DAILY READING and REFLECTIONS For Saturday, November 15, 2014 32nd Week in Ordinary Time - Psalter Week 4 (Green) Memorial of: Saint Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor Readings: 3 Jn 5-8; Ps 112:1-6; Lk 18 : 1-8 Response: Blessed the man who hears the Lord. Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Verse: Now, will not God see justice done to his elect if they keep calling to him day and night even though he still delays to help them? SAINT OF THE DAY: Saint Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor Albert the Great was one of the Churchs greatest intellects. He studied at the University of Padua and later taught at Hildesheim, Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Regensburg, and Strasbourg. He then taught at the University of Paris, where he received his doctorate in 1245. He was among the first and greatest of the natural scientists, gaining a reputation for expertise in biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, geography, metaphysics, and mathematics. He was also very learned in biblical studies and theology. FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, Third John 1:5-8 5 My dear friend, you have done loyal work in helping these brothers, even though they were strangers to you. 6 They are a proof to the whole Church of your love and it would be a kindness if you could help them on their journey as God would approve. 7 It was entirely for the sake of the name that they set out, without depending on the non-believers for anything: 8 it is our duty to welcome people of this sort and contribute our share to their work for the truth. RESPONSORIAL PSALMS, Psalms 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 1 Alleluia! How blessed is anyone who fears Yahweh, who delights in his commandments! 2 His descendants shall be powerful on earth, the race of the honest shall receive blessings: 3 Riches and wealth for his family; his uprightness stands firm for ever. 4 For the honest he shines as a lamp in the dark, generous, tender-hearted, and upright. 5 All goes well for one who lends generously, who is honest in all his dealing; 6 for all time to come he will not stumble, for all time to come the upright will be remembered. GOSPEL, Luke 18:1-8 1 Then he told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. 2 There was a judge in a certain town, he said, who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone. 3 In the same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, I want justice from you against my enemy! 4 For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person, 5 I must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me, or she will come and slap me in the face. 6 And the Lord said, You notice what the unjust judge has to say? 7 Now, will not God see justice done to his elect if they keep calling to him day and night even though he still delays to help them? 8 I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth? REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) OPENING PRAYER: God of power and mercy, protect us from all harm. Give us freedom of spirit and health in mind and body to do your work on earth. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ON READING 1: 3 John 5-8 (Praise for Gaius) With great simplicity St John says why his paternal heart feels so happy -- because Gaius, as his charity shows (vv. 5-8), is such a good-living man (vv. 3-4). He uses a typically Semitic turn of phrase to describe Gaius upright life: you follow the truth. In the Old Testament the Patriarchs are praised for walking with God (cf., e.g. Gen 5:22, 24; 6:9). This image of the wayfarer took on great importance after the Exodus: the people of Israel by divine will made their way as pilgrims to the Promised Land and in the course of that journey the great event of the Covenant took place (cf. Ex 19:24). Walking with God means the same as fulfilling what the Covenant requires, that is, the commandments (cf. 2 Jn 4). With the coming of Christ, who said of himself, I am the way, and the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6), it has become quite clear that walking in the truth means being totally attached to the person of Christ: live in him (Col 2:6), walk in the light (1 Jn 1:7), follow the truth (2 Jn 4), all mean the same sort of thing -- living in communion with Christ, being a genuine Christian in everything one thinks and does. Gaius charity expressed itself in welcoming and helping the preachers sent by John (in the early times of the Church itinerant missionaries helped to keep alive the faith and promote solidarity among the scattered churches). They had set out for his sake, that is, Christs (v. 7; cf. Acts 5:41; Phil 2:9-10; Jas 2:7). By helping (even materially), Christians become fellow workers in the truth ( v. 8 ) and merit the reward promised by our Lord: He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me(Mt 10:40). Fellow workers in the truth: the Second Vatican Council applies these words to lay people when explaining how their apostolate and the ministry proper to pastors complement each other. And it goes on: Lay people have countless opportunities for exercising the apostolate of evangelization and sanctification. The very witness of a Christian life, and good works done in a supernatural spirit, are effective in drawing men to the faith and to God; and that is what the Lord has said: Let your light shine so brightly before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Mt 