23 Jan 24 – Tuesday of Week 3

23 Jan 24 – Tuesday of Week 3

1st Reading: 2 Samuel 6:12-15, 17-19

David dances before the ark being brought into Jerusalem. The celebration ends with a sacred banquet

King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, an with the sound of the trumpet.

They brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the Lord. When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.

Responsorial: Psalm 23:7-10

R./: Who is the king of glory? It is the Lord

O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory! (R./)

Who is the king of glory?
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant,
the Lord, the valiant in war. (R./)

O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory! (R./)

Who is he, the king of glory?
He, the Lord of armies,
he is the king of glory. (R./)

Gospel: Mark 3:31-35

Turning to the crowd, Jesus declares:”whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister”

The mother and brothers of Jesus came, and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Two kinds of family

It is our fidelity to the will of God, says Jesus, that makes us family to him. His true disciples are distinguished, not by by rank or position, talents or financial resources, but by seeking to do God’s will. Jesus wants us to regard ourselves as members of a worldwide family, where each of my neighbours is like a sister or brother, mother or father to me.

In this story Jesus supersedes traditional family ties in favour of this new worldwide family under God. When his mother and some of his relatives wanted him, why did he not immediately give them his full attention? Evidently, there are times to be spent with our blood relatives, and other times when we need to focus on a wider circle. Jesus gives example of both these moments. Here he is more conscious of his world-family. Later, in his dying moments upon the cross, he provides for his mother Mary (John 19:25-27). Even this final act of loving concern for Mary is linked to his relationship with his disciples. “And from that hour, the disciple took her into his own home.” He sees his mother as representative of the whole church, the centre of a praying community (Acts 1:12-14).