Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 464
Lectionary: 464
O stupid Galatians!
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?
Responsorial Psalm LK 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
R. (68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has
come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to his people.
Gospel LK 11:5-13
Jesus said to his
disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”
Meditation: "How much more will the heavenly Father
give!"
What can we expect from God, especially when we recognize that
he doesn't owe us anything and that we don't deserve his grace and favor? Jesus
used the illustration of a late-night traveller to teach his listeners an
important lesson about how God treats us in contrast to the kind of treatment
we might expect from good neighbors. The rule of hospitality in biblical times
required the cooperation of the entire community in entertaining an unexpected
or late-night guest. Whether the guest was hungry or not, a meal would be
served. In a small village it would be easy to know who had baked bread that
day. Bread was essential for a meal because it served as a utensil for dipping and
eating from the common dishes. Asking for bread from one's neighbor was both a
common occurrence and an expected favor. To refuse to give bread would bring
shame because it was a sign of in-hospitality.
If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread
in the middle of the night, how much more hospitable is God, who, no matter
what the circumstances, is generous and ready to give us what we need.
Augustine of Hippo reminds us that "God, who does not sleep and who
awakens us from sleep that we may ask, gives much more graciously."
In conclusion Jesus makes a startling claim: How much
more will the heavenly Father give! The Lord is ever ready to give us
not only what we need, but more than we can expect. He gives freely of his Holy
Spirit that we may share in his life and joy. Do you approach your heavenly
Father with confidence in his mercy and kindness?
"Heavenly Father, you are merciful, gracious and kind. May
I never doubt your love nor hesitate to seek you with confidence in order to obtain
the gifts, graces, and daily provision I need to live as your disciple and
child."
 The Christian Who Doesn’t Pray Treats God like a Servant |
|
October 9, 2014. Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in
Ordinary Time
|
|
Luke 11:5-13
And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to
whom he goes at midnight and says, ´Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have
nothing to offer him,´ and he says in reply from within, ´Do not bother me;
the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I
cannot get up to give you anything.´ I tell you, if he does not get up to
give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him
whatever he needs because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and
you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened
to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to
the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand
his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks
for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to
those who ask him?"
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the master of the universe, and yet
you wish to listen to me and guide me. You know all things past, present and
future, and yet you respect my freedom to choose you. Holy Trinity, you are
completely happy and fulfilled on your own, and yet you have generously
brought us into existence. You are our fulfillment. Thank you for the gift of
yourself. I offer the littleness of myself in return, knowing you are pleased
with what I have to give.
Petition: Lord, through this meditation, grant me the grace of a
greater dependence on you.
1. God Wants Us to Ask: Sometimes we think that since God
knows all things, we need not ask him for anything. We need only wait until
God will give us what we need. Nothing could be further from the truth. In
this passage, Jesus doesn’t say not to worry; instead he says that our
Heavenly Father will gladly and lovingly provide whatever we need, provided
we ask for it. One reason why God has arranged things this way is because if
our needs were automatically provided for, a great number of us would not
even realize there is a God, or we would easily forget him. There are
affluent societies in which the people’s material needs are taken care of
easily. Does such a situation remind the people of God, his power, or his
love? When we ask God to provide for our needs, we implicitly recognize his
existence and authority in our lives. God wants us to do this.
2. Petitions in Prayer Increase My Faith: But there are even
more important reasons God wants us to ask. It is in asking that our faith
grows. The more I ask, the more I come into a personal relationship with God.
If I never had to turn to him for my needs, I would never realize how much he
wants to be a part of my life. But when I have to ask, especially if I have
to put some time and effort into it, then, when my needs are satisfied, it
will be very clear that God did it. It will be clear that it wasn’t me, or
luck, or anything else, but God. Don’t be afraid to ask. Develop your faith
by doing so.
3. When I Don’t Ask for What I Need, I Treat God as My
Servant: When
we expect God to give us all we need without asking, are we not placing the
whole burden of our salvation on him and nothing on ourselves? Are we not in
a sense being lazy? “You know what I need, Lord. Just give it to me, take
care of it, while I focus on my own interests.” Not only is this laziness, it
is pride, treating God like a servant whose role is to provide whatever I
need. We forget he is God. Certainly God is generous and loving, willing to
give us everything that is good for us; but he is still God, and he deserves
our respect, adoration, and especially our gratitude.
Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, so often I expect you to
take care of me without my having to ask. Help me to live my dependence on
you through the practice of asking you for my needs. Increase my faith
through my prayer so that I see my real dependence on you and how much you do
for me.
Resolution: What do I most need today? I will ask God for it early
and often.
By Father James Swanson, LC
|
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, LUKE 11:5-13
(Galatians 3:1-5; Psalm: Luke 1)
(Galatians 3:1-5; Psalm: Luke 1)
KEY VERSE: "Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (v 9).
READING: After Jesus taught his followers the prayer that we call the "Lord's Prayer," he told them a parable on persevering in prayer: Ask! Seek! Knock! This parable sheds light upon Jesus' petition "Give us each day our daily bread" (Lk 11:3). In the story, a man came at night to ask his neighbor for bread to feed a friend who had just arrived. Although the neighbor's family was asleep, he gave in to the request because of the man's persistence. Jesus asked, if a friend was moved to give favors, how much more would the heavenly Father grant whatever his children needed? Would human parents give something harmful to their children when they asked for something to eat? If human beings with all their sinfulness are good to their children, how much greater is God's generosity? Luke changed Matthew's "good gifts" (Mt 7:11) to the "best" gift that the heavenly Father can give ̶ the "holy Spirit" (Lk11:13).
REFLECTING: Do I believe that God is a good "Father" who will give what is best for me?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to persist in prayer whenever I become discouraged.
Thursday 9 October 2014
St Denis & Cc.; St John
Leonardi.
Galatians
3:1-5. Blessed is the Lord God of Israel; for he has come to his people—Luke
1:69-75. Luke 11:5-13.
‘Ask, and
it will be given to you …’
The sign of the cross
reminds us that God comes down to us and invites us to be in relationship with
God, who in turn invites us to be in relationship with all of creation.
Our God invites deep
connection and relationship—communion. This God of abundant love seeks to
shower all of creation with goodness. We are invited to turn to God and to be
truly blessed.
Surely our greatest
response to God’s love is one of gratefulness and awe. When we choose to live
in this way, it in turn inspires generosity and tenderness towards the whole of
creation. Jesus invites us to respond with a generous and compassionate spirit
to those we love, to those around us who are in need and to walk gently upon
the earth. How hard can it possibly be?
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Communion of Saints
Your only greatness is that you share the common greatness of the
whole communion of saints. Your membership in the communion of sinners is a
burden you can now carry patiently because others are also carrying it with
you. You no longer need to be personally correct as much as you just need to be
connected.
October
9
St. Denis and Companions
(d. 258?)
St. Denis and Companions
(d. 258?)
.jpg)
This martyr and patron of France is regarded as the first bishop
of Paris. His popularity is due to a series of legends, especially those
connecting him with the great abbey church of St. Denis in Paris. He was for a
time confused with the writer now called Pseudo-Dionysius.
The best
hypothesis contends that Denis was sent to Gaul from Rome in the third century
and beheaded in the persecution under Emperor Valerius in 258.
According
to one of the legends, after he was martyred on Montmartre (literally,
"mountain of martyrs") in Paris, he carried his head to a village
northeast of the city. St. Genevieve built a basilica over his tomb at the
beginning of the sixth century.
Comment:
Again we have the case of a saint about whom almost nothing is known, yet one whose cult has been a vigorous part of the Church's history for centuries. We can only conclude that the deep impression the saint made on the people of his day reflected a life of unusual holiness. In all such cases, there are two fundamental facts: A great man gave his life for Christ, and the Church has never forgotten him—a human symbol of God's eternal mindfulness.
Again we have the case of a saint about whom almost nothing is known, yet one whose cult has been a vigorous part of the Church's history for centuries. We can only conclude that the deep impression the saint made on the people of his day reflected a life of unusual holiness. In all such cases, there are two fundamental facts: A great man gave his life for Christ, and the Church has never forgotten him—a human symbol of God's eternal mindfulness.
