17 Jan
Fri
1st Week in Ordinary Time
St Anthony, Abbot
(Psalter Week I)
Heb. 4:1-5,11
Ps. 78:3-4,6-7,8
Mk. 2:1-12
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Our heart is restless until it comes to rest in God. In other words we will always be restless until our heart learns to turn away from sin and yields itself to the Living God, accepting His good news with childlike faith. It is through this radical believing and accepting of the Good News in all the daily events of our lives that we can come to the experiential knowledge of His rest - a place where no storm comes, the secret inviolable citadel of the soul united to God.

Remembering Hebrews 12:1, about what it is that holds on so tightly to us and stops us from reaching our goal, Jesus Christ, makes it easier to understand the Gospel text of today. The sequence of words which Jesus used to bring deliverance and healing to the paralysed man would no longer be baffling if we understand that it is sin that often paralyses a man and stops his soul from reaching out to God so as to enjoy His eternal and abundant life in our total person.



Lord of mercy, forgive us our sins and bring us to repentance that we may experience Your rest as promised to all those who accept and believe in Your Good News.

DAILY OFFERING
Eternal Father, I offer You everything I do this day; my thoughts, words, joys and sufferings. Grant that, vivified by the Holy Spirit and united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my life this day may be of service to You and to others. I also pray that all those preparing for marriage discover in Sacrament the source of Christ's grace for living a fithful and fruitful love. Amen.

PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH
INTENTION
That Christian communities may welcome ever more completely the Lord's invitation to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Elaboration

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