Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
A God So Near We Can Touch
Introduction
The first reading describes the dedication of the Temple built by King Solomon. God comes to take possession of his temple. It was so holy that the priests could not stay inside to perform their duties.
In the New Testament, God’s Son is close to the people. They recognize the face of Jesus, run after him, and touch his clothes. They can now see and feel the nearness and humanity of God in Jesus Christ.
Opening Prayer
All-loving and healing God,
in your Son, Jesus Christ, you have shown us
what it means to be fully human
and you let him bring to all who receive him
the healing of forgiveness and life.
Let him touch us with his saving hands
and let him speak to us his restoring word,
that he may make us whole and free
and that with him, we may fight all evil
and serve you, our living God,
and the people you have entrusted to us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Reading 1: 1 Kgs 8:1-7,9-13
The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes,
the princes in the ancestral houses of the children of Israel,
came to King Solomon in Jerusalem,
to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant
from the City of David, which is Zion.
All the people of Israel assembled before King Solomon
during the festival in the month of Ethanim (the seventh month).
When all the elders of Israel had arrived,
the priests took up the ark;
they carried the ark of the LORD
and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels
that were in the tent.
(The priests and Levites carried them.)
King Solomon and the entire community of Israel
present for the occasion
sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen
too many to number or count.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD
to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary,
the holy of holies of the temple.
The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark,
sheltering the ark and its poles from above.
There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets
which Moses had put there at Horeb,
when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel
at their departure from the land of Egypt.
When the priests left the holy place,
the cloud filled the temple of the LORD
so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud,
since the LORD’s glory had filled the temple of the LORD.
Then Solomon said, “The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud;
I have truly built you a princely house,
a dwelling where you may abide forever.”
Responsorial Psalm PS 132:6-7, 8-10
(8a) Lord, go up to the place of your rest!
Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us enter into his dwelling,
let us worship at his footstool.
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest!
Advance, O LORD, to your resting place,
you and the ark of your majesty.
May your priests be clothed with justice;
let your faithful ones shout merrily for joy.
For the sake of David your servant,
reject not the plea of your anointed.
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest!
Alleluia See Mt 4:23
Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MK 6:53-56
After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,
Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret
and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.
They scurried about the surrounding country
and began to bring in the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.
Intercessions:
– That the sick and all those who suffer may feel how the Lord Jesus touches them in those who care for them, we pray:
– That those who have lost the way to church may still pray to the Lord, and eventually return to the community, we pray:
– That the men and the women who help keep our churches neat and clean and those who help make our places of worship attractive may grow close to the Lord, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Almighty God,
as we bring before you
these gifts of bread and wine,
we thank you with Jesus and through him,
for the healing you let him bring to us.
Keep touching us with his gentle hands
and speaking to us his kindly words
that restore us and create us anew.
Inspire us to live for one another
and for you, our living God,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
you let your Son become one of us,
and through him, you can fully understand
the pains and joys we experience.
By the strength and healing, he has brought us here,
may we reach out to one another
and share in each other’s laughter and pain.
And when words fail us,
let us just be near to those who suffer
in respectful silence,
by the grace of him who is near to us
and heals us from all our ills,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
As people healed by the touch of Jesus, let us become healers to one another, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Reflection:
5 February 2024
Mark 6:53-56
The Ark becomes Flesh
When Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, it evoked fear and trembling, and no one dared to touch the Ark because touching the Ark could get them killed, as in the case of Uzzah (2 Sam 6:6-7). But, Jesus the Son of God, comes rubbing shoulders with the people around him.
There are people milling around Jesus begging him to touch them and reaching out and touching him and getting cured! We witness here the true kenosis (Phil. 2:6-8) – the self-emptying of God for our sake. The “I-Am-Who-Am” is becoming Emmanuel, the “God with Us”. The Ark is becoming Flesh, to dwell amidst us as one among us. The fear-evoking presence of God in the Ark becomes the love-inspiring touch of God in Christ.
Mark emphasises a vital message: “All those who touched him were cured.” Indeed, we stand in need of healing. We live in a time when ‘touch’ is no longer appreciated for fear of causing scandals! The Gospel speaks of a touch that could heal – that is to touch the Lord.
The opportunities to touch the Lord are many: In the Eucharist, in the Word of God, in our prayer time and in the lives of all our brothers and sisters around us, Jesus makes himself present to us. But the Gospel reminds us that bringing people to the healing touch of the Lord is as important as personally touching him. Through acts of charity and mercy, we bring Jesus to the people around us.
The self-emptying mission of Christ challenges us today to take up the mission to bring healing, consolation and comfort to the distressed lives of our brothers and sisters.
(Courtesy: Fr. Paulson Veliyanoor, CMF)