Quote:
"Martyrdom is part of the Church's nature since it manifests Christian death in its pure form, as the death of unrestrained faith, which is otherwise hidden in the ambivalence of all human events. Through martyrdom the Church's holiness, instead of remaining purely subjective, achieves by God's grace the visible expression it needs. As early as the second century one who accepted death for the sake of Christian faith or Christian morals was looked on and revered as a 'martus' (witness). The term is scriptural in that Jesus Christ is the 'faithful witness' absolutely (Revelations 1:5; 3:14)" (Karl Rahner, Theological Dictionary).
"Martyrdom is part of the Church's nature since it manifests Christian death in its pure form, as the death of unrestrained faith, which is otherwise hidden in the ambivalence of all human events. Through martyrdom the Church's holiness, instead of remaining purely subjective, achieves by God's grace the visible expression it needs. As early as the second century one who accepted death for the sake of Christian faith or Christian morals was looked on and revered as a 'martus' (witness). The term is scriptural in that Jesus Christ is the 'faithful witness' absolutely (Revelations 1:5; 3:14)" (Karl Rahner, Theological Dictionary).
LECTIO DIVINA:
LUKE 11,5-13
Lectio:
Thursday, October 9, 2014
1) Opening prayer
Father,
your love for us
surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings,
keep us in your peace
and lead us in the way of salvation.
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.
your love for us
surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings,
keep us in your peace
and lead us in the way of salvation.
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 11,5-13
Jesus said to his disciples, 'Suppose one of you has a friend
and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, "My friend, lend me
three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my
house and I have nothing to offer him;" and the man answers from inside
the house, "Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children are
with me in bed; I cannot get up to give it to you." I tell you, if the man
does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make
him get up and give his friend all he wants.
'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?
If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'
'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?
If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'
3) Reflection
● The Gospel today continues to speak about the theme of prayer,
which began with the teaching of the Our Father (Lk 11, 1-4). Today Jesus
teaches that we should pray with faith and insistence, without giving up. For
this he uses a provocative parable.
● Luke 11, 5-7: the parable that provokes. As always when Jesus has an important thing to teach, he has recourse to a comparison, to a parable. Today, he tells us a strange story which ends with a question, and he addresses the question to the people who listened to him and also to us who today read or listen to the story. "Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say: ‘My friend, lend me three loaves because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him; and the man answers from inside the house: ‘Do not bother me. The door is bolted now and my children are with me in bed: I cannot get up to give it to you".Before Jesus himself gives the answer, he wants our opinion. What would you answer: yes or no?
● Luke 11, 8: Jesus responds to the provocation. Jesus gives his response: "I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants". If it were not Jesus, would you have had the courage to invent a story in which it is suggested that God expects our prayers to see himself free from blows. The response of Jesus strengthens the message on prayer, that is: God always expects our prayer. This parable reminds us of another one, also found in Luke's Gospel, the parable of the widow who insists to obtain her rights before the judge who respects neither God nor justice and who pays attention to the widow only because he wants to free himself from the insistence of the woman (Lk 18, 3-5). Then Jesus draws the conclusion to apply the message of the parable to life.
● Luke 11, 9-10: the first application of the Parable. "So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, everyone who knocks will have the door opened". To ask, to search, to knock at the door. If you ask, you will receive. If you search, you will find, if you knock the door will be opened for you. Jesus does not say how much time the request should last, knock at the door, search, but the result is certain.
● Luke 11, 11-12: the second application of the parable. "What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?" This second application makes us see the type of public listening to the words of Jesus and also his way of teaching under the form of dialogue. He asks: "You who are a father, when your son asks you for a fish, would you give him a snake?" The people answer: "No!" "And if he asks you for an egg, would you give him a scorpion?" -"No!" Through dialogue, Jesus involves the people in the comparison and, from the responses he receives from them, the commitment with the message of the parable.
