DAILY READING and REFLECTIONS For Sunday, November 02, 2014 31st Week in Ordinary Time - Psalter Proper (White/Violet) The Commwemoration of all the Faithful Departed Readings: Wis 3:1-9; Ps 23:1-6; Rom 6:3-9; Jn 6:37-40 Response: The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. Rosary: Glorious Mysteries Verse: It is my Fathers will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life. SAINT OF THE DAY: Victorinus of Pettau Bishop and martyr. Originally a Greek, he became bishop of Pettau, in Pannonia (later Styria, Austria). He was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305). Victorinus was also the author of several biblical cornrnentaries, although he may have been an adherent of Millenarianism, a heresy of that time. FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, Wisdom 3:1-9 1 But the souls of the upright are in the hands of God, and no torment can touch them. 2 To the unenlightened, they appeared to die, their departure was regarded as disaster, 3 their leaving us like annihilation; but they are at peace. 4 If, as it seemed to us, they suffered punishment, their hope was rich with immortality; 5 slight was their correction, great will their blessings be. God was putting them to the test and has proved them worthy to be with him; 6 he has tested them like gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a perfect burnt offering. 7 At their time of visitation, they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they. 8 They will judge nations, rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their king for ever. 9 Those who trust in him will understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love; for grace and mercy await his holy ones, and he intervenes on behalf of his chosen. RESPONSORIAL PSALM, Psalms 27:1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 13-14 1 [Of David] Yahweh is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? Yahweh is the fortress of my life, whom should I dread? 4 One thing I ask of Yahweh, one thing I seek: to dwell in Yahwehs house all the days of my life, to enjoy the sweetness of Yahweh, to seek out his temple. 7 Yahweh, hear my voice as I cry, pity me, answer me! 8 Of you my heart has said, Seek his face! Your face, Yahweh, I seek; 9 do not turn away from me. Do not thrust aside your servant in anger, without you I am helpless. Never leave me, never forsake me, God, my Saviour. 13 This I believe: I shall see the goodness of Yahweh, in the land of the living. 14 Put your hope in Yahweh, be strong, let your heart be bold, put your hope in Yahweh. READING 2, Romans 6:3-9 3 You cannot have forgotten that all of us, when we were baptised into Christ Jesus, were baptised into his death. 4 So by our baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Fathers glorious power, we too should begin living a new life. 5 If we have been joined to him by dying a death like his, so we shall be by a resurrection like his; 6 realising that our former self was crucified with him, so that the self which belonged to sin should be destroyed and we should be freed from the slavery of sin. 7 Someone who has died, of course, no longer has to answer for sin. 8 But we believe that, if we died with Christ, then we shall live with him too. 9 We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. GOSPEL, John 6:37-40 37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me; I will certainly not reject anyone who comes to me, 38 because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 Now the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, but that I should raise it up on the last day. 40 It is my Fathers will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and that I should raise that person up on the last day. REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) OPENING PRAYER: Spirit of God, come from the four corners of the earth and breathe on these dead persons so that they may rise again (Ez 37: 9). Come Holy Spirit, breathe on our minds, hearts and souls so that we may become a new creation in Christ, First born into life eternal. Amen. ON READING 1: Wisdom 3:1-9 (The death of the Righteous) This passage describes at some length the contrasting situations of the righteous and the ungodly in this life, in death, and beyond the grave. The author has consoling things to say to the righteous as regards afflictions; they have every reason to hope. But evildoers he describes as foolish; theirs is a fundamental error which will cause them grief now; any suffering they experience will do them no good; their death is grievous and so is what lies beyond it: Two possibilities are laid open to us at the same time: life and death – and each person will come to the end that befits him. Life and death are like two types of coin, one belongs to God and the other to this world, each with its own hallmark: unbelievers deal in the currency of this world, and those who have remained faithful through love carry the coin of God the Father, which is marked with Jesus Christ. If we are not ready to die for him or to imitate his passion, we will not have his life within us (St Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Magnesios, 5, 2). These very poetic lines convey very well the notion of the reward that awaits the just in the after-life, but they are not very specific about it. The author uses expressions that correspond to the time in history and Revelation in which he lives, but they do enable us to get an idea of the state of the blessed: The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God, and no torment will ever touch them (v. 1); the righteous dead are at peace (v. 3), that is, in the sphere proper to God; they can be sure of immortality, athanasia (v. 4). They will abide in the Kingdom of God forever and share in Gods power to judge and rule ( v. 8 ; cf. Mt 19:28 ) – a pointer to their power of intercession. One could say that the most encouraging line of all is, the faithful will abide with him in love (v. 9). Still to come is the explicit New Testament revelation which tells us that the blessed shall see God as he is (1 Jn 3:2), not as in a (dull) mirror but face to face; they will know him as he knows them (cf. 1 Cor 13:12) and they will be with Christ forever