Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary:
459
The LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning
and shown the dawn its place
For taking hold of the ends of the earth,
till the wicked are shaken from its surface?
The earth is changed as is clay by the seal,
and dyed as though it were a garment;
But from the wicked the light is withheld,
and the arm of pride is shattered.
Have you entered into the sources of the sea,
or walked about in the depths of the abyss?
Have the gates of death been shown to you,
or have you seen the gates of darkness?
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all:
Which is the way to the dwelling place of light,
and where is the abode of darkness,
That you may take them to their boundaries
and set them on their homeward paths?
You know, because you were born before them,
and the number of your years is great!
Then Job answered the LORD and said:
Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again;
though twice, I will do so no more.
Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning
and shown the dawn its place
For taking hold of the ends of the earth,
till the wicked are shaken from its surface?
The earth is changed as is clay by the seal,
and dyed as though it were a garment;
But from the wicked the light is withheld,
and the arm of pride is shattered.
Have you entered into the sources of the sea,
or walked about in the depths of the abyss?
Have the gates of death been shown to you,
or have you seen the gates of darkness?
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all:
Which is the way to the dwelling place of light,
and where is the abode of darkness,
That you may take them to their boundaries
and set them on their homeward paths?
You know, because you were born before them,
and the number of your years is great!
Then Job answered the LORD and said:
Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again;
though twice, I will do so no more.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10,
13-14ab
R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the
everlasting way.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Gospel Lk 10:13-16
Jesus said to them,
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,Bethsaida !
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done inTyre and Sidon ,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable forTyre
and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you,Capernaum ,
'Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.'
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you,
You will go down to the netherworld.'
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
Meditation: "He who rejects me"
If Jesus were to visit your
community today, what would he say? Would he issue a warning like the one he
gave to Chorazin and "Lord Jesus, give me the child-like simplicity and purity of faith to gaze upon your face with joy and confidence in your all-merciful love. Remove every doubt, fear, and proud thought which would hinder me from receiving your word with trust and humble submission."
www.dailyscripture.net
Payback Time |
Friday of the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
|
Listen to podcast version here. Jesus said to them, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Petition: Lord, help me to appreciate your gifts and use them to the best of my ability, for your glory. 1. The Privileged Few: Today we see another side of Jesus in the Gospel. Often we see him as the miracle worker, curing the sick, raising the dead. But now we see the flipside of these miracles: Christ demands a response from the people who have witnessed them. It´s not enough that people stare in wonderment at Our Lord´s mighty deeds. Those deeds, among other things, prove his divine origin and the truthfulness of his message. Part of that message demands repentance and conversion. Closer to our own day we can think of the tens of millions of people who personally saw Pope John Paul II in his many public appearances. How many of those people actually changed their lives after the encounter? How have I responded to God´s grace and favor in my life? Have I taken God´s graces for granted? 2. The Not-so-Blessed: God, in his mysterious design seems, to favor some souls with gifts not given to others. Here, Jesus acknowledges that 3. Domino Effect: Christ´s authority includes his ability to delegate it. To the Church, he gives the power to bind and to loose. "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" (John 20:23). Moreover, Number 891 of the Catechism observes that "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys […] infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful -- who confirms his brethren in the faith -- he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals." When we follow the Holy Father´s teaching, we honor the One who gave him authority. And Our Lord´s authority extends in other areas: to parents over their dependent children, to government officials who oversee the common good, etc. Do I respect the legitimate authority of those around me? Do I understand that obedience to legitimate authority is a form of obedience to God himself? Conversation with Christ:Jesus, help me see that your obedience to Pilate on Good Friday was part of your obedience to your loving Father in heaven. Let me understand that obedience to legitimate authority is a means of growth in humility and holiness. Resolution: I will carry out one request that a legitimate authority (a boss, a parent, etc.) has been asking of me… and do it with joy. |
Guide
me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
If I take
the wings of the morning and dwell in the outermost parts of the sea, even
there your hands will lead me.What beautiful images in this psalm: the wings of the morning and the outermost parts of the sea. I immediately have a vision of dawn lifting the psalmist up from the newly-lit earth and away over the sea, and yet, even in this place of the unknown, God is there and leading them by the hand.
Being led by the hand suggests a reciprocal relationship. God is just as much a part of our journey as we are. God sees what we see, hears what we hear and finds the same beauty in the world.
