SECOND SUNDAY (Jan 14th) IN ORDINARY TIME – CYCLE B

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THE BREAD OF LIFE

CATHOLIC BIBLE STUDY

 

SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – CYCLE B

 

 

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

 

Pray and ask God to speak to you through His Holy Spirit.  “THE PARACLETE, THE HOLY SPIRIT WHOM THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME, WILL INSTRUCT YOU IN EVERYTHING, AND REMIND YOU OF ALL THAT I TOLD YOU.”  (JOHN 14:26)

 

FIRST DAY  Reread last week’s readings.

 

  1. What was a helpful or new thought from the readings or from the homily you heard on Sunday?

 

  1. From what you learned, what personal application did you choose to apply to your life this week?

 

 

SECOND DAY          READ 1 SAMUEL 3:3-10, 19      FIRST READING

 

(“Speak, for you servant is listening.”)

 

  1. Who was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, and what was there?  1 Samuel 3:3

 

 

  1. Who is Samuel, and what did his mother do? 1 Samuel   1:19-20, 27-28

 

 

  1. Of what was the ark made, and what was in it?

Deuteronomy 10:3-5.

 

 

  1. Who called Samuel, and what was his response?

1 Samuel 3:4

 

 

  1. To whom did he run, and what did he tell him to do?

1 Samuel 3:5-6.

 

 

  1. What was Eli? 1 Samuel 1:9.

 

 

  1. With whom was Samuel not familiar and for what reason?     1 Samuel 3:7.

 

 

  1. Who reveals even the depths of God to us?

1 Corinthians 2:10-12.

 

 

  1. How many times did the Lord call Samuel, and what did Eli understand? 1 Samuel 3:8.

 

 

  1. What did Eli tell Samuel to do? What did the Lord     reveal, and what did Samuel answer?  1 Samuel 3: 9-10.

 

 

  1. To whom are we to listen? Mark 9:7-8.

 

 

  1. What happened to Samuel, and what did the Lord not permit? 1 Samuel 3:19.

 

 

Personal – How has the Lord revealed himself to you?  In what way has your priest helped you distinguish the voice of the Lord?

 

 

THIRD DAY       READ 1 CORINTHIANS 6:13-15, 17-20 SECOND READING

 

(“Glorify God in your body.”)

 

  1. With what will the Lord do away, for what is the body not to be used, and for whom is the body?

1 Corinthians 6:13.

 

 

  1. What will food not do? 1 Corinthians 8:8.

 

 

Personal – In what way has food affected your body?

 

 

  1. What did God do, and what will he do?

1 Corinthians 6:14

 

 

  1. What way is the body sown before and after the resurrection of the dead?   1 Corinthians 15:42-44

 

 

  1. Of whom are our bodies members, and of whom shall I then take these members and of whom make them members?

1 Corinthians 6:15

 

 

  1. To what are we not to present the parts of our bodies,

and for what reasons?   Romans 6:13

 

  1. What happens to whoever is joined to the Lord?

1 Corinthians 6:17

 

 

  1. What are we to avoid, where is every other sin committed, and against what does the immoral person    commit a sin? 1 Corinthians 6:18.

 

 

  1. What do we know about our body? 1 Corinthians 6:19

 

 

  1. Who does not belong to God? Romans 8:9

 

 

  1. What is our eager expectation and hope for our body?

Philippians 1:20

 

 

  1. How have we been purchased, and what must we do with our body?  1 Corinthians 6:20

 

 

Personal – How have I not glorified God in my body, and what changes do I need to make in order to glorify God in my body?

 

 

FOURTH DAY              READ JOHN 1:35-42                GOSPEL

(“We have found the Messiah.”)

 

  1. Who was with John, who did they watch walk by, and what did John say?  John 1:35-36

 

 

2    Why are we to be watchful and alert?   Mark 13:32-33

 

 

  1. When the two disciples heard what John said, what did they do? John 1:37

 

 

  1. If anyone wishes to come after Jesus, what must he do daily?      Luke 9:23

 

 

  1. When Jesus turned and saw them following him, what did he ask them, what did they ask him?  John 1:38

 

 

  1. What does “Rabbi” mean and who instructs us in everything and reminds us of all that Jesus told us?

John 1:38, John 14:26

 

 

  1. When Jesus said “come,” what would happen; what did happen and what did they do?  John 1:39

 

 

  1. Who heard John; who followed Jesus and what did he tell his own brother Simon?  John 1:40-41

 

 

Personal  Have you found the Messiah and if so, how did you find him?  Did someone lead you to him or did he speak to you directly?

 

 

  1. As what is Messiah translated, and what did Andrew do      with his brother?  John 1:41-42

 

 

  1. What was Jesus anointed to do? Luke 4:18-19

 

 

  1. What will those who lead many to justice be like?

Daniel 12:3

 

 

  1. When Jesus looked at Simon, what did he say about his name? John 1:42

 

 

Personal In what way have you experienced Jesus saying to you, “Come and you will see.”  What did you learn when you stayed with him that day, and whom did you bring with you?

 

 

FIFTH DAY           READ PSALM 40:2, 4, 7-10

(“…ears open to obedience you gave me”)

 

Read and meditate on Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10.

