![\"Jesus](\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/jesus-teaching.jpg\")
In our First Reading, Moses promises that a prophet will come after him, someone who will guide Israel.\u00a0In the light of the New Testament, we recognize this person to be Jesus Christ who, in this Sunday’s Gospel Reading, not only teaches<\/em> with authority, but demonstrates\u00a0<\/em>that authority by casting out an unclean spirit.<\/p>\nThe psalmist in this Sunday’s psalm sings\u00a0“<\/span>Oh, that today you would hear his voice…harden not your hearts”<\/span>.\u00a0<\/em>That is our invitation this Sunday. We are invited to come and listen to the voice of the Lord.\u00a0The word of God is powerful indeed. If we come to the Scriptures with open hearts they have the power to transform our lives….<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In this First Reading Moses speaks to the People of Israel. He promises them that after he is gone, God will raise up someone who will lead His people…<\/p>\n Moses spoke to all the people, saying:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n “A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you\u00a0from among your own kin;\u00a0to him you shall listen.\u00a0This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb\u00a0on the day of the assembly, when you said,\u00a0‘Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,<\/span>\u00a0nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.’<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n And the LORD said to me, ‘This was well said.\u00a0I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin,\u00a0and will put my words into his mouth;\u00a0he shall tell them all that I command him.\u00a0Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,\u00a0I myself will make him answer for it.\u00a0But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name\u00a0an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,\u00a0or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.'”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Questions:<\/p>\n Commentary:<\/p>\n Moses spoke to all the people, saying:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n “A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you\u00a0from among your own kin;\u00a0to him you shall listen.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The context here implies that there will be many prophets who will come after Moses, but it is also a Messianic text pointing to Jesus:<\/p>\n “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me”<\/em> – John 5:46<\/span><\/p>\n After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world”<\/em> – John 6:14<\/span><\/p>\n The phrase “from among your own kin”<\/span><\/em>\u00a0means that this prophet will come from the people of Israel. It also reminds me of the Incarnation, how God came and dwelt with His people in flesh and bone.<\/p>\n Here are some of the similarities between Jesus and Moses:<\/p>\n 1. Pharaoh killed all the the male Hebrew babies, but Moses was saved (Exodus 1:22; 2:1-2<\/a>). 2. Moses fled from<\/span> Egypt, but later returned (Exodus 2:15; 4:18<\/a>) 3. Moses went up the mountain to receive the Law (Exodus 24:1-3<\/a>) 4. Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant through the blood of young bulls (Exodus 24:8<\/a>) 5. Moses did not eat or drink for forty days and forty nights (Exodus 34:28<\/a>) 6. Moses delivers the first five books of the Bible (Genesis – Deuteronomy) 7. Moses lifted up the bronze snake in the wilderness (Numbers 21:9<\/a>) It is for this reason that Jesus is often known as “The New Moses”.\u00a0So there are many similarities, but it was worth emphasizing that Jesus is not simply\u00a0“like”<\/span><\/em>\u00a0Moses, but someone even greater:<\/p>\n For the law was given through\u00a0Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ<\/em>\u00a0– John 1:17<\/span><\/p>\n Jesus has been found worthy of\u00a0greater\u00a0honor\u00a0than\u00a0Moses, just as the builder of a house has\u00a0greater\u00a0honor\u00a0than\u00a0the house itself<\/em>\u00a0– Hebrews 3:3<\/span><\/p>\n Jesus is the prophet, but a whole lot more…<\/p>\n This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb\u00a0on the day of the assembly, when you said,\u00a0‘Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,\u00a0nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.’<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n This is a reference to an incident during the Exodus:<\/p>\n When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, tey trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die’<\/em> – Exodus 20:18-19<\/span><\/p>\n And the LORD said to me, ‘This was well said.\u00a0I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin,\u00a0and will put my words into his mouth;\u00a0he shall tell them all that I command him.\u00a0Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,\u00a0I myself will make him answer for it.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n God promises someone who will speak His words and act with power.<\/p>\n But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name\u00a0an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,\u00a0or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.'”