That’s A Stretch

Have you ever had someone in your life that encouraged you to stretch yourself? A coach? A teacher? A spiritual director? A friend? An enemy? Stretching is good for our muscles, our blood, our lungs, our minds, and our souls. When we stretch ourselves, we slowly squeeze out more…more reach, more compassion, more perseverance, more effort, more self, more. Stretching requires patience, because it must be done slowly and gradually or things will tear, snap, and break. Stretching can hurt if done improperly. Stretching is best when the muscles are warm or supple. Stretching can be used to work out kinks and stiffness. Stretching makes every part of your self breathe in and out. Stretching is good when done in the right way and at the right time. 

Today’s gospel is a stretching lesson from Jesus himself. With all eyes on him, Jesus calls the man with a withered hand out of the crowd, “Come up and stand before us.” Then he turns toward the Pharisees, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Stretch your narrow minds upward, and hold it, for 3-2-1, and breathe out. Stretch your hardened hearts wider, and hold it, for 5-6-7-8, and breathe out. Stretch your untrusting souls deeper, and hold it, for 10 seconds, and breathe out. And just like that his hand was healed. Don’t forget what makes the Sabbath holy, from yesterday’s gospel, communion with JESUS. 

Once again, Jesus knew that healing the man’s physical ailment was important but restoring this man’s faith and all those that let their heart become transformed through this miracle, was the actually amazing part and the “good” that he referred to in his opening challenge. Everyone’s minds, hearts, and souls were stretched to a point that squeezed out more thought, more love, and more spirit. 

So stretch out your hand toward Christ today and be restored in your faith. Stretch your mind to think more like Christ today and be transformed in grace. Stretch your heart to love like Christ today and be the change this world needs. Stretch your soul to pray like Christ today and bring a word of life to others. It is well with my soul. 

P.S. Shout out to Letty Peck!! It's her birthday today!!!!!! 65 years ago, God had the brilliant idea to release your beautiful soul upon this earth and none of us have been the same since!!! You are one of those people that stretches me in a good way! Have an amazing day. 

Reading 1 HEB 7:1-3, 15-17

Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High,
met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings
and blessed him.
And Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything.
His name first means righteous king,
and he was also "king of Salem," that is, king of peace.
Without father, mother, or ancestry,
without beginning of days or end of life,
thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up
after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so,
not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent
but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.
For it is testified:

You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Responsorial Psalm PS 110:1, 2, 3, 4

R. (4b)  You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
"Rule in the midst of your enemies."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
"Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
"You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

Alleluia SEE MT 4:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up here before us."
Then he said to the Pharisees,
"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?"
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

Wasting Time With Jesus

Today Jesus tells us what exactly makes the Sabbath holy. Raise your hand if you think the obligation makes it holy. Raise your hand if you think your church outfit makes it holy. Raise your hand if you think which pew you sit in makes it holy. Raise your hand if the priest’s homily makes it holy. Raise your hand if the music at church makes it holy. Raise your hand if football or even family time makes it holy. Okay, good job, friends, for NOT raising your hand to any of those conditions! What makes the Sabbath holy is communion with Jesus!!!! Communion with Jesus is the beautiful gracious gift of intimacy with him. The scene in today’s gospel is right out of a movie. Picture Jesus and his best friends walking through wheat fields while a lovely ethereal movie soundtrack plays, the camera has its fuzzy focus lens, they are smiling, laughing, and enjoying one another. A couple of them reach down to grab a head of grain and they whimsically (in slow motion) rub it between their hands to taste its goodness. What could be better than frolicking through the fields with Jesus? I want to frolic with Jesus and guess what, Jesus wants to frolic with me! Intimate relationships have a tremendous amount of wasting time together don’t they. Jesus wants us to waste time with him and that means setting aside the work to play or be or gaze upon or simply be held. This is living communion with him and of course, our worship on Sundays, our thanksgiving, our hearing the Word, our participating in the assembly of God are all tools to foster a daily communion with him, but the main thing is Jesus, Himself. 

I know that I have a very dominant tendency to do it right all the time. I want to check all the boxes and get a good grade. This is exactly what the religious peeps in today’s gospel wanted as well. Today I feel the need and the call to just relax a bit and stop striving. Jesus wants to frolic and waste time together and in that leisure of simply being in each other’s presence, holiness happens. Let’s keep our eyes on the main thing today…Jesus. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 HEB 6:10-20

Brothers and sisters:
God is not unjust so as to overlook your work
and the love you have demonstrated for his name
by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.
We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness
for the fulfillment of hope until the end,
so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who,
through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.

When God made the promise to Abraham,
since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,and said, I will indeed bless you and multiply you.
And so, after patient waiting, Abraham obtained the promise.
Now, men swear by someone greater than themselves;
for them an oath serves as a guarantee
and puts an end to all argument.
So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise
an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose,
he intervened with an oath,
so that by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged
to hold fast to the hope that lies before us.
This we have as an anchor of the soul,
sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil,
where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner,
becoming high priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.

Responsorial Psalm PS 111:1-2, 4-5, 9 AND 10C

R. (5)  The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R.  The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
His praise endures forever.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R.  Alleluia.

