JUNE 23, 2013 : TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME year C

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time 
Lectionary: 96

Reading 1ZEC 12:10-11; 13:1

Thus says the LORD:
I will pour out on the house of David
and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem
a spirit of grace and petition;
and they shall look on him whom they have pierced, 
and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son,
and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a firstborn.

On that day the mourning in Jerusalem shall be as great
as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

On that day there shall be open to the house of David
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.

Responsorial PsalmPS 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Reading 2GAL 3:26-29

Brothers and sisters:

Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ

have clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek,

there is neither slave nor free person,

there is not male and female;

for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

And if you belong to Christ,

then you are Abraham’s descendant,

heirs according to the promise.

GospelLK 9:18-24

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist;
others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them
and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

www.usccb.org

Scripture Study

June 23, 2013 Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

The readings for this Sunday deal with various aspects of discipleship and the call to discipleship. They invite us to consider the impact of discipleship on our lives and the depth of our commitment. The first reading stresses that God calls us in the midst of the ordinary tasks of life and our response should imitate that of Elisha. It should be immediate and it should be irrevocable. The second reading tells us that there is freedom in following Christ but that the freedom carries with it a responsibility. The Gospel reading states the choice in stark and somewhat jarring terms. In what ways has Jesus said, "Follow Me" in my life? How have I responded? What does my "way to Jerusalem" look like and how have I helped or hindered the others that I have met along the way?

First Reading: 1 Kings 19: 16b, 19-21

[The Lord said to Elijah,] "16 Then you shall anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel, and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, as prophet to succeed you. [17 If anyone escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill him. If he escapes the sword if Jehu, Elisha will kill him. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand men in Israel--all those who have not knelt to Baal or kissed him."]

19 Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. 20 Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please, let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and I will follow you." "Go back!" Elijah answered. "Have I done anything to you?" 21 Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his people to eat. Then he left and followed Elijah as his attendant.

NOTES on First Reading:

* 19:17-18 These verses are left out of the reading this week.

* 19:18 God knew about the faithful ones even though they were unrecognized by men. God Himself watched over them.

* 19:19 In the midst of his ordinary tasks Elisha received the call to God's service. Elijah's treatment of Elisha during the investiture parallels God's treatment of Elijah (Notice v 19 compared to v 11 and v 20 compared to v 5. Throwing his mantle over Elisha was a symbolic claiming of the young man as a member of his household and an invitation to join him as a student.

* 19:21 Elisha's action is an irrevocable commitment. Elisha destroys the very things to which he might return so that the past is symbolically removed from his life and can not call him back.

Second Reading: Galatians 5: 1, 13-18

1 For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

13 For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. 16 I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. 18 But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 5:1 Here Paul begins the exhortations which continue through Gal 6:10, with an appeal to the Galatians to choose freedom instead of slavery (Gal 5:1). He restates his message of justification or righteousness by faith instead of law and circumcision (Gal 5:2-5); See Gal 2:16; 3:3. It is faith, not circumcision, that counts (Gal 5:6). Paul concludes from the allegory in Gal 4:21-31 that freedom is the result of Christ's work for us and he stresses its value. This principle was previously mentioned in Gal 2:4 and is a characteristic of Paul's preaching. In Gal 5:13 Paul will emphasize responsible use of this freedom that we have in Christ. Paul is concerned not with license to sin but with freedom from the law and it material observances.

Verses 5:2-12 which are left out of the Lectionary reading deal most directly with circumcision. By skipping them, the point of the reading becomes freedom in our own lives rather than freedom in the lives of people two thousand years ago.

* 5:13 The issue here is what is freedom? Paul exhorts the Galatians not to sink into sin and Godless conduct simply because they have been freed from the law. Rather they should use their new found freedom in loving service to each other. Paul sees freedom to or for something rather that freedom from the law.

* 5:14 Paul is thinking about the well-known proverbs of the time that were summary statements of the Jewish law or of Leviticus 19:18 or possibly even of Jesus' own statements of Matthew 7:12. In Lev the neighbor was a fellow Jew for Jesus and for Paul there was to be no distinction between Jew and Gentile (Rom. 10:12).