in heaven (cf. 1 Thess 4:17). ON READING 2: Romans 6:3-9 (Baptism - Continued) The universal dominion of sin, which began with the sin of Adam, is not the only event to be reckoned with. When sin reached its full extent, the grace brought by Jesus Christ came in superabundance. Through Baptism this grace reaches each of us and frees us from the control of sin. When we receive this Sacrament we die: that is to say, our blameworthiness is destroyed, we renounce sin once and for all, and are born again into a new life. The Lord, St. Ambrose tells the newly baptized, who wanted His benefactions to endure, the serpents plans to be turned to naught, and the harm done to be put right, delivered a sentence to mankind: You are dust, and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:19), and made man subject to death. The remedy was given him: man would die and rise again. You ask me how? Pay attention. So that in this world too the devils snare would be broken, a rite was instituted whereby man would die, being alive, and rise again, being alive. Through immersion in water the sentence is blotted out: You are dust, and to dust you shall return (De Sacramentis, II, 6). This passage of the epistle, which reveals the key truths concerning Baptism, also reminds us of the profound meaning of this rite which Christ established, its spiritual effects in Christians and its far-reaching effects with respect to the Christian life. Thus, we can apply to Baptism what St. Thomas Aquinas says about all the sacraments: Three aspects of sanctification may be considered -- its very cause, which is Christs Passion; its form, which is grace and the virtues; and its ultimate end, which is eternal life. And all these are signified by the sacraments. Consequently, a sacrament is a sign which is both a reminder of the past, that is, of the Passion of Christ, and an indication of what is effected in us by Christs Passion, and a foretelling and pledge of future glory (Summa Theologiae, III, q. 60, a. 3). In the specific case of Baptism, the various things which the Sacrament implies carry a special nuance -- a new birth which presupposes a symbolic death. It reproduces in us not only the Passion, Death and burial of Christ, symbolized by immersion in water (verses 3-4, 6), but also new life, the life of grace which pours into the soul, enabling the person to share in the Resurrection of Christ (verses 4-5). This sharing in Christs Resurrection to immortal life is a kind of seed which will ultimately produce the glorious resurrection of our bodies. The baptized person is, therefore, someone newly created, someone born into a new life, someone who has moved out of darkness into light. The white garment used at Baptism symbolizes innocence and grace; the burning candle, the light of Christ -- two symbols the Church uses in the baptismal liturgy to signify what is happening. Thus, in Baptism, God removes every trace of sin, whether original or personal (The Rite of Baptism, Introduction, 5) and also remits the penalties that these sins incur. On being baptized in the name of the Three Divine Persons, the Christian is shown God the Fathers love for him (a love he has not merited), is given a share in the Paschal Mystery of the Son, and to him is communicated new life in the Spirit (cf. Instruction on Infant Baptism, 20 October 1980, 9). Baptism, which is also described as the door of the spiritual life, unites a person to Christ and to the Church by means of grace, which makes us children of God and heirs to Heaven. Finally, in addition to the infused virtues and supernatural gifts, the person is given the graces necessary to live in a Christian way, and on his soul is impressed the sacramental character which makes him a Christian for evermore (St. Pius X Catechism, 250). Baptism, which confers a character, that is, a kind of seal confirming our Christian calling, gives us a share in Christs priesthood and makes us capable of receiving the other sacraments. It is easier to grasp the symbolism of burial and resurrection if one remembers that in earlier times, and particularly in the apostolic period, Baptism was usually administered by immersion in water -- in some cases by total immersion, up to three times, with one Person of the Blessed Trinity being invoked each time. They asked you, Do you believe in God the Father almighty? You said, I believe, and you were immersed, that is, you were buried. Again they asked you, Do you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Cross? You said, I believe, and you were again immersed. This time you have been buried with Christ, and he who is buried with Christ rises with Christ. For a third time you were asked, Do you believe in the Holy Spirit? You said, I believe, and for a third time you were immersed, so that by this three-fold confession you might be loosed of your many attachments to your past life (St. Ambrose, De Sacramentis, II, 7). Today Baptism is normally administered by pouring water over the head -- a method also used in apostolic times and which gradually came into general use because it was found more convenient. Just as the ingraft and the plant form a single thing and make a single principle of life, Christians by being grafted onto or incorporated into Christ through Baptism form one single thing with Him and begin to draw on His divine life. We are also united with Him in a death like His: Christ suffered physical death; we, in Baptism, die spiritually to the life of sin. St. John Chrysostom explains this as follows: Baptism is for us what the Cross and burial were for Christ; but with this difference: the Savior died physically, He was physically buried, whereas we ought to die spiritually. That is why the Apostle does not say we are united with Him with His death, but in a death like his (Hom. on Rom., 10). Jesus Christ chose to bear all the consequences of sin, even though He was sinless. His voluntary death on the Cross and His glorious Resurrection broke the bonds of death, for Himself and for all His own. Death no longer shall have dominion: [Christ died] that through death He might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage (Hebrews 2:14-15). And as a consequence He won, for His own human nature and for us, a new