FUNDAMENTALS OF LITURGY AND SACRAMENT

Mejico, Reyman Onoske M.

01:00- 02:00

January 11, 2016

I.OPENING PRAYER
1. In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit. Amen.
2. Today is January 11, Monday, First week in the first part of the Ordinary Time, Feast of
Pope Hyginus of Rome.

Pope Hyginus (died c. 142) was the Bishop of Rome from c. 138 to c. 142.Tradition holds that
during his papacy he determined the various prerogatives of the clergy and defined the grades of
the ecclesiastical hierarchy. He also decreed that all churches be consecrated. He is said to have
died a martyr under the persecution of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, though no records
verify this. The chronology of these bishops of Rome cannot be determined with any degree of
exactitude by the help of the authorities at our disposal today

3. The reading from the gospel of St. Mark

4. Glory to you Lord
5. Mark 1: 14- 20

6. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom of God,15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent
ye, and believe the gospel.16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew
his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye
after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.18 And straightway they forsook their
nets, and followed him.19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of
Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 20 And straightway
he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went
after him.

7. The Gospel of the Lord

8. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
9. Reflection

Jesus begins his ministry by proclaiming the good news of the gospel, which is that the
time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near (Mark 1:15).
Jesus coming was the fullness of time, because he is the messenger promised in the Old
Testament (Galatians 4:4, Ephesians 1:10). Jesus repeats the message of John the Baptist,
Repent and believe in the good news.
The emphasis of Marks gospel is that Jesus coming is the gospel, the good news, a term that
in the first fifteen verses of the gospel occurs three times.
Since last Sundays story is from the Gospel of John, we dont know the exact sequence of that
text with this one from Mark, but the theme is the same. Todays text continues the story from
last Sunday, that is, the beginning of Jesus ministry as he calls his first disciples. Last Sunday
we heard Jesus called Philip and Nathanael. In todays story he calls four fishermen at the Sea of
Galilee -- Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John.
Once again we dont know what there was about Jesus that led Simon, Andrew, James, John, and
others to leave their homes and families to follow Jesus. Did they know him already? Or was this
their first contact with him? In any case there was something remarkably compelling about Jesus
to cause these and others to follow him into an uncertain future. The astonishing feature of the
story is that they followed Jesus with no idea of where it would lead.
We know very little of the background of any of the disciples whom Jesus calls. The four in
todays story were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector (Matthew 9:9). What had the other
seven done before Jesus came into their lives? We dont know.
As far as we can tell, the twelve persons Jesus called to be his companions were ordinary men.
As far as we can tell, Jesus didnt do background checks to determine IQ levels, financial
acumen, professional skills, or temple education. He picked people probably much like you and
me. Furthermore, his disciples were anything but perfect. Many times they misunderstood him.
They often hesitated to follow him. Judas betrayed him and Peter denied him.

But these would be the persons who would continue Jesus work on earth after he left -- ordinary
people, like you and me. They were called.
Furthermore Jesus first disciples were northerners, from the northern province of Galilee. The
capital of Israel was Jerusalem in the former southern kingdom, the religious center with the
temple. It is no wonder that Jesus was greeted with such skepticism when he travelled to
Jerusalem from his home in Galilee with his Galilean friends. The religious leaders in Jerusalem
naturally considered Jesus an outsider.
As far as we know, every one of the disciples was chosen and called personally by Jesus. We
believe that God calls each one of us. God not only calls us to follow Jesus, but also calls us into
the fields and careers of our lives. We often speak of Gods call too narrowly, as if God calls
people only into ordained ministry. That is true: God calls people to be pastors and church
workers. But Gods call is not limited to clergy. God calls every single one of us.
In the Middle Ages the clergy was considered a higher status of Christian than laypersons. They
had their own regimen of frequent daily worship that laypersons didnt have. They had church
rules to follow, which laypersons didnt have. They usually lived in communities -- monasteries
and convents -- unlike laypersons.
The Reformation eliminated those distinctions between clergy and lay by affirming that God
calls everybody. The word for this call to everyone is vocation, from Latin vocatio, calling.
Everyone has a station in life, probably several stations in how society functions, and this
vocation. Every job that works to build up and maintain society is a calling -- teacher,
insurance salesman, car mechanic, politician, etc. We also have callings within family structures
-- mother, father, aunt, uncle, child, etc. We serve God in these family callings as well.
A friend of mine is a junior high school teacher. Since he was active in his congregation as a boy,
some of his relatives urged him to consider becoming a pastor. He told his own pastor that he felt
no calling to be a pastor but felt God wanted him to be a school teacher. His wise pastor told him
to follow his calling, and he would be serving God as well in a school room as in a pastors
office. That pastor understood what it meant to follow Gods call in ones vocation.
The Old Testament lesson from the book of Jonah is also a story about calling, but with ironic
twists. Jonah is called to proclaim a message to people he doesnt like -- a message he hopes will
not be accepted. After trying unsuccessfully to avoid his calling, he finally arrives in Nineveh
and delivers the shortest sermon in the Bible, an eight-word threat of destruction. To his dismay
the sermon is effective. The book of Jonah ends as God makes clear to Jonah that mercy is for
everyone who repents.

B. OPENING PRAYER
Dear Father,
We thank you for everyone gathered here now. Thank you that you know each of us by name and
have caused us to walk with You. We say that we are dependent on You and our trust is in You
completely. As we surrender ourselves in adoration we ask that You would come by Your Holy
Spirit and inspire our hearts today. Come fill our lives with Your love, Fill our conversations with
Your grace and truth, Fill this meeting with Your presence.
We ask this for Your glory and praise. Amen.
10. Prayers of St. Arnold Janssen

May the holy triune God live in our hearts. And in the hearts of all. Amen
May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the word and the
spirit of grace and may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all. Amen.
11. In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit. Amen.
II. CLOSING PRAYER
1. In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy spirit. Amen
2.
Thank you, Lord, for your presence with us this day. As we depart from this space now,
we ask you to bless us throughout the remainder of the day and guide us safely home. Do not
let the learning and conversations of this gathering die, but, instead, may they continue to
ruminate within us and bear fruit in our ministries throughout the year, until we find
ourselves together again. We ask this in the name of Jesus, and in the power of the Holy
Spirit, Amen.
3. Hail Mary, full of grace .Our Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death .Amen.
4. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the
Beginning , is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
5. In the name of the father, and of the son , and of the holy spirit. Amen.