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
PsalmLK 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.
AlleluiaSEE ACTS 16:14B
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 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 traveler 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."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Ask by praying, seek by proper living, knock
by persevering, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"Desiring that we
arrive at the joys of the heavenly kingdom, our Lord and Savior taught us to
ask these joys of him and promised that he would give them to us if we asked
for them. 'Ask,' he said, 'and it will be given to you, seek and you will find,
knock and it will be opened to you.' Dearly beloved..., we earnestly and with
our whole heart must ponder these words of our Lord. He bears witness that the
kingdom of heaven is not given to, found by and opened to those who are idle
and unoccupied but to those who ask for it, seek after it and knock at its
gates. The gate of the kingdom must be asked for by praying. It must be sought
after by living properly. It must be knocked at by persevering." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
2.51.20)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6,
LUKE 11:5-13
Weekday
(Galatians 3:1-5; Psalm: Luke 1)
Weekday
(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).
TO KNOW: After Jesus taught his followers the prayer that we call the "Lord's Prayer," he told them a parable on persevering in prayer. 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).
TO LOVE: Do I trust that God is a good "Father" who will give what is best for me?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to ask, seek and knock on the door of your heart whenever I become discouraged.
Optional Memorial of
Saint Bruno, priest
Ordained in 1055, Bruno presided over the cathedral school at Reims from 1057 to 1075. He criticized the worldliness he saw in his fellow clergy. He received a vision of a secluded hermitage where he could spend his life becoming closer to God. He retired to a mountain near Chartreuse in Dauphiny in 1084 and founded what became the first house of the Carthusian Order. Bruno and his brothers worked as manuscript copyists. He was an assistant to Pope Urban II in 1090, and supported his efforts at reform. Retiring from public life, he and his companions built a hermitage at Torre, where in 1095 the monastery of Saint Stephen was built. Bruno combined in the eremetical (hermit) and the cenobitic (communal) in religious life. His learning is apparent from his scriptural commentaries.
Optional Memorial of
Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, virgin
Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, whose canonization is pending, was born into a good Catholic family in Quebec City, Canada in 1811 as the tenth of eleven children. One of her brothers, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate priest, asked Marie, when she turned 18, to help at his parish where she served as a lay apostle for thirteen years. With the assistance of the Oblates, she established the first parish sodality in all of Canada. In 1843 she so impressed her Bishop that he asked her to found the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. In keeping with the Oblate mission of ministering to the poorest and most abandoned children, Marie Rose recruited many women to join. She died a happy death in 1849 and ten years later the Sisters expanded into the United States with a mission in Oregon. Pope John Paul II beatified Marie on May 23, 1982.
Thursday 6 October 2016
Thu 6th. St Bruno. 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 you will receive'
One of the most memorable exchanges in C.S
Lewis' The Magician's Nephewoccurs as the main characters, Diggory,
Polly and the winged horse Fledge are discussing the actions of the book's
Christ-figure, the lion Aslan. After the children complain that Aslan should
have known that they would be hungry and thus provided food for them, the horse
replies, 'I've no doubt he would, but I've a sort of idea that he likes to be
asked.' Today's Gospel assures us that God does indeed know what it is we need
and is only too willing to give good things to his children. Continually coming
to God in prayer slowly develops in us a sense of dependence on God, and
gratitude for his gifts. It is then that we can more easily understand that
persistence in prayer is not for God's benefit but for ours.
ST.
BRUNO, FOUNDER
On
Oct. 6, the Catholic Church commemorates Saint Bruno of Cologne, founder of the
Carthusian order of monks who remain notable for their strictly traditional and
austere rule of contemplative life.
Born
in 1030, Bruno is said to have belonged to a prominent family in the city of
Cologne. Little is known of his early years, except that he studied theology in
the present-day French city of Reims before returning to his native land, where
he was most likely ordained a priest in approximately 1055.
Returning
to Reims the following year, he soon became head of the school he had attended
there, after its director Heriman left to enter consecrated religious life in
1057. Bruno led and taught at the school for nearly two decades, acquiring an
excellent reputation as a philosopher and theologian, until he was named
chancellor of the local diocese in 1075.
Bruno's
time as chancellor coincided with an uproar in Reims over the behavior of its
new bishop Manasses de Gournai. Suspended by the decision of a local council,
the bishop appealed to Rome while attacking and robbing the houses of his
opponents. Bruno left the diocese during this period, though he was considered
as a possible successor to Manasses after the bishop's final deposition in
1080.
The
chancellor, however, was not interested in leading the Church of Reims. Bruno
and two of his friends had resolved to renounce their worldly goods and
positions and enter religious life. Inspired by a dream to seek guidance from
the bishop later canonized as Saint Hugh of Grenoble, Bruno settled in the
Chartreuse Mountains in 1084, joined by a small group of scholars looking to
become monks.
In
1088, one of Bruno's former students was elected as Pope Urban II. Six years
into his life as an alpine monk, Bruno was called to leave his remote monastery
to assist the Pope in his struggle against a rival papal claimant as well as
the hostile Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV.
Bruno
served as a close adviser to the Pope during a critical period of reform.
Around this time, he also rejected another chance to become a bishop, this time
in the Italian region of Calabria. While he obtained the Pope's permission to
return to monastic life, Bruno was required to remain in Italy to help the Pope
periodically, rather than returning to his monastery in France.
During
the 1090s Bruno befriended Count Roger of Sicily and Calabria, who granted land
to his group of monks and enabled the founding of a major monastery in 1095.
The monks were known, then as now, for their strict practice of asceticism,
poverty, and prayer; and for their unique organizational form, combining the
solitary life of hermits with the collective life of more conventional monks.
St.
Bruno died on October 6, 1101, after making a notable profession of faith which
was preserved for posterity. In this final testimony, he gave particular
emphasis to the doctrine of Christ's Eucharistic presence, which had already
begun to be questioned in parts of the Western Church.
“I
believe,” he attested, “in the sacraments that the Church believes and holds in
reverence, and especially that what has been consecrated on the altar is the
true Flesh and the true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we receive for
the forgiveness of our sins and in the hope of eternal salvation.”
Veneration
of St. Bruno was given formal approval in 1514, and extended throughout the
Latin Rite in 1623. More recently, his Carthusian Order was the subject of the
2006 documentary film “Into Great Silence,” chronicling the life of monks in
the Grand Chartreuse monastery.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 11,5-13
Lectio Divina:
Thursday, October 6, 2016
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)
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