20 Jan 24 – Saturday of Week 2

20 Jan 24 – Saturday of Week 2

Optional Memorials: St Fabian, pope and martyr, died under Decius in 250. St Sebastian, martyr, a soldier (?) in the persecution of Diocletian.

1st Reading: 2 Samuel 1:1-4 etc

David’s grief at the death of Saul and Jonathan

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, he remained two days in Ziklag. On the third day, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground and did obeisance. David said to him, “Where have you come from?” He replied, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” David said to him, “How did things go? Tell me!” He answered, “The army fled from the battle, but also many of the army fell and died; and Saul and his son Jonathan also died.”

Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them; and all the men who were with him did the same. They mourned and wept, and fasted until evening for Saul and for his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan:

Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon;
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.

Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
greatly beloved were you to me;
your love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of women.
How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!

Responsorial: Psalm 79:2-3, 5-7

R./: Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
you who lead Joseph’s flock,
shine forth from your cherubim throne
upon Ephraim, Benjamin, Manasseh. (R./)

O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help.
Lord God of hosts, how long
will you frown on your people’s plea? (R./)

You have fed them with tears for their bread,
an abundance of tears for their drink.
You have made us the taunt of our neighbours,
our enemies laugh us to scorn. (R./)

Gospel: Mark 3:20-21

His relatives think that Jesus is out of his mind

Then Jesus went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.”

Driven by compassion

Jesus was so caught up in the needs of his fellow human beings that he has no time even to eat. His relatives regarded him as no longer quite sane and planned to take him away. They actually think he has gone out of his mind. But there is a very positive message in this little episode, one of the shortest readings in the whole lectionary. Jesus was more concerned with the needs of others than with his own. The sight of human misery moved him very deeply. His heart was full of and overwhelming compassion.

Somehow, this concern of Jesus echoes the sadness and emotion of David’s lament: “I grieve for you, my brother. Most dear have you been to me; more precious my love for you, than love for women.” In fact, Jesus freely renounced the joy of marriage in order to dedicate himself fully to his broader, life-giving mission.

Not out of his mind

It’s clear that many of his hearers were puzzled by Jesus. A question keeps being asked, “Who is this man?” Even his own relatives did not understand what he was about. When Jesus’ workload grew so heavy as to leave him not time for food and drink, his relatives thought he was out of his mind. They would soon learn that he was not theirs to command. The only one to whom Jesus gave full obedience was his heavenly Father.

Jesus was sent to do a special work for the human race, to form them into a great family of disciples, of brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of God. His natural family, his relatives from Nazareth, had to come to terms with that. We are all part of that new family of faith, the fruit of Jesus’ work. And even for you, the question, “Who is this man?” remains a fruitful one. We can always grow in our knowledge of the One whose brothers and sisters we have become.