* 5:16 The phrase "live by the Spirit" is more literally translated as "walk by the Spirit." The Semitic sense of this phrase is to "conduct oneself by the Spirit." For Paul, the principle of Christian adoption ("sonship" in the old texts) is also the principle of Christian activity.

* 5:17 For Paul, "the flesh" is the symbol of all that is in opposition to God especially that which we have in our own fallen human nature that strives against God's will. Union with Christ and endowment with the Holy Spirit does not make Christians immune to this struggle. However, the indwelling Spirit acts as an interior principle to counteract the "flesh" and so we respond to this inner voice rather than to the entirely exterior voice of the law.

Gospel Reading: Luke 9: 51-62

51 When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, 52 and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, 53 but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" 55 Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56 and they journeyed to another village.

57 As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." 59 And to another he said, "Follow me." But he replied, "(Lord,) let me go first and bury my father." 60 But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." 62 (To him) Jesus said, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."

NOTES on Gospel Reading:

* 9:51 With this verse Luke begins a new section of his narrative which will continue until Luke 18:14. The Galilean ministry of Jesus finishes with the previous episode and from here on the story will revolve around a long journey to Jerusalem taken by Jesus and His apostles. While this journey is based on Mark 10:1-52, Luke uses his Marcan source only in Luke 18:15-19:27. This section of Luke's Gospel up to that point consists of an insertion of a distinctive collection of sayings of Jesus and stories about him that Luke has drawn from an other source, and from his own special traditions. Much of the material in the Lucan travel narrative is cast as teaching for the disciples. During the course of this journey Jesus is preparing his chosen Galilean witnesses for the role they will play after His exodus (Luke 9:31) as His witnesses to the people (Acts 10:39; 13:31). This provides certainty to the readers of Luke's gospel that the teachings they have received from the apostles are rooted in the teachings of Jesus Himself (Luke 1:1-4).

The reference to the "Days for his being taken up" like the references to His exodus in Luke 9:31 probably refers to all the events (suffering, death, resurrection, ascension) of his last days in Jerusalem. "He resolutely determined" is literally, "he set his face." This is a reference to Isa 50:7.

* 9:52-55 The travel narrative begins with the rejection of Jesus by the Samaritans as a parallel to the Galilean ministry which began with a rejection of Jesus in his hometown. In this episode Jesus disassociates himself from the attitude of His disciples that those who reject him are to be punished severely. The story alludes to the prophet Elijah taking exactly the course of action that Jesus rejects and Jesus thereby rejects the identification of himself with Elijah. (See 2 Kings 1:10,12)

* 9:52 Samaria was the area between Judea and Galilee west of the Jordan river. The Samaritans and the Jews were bitterly opposed to one another for ethnic and religious reasons, (see John 4:9). Each believed the other to be unfaithful to God's covenant.

* 9:57-62 In this collection of sayings, Jesus speaks of the severity and the unconditional nature of Christian discipleship. The sense of urgency is to be such that even family ties and filial obligations are not to distract one from proclaiming the kingdom of God. The first two sayings are paralleled in Matthew 8:19-22. Trying to literalize these sayings or proverbs would rob them of their power. Their impact is partly due to their stark hyperbole or exaggeration which is intended to jolt hearers out of their complacent attitude and their normal way of looking at the world.

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Meditation: "Who do you say that I am?"

Who is Jesus for you – and what difference does he make in your life? Many in Israel recognized Jesus as a mighty man of God, even comparing him with the greatest of the prophets. Peter, always quick to respond whenever Jesus spoke, professed that Jesus was truly the "Christ of God". No mortal being could have revealed this to Peter, but only God. Through the "eyes of faith" Peter discovered who Jesus truly was. Peter recognized that Jesus was much more than a great teacher, prophet, and miracle worker. Peter was the first apostle to publicly declare that Jesus was the Anointed One consecrated by the Father and sent into the world to redeem a fallen human race enslaved to sin and cut off from eternal life with God (Luke 9:20, Acts 2:14-36). The word for "Christ" in Greek is a translation of the Hebrew word for "Messiah" – both words literally mean the Anointed One.
Why did Jesus command his disciples to be silent about his identity as the anointed Son of God? They were, afterall, appointed to proclaim the good news to everyone. Jesus knew that they did not yet fully understand his mission and how he would accomplish it. Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD), an early chuch father, explains the reason for this silence:  