It is lovely to think of God as gaining the same joy from creation that we do. We are God’s handiwork and he knows us intimately, as he does the rest of his creation. God is with us, he knows us and he loves us.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
NO
LIFE WITHOUT COMMUNITY
This
week's College Musical, 'Anything Goes', is probably the biggest
community-building exercise in the school's calendar. I had these things to say
about it in the School Assembly on Wednesday:
'In
the middle of the last century we saw our planet Earth from space for the first
time. One of the first to see Earth from space later wrote: 'When you look at
the Earth from space - there are no national boundaries visible - It's a planet
- all one place. All the beings on it are mutually dependent, like living on a
lifeboat. Whatever the causes that divide us, the earth will be here a thousand
- a million - years from now'.'
Michael
Jordan, the great basketball player, said once, 'There are plenty of teams in
every sport that have great players and never win titles. Most of the time,
those players aren't willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The
funny thing is, in the end, their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes
individual goals more difficult to achieve - I'd rather have five guys with
less talent who are willing to come together as a team than five guys who
consider themselves stars and aren't willing to sacrifice. Talent wins games,
but teamwork and intelligence win championships.'
From
A Canopy of Stars: Some Reflections for the Journey by Fr Christopher Gleeson
SJ [David Lovell Publishing 2003]
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
True Discipleship
Give
me the grace, O Savior of the world, to bring your presence even to your
enemies and to persist faithfully in witnessing to them even when I find it
painful to do so. Let me be inspired by your martyrs who constantly call us
back to you, our only hope and salvation.
—Fr.
Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.
—
from Firmly On the Rock
October 5
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
(1905-1938)
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
(1905-1938)
St. Maria Faustina's name is forever
linked to the annual feast of the Divine Mercy (celebrated on the Second Sunday
of Easter), the divine mercy chaplet and the divine mercy prayer recited each
day by many people at 3 p.m.
Born in
what is now west-central In addition to carrying out her work faithfully, generously serving the needs of the sisters and the local people, she also had a deep interior life. This included receiving revelations from the Lord Jesus, messages that she recorded in her diary at the request of Christ and of her confessors.
At a time when some Catholics had an image of God as such a strict judge that they might be tempted to despair about the possibility of being forgiven, Jesus chose to emphasize his mercy and forgiveness for sins acknowledged and confessed. “I do not want to punish aching mankind,” he once told St. Maria Faustina, “but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my merciful heart” (Diary 1588). The two rays emanating from Christ's heart, she said, represent the blood and water poured out after Jesus' death (Gospel of John 19:34)
Because Sister Maria Faustina knew that the revelations she had already received did not constitute holiness itself, she wrote in her diary: “Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God. These gifts are merely ornaments of the soul, but constitute neither its essence nor its perfection. My sanctity and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God” (Diary 1107).
Sister Maria Faustina died of tuberculosis in
The Divine Mercy image painted by Adolf Hyla. The Polish inscription at the bottom means "Jesus I trust in you" |
Comment:
Devotion to God's Divine Mercy bears some resemblance to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In both cases, sinners are encouraged not to despair, not to doubt God's willingness to forgive them if they repent. As Psalm 136 says in each of its 26 verses, “God's love [mercy] endures forever.”
Devotion to God's Divine Mercy bears some resemblance to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In both cases, sinners are encouraged not to despair, not to doubt God's willingness to forgive them if they repent. As Psalm 136 says in each of its 26 verses, “God's love [mercy] endures forever.”
Quote:
Four years after Faustina's beatification, Pope John Paul II visited the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy at Lagiewniki (nearKrakow ) and
addressed members of her congregation. He said: “The message of divine mercy
has always been very close and precious to me. It is as though history has
written it in the tragic experience of World War II. In those difficult years,
this message was a particular support and an inexhaustible source of hope, not
only for those living in Krakow , but for the
entire nation. This was also my personal experience, which I carried with me to
the See of Peter and which, in a certain sense, forms the image of this
pontificate. I thank divine providence because I was able to contribute
personally to carrying out Christ's will, by instituting the feast of Divine
Mercy. Here, close to the remains of Blessed Faustina, I thank God for the gift
of her beatification. I pray unceasingly that God may have 'mercy on us and on
the whole world' "(Quote from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy).
Four years after Faustina's beatification, Pope John Paul II visited the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy at Lagiewniki (near
LECTIO: LUKE 10,13-16
Lectio:
Friday, October 5,
2012
Ordinary
Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
you show your almighty power
in your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promise
and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.
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.
you show your almighty power
in your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promise
and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.
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.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 10,13-16
Jesus said: 'Alas for
you, Corazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida !
For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre
and Sidon , they
would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. And still, it
will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the Judgement
than for you. And as for you, Capernaum ,
did you want to be raised high as heaven? You shall be flung down to hell.
'Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the one who sent me.'
'Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the one who sent me.'
