God is With Us
Jan. 23: Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s first reading, the Israelites celebrate God’s presence among them. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us how we can be be brothers and sisters with Him, and He’ll always be with us.
Reading 1
2 Sm 6:12b-15, 17-19
David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David amid festivities. As soon as the bearers of the ark of the LORD had advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. Then David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the LORD with abandon, as he and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts of joy and to the sound of the horn. The ark of the LORD was brought in and set in its place within the tent David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. When he finished making these offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. He then distributed among all the people, to each man and each woman in the entire multitude of Israel, a loaf of bread, a cut of roast meat, and a raisin cake. With this, all the people left for their homes.
The ark, as Saul’s army unfortunately learned, is not God, but it does represent His presence. The people of Israel are celebrating because God is with them once again. God is with all of them, not just a select few, or only the king, which why David distributes the burnt offering to everyone.
Responsorial Psalm
PS 24:7, 8, 9, 10
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
This is believed to have been the song sung as the Israelites brought the Ark in the Temple. Of course, the Temple hadn’t been built yet, at the time of the first reading. We’re going to find out later in the week why not.
But for now, it’s worth singing a song of welcome to God whenever we have the opportunity to let Him into our lives.
Alleluia
Mt 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Children are more open to hearing God’s word, because they’re used to listening and obeying anyway. Yet God doesn’t fill them with rules, but with love.
Gospel
Mk 3:31-35
The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, "Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you."
But he said to them in reply, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
Quick note about “brothers” — the Greek word here does, indeed, mean what we think it does, “another son of both of your parents.” But the Hebrew word ’āh is more inclusive, i.e. nephews, cousins, and half-brothers. And it’s reasonable to assume Mark is using the word broadly, as later he mentions “Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married,”1 and we know Philip was Herod’s half-brother.
So no, protestants, this passage doesn’t prove that Mary’s not a virgin. Sorry, better luck next time.
And once again, Jesus blows that familial discussion out of the water anyway, saying that doing the will of God is what makes you His brother or sister. And notice He doesn’t say “the law.” God is much bigger than any law, even the law of Moses.