There were things yet unfulfilled which must also be included in their preaching about him. They must also proclaim the cross, the passion, and the death in the flesh. They must preach the resurrection of the dead, that great and truly glorious sign by which testimony is borne him that the Emmanuel is truly God and by nature the Son of God the Father. He utterly abolished death and wiped out destruction. He robbed hell, and overthrew the tyranny of the enemy. He took away the sin of the world, opened the gates above to the dwellers upon earth, and united earth to heaven. These things proved him to be, as I said, in truth God. He commanded them, therefore, to guard the mystery by a seasonable silence until the whole plan of the dispensation should arrive at a suitable conclusion. (Commentary on Luke, Homily 49) 
 

Jesus told his disciples that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and die in order that God's work of redemption might be accomplished. How startled the disciples were when they heard this word. How different are God's thoughts and ways from our thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:8). Through humiliation, suffering, and death on the cross Jesus broke the powers of sin and death and won for us eternal life and freedom from the slavery of sin and from the oppression of our enemy, Satan, the father of lies and the deceiver of humankind.

If we want to share in the victory of the Lord Jesus, then we must also take up our cross and follow where he leads us. What is the "cross" that you and I must take up each day? When my will crosses with God's will, then his will must be done. To know Jesus Christ is to know the power of his victory on the cross where he defeated sin and conquered death through his resurrection. The Holy Spirit gives each of us the gifts and strenth we need to live as sons and daughters of God. The Holy Spirit gives us faith to know the Lord Jesus personally as our Redeemer, and the power to live the gospel faithfully, and the courage to witness to others the joy, truth, and freedom of the gospel. Who do you say that Jesus is?
"Lord Jesus, I believe and I profess that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Take my life, my will, and all that I have, that I may be wholly yours now and forever."

www.dailyscripture.net

The Real Christ

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Father Edward Hopkins, LC Luke 9:18-24 Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ´One of the ancient prophets has arisen.´" Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Messiah of God." He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised." Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you and in your love. I trust in you as the way for me to live. I hope in the power of your cross to free me from all that is not you. I love you and want my love to be more real so that I may imitate your pure and total love. Petition: Lord Jesus, help me to know you so intimately that I will lose myself and follow you with a real love. 1. What People Say: Today more than ever we care what people say and think of us. However, human respect could find no place in the mind of Christ. He cared only for the Father’s will. How are we to understand, then, that precisely during a moment of quiet prayer we find Jesus inquiring about “what people say” of him? He wants to know what the thoughts and worries of his disciples are. Jesus makes them see that their awareness of and interest in what others say of him (and of them) is out of proportion with what counts. They need to recognize just how limited the opinions of the crowd are, how far short they fall. The disciples know better; more than a prophet, he is THE Messiah. What matters is not what people think, the “perception” that others have, but rather the truth of Jesus’ identity. This is what they believe in and have been following. Do I put too much importance in what people think and say? 2. “Who Do You Say I Am?” Not only do the opinions of the crowds leave much to be desired, but the disciples themselves are far from understanding who “the Messiah of God” is. The understanding of their faith is immature and shallow. So, Jesus insists that he must “suffer greatly and be rejected … and be killed.” How clouded and toned down is our understanding of Christ! Suffering and pain seem foreign to God’s goodness. If we are good we expect no cross, no contradictions, no conflict. Why does Jesus forbid them to spread the news that he is the Messiah? Would it be that others, even more than they, might fail to understand his cross? 3. “Whoever Loses His Life…” The question “Who is Christ?” is better answered by Jesus’ life than by the name “prophet” or “Messiah.” Likewise, my faith is better expressed by how I live than by what I say. “Who he is” determines who we are called to be. To know Christ is to know the way of his discipleship. To know him is to know God’s love expressed in human life. Practically speaking, “Messiah” means “giving oneself for others.” Salvation happens by self-giving, by giving away for others the life we have been given. So if I believe in him and wish to follow him, I must accept what only faith can grasp––that only by dying to self in this life can I know and share God’s truth and life. Do the little sacrifices of my daily life give testimony to my faith in who Christ really is? Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord, help me not to worry about what others might think or say. May my only concern be to know and love you. Open my soul to embrace the real you, the Christ of the cross, of sacrifice and self-giving. Help me rid my life of a soft, unreal love, which reflects a false Christ. Grant me the grace to die to myself in the details of fulfilling your will each day with joy. Resolution: Rather than complain the next time I encounter disappointment or contradiction in my life, I will try to offer it gladly to Christ as a testimony of my love for him.

