標籤 ： 
2008.01.
Christmas time ends with the feast of the Epiphany, Sunday January 6, this year. The feast of the Baptism of the Lord opens again the Ordinary Time of the Year and we begin again with the daily reading of the Gospel of Mark. The Sundays of Ordinary Time, during this month, will follow the Gospel of Mathew and one passage from John. The contents are the beginning of Jesus ministry, including the call of the fist disciples, and the fading out of John the Baptist, emphasizing the difference between Jesus and John. But very soon the Ordinary Time will be interrupted by the Pascal Time which this year begins especially early, exactly on the Chinese New Year’s Eve, Feb 6. |
1. Tues Festivity of Mary the Mother of God. Lk 2, 16-21.
2. Wed Jn 1, 19-28.
3. Thur Jn 1, 29-34.
4. Fri Jn 1, 35-42.
5. Sat Jn 1, 43-51.
6. Sun The Epiphany of the Lord. Mth 2, 1-12.
7. Mon Mth 4, 12-17. 23-25.
8. Tues Mk 6, 34-44
9. Wed 44-52
10. Thur Lk 4, 14-22
11. Fri 5, 12-16
12. Sat Jn 3, 22-30
13. Sun The Baptism of the Lord. Mt. 3, 13-17.
14. Mon. Mk 1, 14-20
15. Tue 21-28.
16. Wed 29-39
17. Thus 40-45.
18. Fri 2, 1-12
19. Sat 13-17.
20. Sun 2nd. of Ordinary Time. Jn 1, 29-34.
21. Mon. Mk 2, 18-22.
22. Tue 23-28
23. Wed 3, 1-6.
24. Thus 7-12
25. Fri 13-19
26. Sat 20-21
27. Sun 3rd. of Ordinary Time. Mt. 4,12-23.
28. Mon. Mk 3, 22-30
29. Tue 31-35
30. Wed 4, 1-20
31. Thus 21-25
Zachariah and Mary
(plus… Elizabeth and Joseph...)
In the gospels we have read during the Christmas time, have you compared the persons of Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus?
The parents of John feel humiliated and sad because they have no children and ask for a son. When the father is told that their prayer has been listened and they will have a son, Zachariah finds it difficult to believe and asks for proofs, something similar to the apostle Thomas about the resurrection of Jesus. He is told that, because of his lack of faith, he will not be able to speak until their son is borne.
Mary, from the beginning, feels completely loved by God (“full of grace, the Lord is with you”) and she has not asked for anything. She feels a certain uneasiness and asks for the meaning of that feeling. She is told that she will have a son for which she had not asked. Far from it, she felt that it was impossible in her situation, but, since she completely believed in God and His love, she asks “how will that happen”. She gets the answer: “The Holy Spirit will do it”. She does not ask any more questions, because she feels completely love by God, and decides to accept completely the plan of God. With her acceptance, the plan of God is finally fulfilled.
It is also particularly interesting the reactions of the two women. While
