DAILY READING and REFLECTIONS For Monday, September 01, 2014 22nd Week in Ordinary Time - Psalter 2 (Green) Readings: 1 Cor 2:1-5; Ps 119:97-102; Lk 4:16-30 Response: Lord, I love your commands. Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Key Verse: In truth I tell you, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country. SAINT OF THE DAY: Saint Giles of Assisi, Abbot Patron of beggars; blacksmiths; breast cancer; breast feeding; cancer patients; disabled people; Edinburgh (Scotland); epilepsy; fear of night; noctiphobics; forests; hermits; horses; lepers; mental illness; outcasts; poor peoples; rams; spur makers; sterility Birth: 650 - Death: 710 St. Giles is said to have been a seventh century Athenian of noble birth. His piety and learning made him so conspicuous and an object of such admiration in his own country that, dreading praise and longing for a hidden life, he left his home and sailed for France. At first he took up his abode in a wilderness near the mouth of the Rhone river, afterward near the river Gard, and, finally, in the diocese of Nimes. He spend many years in solitude conversing only with God. The fame of his miracles became so great that his reputation spread throughout France. He was highly esteemed by the French king, but he could not be prevailed upon to forsake his solitude. He admitted several disciples, however, to share it with him. He founded a monastery, and established an excellent discipline therein. In succeeding ages it embraced the rule of St. Benedict. St. Giles died probably in the beginning of the eighth century, about the year 724. READINGS FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, First Corinthians 2:1-5 1 Now when I came to you, brothers, I did not come with any brilliance of oratory or wise argument to announce to you the mystery of God. 2 I was resolved that the only knowledge I would have while I was with you was knowledge of Jesus, and of him as the crucified Christ. 3 I came among you in weakness, in fear and great trembling 4 and what I spoke and proclaimed was not meant to convince by philosophical argument, but to demonstrate the convincing power of the Spirit, 5 so that your faith should depend not on human wisdom but on the power of God. RESPONSORIAL PSALM, Psalms 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102 97 How I love your Law! I ponder it all day long. 98 You make me wiser than my enemies by your commandment which is mine for ever. 99 I am wiser than all my teachers because I ponder your instructions. 100 I have more understanding than the aged because I keep your precepts. 101 I restrain my foot from evil paths to keep your word. 102 I do not turn aside from your judgements, because you yourself have instructed me. GOSPEL, Luke 4:16-30 16 He came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read, 17 and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written: 18 The spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring the good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord. 20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to speak to them, This text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening. 22 And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, This is Josephs son, surely? 23 But he replied, No doubt you will quote me the saying, Physician, heal yourself, and tell me, We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own country. 24 And he went on, In truth I tell you, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country. 25 There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijahs day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, 26 but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a town in Sidonia. 27 And in the prophet Elishas time there were many suffering from virulent skin-diseases in Israel, but none of these was cured -- only Naaman the Syrian. 28 When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. 29 They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him off the cliff, 30 but he passed straight through the crowd and walked away. REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) OPENING PRAYER: Almighty God, every good thing comes from you. Fill our hearts with love for you, increase our faith, and by your constant care protect the good you have given us. 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: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (St. Pauls Preaching in Corinth) The Apostle had come to Corinth from Athens, as we know from the Acts of the Apostles (17:16-34); in that city he had not made many converts, despite his brilliant discourse in the Areopagus. This fact, and the moral corruption of Corinthian society, may explain his arriving in much fear and trembling (v. 3); he must have felt that he had a difficult task ahead of him. As it turned out, he must have met many difficulties: our Lord appeared to him at night in a vision to comfort and encourage him: Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you (Acts 18 : 9-10). St Paul, therefore, putting no reliance on carefully argued speeches, proclaims Christ crucified, to make sure that faith is grounded on God alone. St. Paul sums up his entire message here Jesus Christ and him crucified. The Church, on whom it devolves to continue the mission of the Apostles, does nothing but make Jesus Christ known: Our spirit is set in one direction, sT. John Paul II reminds us; the only direction for our intellect, will and heart is towards Christ our Redeemer, towards Christ, the Redeemer of man. We wish to look towards him because there is salvation in no one else but him, the Son of God -- repeating what Peter said, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (Jn 6:68). The Church