Lord Jesus Christ,... preserved me from love of the world, made me able to withstand torture,

and granted me the virtue of patience in the midst of torments. 

 

St. Agatha, virgin and martyr

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15

Have you already shed

Your blood in the struggle against sin?

Do not forget the comforting words that Wisdom addresses to you as children:

My son, pay attention when the Lord corrects you and do not be discouraged when he punishes you.

For the Lord corrects those he loves and chastises everyone he accepts as a son.

 

What you endure, is in order to correct you. God treats you like sons,

and what son is not corrected by his father?

All correction is painful at the moment, rather than pleasant; later, it brings the fruit of peace,

that is, holiness, to those who have been trained by it.

 

Lift up, then, your drooping hands, and strengthen your trembling knees;

make level the ways for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but healed.

Strive for peace with all, and strive to be holy, for without holiness,

no one will see the Lord. See that no one falls from the grace of God,

lest a bitter plant spring up and its poison corrupt many among you.

 

Ps 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18a The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Mark 6:1-6

Leaving that place, Jesus returned to his own country, and his disciples followed him.

When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and most of those who heard him were astonished.

But they said, "How did this come to him? What kind of wisdom has been given to him,

that he also performs such miracles? Who is he but the carpenter, the Son of Mary,

and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? His sisters, too,

are they not here among us?" So they took offense at him.

 

And Jesus said to them, "Prophets are despised only in their own country,

among their relatives, and in their own family."

And he could work no miracles there, but only healed a few sick people,

by laying his hands on them. Jesus himself was astounded at their unbelief.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"To have confidence in the Lord."

"Have you already shed your blood in the struggle against sin?"

The Letter to the Hebrews presents this question to strengthen our resolve in our perseverance

in trials and in our fight against temptation, and the martyrs give us the example of how that complete dedication to God is lived out.

 

Theirs is a total witness to the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ, even in the face of torture and death.

And so, the saints and martyrs encourage us to keep striving for holiness, to renew our faith and of our love of the Lord.

However, the Gospel also points to another cause for apathy or unbelief, namely,

the inability to connect the sacred with our ordinary life. The crowd from his hometown can't accept him.

 

They can't see how the majesty of God could be present in a man from their little town. In contrast,

the saints see God at work in all things, however small or ordinary,

and so the faith of the saints is integrated into every aspect of their lives.

The martyrs say to us: have courage and "strive to be holy"!

Let's not give in to temptation or to doubt, but have confidence in the Lord.