3) Reflection
● The Gospel today
continues speaking about the sending out of the seventy-two disciples (Lk
10,1-12). At the end, after sending them out, Jesus speaks about shaking off
the dust from the shoes, if the missionaries are not welcomed or accepted (Lk
10,10-12). Today's Gospel stressed and extends the threats upon those who
refuse to receive the Good News.
● Luke 10, 13-14: Alas for you, Corazin! Alas for you,Bethsaida ! The place which Jesus travelled
or covered in the three years of his missionary life was small. It measured
only a few square kilometres along the Sea of Galilee around the cities of Capernaum , Bethsaida ,
and Corazin. Precisely in this very small space Jesus works the majority of his
miracles and presents his discourses. He has come to save the whole of
humanity, and he hardly went out of the limited space of his land. But,
tragically, Jesus had to see that the people of those cities do not want to
accept the message of the Kingdom and are not converted. The cities fixed
themselves in the rigidity of their beliefs, traditions and customs and they do
not accept the invitation of Jesus to change life. Alas
for you, Corazin; Alas for you Bethsaida !
For if the miracle done in you had been done in Tyre
and Sidon , they
would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes". Jesus compares the two cities
with Tyre and Sidon
which in the past were unyielding enemies of Israel , ill-treating the people of
God. For this reason they were cursed by the Prophets: (Is 23, 1; Jr 25, 22;
47, 4; Ez 26, 3; 27, 2; 28, 2; Jl 4, 4; Am 1, 10). And now Jesus says that
these same cities, symbols of all the evil done to the people in the past,
would have already converted if so many miracles would have been worked in them
as in Corazin and in Bethsaida .
● Luke 10, 15: And youCapernaum .
"Did you want to be raised high as Heaven? You shall be flung down to
hell. Jesus
recalls the condemnation which Isaiah, the Prophet launched against Babylonia . Proud and arrogant, Babylonia
thought: "I shall scale the heavens;
higher than the stars of God I shall set my throne. I shall sit on the Mount of
the Assembly far away to the north. I shall climb high above the clouds, I
shall rival the Most High" (Is
14, 13-14). That is what it thought! But it completely deceived itself! The contrary
happened. The Prophet says: "Now you
have been flung down to Sheol, into the depths of the abyss!" (Is 14, 15). Jesus compares Capernaum with that terrible Babylonia
which destroyed the monarchy and the temple and took the people as slaves, from
which it never succeeded to recover. Like Babylonia, Capernaum thought it was something important,
but it fell into the most profound hell. The Gospel of Matthew compares Capernaum with the city of Sodom , the symbol of the worse perversion,
which was destroyed by God's anger (Gen 18, 16 to 19, 29). Sodom
would have converted if it had seen the miracles which Jesus worked in Capernaum (Mt 11, 23-24).
Today, the same paradox continues to exist. Many of us, Catholics since we were
children, have such consolidated convictions that nobody is capable to convert
us. And in some places, Christianity, instead of being a source of change and
of conversion, has become the refuge of the most reactionary forces of politics
of the country.
● Luke 10, 16: "Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me. And those who reject me reject the one who has sent me". This phrase places the accent on the identification of the disciples with Jesus, in so far as he is despised by the authority. In Matthew the same phrase of Jesus, placed in another context, underlines the identification of the disciples with Jesus accepted by the people (Mt 10, 40). In both cases, the disciples identify themselves with Jesus in the total gift and in this gift is realized their encounter with God, and God allows himself to be found by those who seek him.
● Luke 10, 13-14: Alas for you, Corazin! Alas for you,
● Luke 10, 15: And you
● Luke 10, 16: "Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me. And those who reject me reject the one who has sent me". This phrase places the accent on the identification of the disciples with Jesus, in so far as he is despised by the authority. In Matthew the same phrase of Jesus, placed in another context, underlines the identification of the disciples with Jesus accepted by the people (Mt 10, 40). In both cases, the disciples identify themselves with Jesus in the total gift and in this gift is realized their encounter with God, and God allows himself to be found by those who seek him.
4) Personal questions
● Does my city and my
country deserve the warning of Jesus against Capernaum ,
Corazin and Bethsaida ?
● How do I identify myself with Jesus?
● How do I identify myself with Jesus?
5) Concluding prayer
Protect me, O God, in
you is my refuge.
To Yahweh I say,
'You are my Lord, my happiness is in none.'
My birthright, my cup is Yahweh;
you, you alone, hold my lot secure. (Ps 16,1-2,5)
To Yahweh I say,
'You are my Lord, my happiness is in none.'
My birthright, my cup is Yahweh;
you, you alone, hold my lot secure. (Ps 16,1-2,5)
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