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First Reading: 1 Samuel 1:1-8
There was a certain man from Ramathaim, Elkanah by name,
a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim.
He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu,
son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
He had two wives, one named Hannah, the other Peninnah;
Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.
This man regularly went on pilgrimage from his city
to worship the Lord of hosts and to sacrifice to him at Shiloh,
where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
were ministering as priests of the Lord.
When the day came for Elkanah to offer sacrifice,
he used to give a portion each to his wife Peninnah
and to all her sons and daughters,
but a double portion to Hannah because he loved her,
though the Lord had made her barren.
Her rival, to upset her, turned it into a constant reproach to her
that the Lord had left her barren.
This went on year after year;
each time they made their pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Lord,
Peninnah would approach her,
and Hannah would weep and refuse to eat.
Her husband Elkanah used to ask her:
"Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?
Why do you grieve?
Am I not more to you than ten sons?"
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116:12-13, 14-17, 18-19
R./ To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. or: Alleluia.
How shall I make a return to the Lord
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the Lord.
R./ To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. or: Alleluia.
My vows to the Lord I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful ones.
O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R./ To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. or: Alleluia.
My vows to the Lord I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R./ To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. or: Alleluia.
Gospel Introduction
In the Gospel, Jesus begins to preach the coming of the kingdom of God among people. He calls for penance and conversion and chooses his first disciples. These same words are addressed to us today: "Repent, be converted, be fishers of people for the kingdom."
Gospel Reading: Mark 1:14-20
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel."
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God,
you invite us, disciples of your Son today,
to be wholly converted to the Gospel
and to help extend your kingdom.
Give us hearts open to the Good News
and the generosity to share it
with people of our day.
We ask you this through Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
A word about the books of Samuel. After the confused times of the settlement in Palestine comes a more stable era with the kings. This period is important because the very vague "salvation" described earlier,—a land of their own for the Hebrews, their growth as a people—turns now into messianism on the basis of the kingship of David: an ideal king will come in whom the promises will be fulfilled. Jesus, descendant of David, will found the eternal kingdom promised to David. In today's reading in Year II, Samuel appears as the prophet who reluctantly prepares the foundation of a Hebrew kingdom. Only a king can unify and defend the people.
General Intercessions
– For the Church dear to us, that the Lord may help it to keep renewing itself, so that it may stay on the road of the Gospel and that people can live the Gospel as Good News, we pray:
– For those who leave their nets to follow Jesus the Lord, that they may live the Gospel so as to make it visible and tangible, we pray:
– For all of us in our communities, that the Lord may help us to take the Gospel seriously and to live it in close union with the Lord, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God,
in these gifts of bread and wine,
we place our goodwill
to follow your Son
wherever he calls us.
Let our encounter here
with your Son and with each other
mark a new beginning for us
of unity and loyal love,
that the seed of your kingdom
may grow among us
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
we know what you can do
with weak, fallible people.
In the strength of your Son,
help us to do what surpasses our forces:
to be your people
and to be to the world
the sign that you love everyone
and that friendship and justice
are no empty words for you and for us.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
The time is now. Repent and believe the Good News. Come and follow me. Be my disciples. Jesus spoke these words long ago. He addresses them here and now to us. May you heed these words, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