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The price to pay for being a false prophet is high!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This psalm is a call to worship. It was spoken by a priest or Levite to those who had gathered in the Temple. This psalm is prayed as the Invitatory of Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours<\/a>.<\/p>\n R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;<\/span><\/em> let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.<\/span><\/em> Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;<\/span><\/em> let us joyfully sing psalms to him.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Come, let us bow down in worship;<\/span><\/em> let us kneel before the LORD who made us.<\/span><\/em> For he is our God,<\/span><\/em> and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Oh, that today you would hear his voice:<\/span><\/em> “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,<\/span><\/em> as in the day of Massah in the desert,<\/span><\/em> Where your fathers tempted me;<\/span><\/em> they tested me though they had seen my works.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Questions:<\/p>\n Commentary:<\/p>\n R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The constant refrain of this psalm. It is a plea to trust in the Lord our Rock, rather than let our hearts become rock-like.\u00a0\u00a0It is an appeal to listen for God\u2019s voice and not to allow our hearts to become calloused and insensitive.<\/p>\n Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n You hear that, Catholics? Sing. Joyfully. Enough said.<\/p>\n …let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.<\/em>\u00a0Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;<\/em>\u00a0let us joyfully sing psalms to him.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n God is our rock – dependable, stable, strong.<\/p>\n Come, let us bow down in worship;<\/em>\u00a0let us kneel before the LORD who made us.<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n God\u00a0“made us”<\/em><\/span>\u00a0in the sense that He is the Creator, but also in the sense that He has gathered us together to be His people, firstly in the Kingdom of Israel and now in His Church.<\/p>\n For he is our God,<\/em>\u00a0and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n We are called to humble ourselves before God our Good Shepherd:<\/p>\n “I am the\u00a0good\u00a0shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me…”<\/em> – John 10:14<\/span><\/p>\n Middle-eastern kings were often called shepherds. Therefore this psalm implies that God is not only Israel’s shepherd, but her king.<\/p>\n Oh, that today you would hear his voice:<\/em>\u00a0“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,<\/em>\u00a0as in the day of Massah in the desert,<\/em>\u00a0Where your fathers tempted me;<\/em>\u00a0they tested me though they had seen my works.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n This is the heart of this psalm, to listen to the voice of the Lord. When speaking about the future Prophet, Moses said\u00a0“to him you shall listen”<\/em><\/span>. This is because that Prophet would speak the words of the Lord.<\/p>\n “Meribah”<\/span><\/em> and “Massah”<\/span><\/em> are references to Israel’s rebellion in the desert\u00a0(Exodus 17:1-7<\/a>).\u00a0\u201cMeribah\u201d<\/em><\/span>\u00a0means \u201cquarreling\u201d<\/span><\/em> and\u00a0\u201cMassah\u201d<\/em><\/span>\u00a0means \u201ctesting\u201d<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This week’s Second Reading picks up from last week. Paul has some (often unpopular) words to say to us about celibacy…<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:\u00a0I should like you to be free of anxieties.\u00a0An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord,\u00a0how he may please the Lord.\u00a0But a married man is anxious about the things of the world,\u00a0how he may please his wife, and he is divided.\u00a0An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord,\u00a0so that she may be holy in both body and spirit.\u00a0A married woman, on the other hand,\u00a0is anxious about the things of the world,\u00a0how she may please her husband.\u00a0I am telling you this for your own benefit,\u00a0not to impose a restraint upon you,<\/span>\u00a0but for the sake of propriety\u00a0and adherence to the Lord without distraction.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Questions:<\/p>\n Commentary:<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:\u00a0I should like you to be free of anxieties.\u00a0An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord,\u00a0how he may please the Lord.\u00a0But a married man is anxious about the things of the world,\u00a0how he may please his wife, and he is divided.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Although a husband can give wonderful service to God through his marriage, he has practical concerns for his wife. Someone who is celibate does not have these concerns. This is one of the reasons why celibacy is held in high regard by the Church.<\/p>\n An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord,\u00a0so that she may be holy in both body and spirit.