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WSC REFLECTION GUIDE

Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9 February 01, 2009
1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Mark 1:21-28
Word: The authority and word of Jesus Christ heal and renew our life.
Theme: Jesus Christ heals and renews our life when we recognize Him as the
Holy One of God. [Faith]
Promise: “I will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I
command him.” (Dt. 18:18b)
Reflection:

The Theme for this week Jesus Christ heals and renews our life when we recognize Him as
the Holy One of God.

Andrew and Peter, James and John were originally disciples of John the Baptist. As good
Israelites, they were quite familiar with the teachings of Moses and the prophets. When John the
Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God,” Andrew and John followed Jesus. It was Andrew who
told Simon Peter, “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:36, 40). When Jesus called them, these
men immediately followed him (Mk. 1:16-20). They then went with Him to the synagogue where a
man possessed with an unclean spirit interrupted Jesus. To show that His teachings carried the
authority of God, Jesus expelled the evil spirit from the man.

Jesus Christ is the Holy One of God, as we read in the Holy Scriptures. Luke 1: 35 says: “The
child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God.” In John 6:69, Peter answered: “Master to
whom we shall go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are
convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” We read again in Acts 3:14, ”You denied the Holy
and Righteous One.” And in Rev. 3:7 it says: “To the angel of the church of Philadelphia:, write
this: The Holy one, the true, who holds the key of David who opens and no one can close, who
closes and no one shall open.”

John L. Mckenzie, S. J. says: “The title Holy One suggests the designation of Yahweh in the Old
Testament (Ps. 71: 22; Is. 1:4; 5:19) and is a tacit profession of the divinity of Christ. The Holy
One or the Servant of the Lord is less a profession of His divinity than of His unique origin and
relationship to the Father” (Dictionary of the Bible p. 367).

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have to develop an ongoing relationship with Him. We have to
persevere in recognizing Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy One of God, in our daily prayer
life, in our reading of His word in the Holy Bible, in our brothers and sisters, and in the daily
events of our life.

Francis Fernandez says: “In the Gospel of Mark 9:1-2, Peter, James, and John heard the voice of
the Father: ‘This is my beloved Son, listen to Him‘.” In Christ we find the fullness of revelation. In
His word and life all that God willed to say to mankind and to each person is contained. In Jesus
we find all we should know about our existence, in Him we understand the meaning of our daily
life. In Christ everything has been said to us to listen and follow the counsel of the Blessed
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Mother, “Do whatever He tells you.” That is our life: to hear what Jesus says to us in the intimacy
of prayer.

“We must go into prayer not only to speak to God, but also to listen to His counsel and to his will
concerning our work, our family and friends, all of whom we should try to bring closer to Him.
This is so because in prayer we speak with God, and because He speaks to us though those
impulses that inspire us to do better in our daily duties, in our apostolate, and gives us light to
resolve, in accordance with His will, questions which arise regarding these areas. Prayer gives
us the strength for great ideals, for keeping our faith, for charity, purity, generosity, and for the
strength to rise up from indifference and/or guilt. Prayer gives us light to see and to judge from
God’s perspective and from eternity. (Conversations with God Vol. 3 p 333-334; Vol. 1 p 215)

Francis Fernandez also quotes St. Augustine: “Your prayer is like a conversation with God. When
you read, God speaks to you; when you pray, you speak to Him.” He said further: “God speaks to
us in many ways when we read the Gospel. Jesus offers us the example of His Life so that we
can imitate Him; He shows us how to behave towards our brothers and sisters. He reminds us
that we are children of God and that nothing ought to disturb our peace. He invites us to forgive
the little offenses we suffer; He gets us to prepare well for the frequent confession, where our
heavenly Father awaits to give us an embrace, He asks us to be compassionate of our neighbor’s
defects, just as He Himself is merciful to us. He motivates us to sanctify our work and strive for
perfection, because it is what He Himself spent many years doing in Nazareth. Each day we get
some idea, some thought, some inspiration to put into practice which help us to improve
ourselves. (ibid; Jesus in our Gospel reading, Vol. 4 p. 529)

As we develop our daily prayer life with daily meditation and application of His word, we will
recognize that Jesus is the Holy One of God. Jesus will heal and renew our life for His word
says: “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened
to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who
knocks, the door will be opened. “ (Mt 7:7-8) As we follow His Word, Jesus will guide us to seek
the promise of the week says: “I will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that
I command him.” (Dt. 18:18b)

Suggested Personal Reflection Guide:

1. In what areas in my life has the Word of God healed and renewed me?
2. What areas in my life need healing and renewing by Jesus Christ?

Next Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:

February 02, 2009 (Mon):
February 03, 2009 (Tue):
February 04, 2009 (Wed):
February 05, 2009 (Thur):
February 06, 2009 (Fri):
February 07, 2009 (Sat):
Mal 3:1-4; Ps 24:7-10; Heb 2:14-18; Lk 2:22-40 or 22-32
Heb 12:1-4; Ps 22:26-28, 30-32; Mk 5:21-43
Heb 12:4-7, 11-15; Ps 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18; Mk 6:1-6
Heb 12:18-19, 21-24; Ps 48:2-4, 9-11; Mk 6:7-13
Heb 13:1-8; Ps 27:1, 3, 5, 8-9; Mk 6:14-29
Heb 13:15-17, 20-21; Ps 23:1-6; Mk 6:30-34

This Week’s Readings for Year of St. Paul:

Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Chapters 12 – 13

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”