The First Week of Ordinary Time

Sunday is the The Baptism of the Lord. We hear the Lord say in the first reading from Isaiah, "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit." Those words are echoed in Matthew's Gospel, "“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The Baptism is the feast that marks the end of the Christmas season. We begin 34 weeks of "Ordinary Time," which are all of the weeks outside of the Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter seasons. Ordinary Time will continue until Ash Wednesday on February 26.

Friday is the Memorial of Saint Anthony, abbot.

During the weekdays, we begin a three-week cycle of captivating readings from the First Book of Samuel. We read of Samuel's mother, Hannah, who promises the Lord, "if you give your handmaid a male child, I will give him to the LORD for as long as he lives." Samuel hears a call from the Lord and responds, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” An epic battle against the Philistines ends in devastating losses for Israel and the capture of the Ark of the Covenant. In his old age, Samuel rules Israel and the elders ask Samuel to appoint a King to rule them. Samuel meets Saul. "When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD assured him,“This is the man of whom I told you; he is to govern my people.'”

For the next few weeks, until the beginning of Lent, the weekday gospels are from Mark's Gospel. Mark offers us a look at the beginning of Jesus public ministry. Jesus calls his first disciples, fisherman at work: Simon and Andrew, then James and John. "Then they left their nets and followed him." He drives out evil spirits and heals the sick. He hears the cry of the leper: “If you wish, you can make me clean," and Jesus, "moved with pity" heals him. Jesus extends an invitation to the despised tax collector, Levi: "Follow me."

The Second Sunday of Ordinary Time offers us beautiful readings. From the Prophet Isaiah: "I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant... I will make you a light to the nations..." In John's Gospel we see the story of John the Baptist and his followers walking down the beach as Jesus walks toward them. John says, "“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’