\u00a0A married woman, on the other hand,\u00a0is anxious about the things of the world,\u00a0how she may please her husband.\u00a0<\/em><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The same is true for women as well as men.<\/p>\n I am telling you this for your own benefit,\u00a0not to impose a restraint upon you,\u00a0but for the sake of propriety\u00a0and adherence to the Lord without distraction.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Paul isn’t telling us this to be mean or to say that marriage is bad.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This Sunday’s Gospel also picks right up from last week.<\/p>\n Then they came to Capernaum,\u00a0and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.\u00a0The people were astonished at his teaching,<\/span><\/em> for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.\u00a0In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;\u00a0he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?\u00a0Have you come to destroy us?\u00a0I know who you are?the Holy One of God!”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Jesus rebuked him and said,\u00a0“Quiet! Come out of him!”\u00a0The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.\u00a0All were amazed and asked one another,\u00a0“What is this?\u00a0A new teaching with authority.\u00a0He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”\u00a0His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Questions:<\/p>\n Commentary:<\/p>\n Then they came to Capernaum…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Capernaum becomes Jesus’ base in the region of Galilee:<\/p>\n Jesus’ base of operations appears to have been Peter’s house:<\/p>\n “As soon as they left the synagogue they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew…A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home”<\/em> – Mark 1:29; 2:1<\/span><\/p>\n A 5th Century\u00a0basilica stands over what is thought to be this location, a short distance from a 4th Century synagogue…<\/p>\n …and on the sabbath…\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The Sabbath is Saturday, the seventh day of the week. Since the Jewish calendar counts days from sundown, the Sabbath begins Friday evening and ends Saturday evening. The Sabbath was to be a day set apart for rest:<\/p>\n \u201cRemember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.\u00a0Six days you shall labor and do all your work,\u00a0but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.\u00a0For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.<\/span><\/em> – Exodus 20:8-11<\/span><\/p>\n The Sabbath was a sign of God’s covenant love for creation and also for His deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt.\u00a0It is therefore significant that this Gospel event takes place on the Sabbath…<\/p>\n 1. New Creation.<\/strong>\u00a0What takes place in this Gospel Reading symbolizes a new<\/span> creation.\u00a0As God “rebuked” the waters at creation in order to form the world (Psalms 104:7<\/a>), Jesus rebukes the demon in order to deliver the man from the demon’s chaos and return him to peace.<\/p>\n 2. New Exodus.<\/strong> Jesus’ actions also symbolize and a new<\/span>\u00a0exodus. In the first exodus,\u00a0Israel was set free from Egypt, but this time God’s people are set free from slavery to sin. \u00a0As God “rebuked” the waters of the Red Sea (Psalm 106:9<\/a>) in order to save His people, Jesus rebukes the demon in order to save this man.<\/p>\n … Jesus entered the synagogue…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Sacrifice only took place in the Temple in Jerusalem. Synagogue were buildings set apart for prayer and instruction in the Scriptures. \u00a0A synagogue could only\u00a0be established if there were ten married Jewish men in the town (“minyan”<\/em><\/span>).\u00a0The synagogue complemented the Temple worship since not all Jews lived in Jerusalem. Many lived outside of Jerusalem, only visiting the Holy City for the three prescribed festivals:<\/p>\n Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles…<\/em>\u00a0– Deuteronomy 16:16<\/span><\/p>\nReading I – Deuteronomy 18:15-20<\/h3>\n
\n
\nHerod killed all the male babies in and around Bethlehem, but Jesus escaped (Matthew 2:16-18<\/a>).<\/p>\n
\nJesus fled to<\/span> Egypt and later returned to Israel (Matthew 2:13-23<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nJesus delivered the New Law at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-3<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nJesus is the mediator of the New Covenant through His own blood (Matthew 26:28<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nJesus did the same while being tempted in the desert\u00a0(Matthew 4:2<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nIn Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gives five extended sermons (Matthew 5-7<\/a>, 10<\/a>, 13<\/a>, 18<\/a>, 24-25<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nJesus said that, in a similar way, He Himself would be “lifted up”<\/span> (John 3:14<\/a>).<\/p>\nResponsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9<\/h3>\n
\n
Reading II: 1 Cor 7:32-35<\/h2>\n
\n
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28<\/h2>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Capernaum.jpg\")
<\/p>\n