lives his mystery, draws unwearyingly from it and continually seeks ways of bringing this mystery of her Master and Lord to mankind -- to the peoples, the nations, the succeeding generations, and every in- dividual human being--as if she were ever repeating, as the Apostle did, For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2). The Church stays within the sphere of the mystery of the Redemption, which has become the fundamental principle of her life and mission (Redemptor Hominis, 7). Every Christian, for his part, should try to see that those around him desire to know Jesus Christ and him crucified and that they be firmly convinced and with the most heartfelt piety and devotion believe that no other name under heaven has been given to men by which we may be saved (cf. Acts 4:12), since he is the expiation for our sins (cf. 1 Jn 2:2) (St. Pius V Catechism, Introduction, 10). Just as Pauls preaching did not rely on eloquence, so too faith must not be based on human wisdom (cf. note on 1 Cor 1:20-25). He says that he based his message on demonstration of the Spirit and power -- probably a reference to the powerful action of divine grace on those who listened to his preaching, with grace manifesting itself in conversions and extraordinary charisms. This power of God explains how they came to believe. God continues to act through the Christian message, which is unique. It cannot be replaced. It does not permit either indifference, syncretism or accommodation. It is a question of peoples salvation. It is the beauty of the Revelation that it represents. It brings with it a wisdom that is not of this world. It is able to stir up by itself faith--faith that rests on the power of God (cf. 1 Cor 2:5). It is truth. It merits having the apostle consecrate to it all his time and all his energies, and to sacrifice for it, if necessary, his own life (Paul VI Evangelic Nuntiandi, 5). ON THE GOSPEL: Luke 4:16-30 (Jesus Preaches in Nazareth) Today we begin the meditation on the Gospel of Luke, which will extend three months until the end of the liturgical year. Today’s Gospel speaks about Jesus’ visit to Nazareth and the presentation of his program to the people of the Synagogue. In the first moment the people were admired. But, immediately, when they become aware that Jesus wants to accept all, without excluding anyone, people rebel and want to kill him. For the Jews the Sabbath was a day of rest and prayer, as God commanded (Exodus 20:8-11). On that day they would gather together to be instructed in Sacred Scripture. At the beginning of this meeting they all recited the Shema, a summary of the precepts of the Lord, and the eighteen blessings. Then a passage was read from the Book of the Law -- the Pentateuch -- and another from the Prophets. The president invited one of those present who was well versed in the Scriptures to address the gathering. Sometimes someone would volunteer and request the honor of being allowed to give this address -- as must have happened on this occasion. Jesus avails Himself of this opportunity to instruct the people (cf. Luke 4:16ff), as will His Apostles later on (cf. Acts 13:5, 14, 42, 44; 14:1; etc.). The Sabbath meeting concluded with the priestly blessing, recited by the president or by a priest if there was one present, to which the people an- swered Amen (cf. Numbers 6:22ff). Luke 4, 16-19: The proposal of Jesus. Urged by the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned to Galilee (Lk 4, 14) and begins to announce the Good News of the Kingdom of God. He goes to the community, teaches in the Synagogue and arrives to Nazareth, where he had grown. He was returning to the community, in which he had participated since he was small, and during thirty years. The following Saturday, as it was the custom, Jesus went to the Synagogue to participate in the celebration and he stands up to read. He chooses the text of Isaiah which speaks about the poor, of the prisoners, of the blind and the oppressed (Is 61, 1-2). This text is an image of the situation of the people of Galilee at the time of Jesus. The experience which Jesus had of God, the Father of Love, gave him a new look to evaluate the reality. In the name of God, Jesus takes a stand to defend the life of his people and, with the words of Isaiah, he defines his mission: (1) to announce the Good News to the poor, (2) to proclaim liberty to captives, (3) to give sight to the blind; (4) to release the oppressed, and taking the ancient tradition of the prophets, (5) to proclaim “a year of grace from the Lord”. He proclaims the Jubilee Year! In the Bible, the Jubilee Year” was an important Law. Every seven years, at the beginning (Dt 15, 1; Lv 25, 3) it was necessary to restore the land to the clan of origin. All had to be able to return to their own property; and this way they prevented the formation of large estates and families were guaranteed their livelihood. It was also necessary to forgive their debts and to redeem the persons who were slaves. (Dt 15, 1-18). It was not easy to have the Jubilee Year every seven years (cf. Jr 34, 8-16). After the exile, it was decided to have it every fifty years (Lv 25, 8-12). The objective of the Jubilee was and continues to be: to re-establish the rights of the poor, to accept the excluded and to re-integrate them into the society to live together with others. The Jubilee was a legal instrument to return to the original sense of the Law of God. This was an occasion offered by God to make a revision of the path being followed, to discover and to correct the errors and to start again from the beginning. Jesus begins his preaching proclaiming a Jubilee “A year of grace from the Lord”. The words of Isaiah which Christ read out on this occasion describe very