www.regnumchristi.org

SUNDAY, JUNE 23
TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
LUKE 9:18-24

(Zechariah 12:10-11,13:1; Psalm 63; Galatians 3:26-29)
KEY VERSE: "But who do you say that I am?" (v.20).
READING: Jesus had been praying in solitude, and then he asked his disciples who the people believed him to be. They answered that some thought he was John the Baptist, while others believed him to be Elijah, and still others thought he was one of the ancient prophets that had arisen. Jesus then asked what they personally believed about him. Peter spoke for the Twelve declaring that Jesus was the "Messiah of God" (v 20, in Greek christos, the equivalent of the Hebrew termmashiach meaning "anointed one"). The title "Messiah" had grown in popularity, and among certain groups, it was applied to a descendant of the royal family of David who would come to restore the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6). Jesus told his followers not to reveal his true identity as many would expect a political leader who would set Israel free from foreign oppression. Jesus then taught them about his coming passion and death, and the necessity of the cross for all who would follow him.
READING: Am I able to help others understand who Jesus is?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, you are my Savior, my healer, my liberator, my refuge, my rock, my fortress, my peace and my hope.

www.daily-word-of-life.com

My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God. 

But, you, who do you say I am?
Jesus also asks this of us. Who is Jesus for us, and if we believe in him what difference does it make in the way we live? The general understanding at the time was that the Messiah would drive the Romans from their country and restore the house of David. But Jesus is a servant who does not match society's expectations of a Messiah.

Jesus is committed to those on the edge, sensitive to their needs. He will bring justice to the oppressed and hope to the marginalised. He came for the blind and afflicted, challenging the self-sufficiency of the rich. He suffered grievously for the values he held and for the kind of people he favoured. If we long to follow him, then we too must not expect life to be smooth sailing.

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LECTIO: 12TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)

Lectio: 

 Sunday, June 23, 2013  

The profession of Peter
"who do you say that I am?"
Luke 9,18-24

1. Opening prayer

“O Holy Spirit, you who unite my soul to God: move it with ardent desires and enkindle it with the fire of your love.  How good you are with me, O Holy Spirit of God: may you be praised and blessed for the great love that you pour out upon me!  My God and my Creator, is it ever possible that there would be someone who would not love you?  For so long I have not loved you!  Forgive me, Lord.  O Holy Spirit, grant that my soul may be completely God’s, and that I may serve Him without any personal interest, but only because He is my Father and because He loves me.  My God and my all, is there perhaps any other thing that I could possibly desire?  Only You would satisfy me.  Amen.”  (St. Teresa of Jesus)

2. Gospel Reading - Luke 9,18-24

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, 'One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'" Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Messiah of God." He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised." Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

3. A moment of prayerful silence

so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.

4. Some questions

• We all believe in Jesus. But there are some who understand him in one way and others in another way. Today, which is the more common Jesus in the way of thinking of people?
• How does propaganda interfere in my way of seeing Jesus? What do I do so as not to allow myself to be drawn by the propaganda? What prevents us today from recognizing and assuming the project of Jesus?

• We are waiting for the messiah, each in our own way. What is the messiah that I look for and expect for?

• The requirement to follow Jesus is the cross. How do I  react with the cross of my life?