 

What is the Lord saying to you personally through the Psalm?

 

How can you apply this to your life?

 

 

SIXTH DAY          READ ALL OF THE COMMENTARY

 

1 SAMUEL 3:3-10, 19

 

The Ark of the Covenant was kept in the holy of holies.  Samuel probably slept only a few yards away from the Ark, with the other priests.  One would naturally expect a message from God to be given to the priest, Eli, and not the youth, Samuel.  Eli held the proper position and he was older and more experienced.  But God’s chain of command is based on faith.  His view of authority is not based on age or title.

 

God may decide to use an unexpected channel to communicate with us.  We need to  be prepared always for the Lord to speak or work at any place, at any time and through anyone he chooses.  This was an era when God still gave direct and audible messages to his people.  Today some people refuse to listen to God, or they will allow greed to get in the way of any communication with him.  You must be absolutely convinced that listening and responding are vital in relationship with God.  God may not always use the sound of a human voice; he speaks just as clearly today through his Word.  Be ready to listen  and to act upon what he tells you.  Like Samuel, be ready to say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

The sounds of today’s world want to blot out the sound of God’s calling voice.  Listen, listen, listen.  By disciplining yourself to quiet time alone every morning with the Lord, you can prepare to hear God calling you in your daily prayer time, daily scripture, and study time.  In a very short time your discipline will turn into delight.

 

 

1 CORINTHIANS 6: 13-15, 17-20

 

Many of the world’s religions think the soul is very important and the body is not.  Christianity sometimes seems to be influenced by them. However, Christianity is a very physical religion.  We believe in a God who created a physical world and called it good.  The core of our faith is God himself taking on flesh and blood and coming to live with us (John 1:14).  We must remember that like Adam we are a combination of dust and spirit.  We cannot commit sin with our bodies without affecting our souls.

 

Freedom is a mark of the Christian faith.  Christ has freed us from the grasp of Satan.  We should not abuse that freedom through abuse of drugs, excessive drinking, and gluttony.  We need to be very careful that what God has allowed us to use, does not grow into a bad habit that controls us.  Paul really addresses the sins of the body as a temptation that we cannot escape.  In movies, television, books or magazines, sex outside of marriage is treated as normal, desirable, part of life, while marriage is often shown as confining and joyless.  God does not forbid sexual sin just to be difficult.  He knows its power to destroy us physically and spiritually.  Sexual sin has devastated countless lives and destroyed families, communities and even nations.  Paul clearly states in today’s reading and the Church today also agrees that Christians are to have no part in sexual sin, even if it is acceptable and popular in our culture.  We must never forget that a sin against our body is a sin against the Holy Spirit, because by

 

our Baptism we have become temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).  The sexual sins of homosexuality, fornication, prostitution and adultery are sins against the home of the Holy Spirit.

 

Remember that God has bought you with a great price, so use every part of your body to give glory back to God, because he owns it (1 Cor. 6:20).  If you are caught up in the turmoil of sexual sin, take a moment right now and ask God to forgive you of your sins.  Then go to a priest and receive the healing of being reconciled with God and community.  Live God’s way one day at a time, and he will show you what to do.  Jesus loves you too much to let you stay where you are.

 

JOHN 1:35-42

 

John the Baptist’s job was to point people to Jesus,  the Messiah,  for whom they were looking.  Today people all over the world are looking for security and peace in an insecure world.  Our job is to point them to Christ and to show them that he is the one they seek.

 

When Jesus walked by, John was with his two disciples  and said, “There is the Lamb of God.”  The two disciples began to follow Jesus, and he said to them, “What do you want?”  That is being asked of us today by both Jesus and the world.  Jesus said, “Come and see” and the world says the same.  Jesus offers life and freedom, the world offers death and destruction.

 

The disciples knew and appreciated Jesus more and more as they began to spend time with him.  Jesus tells them that if they really want to follow him, they will have to take up their cross each day and follow in his footsteps.  They had no idea then that those footsteps led to Calvary.  We are called to do the same and his footsteps may lead us into rejection, ridicule, and possibly even the loss of our physical life.  We must always remember that when we choose to follow him, we choose to die to ourselves and live for others.

 

Andrew was so impressed with Jesus, that he ran home and told his brother Peter, “We have found the Messiah.”  What confidence and hope Andrew had as he led his brother Peter to Jesus.  That is what we are being called today to do.  Lead others to Jesus and show by your life that the conversion to Jesus is life-changing.  Today’s Gospel is about the joy, excitement and power of discover­ing the Messiah.  We are called to spread that joy and excitement to all whom we meet.

 

We eagerly carry our cross each day and follow him because he carries it for us and he is leading us to eternal freedom.

 

 

Application

 

In the first reading, we hear God calling his servant.  In the second reading, Paul tells us that sexual sin is sin against the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  The Gospel shows us that we are to go out and point to Jesus.

 

This week spend time each day alone and listen to what God is saying to you.  Ask someone in your family to do the same thing.  Meet every day and share what the Lord is saying to you.  Remember, you cannot bring anyone to Jesus if you do not know how to listen to his instructions.

 

Posted in Bible Study Lessons.