January 15, 2012

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Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 306

Reading 1 from St. Paul's letter to the Hebrews
Heb 2:5-12

It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,
of which we are speaking.
Instead, someone has testified somewhere:
What is man that you are mindful of him,or the son of man that you care for him?You made him for a little while lower than the angels;you crowned him with glory and honor,subjecting all things under his feet.

St. Paul continues to reveal that Jesus Christ is God made man, therefore, for a little while made lower than the angels.

In “subjecting” all things to him,
he left nothing not “subject to him.”
Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,”
but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor”
because he suffered death,
he who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,”
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Jesus Christ was made lower than the angels in order that He might die that all who believe in Him might live.

For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.

I always have trouble with this verse.  It says that Christ was made perfect through suffering.

In what sense could Christ have been made perfect?  The only thing I can figger that it is in the same sense that He was made lower than the angels when He was clothed with flesh.  In death, the flesh was conquered and His Spirit was freed from its constraints.  Not that they were ever constraints to Him.  But He permitted it to be so of His free will.  And now. of His free will, He permitted death to vanquish His flesh, in order that His Spirit might vanquish death and bring His Flesh back to life.

That's the only way I can figger that He was made perfect by suffering.

He who consecrates
and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers” saying:

I will proclaim your name to my brethren,in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

And Christ then becomes the first fruits of all who are born in the Flesh and will lead us all in worship of the Father.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (see 7) You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?

R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.

R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

We are truly made in the image of God.  Therefore, we should be very mindful and grateful, of God's great goodness on our behalf.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark
Mk 1:21-28

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

Jesus astonished the people of Capernaum with His profound Teaching.

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

A demonic spirit had possessed a man there and cried out to Jesus in fear saying, "I know that you are the Holy One of God!"

But Jesus chastised the demon and had it come out of the man.

All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

And all the people of Galilee were amazed.  "He commands even the demons and they obey Him."