The Daily Gospel for Wednesday, 3 February 2016

The Daily Gospel for Wednesday, 3 February 2016
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."[John 6:68]
Wednesday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
Saints of the day: St. Blase, Bishop & Martyr (+ 316)

SAINT BLASE 
Bishop and Martyr 
(+ 316)

St. Blase devoted the earlier years of his life to the study of philosophy, and afterwards became a physician. In the practice of his profession he saw so much of the miseries of life and the hollowness of worldly pleasures, that he resolved to spend the rest of his days in the service of God, and from being a healer of bodily ailments to be- come a physician of souls.

The Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, having died, our Saint, much to the gratification of the inhabitants of that city, was appointed to succeed him. St. Blase at once began to instruct his people as much by his example as by his words, and the great virtues and sanctity of this servant of God were attested by many miracles. From all parts the people came flocking to him for the cure of bodily and spiritual ills.

Agricolaus, Governor of Cappadocia and the Lesser Armenia, having begun a persecution by order of the Emperor Licinius, our Saint was seized and hurried off to prison. While on his way there, a distracted mother, whose only child was dying of a throat disease, threw herself at the feet of St. Blase and implored his intercession. Touched at her grief, the Saint offered up his prayers, and the child was cured; and since that time his aid has often been effectually solicited in cases of a similar disease.

Refusing to worship the false gods of the heathens, St. Blase was first scourged; his body was then torn with hooks, and finally he was beheaded in the year 316.[Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]]

Saint Ansgar
St. Ansgar
Feastday: February 3
Patron of Scandinavia
Birth: 801
Death: 865
Ansgar was born of a noble family near Amiens. He became a monk at Old Corbie monastery in Picardy and later at New Corbie in Westphalia. He accompanied King Harold to Denmark when the exiled King returned to his native land and engaged in missionary work there. Ansgar's success caused King Bjorn ofSweden to invite him to that country, and he built the first Christian Church in Sweden. He became Abbotof New Corbie and first Archbishop of Hamburg about 831, and Pope Gregory IV appointed him Legate to the Scandinavian countries. He labored at his missionary works for the next fourteen years but saw all he had accomplished destroyed when invading pagan Northmen in 845 destroyed Hamburg and overran the Scandinavian countries, which lapsed into paganism. He was appointed first Archbishop of Bremen about 848, and the See was united with that of Hamburg by Pope Nicholas I. Ansgar again returned to Denmarkand Sweden in 854 and resumed his missionary activities, converting Erik, King of Jutland. Ansgar's success was due to his great preaching ability, the austerity and holiness of his life, and the miracles he is reputed to have performed. Though called "the Apostle of the North" and the first Christian missionary in Scandinavia, the whole area lapsed into paganism again after his death at Bremen on February 3rd. His name is also spelled Anskar.
Wednesday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
2nd book of Samuel 24:2 The king said to Yo’av the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go systematically through all the tribes of Isra’el, from Dan to Be’er-Sheva; and take a census of the population; so that I can know how many people there are.”
9 Yo’av reported the results of the census to the king: there were in Isra’el 800,000 valiant men who could handle a sword, while the men of Y’hudah numbered 500,000.
10 But after he had taken the census, David was conscience-stricken. David said to Adonai, “I have greatly sinned in what I have done. But now, Adonai, please! Put aside your servant’s sin, for I have done a very foolish thing.” 11 When David got up in the morning, this word of Adonai came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer: 12 “Go and say to David that this is what Adonai says: ‘I am giving you a choice of three punishments. Choose one of them, and I will execute it against you.” 13 Gad came to David and told him; he said: “Do you want seven years of famine in your land? or do you want to flee before your enemies for three months while they pursue you? or do you want three days of plague in your land? Think about it, and tell me what to answer the one who sent me.”
14 David said to Gad, “This is very hard for me. Let us fall into the hand of Adonai, because his mercies are great, rather than have me fall into the hand of man.” 15 So Adonai sent a plague on Isra’el from that morning until the end of the specified time; 70,000 of the people died between Dan and Be’er-Sheva. 16 But when the angel stretched out his hand toward Yerushalayim to destroy it, Adonai changed his mind about causing such distress and said to the angel destroying the people, “Enough! Now withdraw your hand.” The angel of Adonai was at the threshing-floor of Aravnah the Y’vusi.
17 David spoke to Adonai when he saw the angel striking the people; he said, “Here, I have sinned, I have done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please! Let your hand be against me and against my father’s family!”
Psalms 32:(0) By David. A maskil:
(1) How blessed are those whose offense is forgiven,
those whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed those to whom Adonai imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no deceit!
5 When I acknowledged my sin to you,
when I stopped concealing my guilt,
and said, “I will confess my offenses to Adonai”;
then you, you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Selah)
6 This is what everyone faithful should pray
at a time when you can be found.
Then, when the floodwaters are raging,
they will not reach to him.
7 You are a hiding-place for me,
you will keep me from distress;
you will surround me
with songs of deliverance. (Selah)
The Holy Gospel of Yeshua the Messiah according to Saint Mark 6:1 Then Yeshua left and went to his home town, and his talmidim followed him. 2 On Shabbat he started to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They asked, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom he has been given? What are these miracles worked through him? 3 Isn’t he just the carpenter? the son of Miryam? the brother of Ya‘akov and Yosi and Y’hudah and Shim‘on? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 But Yeshua said to them. “The only place people don’t respect a prophet is in his home town, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 So he could do no miracles there, other than lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of trust.
Then he went through the surrounding towns and villages, teaching.
Wednesday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day:
Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274), Franciscan, Doctor of the Church 
Meditations on the Life of Christ; Opera omnia, vol.12, p.530f.

"Where did this man get all this?... Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?"

When the Lord Jesus had returned to Nazareth with his parents from the Temple at Jerusalem, he remained with them until his thirtieth year “and he was subject to them” (Luke 2,51). There is nothing in Scripture to indicate that he accomplished anything during that time, surprising though it seems... But pay attention and you will see clearly that, in doing nothing, he worked wonders. Indeed, each one of his deeds reveals his mystery. And just as what he did was with power, so also he was silent with power and dwelt in hiddenness and obscurity with power. The sovereign Lord, who was to teach us the way of life, began to do works of power even from his youth, but in a way that was surprising, unrecognized and unobtrusive, by appearing to be useless and ignorant in men's eyes and by living in lowliness...
He gave himself more and more to this way of life that all might judge him to be base and insignificant. This had been foretold by the prophet, speaking in his name: “I am a worm and no man” (Psalm 22[21]:7). Thus you see what he did by doing nothing. He made himself despised. Do you think that to be a small thing? For indeed, it was not he who stood in need of it, but us. I know of nothing more difficult, nor of anything greater. They seem to me to have reached the highest degree who, unfeignedly and with all their heart, are sufficiently possessed of themselves as to seek nothing other than to be despised, counted for nothing, and living in the deepest abasement. This is a greater victory than to take a town.

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