graphically the reason why God has sent His Son into the world -- to redeem men from sin, to liberate them from slavery to the devil and from eternal death. It is true that in the course of His public ministry Christ, in His mercy, worked many cures, cast out devils, etc. But He did not cure all the sick people in the world, nor did He eliminate all forms of distress in this life, because pain, which entered the world through sin, has a permanent redemptive value when associated with the sufferings of Christ. Therefore, Christ worked miracles not so much to release the people concerned from suffering, as to demonstrate that He had a God-given mission to bring everyone to eternal salvation. The Church carries on this mission of Christ: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). These simple and sublime words, which conclude the Gospel of St. Matthew, point out the obligation to preach the truths of faith, the need for sacramental life, the promise of Christs continual assistance to His Church. You cannot be faithful to our Lord if you neglect these supernatural demands -- to receive instruction in Christian faith and morality and to frequent the Sacraments. It is with this mandate that Christ founded His Church. And the Church can bring salvation to souls only if she remains faithful to Christ in her constitution and teaching, both dogmatic and moral. Let us reject, therefore, the suggestion that the Church, ignoring the Sermon on the Mount, seeks a purely human happiness on earth, since we know that her only task is to bring men to eternal glory in Heaven. Let us reject any purely natu- ralistic view that fails to value the supernatural role of divine grace. Let us reject materialistic opinions that exclude spiritual values from human life. Let us equally reject any secularizing theory which attempts to equate the aims of the Church with those of earthly states, distorting its essence, institutions and activities into something similar to those of temporal society (St. J. Escriva, In Love with the Church, 23 and 31). Jesus read the passage from Isaiah 61:1-2 where the prophet announces the coming of the Lord, who will free His people of their afflictions. In Christ this prophecy finds its fulfillment, for He is the Anointed, the Messiah whom God has sent to His people in their tribulation. Jesus has been anointed by the Holy Spirit for the mission the Father has entrusted to Him. These phrases, according to Luke (verses 18-19), are His first messianic declaration. They are followed by the actions and words known through the Gospel. By these actions and words Christ makes the Father present among men (st. John Paul II, Dives In Misericordia, 3). The promises proclaimed in verses 18 and 19 are the blessings God will send His people through the Messiah. According to Old Testament tradition and Jesus own preaching (cf. note on Matthew 5:3), the poor refers not so much to a particular social condition as to a very religious attitude of indigence and humility towards God, which is to be found in those who, instead of relying on their possessions and merits, trust in Gods goodness and mercy. Thus, preaching good news to the poor means bringing them the good news that God has taken pity on them. Similarly, the Redemption, the release, which the text mentions, is to be understood mainly in a spiritual, transcendental sense: Christ has come to free us from the blindness and oppression of sin, which, in the last analysis, is slavery imposed on us by the devil. Captivity can be felt, St. John Chrysostom teaches in a commentary on Psalm 126, when it proceeds from physical enemies, but the spiritual captivity referred to here is worse; sin exerts a more severe tyranny, evil takes control and blinds those who lend it obedience; from this spiritual prison Jesus Christ rescued us (Catena Aurea). However, this passage is also in line with Jesus special concern for those most in need. Similarly, the Church encompasses with her love all those who are afflicted by human misery and she recognizes in those who are poor and who suffer the image of her poor and suffering Founder. She does all in her power to relieve their need and in them she strives to serve Christ (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 8 ). The Fathers of the Church see in this verse a reference to the three persons of the Holy Trinity: the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) of the Lord (the Father) is upon Me (the Son); cf. Origen, Homily 32. The Holy Spirit dwelt in Christs soul from the very moment of the Incarnation and descended visibly upon Him in the form of a dove when He was baptized by John (cf. Luke 3:21-22). Because He has anointed Me: this is a reference to the anointing Jesus received at the moment of His Incarnation, principally through the grace of the hypostatic union. This anointing of Jesus Christ was not an anointing of the body as in the case of the ancient kings, priests and prophets; rather it was entirely spiritual and divine, because the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him substantially (St. Pius X Catechism 77). From this hypostatic union the fullness of all graces derives. To show this, Jesus Christ is said to have been anointed by the Holy Spirit Himself -- not just to have received the graces and gifts of the Spirit, like the saints. The acceptable year: this is a reference to the jubilee year of the Jews, which the Law of God (Leviticus 25:8) lays down as occurring every fifty years, symbolizing the era of redemption and liberation which the Messiah would usher in. The era inaugurated by Christ, the era of the New Law extending to the end of the world, is the acceptable year, the time of mercy and redemption, which will be obtained definitively