life. In all those who have been baptized these same events in Christs life are in some way reproduced. Our past sins have been wiped out by the action of grace. Now, so as to stay dead to sin after Baptism, personal effort is called for, although Gods grace continues to be with us, providing us with great help (Chrysostom, Hom. on Rom., 11). This personal effort might be encapsulated in a resolution: May we never die through sin; may our spiritual resurrection be eternal (St. J. Escriva, Holy Rosary, 1st Glorious Mystery). ON THE GOSPEL: John 6:37-40 (The Discourse on the Bread of Life - Continued) In John’s Gospel, the basic perspective concerning Jesus and his mission is that the Word made flesh is sent by the Father in to the world to give us life and to save that which was lost. The world, however, rejects the Word incarnate. The prologue of the Gospel presents us with this thought ( Jn 1: 1-18 ), which the Evangelist will gradually elaborate in the Gospel story. The synoptic Gospels also, in their own way, proclaim the same news. One need only think of the parables of the lost sheep and the lost drachma (Lk 15: 1-10); or the declaration: I did not come to call the just, but sinners (Mk 2: 17). This thought is also found in this passage: I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent (Jn 6: 38). This is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life (Jn 6: 40). The key words in John’s Gospel are: see and believe. To see, implies and automatically means to believe in the Son sent by the Father. This attitude of faith brings the believer to possess eternal life. In John’s Gospel, the salvation of the world is already fulfilled by the first coming of Christ through the incarnation and the resurrection of the one who allows himself to be lifted up on the cross. The second coming of Christ on the last day will be a completion of this mystery of salvation. Today’s Gospel is taken from the section that speaks of the mystery of Jesus (Jn 1-12). The text takes us, for the second time in John’s Gospel, to Galilee, at the time of the Passover: After this, Jesus went across the sea of Galilee... it was near the Passover, the feast of the Jews (Jn 6: 1, 4). A great crowd followed him, (Jn 6: 2) and Jesus seeing the crowd that followed him, multiplies the loaves. The crowd want to proclaim him king, but Jesus disappears and goes up to the mountain alone (Jn 6: 15). After a brief pause that allows us to contemplate the Lord walking on the waters (Jn 6: 16-21), the story continues the next day (Jn 6: 22), and the crowd goes on waiting for and seeking out Jesus. Then comes the discourse on the bread of life and Jesus’ warning to obtain the food that will last forever (Jn 6: 27). Jesus defines himself as the bread of life and makes reference to the manna given to the people of God through Moses, as a figure of the true bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (Jn 6:, 30-36). This is the context within which the words of Jesus are pronounced and that we are using for our Lectio (Jn 6: 37-40). In this context, too, we come across a new kind of opposition and a new rejection of the revelation of the Christ as the bread of life (Jn 6: 41-66). Jesus’ words concerning everyone who goes to him, echo God’s invitation to take part in the benefits of the banquet of the covenant (Is 55: 1-3). Jesus does not reject those who come to him, rather he gives them eternal life. In fact, his mission is to seek and save the lost ones (Lk 19: 27). We are reminded of this in the story of the meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well (Jn 4: 1-42). Jesus does not reject the Samaritan woman, but begins a ‘pastoral’ dialogue with the woman who comes to the well to draw material water and there finds the man, the prophet and the Messiah who promises to give her the water of eternal life (Jn 4: 13-15). In our passage we find the same structure: on the one hand the people seek material bread and on the other Jesus gives them a long spiritual discourse on the bread of life. The witness of Jesus who eats the bread of God’s will (Jn 4: 34) echoes the teaching of the Master in this Gospel passage (Jn 6: 38). At the last supper, Jesus takes up this discourse again in chapter 17. It is he who gives eternal life (Jn 17: 2), preserves and watches over all those whom the Father has given to him. Of these none is lost except the son of perdition (Jn 17: 12-13). Jesus clearly reveals that He is the one sent by the Father. This is something St. John the Baptist proclaimed earlier on (Jn 3:33-36), and Jesus Himself stated it in His dialogue with Nicodemus (Jn 3:17-21) and announced publicly to the Jews in Jerusalem (Jn 5:20-30). Since Jesus is the one sent by the Father, the bread of life come down from Heaven to give life to the world, everyone who believes in Him has eternal life, for it is Gods will that everyone should be saved through Jesus Christ. These words of Jesus contain three mysteries: 1) that of faith in Jesus Christ, which means going to Jesus, accepting His miracles (signs) and His words; 2) the mystery of the resurrection of believers, something which begins in this life through faith and becomes fully true in Heaven; 3) the mystery of predestination, the will of our Father in Heaven that all men be saved. These solemn words of our Lord fill the believer with hope. St. Augustine, commenting on vv. 37 and 38, praises the humility of Jesus, the perfect model for the humility of the Christian: Jesus chose not to do His own will but that of the Father who sent Him: Humbly am I come, to teach humility am I come, as the master of humility am I come; he who comes to Me is incorporated in Me; he who comes to Me becomes humble; he who cleaves to Me will be humble, for he does not his will but Gods (In Ioann. Evang., 25, 15 and 16). FINAL PRAYERS: O God, who at the table of your word and of the bread of life nourish us so that we may grow in love, grant that we may welcome your message into our heart so that we may become yeast and instruments of salvation in the world. Through Christ our Lord. Amen 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: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 23:42:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015