5. For those who wish to go deeper into the theme

• The Gospel today follows the same theme as that of the previous verses: the opinion of the people on Jesus. The previous versese of chapter 9, beginning with Herod, today it is Jesus who asks what do people think, the public opinion and the Apostles respond giving the same opinion which was given yesterday. Immediately follows the first announcement of the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus.
• Luke 9, 18: The question of Jesus after his prayer. “One day, while Jesus was praying alone, his disciples came to him and he put this question to them: “Who do the crowds say I am?” In Luke’s Gospel, on several important and decisive occasions, Jesus is presented in prayer: in his Baptism when he assumes his mission (Lk 3, 21); in the 40 days in the desert, when, he overcame the temptations presented by the devil Lk 4, 1-13); the night before choosing the twelve apostles (Lk 6, 12); in the Transfiguration, when, with Moses and Elijah he spoke about his passion in Jerusalem (Lc 9, 29); in the Garden when he suffers his agony (Lk 22, 39-46); on the Cross, when he asks pardon for the soldier (Lk 23, 34) and when he commits his spirit to God (Lk 23, 46).

• Luke 9, 19: The opinion of the people on Jesus. “They answered: “For some John the Baptist; others Elijah, but others think that you are one of the ancient prophets who has risen from the dead”. Like Herod, many thought that John the Baptist had risen in Jesus. It was a common belief that the prophet Elijah had to return (Mt 17, 10-13; Mk 9, 11-12; Ml 3, 23-24; Eclo 48, 10). And all nourished the hope of the coming of the Prophet promised by Moses (Dt 18,15). This was an insufficient response.

• Luke 9, 20: The question of Jesus to the disciples. After having heard the opinion of others, Jesus asks: “And you, who do you say I am?” Peter answers: “The Messiah of God!” Peter recognizes that Jesus is the one whom the people are waiting for and that he comes to fulfil the promise. Luke omits the reaction of Peter who tries to dissuade Jesus to follow the way of the cross and omits also the harsh criticism of Jesus to Peter (Mk 8, 32-33; Mt 16, 22-23).

• Luke 9, 21: The prohibition to reveal that Jesus is the Messiah of God. “Then Jesus gave them strict orders and charged them not to say this to anyone”. It was forbidden to them to reveal to the people that Jesus is the Messiah of God. Why does Jesus prohibit this? At that time, as we have already seen, everybody was expecting the coming of the Messiah, but, each one in his own way: some expected a king, others a priest, others a doctor, a warrior, a judge or a prophet!Nobody seemed to expect the Messiah Servant, announced by Isaiah (Is 42, 1-9). Anyone who insists in maintaining Peter’s idea, that is, of a glorious Messiah, without the cross, understands nothing and will never be able to assume the attitude of a true disciple. He will continue to be blind, exchanging people for trees (cf. Mk 8, 24). Because without the cross it is impossible to understand who Jesus is and what it means to follow Jesus. Because of this, Jesus insists again on the Cross and makes the second announcement of his passion, death and resurrection.

•  Luke 9:22-24:  Following Jesus. ‘Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”’ The full understanding of the following of Jesus is not obtained through theoretical instruction, but through practical commitment, walking with him along the way of service, from Galilee to Jerusalem.  The way of following is the way of self-giving, of abandonment, of service, of availability, of acceptance of conflict, knowing that there will be resurrection.  The cross is not an incidental event, but is rather part of this way, because in a world organized on selfish principles, love and service can only exist as crucified!  He or she who makes of his or her life a service to others, disturbs those who live grasping at privileges, and suffers…

6. Prayer: Psalm 1

Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked,

Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.

Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy;

God's law they study day and night.

They are like a tree planted near streams of water,

that yields its fruit in season;

Its leaves never wither;

whatever they do prospers.

But not the wicked!

They are like chaff driven by the wind.

Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment,

nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.

The LORD watches over the way of the just,

but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

7. Final Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for your word that we can see better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to follow your Word that revealed to us. Make us, like Mary, your mother, not only to listen but also to practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

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