DAILY READING and REFLECTIONS For Wednesday, November 19, 2014 33rd week in Ordinary Time - Psalter Week 1 (Green) Readings: Rev 4:1-11; Ps 150:1-6; Lk 19:11-28 Response: Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God! Rosary: Glorious Mysteries Verse: I tell you, to everyone who has will be given more; but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has. SAINT OF THE DAY: Saint Nerses the Great Bishop and martyr, the father of St. Isaac the Great. A native of Armenia, he studied in Cappadocia and wed a princess who gave birth to Isaac. After she died, he served as a chamber lain in the court of King Arshak of Armenia. In 353 he was made Catholicos of the Armenians. Nerses devoted much effort to reforming the Armenian Church, including convening a synod in 365 based on the principles he had studied under St. Basil at Caesarea. Though he established hospitals and monasteries, his reforms and denunciation of King Arshaks murder of the queen led to his exile. He returned after Arshaks death in battle, but relations were not much better with the new Armenian ruler, Pap, whose dissolute lifestyle caused Nerses to refuse him admission into church. Nerses was invited to a royal banquet at Khakh, on the Euphrates River, and was assassinated by poison. FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, Revelation 4:1-11 1 Then, in my vision, I saw a door open in heaven and heard the same voice speaking to me, the voice like a trumpet, saying, Come up here: I will show you what is to take place in the future. 2 With that, I fell into ecstasy and I saw a throne standing in heaven, and the One who was sitting on the throne, 3 and the One sitting there looked like a diamond and a ruby. There was a rainbow encircling the throne, and this looked like an emerald. 4 Round the throne in a circle were twenty-four thrones, and on them twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white robes with golden crowns on their heads. 5 Flashes of lightning were coming from the throne, and the sound of peals of thunder, and in front of the throne there were seven flaming lamps burning, the seven Spirits of God. 6 In front of the throne was a sea as transparent as crystal. In the middle of the throne and around it, were four living creatures all studded with eyes, in front and behind. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third living creature had a human face, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was studded with eyes all the way round as well as inside; and day and night they never stopped singing: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty; who was, and is and is to come. 9 Every time the living creatures glorified and honoured and gave thanks to the One sitting on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders prostrated themselves before him to worship the One who lives for ever and ever, and threw down their crowns in front of the throne, saying: 11 You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you made the whole universe; by your will, when it did not exist, it was created. RESPONSORIAL PSALMS, Psalms 150:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 1 Alleluia! Praise God in his holy place, praise him in the heavenly vault of his power, 2 praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for all his greatness. 3 Praise him with fanfare of trumpet, praise him with harp and lyre, 4 praise him with tambourines and dancing, praise him with strings and pipes, 5 praise him with the clamour of cymbals, praise him with triumphant cymbals, 6 Let everything that breathes praise Yahweh. Alleluia! GOSPEL, Luke 19:11-28 11 While the people were listening to this he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God was going to show itself then and there. 12 Accordingly he said, A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be appointed king and then return. 13 He summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds, telling them, Trade with these, until I get back. 14 But his compatriots detested him and sent a delegation to follow him with this message, We do not want this man to be our king. 15 Now it happened that on his return, having received his appointment as king, he sent for those servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made by trading. 16 The first came in, Sir, he said, your one pound has brought in ten. 17 He replied, Well done, my good servant! Since you have proved yourself trustworthy in a very small thing, you shall have the government of ten cities. 18 Then came the second, Sir, he said, your one pound has made five. 19 To this one also he said, And you shall be in charge of five cities. 20 Next came the other, Sir, he said, here is your pound. I put it away safely wrapped up in a cloth 21 because I was afraid of you; for you are an exacting man: you gather in what you have not laid out and reap what you have not sown. 22 He said to him, You wicked servant! Out of your own mouth I condemn you. So you knew that I was an exacting man, gathering in what I have not laid out and reaping what I have not sown? 23 Then why did you not put my money in the bank? On my return I could have drawn it out with interest. 24 And he said to those standing by, Take the pound from him and give it to the man who has ten pounds. 25 And they said to him, But, sir, he has ten pounds . . . 26 I tell you, to everyone who has will be given more; but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has. 27 As for my enemies who did not want me for their king, bring them here and execute them in my presence. 