Jan 17 Monday (St. Anthony, Abbot):
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ reply to the question raised, perhaps by some well-meaning Pharisees, disciples of John the Baptist, asking why Jesus’ disciples ate and drank and feasted, while they (John the Baptist’s disciples), and the Pharisees in general, fasted and prayed. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving were the three cardinal religious practices — the “good deeds”– of Jewish religious life.
1st Week: Jan 10-15:
Jan 10 Monday:
The context: Today’s Gospel describes the beginning of Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry and the call of the apostles who were to continue that ministry.
January 8: Saturday after Epiphany
1 John 5:14-21 / John 3:22-30
3 Monday (The Most Holy Name of Jesus):
The context: Today’s Gospel describes the beginning of Jesus’ mission of preaching and healing in Galilee, an ideal spot because it was the most fertile land in Palestine and well-populated with 204 villages around the Sea of Galilee housing Jews and Gentiles. The Jews there largely belonged to the tribes of Asher, Naphtali, and Zebulon. The people were open to new ideas because they had been exposed to various religious beliefs and the culture of traders from all over the known world.