Alleluia SEE EPH 1:17-18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 2:23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
"Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
He said to them,
"Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them,
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."

More And New

Today Jesus reminds us that he is more and that he makes all things new. Fasting is a prayer practice that ultimately leads us to a deeper relationship with God. Fasting was and still is a beautiful way to develop virtues like faith, humility, compassion, sacrificial love, and temperance, but guess what, Jesus says there is a better (or best) way to develop a deeper relationship with the Father…through time spent in his Son’s presence! The fast suddenly becomes the MORE and Jesus is the more. More of Jesus and less of us is the very thing that John the Baptist declared wholeheartedly and today Jesus affirms this truth to John’s own followers and to us. We need to fast from ourselves and feast on his presence. I’m just going to repeat that. We need to fast from ourselves and feast on his presence. He is present in the Word, in the Eucharist, in each other, in the poor, in our own hearts, in the face of despair, in the midst of the storm, in every smile, in every human encounter, in every sunrise, in ever breath we take. Feasting on Jesus is THE WAY to know and love the Father, and the good news is that feasting on his presence makes us want more and more of his presence. The fast becomes the MORE and Jesus is the more. 

Jesus also reminds us that he makes all things new. Yay! He uses the image of pouring new wine into old wine skins. Old wine skins would already have been used to their capacity and their potential reached, leaving them vulnerable to ripping or bursting. No one wants to waste perfectly good and new wine, so a new vessel is required to hold it. Jesus is the new covenant and with that comes the need for a new vessel to properly embrace the essence of that covenant. There are so many ways to look at this, but I think for me it comes down to a renewing of my mind and heart to be able to host the presence of Jesus so he can be the bridge to a relationship with the Father. What gives me the desire to have a new mind and heart? The Holy Spirit. Jesus was constantly challenging his disciples and his critics to look at the old with new eyes, to replace the former with the better, to undo previous thinking with restored thinking, and to understand that the new covenant is all about relationship. 

How can I renew my thinking today? How can I change my heart to be a better vessel to host his presence? How can I feast on Jesus so as to grow deeper in love with the Father? The good news is that all of us have one thing in common today…we started our feast in His Word. The fast becomes the MORE and Jesus is the more. It is well with my soul.  

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
Lectionary: 311

Reading 1 HEB 5:1-10

Brothers and sisters:
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my Son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place,
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
In the days when he was in the Flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Responsorial Psalm PS 110:1, 2, 3, 4

R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
"Rule in the midst of your enemies."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
"Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
"You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

Alleluia HEB 4:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 2:18-22

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
"Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them,
"Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."

Breakthrough

“When he saw their faith, he said to him, ‘Child, your sins are forgiven.’” Today’s gospel is the story of Jesus healing the paralytic when his friends break him through the roof of Peter’s house in Capernaum where he was teaching. The story says that Jesus was moved by the faith of the paralytic’s friends to act with mercy. For some reason this pulled my heartstrings with a little extra force today. How comforting to know that the faith of our friends can directly affect our soul and vice versa, our faith can impact our friends as well. When I am weak and vulnerable and paralyzed by shame or fear or grief it allows my friends to act in faith and when my friends are weak and vulnerable it gives me the courage to act in faith as well. Notice that Jesus did not physically heal the man at first, but rather said, “your sins are forgiven.” We all have those soul friends that care enough about us to help us breakthrough that which separates us from Jesus and to lower us into the depth of his heart where mercy and forgiveness are waiting. It might be a dramatic breakthrough and the dust and debris will take some time to settle, or it might be a subtle one that simply allows us to see better. Each breakthrough is a chance to be placed at the feet of Christ, which is where healing and forgiveness are readily available.   

Jesus shows us today that the cleansing of our sins is the first step toward the healing of our paralysis. Of course it is his saying, “your sins are forgiven”, that offends the religious people. This made me do a self-evaluation. Do I celebrate when others have breakthrough or do I focus on the stuff in my own life that still has me lying on the mat? Do I do enough to bring my friends to Jesus? Do I believe that forgiveness of my sins is what Jesus wants to do first before anything else or do I let shame continue to paralyze me? The good news is that the faith of the paralytic’s friends countered the lack of faith of the scribes and the paralytic received a double portion of forgiveness AND physical healing. Now that is breakthrough!!

Jesus understands deep friendship because he was that kind of friend himself. He honors our faith whenever we earnestly give each other over to him because there is nothing more we can do, no more words we can say, no more distractions we can create, and no more advice we can give. Raise your hand if you have ever helped someone break through spiritual paralysis. Raise your hand if faithful friends have ever opened the roof for you and lowered you into the heart of Christ. Let’s give thanks for those soul friends in our lives whose faith brings us double portions of grace when we are paralyzed. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1HEB 4:1-5, 11

Let us be on our guard
while the promise of entering into his rest remains,
that none of you seem to have failed.
For in fact we have received the Good News just as our ancestors did.
But the word that they heard did not profit them,
for they were not united in faith with those who listened.
For we who believed enter into that rest,
just as he has said:

As I swore in my wrath,    
"They shall not enter into my rest,"

and yet his works were accomplished
at the foundation of the world.
For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this manner,
And God rested on the seventh day from all his works;
and again, in the previously mentioned place,
They shall not enter into my rest. 