28 When he had said this he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) OPENING PRAYER: Father of all that is good, keep us faithful in serving you, for to serve you is our lasting joy. 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: Revelation 4:1-11 (God in Majesty) Rev 4, 1. The second part of the Apocalypse begins at this point and extends to the start of the Epilogue. The author describes visions concerning the future of mankind, particularly the ultimate outcome of history when our Lord Jesus Christ will obtain the final victory, at his second coming. It begins with a formal introduction (chaps. 4-5); this is followed by a first section as it were (6:11-11:14) covering the visions of the seven seals and the first six trumpets, which describes the event prior to the final battle. The war begins with the sound of the seventh trumpet and it goes on (this is the second section 11:15-22:5) until the beast is completely routed and the Kingdom of God is definitively established in the heavenly Jerusalem. This introductory vision (chaps 4-5) begins with God in heaven in all his glory being worshipped and celebrated by all creation (chap. 4). He alone controls the destiny of the world and the Church. Only Jesus knows Gods salvific plans, and he, through his death and resurrection, reveals them to us. All this is expressed in chapter 4 by the image of the Lamb who is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Rev 4, 1-3. The risen and glorified Christ, who spoke to St John previously (cf. 1:10-13), now invites him, in a new vision, to go up into heaven to be told Gods plan for the world. I looked, I was in the Spirit, I went up to heaven all describe the same phenomenon -- God revealing something to the writer. Because the things he is being told are things man could not possibly discover for himself, the writer speaks about going up to heaven: this enables him to contemplate heavenly things, that is, God. Going up to heaven is the same as being in ecstasy, being in the Spirit, being taken over by the Holy Spirit so as to be able to understand what God wants to reveal to him (cf. note on 1:10). He is going to be shown what must take place after this; it is something which has already begun to happen in the writers own time but it will not reach its climax until the end of the world. The revelation he is given shows him the ultimate meaning of contemporary events, the outcome of which is guaranteed by the authority of the revealer, Jesus Christ. The description given here of heaven stresses the majesty and power of God. Heaven is depicted with a throne at its center, an image taken from Isaiah (cf. Is 6:1) and Ezekiel (cf. Ezek 1:26-28; 10:1). Gods appearance is described in terms of the vivid coloring of precious stones; this avoids the danger of defining God in human terms (an inversion of values). The rainbow round the throne further emphasizes the sublimity of God and is also a reminder (cf. Gen 9:12-17) of Gods merciful promise never to destroy mankind. Rev 4, 4. Gods sovereignty over the world -- as symbolized by the throne -- is shared in by others whom the vision also portrays as seated on thrones. They are symbo- lically described as twenty-four elders who act as a kind of heavenly council or senate. These elders appear frequently in the course of the book, always positioned beside God, rendering him tribute of glory and worship (cf. 4:10; 5:9; 19:4), offering him the prayers of the faithful (cf. 5:8 ) or explaining events to the seer (cf. 5:5; 7:13). It is not clear whether they stand for angels or saints; the Fathers and recent commentators offer both interpretations. The symbolic number (twenty-four) and the way they are described suggest that they stand for saints in the glory of heaven. They are twenty-four -- twelve plus twelve, that is, the number of the tribes of Israel plus that of the Apostles. Our Lord in fact promised the latter that they would sit on thrones (cf. Mt 19:28 ). The twenty-four elders, then, would represent the heavenly Church, which includes the old and the new Israel and which, in heaven, renders God the tribute of perfect praise and intercedes for the Church on earth. The number twenty-four has also been seen as reflecting the twenty-four priestly classes of Judaism, thereby emphasizing the liturgical dimension of heaven (cf. 1 Chron 24: 7-18; 25:1, 9-13). Whichever is the case, the white garments indicate that they have achieved everlasting salvation (cf. 3:5); and the golden crowns stand for the reward they have earned (cf. 2:10), or the prominence among Christians, who have been promised that, if they come out victorious, they will sit on Christs throne (cf. 3:21). Through these visions laden with symbolism the Apocalypse shows the solidarity that exists between the Church triumphant and the Church militant -- specifically, the connection between the praise that is rendered God in heaven and that which we offer him on earth, in the liturgy. The Second Vatican Council refers to this: In the earthly liturgy we take part in the foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God [...]