Saturday, February 11, 2012 {Our Lady of Lourdes (Optional Memorial)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
We must never glance at what is good in ourselves, much less ponder over it, but we should search out what is wrong and what is lacking. This is an excellent way of remaining humble.
-- St. Vincent de Paul

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
(The Worship at Bethel Is Condemned/ Jeroboam's Fatal Sin)
26 Jeroboam said in his heart, Now will the kingdom return to the house of David:
27 if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem, then will the heart of this people turn again to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.
28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: see your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

29 He set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
30 This thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one, even to Dan.
31 He made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.
32 Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; so did he in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.
1 Kings 13:33-34
33 After this thing Jeroboam didn’t return from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places: whoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.
34 This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the surface of the earth.
Psalms: Psalm 106:6-7, 19-22
6 We have sinned with our fathers. We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly.
7 Our fathers didn’t understand your wonders in Egypt. They didn’t remember the multitude of your loving kindnesses,
But were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea. 19 They made a calf in Horeb, And worshiped a molten image.
20 Thus they exchanged their glory For an image of a bull that eats grass.
21 They forgot God, their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham, And awesome things by the Red Sea.
Gospel: Mark 8:1-10(Jesus Feeds Four Thousand People)1 Not long afterward another large crowd came together. When the people had nothing left to eat, Jesus called the disciples to him and said,
2 “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat.
3 If I send them home without feeding them, they will faint as they go, because some of them have come a long way.”
4 His disciples asked him, “Where in this desert can anyone find enough food to feed all these people?”
5 “How much bread do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven loaves,” they answered.
6 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the crowd; and the disciples did so.
7 They also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for these and told the disciples to distribute them too.
8-9 Everybody ate and had enough—there were about four thousand people. Then the disciples took up seven baskets full of pieces left over. Jesus sent the people away
10 and at once got into a boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.