● Luke 11, 13: The message: to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "If you then evil as you are , know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!". The greatest gift that God has for us is the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we were created, he breathed his spirit into our nose and we became living beings (Gen 2, 7). In the second creation through Faith in Jesus, he gives us the Holy Spirit again, the same Spirit who made the Word become incarnate in Mary (Lk 1, 35). With the help of the Holy Spirit, the process of the Incarnation of the Word continues up to the hour of his death on the Cross. At the end, at the hour of death, Jesus commits the spirit to the Father: "Into your hands I commit my Spirit" (Lk 23, 46). Jesus promises us this Spirit as the source of truth and of understanding (Jn 14, 14-17; 16, 13), and a help in the persecutions (Mt 10, 20; Ac 4, 31). This Spirit cannot be bought with money at the Supermarket. The only way of obtaining it is through prayer. After nine days of prayer the abundant gift of the Spirit is obtained on the day of Pentecost (Ac 1, 14; 2, 1-4).
● Luke 11, 5-7: the parable that provokes. As always when Jesus has an important thing to teach, he has recourse to a comparison, to a parable. Today, he tells us a strange story which ends with a question, and he addresses the question to the people who listened to him and also to us who today read or listen to the story. "Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say: ‘My friend, lend me three loaves because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him; and the man answers from inside the house: ‘Do not bother me. The door is bolted now and my children are with me in bed: I cannot get up to give it to you".Before Jesus himself gives the answer, he wants our opinion. What would you answer: yes or no?
● Luke 11, 8: Jesus responds to the provocation. Jesus gives his response: "I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants". If it were not Jesus, would you have had the courage to invent a story in which it is suggested that God expects our prayers to see himself free from blows. The response of Jesus strengthens the message on prayer, that is: God always expects our prayer. This parable reminds us of another one, also found in Luke's Gospel, the parable of the widow who insists to obtain her rights before the judge who respects neither God nor justice and who pays attention to the widow only because he wants to free himself from the insistence of the woman (Lk 18, 3-5). Then Jesus draws the conclusion to apply the message of the parable to life.
● Luke 11, 9-10: the first application of the Parable. "So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, everyone who knocks will have the door opened". To ask, to search, to knock at the door. If you ask, you will receive. If you search, you will find, if you knock the door will be opened for you. Jesus does not say how much time the request should last, knock at the door, search, but the result is certain.
● Luke 11, 11-12: the second application of the parable. "What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?" This second application makes us see the type of public listening to the words of Jesus and also his way of teaching under the form of dialogue. He asks: "You who are a father, when your son asks you for a fish, would you give him a snake?" The people answer: "No!" "And if he asks you for an egg, would you give him a scorpion?" -"No!" Through dialogue, Jesus involves the people in the comparison and, from the responses he receives from them, the commitment with the message of the parable.
● Luke 11, 13: The message: to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "If you then evil as you are , know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!". The greatest gift that God has for us is the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we were created, he breathed his spirit into our nose and we became living beings (Gen 2, 7). In the second creation through Faith in Jesus, he gives us the Holy Spirit again, the same Spirit who made the Word become incarnate in Mary (Lk 1, 35). With the help of the Holy Spirit, the process of the Incarnation of the Word continues up to the hour of his death on the Cross. At the end, at the hour of death, Jesus commits the spirit to the Father: "Into your hands I commit my Spirit" (Lk 23, 46). Jesus promises us this Spirit as the source of truth and of understanding (Jn 14, 14-17; 16, 13), and a help in the persecutions (Mt 10, 20; Ac 4, 31). This Spirit cannot be bought with money at the Supermarket. The only way of obtaining it is through prayer. After nine days of prayer the abundant gift of the Spirit is obtained on the day of Pentecost (Ac 1, 14; 2, 1-4).
4) Personal questions
● How do I respond to the provocation of the parable? A person
who lives in a small apartment in a large city, how will she answer? Would she
open the door?
● When you pray, do you pray convinced that you will obtain what you ask for?
● When you pray, do you pray convinced that you will obtain what you ask for?
5) Concluding prayer
I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them. (Ps 111,1-2)
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them. (Ps 111,1-2)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét