This year the Presentation replaces the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The psalm chosen for today’s Liturgy of the Word almost certainly has its origins in a hymn sung at the Temple of Jerusalem, perhaps in a Liturgy which saw the ark of the covenant returned to the Temple after a battle (cf 1 Samuel 4). It is a psalm sung today in Jewish liturgy when the holy Torah is returned to the Ark after the proclamation of God’s word.
In our Catholic liturgy this Sunday we use only the second part of the psalm, which most lends itself to the principal focus of the feast, ie the coming of God’s only-begotten son to our world, and his being welcomed by Simeon and Anna, representatives of God’s faithful down the ages.
The verses of the psalm omitted by the Lectionary broaden the vision: The meaning of the (presumed) Temple ritual of its orginal setting is not about king and state and cult, here but principally about the Lord who is Creator of all that is.
Likewise our 21st Century celebration of this Sunday’s Feast is no ‘mere’ ritual or even’just’ a commemoration of a particular event in the life of the Holy Family. Our ritual, our commemoration raises questions about faithfulness to God and his creation and plan much more broadly.
As always the scripture is as much about us as it is about others.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23(24):7-10
(NB the text set for Sunday is given below in bold and in ‘quote sections’ below; the rest is the immediate biblical text from which the Lectionary text is extracted)
Psalm 24 (23)
1A Psalm of David.
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world, and those who dwell in it. 2 It is he who set it on the seas; on the rivers he made it firm.
3 Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? 4 The clean of hands and pure of heart, whose soul is not set on vain things, who has not sworn deceitful words.
5 Blessings from the Lord shall he receive, and right reward from the God who saves him. 6 Such are the people who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
* * *
7O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory!
8 Who is this king of glory? The Lord, the mighty, the valiant; the Lord, the valiant in war.
9 O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory!
10 Who is this king of glory? He, the Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory.
Acknowledgements Translation of Psalms: From The Revised Grail Psalms: A Liturgical Psalter. (c) 2010. Commentary: (c) 2020, Allen Morris Photo (c) 2018, Allen Morris. Tintoretto, Hotel D’Assezat, Toulouse, France.
This year the Presentation replaces the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The feast of the Presentation interrupts our semi-continuous reading of St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.
The reading from Herbrews highlights the significance of the incarnation, and in particular the significance that Jesus was born as a Jew, one amongst the countless descendents promised to Abraham.
The letter exults in the glory of Jesus Christ, light from light, uniquely the Son of God, and in the flesh descended from Abraham.
The Lectionary reading is a passage which focuses on the importance of Jesus sharing our human nature, and consequently understanding the things that we struggle with and which might tempt us from God and the Kingdom.
Second reading: Hebrews 2:14-18
(NB the text set for Sunday is given below in bold and in ‘quote sections’ below; the rest is the immediate biblical text from which the Lectionary text is extracted)
The Supremacy of God’s Son 1.1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? 6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 7 Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” 8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” 10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” 13 And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Warning Against Neglecting Salvation 2.1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
The Founder of Salvation 5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
He took to himself descent from Abraham Since all the children share the same blood and flesh, Christ too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. That is, because he has himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.
Acknowledgements Translation of Scriptures: English Standard Version (c) 2001-9, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Commentary: (c) 2020, Allen Morris Photo (c) 2016, Allen Morris. sT mARY’S sHREWSBURY
This year the Presentation replaces the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Israel is seen at its best in this episode – the new parents, and the elderly Simeon and Anna united in worship of God and gathered at the dawn of the new hope for Israel and for the world.
As we celebrate the Feast, let us pray that we continue to receive and make the most of the opportunities, presented to us in Christ
Gospel: Luke 2:22-40
Jesus Presented at the Temple 2.22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Acknowledgements Translation of Scriptures: English Standard Version (c) 2001-9, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Commentary: (c) 2020, Allen Morris Photo (c) 2018, Allen Morris. The Presentation, Musee des Augustins, Toulouse.
It is startling how immediately James and John, Peter and Andrew seem to have responded to the Lord’s call.
‘Come, follow me’ he said, and they did.
Maybe they had already spent time with Jesus, maybe he had already helped them to prepare and hear his call. Maybe not…
What helps you hear his call? And to what – at this time – does he principally call you.
The Church has traditionally identified a range of general vocations – to marriage, to the single life, to life as a religious brother or sister, or to service as a priest. There are other descriptors too, of course, and within each group an immense variety ways of living out the calling. But each and everyone is a response to the life in communion with Christ and the Church, to which we were committed by baptism.
It might be helpful to read a little more about vocation, and also to pray for faithful and generous response to the Lord’s call by ourselves and by others.
Lord Jesus, send labourers into your harvest. inspire, in the hearts of your people, vocations to life in Christ. Bless our families with a spirit of generosity. May all Christians be brave and seek to serve and follow you in all of the circumstances of their lives. May those whom you call have the courage to give themselves as cooperators in your work for the good of the world.
Amen.
Photograph: (c) 2016, Allen Morris. Mosaic. St Peter’s Rome.
This Sunday is the first of the Church’s celebrations of the annual Sunday of the word of God, instituted by Pope Francis.
A good day to ponder on words from another reformer!
No greater mischief can happen to a Christian people, than to have God’s Word taken from them, or falsified, so that they no longer have it pure and clear. God grant we and our descendants be not witnesses to it.
When we have God’s word, pure and clear, then we think ourselves all right; we become negligent, and repose in a vain security; we no longer pay due heed, thinking it will always so remain; we do not watch and pray against the devil who is ready to tear the Divine Word out of our hearts. It is with us as travellers, who so long as they are on the highway, are tranquil and heedless, but if they do astray into the woods or cross paths, uneasily seek which way to take, this or that.
Martin Luther (from his Table Talk)
Photograph: (c) 2018. Fresco. Orthodox Church of the Holy Prince Lazar, Bourneville, Birmingham
The prophet Isaiah proclaims the new glory that God will confer on his people, even at the cost of humiliating the nations; but he also knows the humiliation of Israel and how that finds its justification in Israel’s turning from her Lord.
We ourselves often find in that same quandary, somewhere betwixt and between the triumph of grace and the catastrophe of sin – the answer, always, is the Lord, surrendering to his will, being open to his love.
First reading Isaiah 8:23-9:3
(NB the text set for Sunday is given below in bold and in ‘quote sections’ below; the rest is the immediate biblical text from which the Lectionary text is extracted)
Fear God, Wait for the Lord 8.11 For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honour as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
16 Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. 21 They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. 22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
For to Us a Child Is Born 9.1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish.
In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression 8 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob, and it will fall on Israel; 9 and all the people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart: 10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.” 11 But the LORD raises the adversaries of Rezin against him, and stirs up his enemies. 12 The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
13 The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the LORD of hosts. 14 So the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day— 15 the elder and honoured man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; 16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up. 17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke. 19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another. 20 They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied; each devours the flesh of his own arm, 21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh; together they are against Judah. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
Acknowledgements Translation of Scriptures: English Standard Version (c) 2001-9, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Commentary: (c) 2020, Allen Morris Photo (c) 2008, Allen Morris. Dawn at Lindesfarne..
The Psalm as we sing it on Sunday is a song of confidence and trust.
Missing from the words we sing is the exploration of the dangers and fears that can confound us, and from which we need the Lord to save us.
As the word of God gives us confidence to place our trust in God, so it can give us courage to know and name the things that threaten our well-being and from which we look to God to save us.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14
(NB the text set for Sunday is given below in bold and in ‘quote sections’ below; the rest is the immediate biblical text from which the Lectionary text is extracted)
Psalm 27 (26)
1Of David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; whom should I dread?
2 When those who do evil draw near to devour my flesh, it is they, my enemies and foes, who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart would not fear. Though war break out against me, even then would I trust.
4 There is one thing I ask of the Lord, only this do I seek: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord, to inquire at his temple.
5 For there he keeps me safe in his shelter in the day of evil. He hides me under cover of his tent; he sets me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be raised above my foes who surround me, and I shall offer within his tent a sacrifice of joy. I will sing and make music for the Lord.
7 O Lord, hear my voice when I call; have mercy and answer me. 8 Of you my heart has spoken, “Seek his face.”
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; 9 hide not your face from me. Dismiss not your servant in anger; you have been my help.
Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my Saviour! 10 Though father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
11 Instruct me, Lord, in your way; on an even path lead me because of my enemies. 12 Do not leave me to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, and they breathe out violence.
13 I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong; be stout-hearted, and wait for the Lord!
Acknowledgements Translation of Psalms: From The Revised Grail Psalms: A Liturgical Psalter. (c) 2010. Commentary: (c) 2020, Allen Morris Photo (c) 2016, Allen Morris. St Nicolas church, Nantes, France.
Paul knows that in Christ the Church is enriched with charisms of all sorts, and that this Church is gifted with unity in Christ.
In this first letter to the Corinthians Paul addresses the sense of competition that damages this unity and fragments the community of the Church and fails her communion with Christ. He also challenges the sense of superiority that can puff up the new Christians and draw them from the humility proper of those who are saved by Christ and called to imitate him.
This first Chapter establishes these matters as principal themes of the letter, to be instanced and explored in consideration of a wide range of specific events and topics.
Sometimes we can loose the sight of the wood for the trees.
What are the most fundamental themes that the Contemporary Church needs to address?
What are the more surface topics that can sometimes preoccupy us at the cost of more fundamental matters?
1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17
(NB the text set for Sunday is given below in bold and in ‘quote sections’ below; the rest is the immediate biblical text from which the Lectionary text is extracted)
Greeting 1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Divisions in the Church 10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarrelling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Christ the Wisdom and Power of God 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
–
Acknowledgements Translation of Scriptures: English Standard Version (c) 2001-9, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Commentary: (c) 2020, Allen Morris Photo (c) 2008, Allen Morris. House of Light, Arsenale Bienialle, Venice.
Chapters 3 and 4 of Matthew’s Gospel tell of the ministry of John the Baptism, Jesus’ Baptism and its aftermath – both his temptation in the desert and the beginning of his public ministry.
We will return to the story of the Temptations at the beginning of Lent, and this Sunday the focus is the beginning of the public ministry, beginning with the proclamation of the closeness of the Kingdom of heaven, the calling of the first disciples, and his first teaching and healing.
The Gospel passage tells of a time of beginnings.
Existentially we are always in a time of beginnings, even as we find ourselves so often in danger of closing down that newness by being focussed on the consequences of what has been.
What holds you back?
What helps you move forward, free and graceful?
Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23
(NB the text set for Sunday is given below in bold and in ‘quote sections’ below; the rest is the immediate biblical text from which the Lectionary text is extracted)
The Temptation of Jesus 4.1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus Calls the First Disciples 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Acknowledgements
Translation of Scriptures: English Standard Version (c) 2001-9, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Commentary: (c) 2020, Allen Morris
Photo (c) 2017, Allen Morris. Glass, Sainte-Anne, Montpellier.
Behold, the Lamb of God 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
Jesus lays down his life for the world.
We who receive life from him have so many opportunities to share life with others – in this life and beyond.
Beyond? Yes through the sharing with others any organs or tissue that can be sued to help restore them to fuller health.
The law in England changes shortly so that all those who have not opted out are deemed to consent to organ donation. However continuing to opt in, and confirming your choice with family and friends, makes it much easier for medical professions to take quick and effective action after your death.
PS – don’t forget the help you can give even now through blood or platelet donation.
Prayer for those awaiting for organ transplant
Creator God, breath of life, through medical science you have given us the skill and ability to transplant organs, renewing life for the critically ill. Bless those, who awaits the gift of a transplant to enhance the quality of their lives. Release them from fear and pain, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for those considering registering their consent to organ donation
Creator God, send your Holy Spirit upon men and women that they may be moved to share their health by committing themselves to organ donation. And move the hearts of families facing the death of a loved one, that, in the shadow of grief, they find the strength to give the gift of life to others; in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Acknowledgements
Translation of Scriptures: English Standard Version (c) 2001-9, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Living Eucharist 