Therefore, let us strive to enter into that rest,
so that no one may fall after the same example of disobedience.

Responsorial Psalm PS 78:3 AND 4BC, 6C-7, 8

R. (see 7b)  Do not forget the works of the Lord!
What we have heard and know,
and what our fathers have declared to us,
we will declare to the generation to come
The glorious deeds of the LORD and his strength.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
That they too may rise and declare to their sons
that they should put their hope in God,
And not forget the deeds of God
but keep his commands.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
And not be like their fathers,
a generation wayward and rebellious,
A generation that kept not its heart steadfast
nor its spirit faithful toward God.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

AlleluiaLK 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 2:1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,
it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
"Child, your sins are forgiven."
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
"Why does this man speak that way?  He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what 
they were thinking to themselves, 
so he said, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk'?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"
–he said to the paralytic,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home."
He rose, picked up his mat at once, 
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."

Hosting Jesus

Similar to our own brunch after church or donuts on Sunday traditions, Jesus and his peeps seem to have their own tradition by way of going to Peter’s house for a meal after synagogue. I love this glimpse into the ordinary world of Jesus. Now it is safe to assume that they were significantly hungry because, A. They were guys, and B. Jews fasted for the Sabbath from sundown the night before. Imagine the disappointment when they got to Peter’s house and their host (Peter’s mother-in-law) was sick in bed!! If there is one thing I know about grandmas in general, particularly Jewish grandmas, is that feeding their hungry boys is their truest delight and that to which they would give their all. It must have been considerably humbling and humiliating for Peter’s mother-in-law to not be able to have the meal on the table for her guests. She was sick and therefore unable to host her company. Jesus, probably more than anything, recognized that this was a great source of shame for her and immediately wanted to remove that so that she could get back to what gave her life its purpose. And there you have it, friends. Jesus recognizes the source of our shame and wants to remove it from our lives immediately so we can get back to serving. Peter’s mother-in-law’s fever is our fear, our self hatred, our shame, our bad decisions, our being overworked, our not putting love first, our lack of faith, our skewed priorities, and the list goes on. If we want to host Jesus and provide hospitality for his presence in our lives, we need to let him heal the fever that keeps us from giving it our all. Once he heals that fever, we can get back to serving him and his loved ones. What is keeping you down from hosting his presence today? Let him remove that so you can get back to that which you are called, and it is well with my soul.  

Reading 1 HEB 2:14-18

Since the children share in blood and Flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way,    
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.

Responsorial Psalm PS 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8a)  The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generationsB 
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac. 
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R.  Alleluia.

Alleluia JN 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord.
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, 
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you."
He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come."
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons 
throughout the whole of Galilee.

There Is Power In The Name Of Jesus

Some of this reflection is recycled, but totally worth repeating I think.

“He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” Another word for authority is power, influence, or command. The gospels are a run manual for how we are to lives and today’s lesson is that we have power in Christ Jesus. As he was preaching, an unclean spirit cried out to challenge him. How many times have you just been going along minding your own business, serving the Lord, and a challenging season hits you from out of the blue? It even and especially happened to Jesus, so I think we can expect it to continue to happen in our lives, however, Jesus shows us how to deal with it in today’s gospel. The challenge from the unclean spirit sounded much like the voices in our heads that try to convince us of a lie: you’re not good enough, you’ll never recover from your loss, your addiction will last forever, you are unwanted, your sin is too big to forgive, you are weak, etc. These lies are the unclean spirit’s attempt to throw us off and get a foothold of authority in our lives. Unfortunately, demons are constantly chattering at us, often times unbeknownst to us. They vie for our attention, pull our focus, and try to get us to worship false idols. They manifest in subtle ways that coax us into sin and they are particularly fond of those of us that love the Lord. Today Jesus gives us all we need to rid them from our lives, “Be quiet, and come out!” (In the Name of Jesus) We can even shorten it, “Shhhhh, Jesus says get out!” The Name of Jesus is the most powerful agent of peace that we can use. Saying His Name gives us power over darkness, so say it often, and with conviction. When anxiety, fear, shame, lust, laziness, greed, pride, etc. enter the scene, say, “Shhhhh, Jesus says get out!” Hush these agents of sin immediately with the Name of Jesus. 

The Name of Jesus is the calming of the storm, the usher of peace, the threshold to eternity, the instantaneous light in the darkness, the harmony in the song, the salve on our wounds, the quiet in the noise, the rest in the laboring, the quenching in our thirst, the beauty in our seeing, the Word when we have none. When the things of this world, pull us away, remember…”Shhhh, Jesus says get out!” and they will be silenced. To guard against the things of this world proactively…simply say the Name of Jesus and they won’t even have a chance. Have a power in Christ Jesus day and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 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.

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.

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.
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.

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.

Alleluia SEE 1 THES 2:13

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 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.
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.
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.