FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME  – CYCLE B - 2018

-          Jesus fulfills what Moses says in the book of Deuteronomy, “a prophet like me will the Lord raise for you…”  

-          Mark’s Gospel continues to present Jesus in his first days of ministry after his baptism.   

-          Paul in his letter to the Corinthians wishes that the community be without worries  

THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY 

o   This book  has a central place in the religious history of Israel. His central nucleus is the Law, a law that is preached.   

§  The book is a reflection on the deep meaning and value of the law.  

§  It is an exhortation to follow the law as faithfulness to the will of God, as an expression of  people’s love of God. 

o    GENERAL STRUCTURE 

§  In its present organization the book is presented as the words that  Moses, close to his death, addresses to his people before the entrance into the promise land.  (Dt 1,1;9,1)

§  The book is formed by three speeches of Moses and an appendix   

FIRST SPEECH   Deut 1:1-4,43:

A look toward the past – The exodus from Egypt and

 the journey through the desert  

SECOND SPEECH   Deut 4:44-28,68

Central part = The Code of the Covenant 

The entrance in the land, some images from the  

THIRD SPEECH  Deut 28:69-30,20 – looking to the future

Ø  The book of Deuteronomy is like the introduction to the historical books: Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings. 

Ø  It is also related to some prophetic books: Hosea, Jeremiah  

Ø  THEOLOGICAL KEY POINTS

We find in the book of Deuteronomy 5 great themes: God, the people, the land, the law, the sanctuary. 

v  Only one God, main dogma of Israel’s faith, which gives meaning to all the other themes  

v  One nation – Israel = People that belongs to God in an especial way. God gives to this people:   

o   The land, and with the land all the other gifts.  

o   One sanctuary, where Israel goes up to worship God.    

o   The Law to live in society and to be happy.  

Ø  DEUTERONOMIST LANGUAGE History , exhortation  and Law 

o   The Law is the central part. The law is based on history and is taught by means of exhortations.  

o   History  intertwined with exhortations.   

o   And the exhortations are mixed with history.

o   We find in this book a variety of little units which makes us think about diverse authors.  

Ø  AUTHOR AND DATE 

o   It seems that it was written by several authors, although it is attributed to Moses because it is the Book of the Law, like the wisdom books are attributed to Solomon and the psalms to David. 

o   The date is between 622 B.C. in the time of King Josiah, as they were repairing the temple they found the Book of the Law which seems to be the book of Deuteronomy, not in the present form but only the central nucleus and 586 BC date of the destruction of Jerusalem and deportation to Babylon. 

FIRST READING   Dt 18:15-20.

«  God will give to Israel in future times another prophet like Moses who will speak to them  

«  This will happen in response to the petition of Israel on Mount Horeb.

«  They said that they did not want to hear the voice of God; they did not want to see the great fire which accompanied the theophany of God.  

«  This prophet will tell them the Words of God with complete faithfulness.  

RESPONSORIAL PSALM   Sal 95,1-2;6-7; 7-9

      This psalm especially the verses we will use this coming Sunday is an exhortation to 

o   Worship God   

o   Listen to his voice. 

IF TODAY YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS

Come let us sing joyfully to the Lord

Let us acclaim the rock of our salvation

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving

Let  us joyfully sing psalms to him. 

IF TODAY YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS

 Come let us bow down in worship,

Let us kneel before the Lord who made us

For he is our God

And we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

IF TODAY YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS

Oh, that today you would hear his voice

“harden not your hearts as at Meribah

As in the day of Massah in the desert

Where your fathers tempted me

They tested me though they had seen my works.”

IF TODAY YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS

GOSPEL MARK  1:21-28 

§  On the Sabbath Jesus goes to the Synagogue and preaches. People are astonished on listening to the wisdom of his words.  

§  Jesus begins in a way that provokes the enthusiasm of the people   

o   Among those present in the assembly there is a man possessed by an evil spirit 

o   The evil spirit confronts Jesus, and says that he know him. Jesus orders it to be silent. 

§  In the Gospel of Mark the disciples never understand what Jesus says. 

§  But the evil spirits know who Jesus is  

o   Those present at the Synagogue ask, what does that mean? A doctrine completely new and taught with such authority?  

o   Jesus has brought something new, his teaching is complete newness.  Have we discovered the newness of Jesus? Or instead we try to combine what we know which makes us comfortable with a little bit of Jesus’ newness? But that does not help us.   

o   The words, the deeds of Jesus, his own person are a challenge for us.  

o   A human beings we resist change, because it entails to exit from our comfort zone; from what we know to what we do not know.  

o   I have read recently that the human beings acquire habits, customs to help our brain and our whole being to save energy. 

o   Maybe this is the reason for not willing to change. This is true for individuals and for societies or groups.   

o   But on the other hand we are told that change promotes mental and physical agility; it renews us, it makes us experience again what is proper of the youth, the newness. 

o   The verse before the reading of the Gospel summarizes the effect produced by change, the newness brought by Jesus, with very beautiful words: 

The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light;
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death,
light has arisen.

SECOND READING : 1 Cor 7:32-35 

ü  This Reading is a continuation of  last week’s theme. Do not be troubled, why?  Because everything passes away, but God’s Word  remains forever.  

ü  Paul considers that those who are not married are free from the worries that those married have. 

ü  He does not want to put any restriction to our personal decisions, he only wants to alert us that above our decisions in relation to marriage, the love of God is an absolute priority.  

 CLARETIAN CORNER 

At the end of this vision, or the next day, I do not remember quite will, our Lord told me: “My second apostles must be a living copy of the first Apostles, so as to the name as to the work. With the torch of the Gospel in one hand they must enlighten the wiser and ignorant men”. This God told to Claret and to the other. (Venerable María Antonia París, Foundress of the Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 31.)

Since my father manufactured thread and cloth, he set me to work in his factory  I obeyed without a word, a long face, or any sign of displeasure. I set to work as hard as I could and never spent an idle, half-hearted day. I did everything to the best of my ability so as not to displease my dear parents in the slightest, because I loved them very much and they loved me. (St. Anthony Mary Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. Autobiography 31.) 

BIBLIOGRAFÍA

CLARET, Antonio María, Autobiografía.

GARCÍA LÓPEZ, Félix, “Deuteronomio”, en Comentario al Antiguo Testamento I, Casa de la Biblia Salamanca-España 1997. 

PARÍS, María Antonia , Autobiografía
PÉREZ HERRERO, Francisco, “Evangelio según San Marcos”  en Comentario del Nuevo Testamento, Casa de la Biblia.  Salamanca-España1995..

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