in Heaven. The Catholic Churchs custom of the Holy Year is also designed to proclaim and remind people of the redemption brought by Christ, and of the full form it will take in the future life. Luke 4, 20-22: To unite the Bible and Life. Having finished the reading, Jesus updates the text of Isaiah and says: “This text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening!” Taking the words of Isaiah as his own, Jesus gives them a full and definitive sense and he declares himself Messiah who comes to fulfil the prophecy. This way of updating the text provokes a reaction of discredit on the part of those who were in the Synagogue. They were scandalized and do not want to know anything about him. They do not accept that Jesus is the Messiah announced by Isaiah. They said: “Is he not the son of Joseph?” They were scandalized because Jesus speaks about accepting the poor, the blind and the oppressed. The people do not accept Jesus’ proposal. And, thus when he presents the project of accepting the excluded, he himself is excluded. Christs words in verse 21 show us the authenticity with which He preached and explained the Scriptures: Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Jesus teaches that this prophecy, like the other main prophecies in the Old Testament, refers to Him and finds its fulfillment in Him (cf. Luke 24:44ff). Thus, the Old Testament can be rightly understood only in the light of the New -- as the risen Christ showed the Apostles when He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (cf. Luke 24:45), an understanding which the Holy Spirit perfected on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:4). Luke 4, 23-30: To overcome the limits of race. In order to help the community to overcome the scandal and to help them understand that his proposal formed part of tradition. Jesus tells two stories known in the Bible, the story of Elijah and the one of Elisha. Both stories criticise the mental closeness of the people of Nazareth. Elijah was sent to the widow of Zarephath (1 K 17, 7-16). Elisha was sent to take care of the foreigner of Syria (2 K 5, 14). Here arises the concern of Luke who wants to show that openness already comes from Jesus. Jesus had the same difficulty which the communities at the time of Luke were having. But the call of Jesus did not calm down people, all the contrary! The stories of Elijah and Elisha produced even greater anger. The community of Nazareth reaches the point of wanting to kill Jesus. But he keeps calm. The anger of others does not succeed in drawing him away from his own path. Luke tells us that it is difficult to overcome the mentality of privilege and of mental closeness. At first the people of Nazareth listened readily to the wisdom of Jesus words. But they were very superficial; in their narrow-minded pride they felt hurt that Jesus, their fellow-townsman, had not worked in Nazareth the wonders He had worked elsewhere. They presume they have a special entitlement and they insolently demand that He perform miracles to satisfy their vanity, not to change their hearts. In view of their attitude, Jesus performs no miracle (His normal response to lack of faith: cf., for example, His meeting with Herod in Luke 23:7-11); He actually reproaches them, using two examples taken from the Old Testament (cf. 1 Kings 17:9 and 2 Kings 5:14), which show that one needs to be well-dis- posed if miracles are to lead to faith. His attitude so wounds their pride that they are ready to kill Him. This whole episode is a good lesson about understanding Jesus. We can understand Him only if we are humble and are genuinely resolved to make ourselves available to Him. It is important to notice the details used in the Old Testament. Jesus quotes the text of Isaiah up to the point where it says: “to proclaim a year of grace from the Lord”. He does not quote the rest of the phrase which says: and a “day of vengeance from our God”. The people of Nazareth throw stones at Jesus because he pretends to be the Messiah, because he wants to accept the excluded and because he has omitted to read the phrase about vengeance. They wanted the day of Yahweh to be a day of vengeance against the oppressors of the people. In this case, the coming of the Kingdom would not have been a true change or conversion of the system. Jesus does not accept this way of thinking; he does not accept vengeance (cf. Mt 5, 44-48) His new experience of God Father/Mother helped him to understand better the sense of the prophecies. Jesus does not take flight but withdraws majestically, leaving the crowd paralyzed. As on other occasions men do Him no harm; it was by Gods decree that He died on a cross (cf. John 18 : 32) when His hour had come. FINAL PRAYERS: How I love your Law, Lord! I ponder it all day long. You make me wiser than my enemies by your commandment which is mine for ever. (Ps 119,97-78) Lord of all kindness, we ask your blessing for children who have special needs. We ask for their comfort when their living is hard. May they experience comfort if they ever feel abandoned. May they be blessed with strength to overcome challenges. May they be blessed with friendship to allow them to grow in love. Lord, we pray for all of our children, that they may realize their dreams and live their lives in the fullness of your love and mercy. May the healing touch of mercy be there for our children. Let our hands be your hands, our words be your words and let your mercy flow through all of us who have your children in our care. -- Adapted from “A Prayer for Our Special Children,” Jan Bentham, OCSB 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: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 22:09:40 +0000
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