5:16). This witness of life, however, is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout for opportunities to announce Christ by word, either to unbelievers to draw them towards the faith, or to the faithful to instruct them, strengthen them and incite them to a more fervent life (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 6). ON THE GOSPEL: Luke 18 : 1-8 (Persevering Prayer. Parable of the Unjust Judge) Today’s Gospel presents an element which is very dear to Luke: Prayer. This is the second time that Luke gives us the words of Jesus to teach us to pray. The first time (Lk 11, 1-13), he taught us the Our Father and, by means of comparisons and parables, he taught that we have to pray insistently, without getting tired. Now, this second time, (Lk 18,1-8), again he has recourse to a parable taken from life so as to teach us insistence in prayer. It is the parable of the widow who pestered the judge who was unscrupulous. The way in which he presents the parable is very didactic. In the first place, Luke presents a brief introduction which serves as the key for the reading. Then he narrates the parable. At the end, Jesus himself explains it: Luke 18, 1-8 : The parable of the unjust judge is a very eloquent lesson about the effectiveness of persevering, confident prayer. It also forms a conclusion to Jesus teaching about watchfulness, contained in the previous verses (17:23-26). Comparing God with a person like this makes the point even clearer: if even an unjust judge ends up giving justice to the man who keeps on pleading his case, how much more will God, who is infinitely just, and who is our Father, listen to the persevering prayer of His children. God, in other words, gives justice to His elect if they persist in seeking His help. 1. They ought always to pray and not lose heart. Why must we pray? 1. We must pray first and foremost because we are believers. Prayer is in fact the recognition of our limitation and our dependence: we come from God, we belong to God and we return to God! We cannot, therefore, but abandon ourselves to Him, our Creator and Lord, with full and complete confidence. Prayer, therefore, is first of all an act of intelligence, a feeling of humility and gratitude, an attitude of trust and abandonment to Him who gave us life out of love. Prayer is a mysterious but real dialogue with God, a dialogue of confidence and love. 2. We, however, are Christians, and therefore we must pray as Christians. For the Christian, in fact, prayer acquires a particular characteristic, which completely changes its innermost nature and innermost value. The Christian is a disciple of Jesus; he is one who really believes that Jesus is the Word Incarnate, the Son of God who came among us on this earth. As a man, the life of Jesus was a continual prayer, a continual act of worship and love of the Father and since the maximum expression of prayer is sacrifice, the summit of Jesus prayer is the Sacrifice of the Cross, anticipated by the Eucharist at the Last Supper and handed down by means of the Holy Mass throughout the centuries. Therefore, the Christian knows that his prayer is that of Jesus; every prayer of his starts from Jesus; it is He who prays in us, with us, for us. All those who believe in God, pray; but the Christian prays in Jesus Christ: Christ is our prayer! 3. Finally, we must pray because we are frail and guilty. It must be humbly and realistically recognized that we are poor creatures, confused in ideas, tempted by evil, frail and weak, in continual need of inner strength and consolation. Prayer gives the strength for great ideas, to maintain faith, charity, purity and generosity. Prayer gives the courage to emerge from indifference and guilt, if unfortunately one has yielded to temptation and weakness. Prayer gives light to see and consider the events of ones own life and of history in the salvific perspective of God and eternity. Therefore, do not stop praying! Let not a day pass without your having prayed a little! Prayer is a duty, but it is also a great joy, because it is a dialogue with God through Jesus Christ! Every Sunday, Holy Mass: if it is possible for you, sometimes during the week. Every day, morning and evening prayers, and at the most suitable moments! (Bl. John Paul II, Audience with Young People, 14 March 1979). Luke 18, 1: The introduction. Luke presents the parable with the following phrase: “Then he told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. The recommendation “to pray without losing heart” appears many times in the New Testament (1 Th 5, 17; Rm 12, 12; Ep 6, 18; etc). And it is a characteristic of the spirituality of the first Christian communities. Luke 18, 2-5: The parable. Then Jesus presents two personages of real life: a judge who had no consideration for God and no consideration for others, and a widow who struggles to obtain her rights from the judge. The simple fact of indicating these two personages reveals the critical conscience which he had regarding the society of his time. The parable presents the poor people who struggle in the tribunal to obtain their rights. The judge decides to pay attention to the widow and to do justice. The reason is the following: in order to free himself from the widow who is pestering him and to get rid of her. This is a quite interesting reason. But the widow obtained what she wanted! This is a fact of daily life, which Jesus uses to teach to pray. Luke 18, 6-8: the application. Jesus applies the parable: “You