. With all the warriors of the heavenly army we sing a hymn of glory to the Lord; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, until he our life shall appear and we too will appear with him in glory (Sancrosanctum Concilium, 8 ). Rev 4, 5. This vision is similar to the Old Testament theophanies, especially that of Sinai. There too the Lords presence was revealed with thunder and lightning (cf. Ex 19:16). Storms are frequently used to symbolize the salvific power and majesty of God at the moment of revelation (cf. Ps 18:14; 50:3; etc.). Further on, the author will again describe, in more detail, the signs accompanying Gods self-revealing; this gives the book a sense of on-going revelation with an increasing tempo (cf. Rev 8 :5; 11:19; 16:18 ; etc.). It is generally accepted Church tradition to interpret fire as a manifestation of the Spirit of God. Rev 4, 6-7. To describe the majesty of God, St John uses symbols which are sometimes quite difficult to interpret. This is the case with the sea as transparent as glass, and the four living creatures round the throne and on each side of it. The scene may be a kind of heavenly replica of the arrangements in Solomons temple where there stood in front of the Holy of Holies a huge water container called the molten sea supported by figures of oxen, twelve in number (cf. 1 Kings 7:23-26; 2 Chron 4:2-5). This similarity between heaven and the temple would be a way of expressing the connection between liturgy on earth and worship of God in heaven. The crystal sea may also be an allusion to Gods absolute dominion over all forms of authority on earth. In biblical tradition the sea is often used as a symbol for the powers of darkness (cf. Rev 13:1; 21:1). To God, however, the sea is crystal-clear, that is, he is its master; cf. the way the spirit of God moved over the surface of the waters in Genesis 1:2. Elsewhere in the Apocalypse (15:2) it speaks of the sea of glass supporting the blessed while they praise God: just as the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, so those who have conquered the beast will cross this solid sea to make their way to God. The author of the Book of Revelation avails of images used by the prophets to describe the glory of Yahweh. The four living creatures are very like those in the prophet Ezekiels vision of the chariot of the Lord drawn by four angels representing intelligence, nobility, strength and agility (cf. Ezek 1:10; 10:12; Is 6:2). Christian tradition going back as far as St Irenaeus has interpreted these four creatures as standing for the four evangelists because they carry Jesus Christ to men. The one with the face of a man is St Matthew, who starts his book with the human genealogy of Christ; the lion stands for St Mark: his Gospel begins with the voice crying in the wilderness (which is where the lions roar can be heard); the ox is a reference to the sacrifices in the temple of Jerusalem, which is where St Luke begins his account of Christs life, and the eagle represents St. John, who soars to the heights to contemplate the divinity of the Word. Rev 4, 8-11. The chant of the four living creatures is virtually the same as that which the prophet Isaiah heard the six-winged seraphim sing in his vision of God in the temple of Jerusalem (cf. Is 6: 1-3). St John changes the ending by bringing in the new name of God which is an elaboration of the name Yahweh (cf. note on Rev 1:4). The four creatures (who, because there are four of them stand for government of the entire universe) take the lead in worshipping and praising God; but they are joined by all the people of God, as represented by the twenty-four elders, that is, the Church victorious in heaven. They throw down their crowns to show that they realize their victory is due to God, and that all power belongs to him. Essentially what they are praising here is God as creator. By reporting this vision the author of the Apocalypse is inviting the pilgrim Church on earth to associate with the worship and praise offered God the creator in heaven. The Church uses these words of praise in its eucharistic liturgy: at the end of the Preface, it chants the angelic Sanctus in preparation for the Canon. This angelic chant, performed as it is in heaven and on earth, reminds us of the sublimity of the Mass, where the worship of God crosses the frontiers of time and space and has a positive influence on the entire world, for, through the communion of the saints, all Christians receive grace from every Mass that is celebrated, regard- less of whether there is an attendance of thousands or whether it is only a boy with his mind on other things who is there to serve. In either case, heaven and earth join with the angels of the Lord to sing: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus ... (St. J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 88 ). The saintly Cure of Ars refers to this intercommunion of praise and thanksgiving, of grace and forgiveness: The Holy Mass is a source of joy to all the heavenly court; it alleviates the poor souls in purgatory; it draws down to earth all kinds of blessings; and it gives more glory to God than all the sufferings of all the martyrs taken together, than all the penances of all the hermits, than all the tears shed for them [the holy souls] since time began and all that will be shed from now till the end of time (Selected Sermons, second Sunday after Pentecost). ON THE GOSPEL: Luke 19:11-28 (Parable of the Pounds, The Messiah Enters the Holy City) The Gospel today presents the parable of the talents, in which Jesus speaks of the gifts that persons receive from God. All persons have some qualities; they receive some gift or know something which they can teach to others. Nobody is only a pupil, nobody is only a professor. We all learn from one another. Luke 19, 11: The key to understand the story of the parable. To introduce the parable Luke says the following: “At that time Jesus went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and the disciples thought that the Kingdom of God was going to show itself then and there”. In this initial information, Luke presents three reasons which led Jesus to tell this parable: (a) The acceptance which is to be given to the excluded, referring to