen you; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, No: but we will have a king over us,
20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
21 Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Yahweh.
22 Yahweh said to Samuel, Listen to their voice, and make them a king. Samuel said to the men of Israel, Go you every man to his city.
Psalm: Psalm 89:16-19
(God's Promise to David)
16 In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength. In your favor, our horn will be exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to Yahweh; Our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Then you spoke in vision to your saints, And said, “I have bestowed strength on the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.
Gospel: Mark 2:1-12
(Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man)
1 A few days later Jesus went back to Capernaum, and the news spread that he was at home.
2 So many people came together that there was no room left, not even out in front of the door. Jesus was preaching the message to them
3 when four men arrived, carrying a paralyzed man to Jesus.
4 Because of the crowd, however, they could not get the man to him. So they made a hole in the roof right above the place where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they let the man down, lying on his mat.
5 Seeing how much faith they had, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Some teachers of the Law who were sitting there thought to themselves,
7 “How does he dare talk like this? This is blasphemy! God is the only one who can forgive sins!”
8 At once Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said to them, “Why do you think such things?
9 Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?
10 I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man,
11 “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
12 While they all watched, the man got up, picked up his mat, and hurried away. They were all completely amazed and praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”