notice what the unjust judge has said. Now, will not God see justice done to his elect if they keep calling to him day and night even though he still delays to help them? Will he make them wait long? I tell you he will see justice done to them, and done speedily”. If it had not been Jesus we would not have had the courage to compare Jesus to an unjust judge! And at the end Jesus expresses a doubt: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Or rather, will we have the courage to wait, to have patience, even if God delays in doing what we ask him? Jesus in prayer. The first Christians had an image of Jesus in prayer, in permanent contact with the Father. In fact, the breathing of the life of Jesus was to do the Will of the Father (Jn 5, 19). Jesus prayed very much and insisted, in order that people and his disciples also pray. And this because it is in confronting oneself with God that truth emerges and the person finds himself/herself in his/her whole reality and humility. Luke is the Evangelist who gives us more information on the life of prayer of Jesus. He presents Jesus in constant prayer. The following are some moments in which Jesus appears praying. You, all of you can complete the list: - When he was twelve years old and goes to the Temple, to the House of the Father (Lk 2, 46-50). - He prays when he is baptized and in assuming his mission (Lk 3, 21). - At the beginning of the mission, he spends forty days in the desert (Lk 4, 1-2). - At the hour of temptation, he faces the devil with the texts from Scripture (Lk 4, 3-12). - Jesus used to participate in the celebration in the Synagogue on Saturday (Lk 4, 16) - He seeks solitude in the desert to pray (Lk 5, 16; 9, 18). - Before choosing the twelve Apostles, he spends the night in prayer (Lk 6, 12). - He prays before meals (Lk 9, 16; 24, 30). - He prays before the Passion and when facing reality (Lk 9, 18). - In time of crises, he goes up to the mountain and is transfigured when he prays (Lk 9, 28). - When he revealed the Gospel to the little ones he says: “Father, I thank you!” (Lk 10, 21) - In praying, he arouses in the Apostles the desire to pray (Lk 11, 1). - He prays for Peter so that he does not lose his faith (Lk 22, 32). - He celebrates the Paschal Supper with his disciples (Lk 22, 7-14). - In the Garden of Olives, he prays, even when sweating blood (Lk 22, 41-42). - In the anguish of the agony, he asks his friends to pray with him (Lk 22, 40.46). - At the moment when he was being nailed to the Cross, he asks pardon for the murderers (Lk 23, 34). - At the hour of death he says: “Into your hands I commend my spirit!” (Lk 23, 46; Ps 31, 6) - Jesus dies crying out with the cry of the poor (Lk 23, 46). This long list indicates everything which follows. For Jesus prayer is intimately linked to life, to concrete facts, to the decisions which he had to take. In order to be able to be faithful to the project of the Father, he sought to remain alone with Him. He listened to Him. In difficult and decisive moments in his life, Jesus recited Psalms. Just as any devout Jew, he knew them by heart. The recitation of the Psalms did not take away his creativity. Rather, Jesus himself created a Psalm which he transmitted to us: the Our Father. His life is a permanent prayer: “I always seek the will of the one who sent me!” (Jn 5, 19.30) To him is applied what the Psalm says: “I am prayer!” (Ps 109, 4) Jesus combines His teaching about perseverance in prayer with a serious warning about the need to remain firm in the faith: faith and prayer go hand in hand. St. Augustine comments, In order to pray, let us believe; and for our faith not to weaken, let us pray. Faith causes prayer to grow, and when prayer grows our faith is strengthened (Sermon, 115). Our Lord has promised His Church that it will remain true to its mission until the end of time (cf. Matthew 28 : 20); the Church, therefore, cannot go off the path of the true faith. But not everyone will remain faithful: some will turn their backs on the faith of their own accord. This is the mystery which St. Paul describes as the rebellion (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and which Jesus Christ announces on other occasions (cf. Matthew 24:12-13). In this way our Lord warns us, to help us stay watchful and persevere in the faith and in prayer even though people around us fall away. FINAL PRAYERS: How blessed is anyone who fears Yahweh, who delights in his commandments! His descendants shall be powerful on earth, the race of the honest shall receive blessings. (Ps 112,1-2) In the comfort of your love, I pour out to you, my Savior, the memories that haunt me, the fears that stifle me, the sickness that prevails upon me, and the frustration of all the pain that weaves about within me. Lord, help me to see your peace in my turmoil, your compassion in my sorrow, your forgiveness in my weakness, and your love in my need. Touch me, O Lord, with your healing and strength. To you, dear God, be all thanks and glory! -- Prayer to Christ the Healer It is by God’s mercy that we are saved. May we never tire of spreading this joyful message to the world. -- Pope Francis Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. -- St. Jerome The Father uttered one Word; that Word is His Son, and He utters Him forever in everlasting silence; and in silence the soul has to hear it. -- St. John of the Cross
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 23:50:31 +0000
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