5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) - Word of God & Catechist Sunday - 6 February
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) - Word of God & Catechist Sunday - 6 February
This Sunday is dedicated to a special observance of Sacred Scripture. Pope Francis asks us to mark this Sunday with a certain solemnity, and to “celebrate, study, and disseminate” the word of God, “for we urgently need to grow in our knowledge and love of the Scriptures and of the risen Lord.” (Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis) Among ways Catholics are being encouraged to mark the day are special display of Sacred Scripture or the Book of the Gospels, the establishment of Bible study groups or the adoption of lectio divina (a traditional practice of scriptural reading, meditation, and prayer).
This Sunday we also remember and celebrate the contribution of Catechists. Catechists provide an important ministry in taking the Word of God to our Catholic students in the state schools.
Reflection
A reflection on today's readings by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen:
"We have many disappointments in life, and they are all fuel for abandonment to the will of God. In the Church today, we are losing the sense of mission. We are no longer sent. The Father sent the Son, the Son sent the apostles, the apostles sent us. We don’t want to be sent; we want to choose where we go. We want our options. So we can never be very sure that we are doing God’s will. We are sure that we are doing our own, and, generally, when we get what we want, we don’t like it. Please God, we’ll soon ask Him, 'Lord, what do you want me to do? Just tell me.'
"When our Lord was driven out of His own home town and came down to the Galilee district, Peter had just come in from fishing all night, and he had caught nothing. When Jesus asked him if he had caught anything, and he said, 'Nothing', our Lord said, 'Throw your nets into the sea.' Now this was a stupid suggestion. It’s morning, the sun is up, they’re at shore. What does a carpenter know about fishing anyway? According to some texts of the gospel, Simon said, 'At your word, master, I will let down a net.' He humoured the Lord because Jesus knew nothing about fishing. And then came the great catch of fish, and he called Jesus 'Lord', no longer master, but Lord. Then he recognised his own sinfulness: 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.'
"The closer we get to Christ, the less certain we are of any merit of our own. Just study the way St Paul characterises himself in his epistles, in intervals of four, five, and six years between the letters. At first he says, 'I am the chief of the apostles, I have laboured more abundantly than any of them.' He works a little longer and then he says, 'I am not worthy to be called a member of the church, and the least worthy of all of the apostles.' Finally, he ends up calling himself 'the chief of sinners.' St Peter, too, became wiser; his first letter begins, 'Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ'. Here’s a clear-cut affirmation of what he is. A few years later, Peter changes and he begins his letter, 'Simon Peter' - Simon, poor weak human nature - 'Simon Peter, apostle and servant of Christ'." (Through the Year With Fulton Sheen)
Prayer of St Thomas Becket - Please, Lord, Make Me Worthy
My Lord,
I find it difficult to talk to You.
What can I say?
I, who have turned away from You
so often with indifference.
I have been a stranger to prayer,
undeserving of Your friendship and love.
I’ve been without honour
and feel unworthy.
I am a weak and shallow creature,
clever only in the second-rate
and worldly arts,
seeking my comfort and pleasure.
I gave my love,
such as it was, elsewhere,
putting service to my earthly king,
before my duty to You.
Please Lord,
teach me how to serve You
with all my heart,
to know at last,
what it really is,
to love,
to adore.
So that I may worthily administer
Your kingdom here on earth
and find my true honour,
in observing Your divine will.
Please Lord, make me worthy. Amen. 🙏💖