Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

A Compassionate Brother

Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II

Introduction

Today’s first reading tells us the beautiful story of Samuel’s vocation. He is the man attentive to the signs of God’s presence, hearing the inaudible, seeing the invisible, where others do not hear or see anything. He is in contact with God, just as Jesus withdrew to a lonely place to pray. We hear God best when all is silent in us.

The Gospel shows Jesus’ compassion toward those afflicted with all sorts of ills and the brokenhearted. He is committed against death and misery. Isn’t it that this is the mission he entrusts also to us today?

Opening Prayer

Lord God, compassionate Father,
every day we meet people who suffer,
who have been tried hard in life,
who have encountered evil and pain.
What shall we say to them?
Let us like Jesus, try to understand the pains
of our neighbor in need
feel with them, and be reliable friends,
perhaps in respectful silence,
on account of him who suffered our pains
and shared in our ills,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

First Reading

1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20

During the time young Samuel was minister to the LORD under Eli,
a revelation of the LORD was uncommon and vision infrequent.
One day Eli was asleep in his usual place.
His eyes had lately grown so weak that he could not see.
The lamp of God was not yet extinguished,
and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD
where the ark of God was.
The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”

Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.”
“I did not call you,” Eli said. “Go back to sleep.”
So he went back to sleep.
Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.
“Here I am,” he said. “You called me.”
But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”
At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,
because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.
Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am.
You called me.”
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
So Eli said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’”
When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
Thus all Israel from Dan to Beersheba
came to know that Samuel was an accredited prophet of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 40:2 and 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10

R.        (8a and 9a)  Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
who turns not to idolatry
or to those who stray after falsehood.
R.        Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R.        Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me.
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R.        Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R.        Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Alleluia Verse

John 10:27

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

Gospel

Mark 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.

Prayers of the Faithful

– For all who preach the Gospel, that they may speak the Good News of Christ in the light of the people’s everyday life and needs, we pray:

– For all who care for the sick, that they may never tire of treating them with personal attention and infinite respect, as they would do for the Lord himself, we pray:

– For our Christian communities, that we may be of one heart and soul and not to allow any among us to be in need, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God, our Father,
in these signs of bread and wine,
you let again come among us
him who is compassionate and reliable
because he shared in our death and pain,
your Son, Jesus Christ.
Let every bit of anguish and grief
bring us a deeper understanding of ourselves,
of life and of our neighbor
and help us to be closer to your Son,
Who is our Lord, forever and ever.

Prayer after Communion

God, our Father,
we have a friend and brother
who has been tried and tested
As we are, we are put to the test at times.
He has been here with us;
we have taken part in his sacrifice.
Give us now his Spirit of strength
to stand firm in our trials,
to grow through them as human beings and Christians,
and to stand by the side of those
who are submerged in suffering.
May this be our way of sharing in everyday life
in the sacrifice of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

Who can better understand our pain and suffering than the Son of God, who went through our temptations, our suffering, and our death for our sake? He knows and stands by our side in our difficult moments. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

REFLECTION:

Mark 1:29-39

Jesus in the Midst: A Call to Faith and Mission

The Gospel recounts a day in the life of Jesus in Capernaum, a narrative that connects his healing ministry with the awakening of faith. Jesus’ actions—from healing Peter’s mother-in-law to engaging with a crowd seeking solace from their physical and spiritual suffering—reveal a mission rooted not in isolation but in the heart of humanity. He meets people where they are, addressing their pain and offering them hope.

Jesus does not work from a “laboratory,” detached from reality. Instead, he steps into the messiness of human lives, walking the streets and immersing himself in the struggles of the people. The crowd represents a suffering humanity, marked by toil and hardship, to whom Jesus directs his liberating and renewing grace. In this, we see a model for Christians today: to step out of our comfort zones and encounter others in their brokenness, offering Christ’s healing love.

After a day of ministry, Jesus retreats to pray in solitude before resuming his mission. This highlights the necessity of prayer to sustain ministry, grounding our work in connection with God. Jesus avoids the allure of triumphalism, showing that miracles and charismatic deeds serve as signs directing us toward faith and conversion, rather than being goals in themselves.

Jesus’ response to his disciples—“Let us go to the next towns”—highlights the missionary nature of his work. The proclamation of the Kingdom is not stationary; it is a journey that moves outward, inviting Christians to embrace the “going forth” of the Gospel.

May Mary, our guide, inspire us to be a Church that pitches her tent among the people, bringing Christ’s healing word to a world longing for hope, faith, and renewal.

Jesus in the Midst: A Call to Faith and Mission - Youtube

Mk 1: 29-39

Preach your message of life and love

On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.… Then Jesus answered, “Let us go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I came.” So Jesus set out to preach in all the synagogues throughout Galilee; he also cast out demons.

Lawrence went to Indonesia for pastoral experience, and joined the English Camp for the students there. He is a Claretian Missionary from Korea, but as many of our Indonesian confreres would say, he was “not” really Korean with his outgoing nature and extroversion. Imagine a Korean teaching the dance movements for the then-Korean hit song, “Nobody ButYou,” but on a table so that everyone could see him.

When he was ordained a priest in Korea, he volunteered to be sent to the mission. The congregation sent him to Zimbabwe, where he experienced the opposite of his life in Korea. From a cold country, he went to a hot and humid sub-tropical place. He left the comfort and affluence of his home country and decided to go and live with the people in their poverty and worsening economic situation.

Yet that is why he is a Christian and a Claretian—to proclaim the Good News of God’s salvation throughout the world wherever he is sent.

Jesus, may we go with you to the villages of the world to preach your message of life and love. Send us to where people need to hear the Good News. Amen.

Preach your message of life and love - Youtube