the episode of Zacchaeus, the excluded one whom Jesus accepts. (b) The getting closer to the Passion, Death and Resurrection, because he said that Jesus was near Jerusalem where shortly he would be condemned to death (c) The imminent coming of the Kingdom of God, because the persons who accompanied Jesus thought that the Kingdom of God would come later. The disciples had a wrong concept of the Kingdom of Heaven: they thought it was about to happen and they saw it in earthly terms: they envisaged Jesus conquering the Roman tyrant and immediately establishing the Kingdom in the holy city of Jerusalem, and that when that happened they would hold privileged positions in the Kingdom. There is always a danger of Christians failing to grasp the transcendent, supernatural character of the Kingdom of God in this world, that is, the Church, which has but one sole purpose--that the Kingdom of God may come and the salvation of the human race may be accomplished. (Vatican II, Gaudium Et Spes, 45). Through this parable our Lord teaches us that, although His reign has begun, it will only be fully manifested later on. In the time left to us we should use all the resources and graces God gives us, in order to merit the reward. Luke 19, 12-14: The beginning of the parable. “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be appointed king and then return. He summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds telling them, ‘Trade with these, until I get back’”. Some scholars think that in this Parable Jesus is referring to Herod who seventy years before (40 AD), went to Rome to receive the title and power of King of Palestine. People did not like Herod and did not want him to become king, because the experience that they had of him was one of commander to repress the rebellions in Galilee against Rome and it was tragic and painful. This is why they said: “We do not want this man to be our king!” To this same Herod they would apply the last phrase of the Parable: “As for my enemies who did not want me for their king, bring them here and execute them in my presence”. In fact, Herod killed many people. The mina, here translated as pound, was worth about 35 grams of gold. This parable is very like the parable of the talents reported in St. Matthew (cf. 25:14-30). The last part of this verse, although it has a very specific context, reflects the attitude of many people who do not want to bear the sweet yoke of our Lord and who reject Him as king. There are millions of people in the world who reject Jesus Christ in this way; or rather they reject His shadow, for they do not know Christ. They have not seen the beauty of His face; they do not realize how wonderful His teaching is. This sad state of affairs makes me want to atone to our Lord. When I hear that endless clamor--expressed more in ignoble actions than in words--I feel the need to cry out, He must reign! (1 Corinthians 15:25) (St. J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 179). Luke 19, 15-19: The account given by the first employees who received one hundred silver coins. The story also informs that Herod, after having obtained the title of king, returned to Palestine to take over the power. In the Parable, the king called his servants to whom he had given one hundred silver coins to know how much they had gained. The first one came in and said: Sir, your talent has produced ten other talents. He replied, “Well done, my good servant! Since you have proved yourself trustworthy in a very small thing, you shall have the government of ten cities. Then came the second one, and said, ‘Sir, your talent has brought five other talents. To this one also he said, ‘And you shall be in charge of five cities’. According to the story, Herod the Great and his son Herod Antipas, both knew how to deal with money and to promote the persons who helped them. In the parable, the king gave ten cities to the servant who multiplied by ten the talent he had received and five cities to the one who multiplied it by five. God counts on our fidelity in little things, and the greater our effort in this regard the greater the reward we will receive: Because you have been in pauca fidelis, faithful in small things, come and join in your Masters happiness. The words are Christs. In pauca fidelis!...Now will you neglect little things, if Heaven itself is promised to those who mind them? (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 819). Luke 19, 20-23: The rendering of account by the servant who gained nothing. The third servant arrived and said: ‘Sir, here is your talent I put it away safely wrapped up in a cloth, because I was afraid of you, for you are an exacting man, you gather in what you have not laid out and reap what you have not sown. In this phrase we have a mistaken idea of God which is criticized by Jesus. The servant considers God a severe master. Before such a God, the human being is afraid and hides himself behind the exact and poor observance of the law. He thinks that acting in this way, he will not be punished by the severity of the legislator. In reality, such a person does not believe in God, but believes only in self, in his observance of the law. He closes himself up in self; he draws away from God and is not able to be concerned about others. He becomes incapable to grow as a free person. This false image of God isolates the human being, kills the community, extinguishes the joy and impoverishes life. The king answers: Out of your own mouth I condemn you, wicked servant!” You knew that I was an exacting man, gathering what I have not laid out and reaping what I have not sown? Then why did you not put my money in