Part 1 of 2
Daily Office Readings for Sunday of the 3rd Week of Epiphany: Year 1
AM Psalms 63:1 to 8 and 98; PM Psalm 103:
Isaiah 47:1 to 15; Hebrews 10:19 to 31; and John 5:2 to 18
“Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Now that day was a Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ But he answered them, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Take up your mat and walk.” (John 5: 8 to 11)
Today is Sunday. I have just come off of our Holy Sabbath (Last nijght). And while I now honor the true Sabbath, I still recognize our Lord Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath and therefore rules all of our times; Sabbath or not. I also still hold Sunday as our Christian worship day. The Sabbath is given to us by God, not us to the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a gift from God for us to have a time of peace and reflection. But we must do good works when it is called for. Jesus makes it possible for the man crippled for 38 years (and me in the dark for 72 years) able to properly enjoy the Sabbath. Thank you Lord Jesus.
Part 2 of 2
Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of the 3rd Week of Epiphany: Year B
Jonah 3:1 to 5and 10: Psalm 62:6 to14; 1st Corinthians 7:29 to 31; Mark 1:14 to 20
“As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.” (Mark 1:16)
I fill so affirmed when another priest (especially a bishop) articulates the same feelings that I have felt about something biblical. After visiting the Holy Land in February of 2018, I have said that the Sea of Galilee is a lake. And now from the Forward Day by Day for January 22nd, Bishop Greg Rickel says the same thing! “The first time I saw the Sea of Galilee with my own eyes, I remember thinking, “this is nothing more than a big lake!” Thank you Bishop
In my own research I have found that Lake Galilee is the lowest level freshwater lake on the planet. I ponder about this as an attraction for God in God’s mission for the salvation of humanity. Our Lord being baptized in the runoff of this lake in the Jordan River, the water then being filled with the sins of those cleansed, arrives in what we now call the “Dead Sea.” Baptism works!
Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 