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Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful!
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   20040113
Tuesday.blog

The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, January 13, 2004
First Week in Ordinary Time

St. Hilary, bishop, doctor of the Church

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word
1 Samuel 1:9-20
1 Samuel 2:1,4-5,6-7,8abcd
Mark 1:21-28

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

The readings of today focus on the recognition of good in others. In the first reading Hannah was praying for a male child and her sincere prayer and good intentions for that child were recognized. Her prayer was answered. The theme from the responsorial psalm might be the source of that event...."My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior." we have a person tightly bonded to the will of God.

In the gospel for today we see Jesus' teaching in the temple and a man with an unclean spirit cries out in recognition of the godliness of Christ. The first response of Christ is so interesting and contrary to what we see today. Christ commanded the unclean spirit to be quiet when he was calling Him the Holy One of God. Who among us is not secretly, at least, pleased when some fragment of our holiness is publicly acknowledged. We make room for Christ to enter into our lives, but then get filled up with ourselves once He is working in us. It is such a contradiction and yet a human temptation. Christ on the other hand, showed us that this was not so in Himself in that He followed up the command to be quiet by ordering the unclean spirit out of the man, a work of God.

Our gift of self to God needs to be total so that God can work through us. When we give and then take back, our spiritual progress can be very slow. It is a challenge, a life long struggle, to just give self to God and trust that He knows what is best for us. It is a gift that is really worth it!

- Joan of Jesus, ocds
(jmurphy at utica dot edu)

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