the bank? On my return I could have drawn it out with interest. The servant is not coherent with the image he had of God. If he imagined God so severe, at least he should have put the money in the bank. He is not condemned by God, but by the mistaken idea that he had conceived of God and which renders him more immature and more fearful than what he should have been. One of the things which has more influences in the life of the people is the idea that we have of God. Among the Jews of the line of the Pharisees, some imagined God as a severe judge who treated them according to the merit gained by the observance. That caused fear and prevented persons from growing. And above all, it prevented them from opening a space within themselves to accept the new experience of God which Jesus communicated. Luke 19, 24-27: Conclusion for all. “And he said to those standing by: Take the talent from him and give it to the man who has ten talents. And they answered: But, Sir, he already has ten!” I tell you, to everyone who has will be given more, but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has. As for my enemies who did not want me for their king, bring them here and execute them in my presence”. The man orders to take way the one hundred coins and to give them to the one who has one thousand, because “ To everyone who has will be given more, but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has“. In this last phrase is found the key which clarifies the Parable. In the symbolism of the parable, the silver coin of the king are the goods of the Kingdom of God, that is, all that which makes the person grow and which reveals God’s presence: love, service, sharing. Anyone who closes self in self out of fear to lose what he has, he will lose even the little that he has. Therefore, the person who does not think only of self, but gives himself/herself to others, will grow and will receive super abundantly, all that he/she has given and much more: “one hundred times more, a hundred fold” (Mk 10, 30). “Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, anyone who has the courage to lose it, will save it” (Lk 9, 24; 17, 33; Mt 10, 39; 16, 25; Mk 8, 35). The third servant is afraid and does nothing. He does not want to lose anything and because of this he gains nothing. He loses even the little he had. The Kingdom is a risk. Anyone who does not run, runs a risks, he loses the Kingdom! God expects us to strive to put to good use the gifts we have received -- and He lavishly rewards those who respond to His grace. The king in the parable is shown to be very generous towards his servants--and generous in rewarding those who managed to increase the money they were given. But he is very severe towards the lazy servant who was also the recipient of a gift from his Lord, who did not let it erode but guarded it carefully--and for this his king criticizes him: he failed to fulfill the just command the king gave him when he gave him the money: Trade till I come. If we appreciate the treasures the Lord has given us -- life, the gift of faith, grace -- we will make a special effort to make them bear fruit -- by fulfilling our duties, working hard and doing apostolate. Dont let your life be barren. Be useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love. With your apostolic life, wipe out the trail of filth and slime left by the corrupt sowers of hatred. And set aflame all the ways of the earth with the fire of Christ that you bear in your heart (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 1). Luke 19, 28: Return to the triple initial key. At the end, Luke closes this theme with the following information: “Having said these things Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem”. This final information recalls the triple key given at the beginning: the acceptance to be given to the excluded, the closeness of the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus in Jerusalem and the idea of the imminent coming of the Kingdom. To those who thought that the Kingdom of God was about to arrive, the parable orders to change the way of looking, the vision. The Kingdom of God arrives, yes but through the death and the Resurrection of Jesus which will take place within a short time in Jerusalem. And the reason for the death and resurrection is the acceptance which Jesus gives to the excluded, for example to Zacchaeus and to so many others. He disturbs the great and they eliminated him condemning him to death, and death on the cross. Normally in the Gospels when there is mention of going to the Holy City it is in terms of going up to Jerusalem (cf. Matthew 20:18; John 7:8), probably because geographically the city is located on Mount Zion. Besides, since the temple was the religious and political center, going up to Jerusalem had also a sacred meaning of ascending to the holy place, where sacrifices were offered to God. Particularly in the Gospel of St. Luke, our Lords whole life is seen in terms of a continuous ascent towards Jerusalem, where His self-surrender reaches its high point in the redemptive sacrifice of the Cross. Here Jesus is on the point of entering the city, conscious of the fact that His passion and death are imminent. FINAL PRAYERS: Praise God in his holy place, praise him in the heavenly vault of his power, praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for all his greatness. (Ps 150,1-2) How do you, Lord, look at me? What do you feel in your heart for me? -- John Egan, SJ 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: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 21:00:45 +0000
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