Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 467
Lectionary: 467
Brothers and sisters:
It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The son of the slave woman was born naturally,
the son of the freeborn through a promise.
Now this is an allegory.
These women represent two covenants.
One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;
this is Hagar.
But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.
For it is written:
Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;
break forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than of her who has a husband.
Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we are children not of the slave woman
but of the freeborn woman.
For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The son of the slave woman was born naturally,
the son of the freeborn through a promise.
Now this is an allegory.
These women represent two covenants.
One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;
this is Hagar.
But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.
For it is written:
Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;
break forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than of her who has a husband.
Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we are children not of the slave woman
but of the freeborn woman.
For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 113:1B-2, 3-4, 5A AND 6-7
R. (see 2) Blessed
be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God,
who looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God,
who looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
AlleluiaPS 95:8
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 11:29-32
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
Meditation: "This
is an evil generation; it seeks a sign"
Do
you pay attention to warning signs? Many fatalities could be avoided if people
took the warning signs seriously. When the religious leaders demanded a sign
from Jesus, he gave them a warning to avert spiritual disaster. It was
characteristic of the Jews that they demanded "signs" from God's
messengers to authenticate their claims. When the religious leaders pressed
Jesus to give proof for his claims he says in so many words that he is God's
sign and that they need no further evidence from heaven than his own person. The Ninevites recognized God's warning when Jonah spoke to them, and they repented. And the Queen of Sheba recognized God's wisdom in Solomon. Jonah was God's sign and his message was the message of God for the people of Nineveh. Unfortunately the religious leaders were not content to accept the signs right before their eyes. They had rejected the message of John the Baptist and now they reject Jesus as God's Anointed One (Messiah) and they fail to heed his message. Simeon had prophesied at Jesus' birth that he was "destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that inner thoughts of many will be revealed" (Luke 2:34- 35). Jesus confirmed his message with many miracles in preparation for the greatest sign of all - his resurrection on the third day.
The Lord Jesus came to set us free from slavery to sin and hurtful desires. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit he pours his love into our hearts that we may understand his will for our lives and walk in his way of holiness. God searches our hearts, not to condemn us, but to show us where we need his saving grace and help. He calls us to seek him with true repentance, humility, and the honesty to see our sins for what they really are - a rejection of his love and will for our lives.
God will transform us if we listen to his word and allow his Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Ask the Lord to renew your mind and to increase your thirst for his wisdom. James says that the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity (James 3:17). A double-minded person cannot receive this kind of wisdom. The single of heart desire one thing alone - God's pleasure. God wants us to delight in him and to know the freedom of his truth and love. Do you thirst for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14)?
"Lord Jesus, give me a heart that loves what is good and in accord with your will and fill me with your wisdom that I my understand your ways. Give me the grace and the courage to reject whatever is evil and contrary to your will."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The sign of Jonah, by an anonymous early author from the Greek church
"'What is the sign of Jonah? The stumbling block of the cross. So it is not the disputers of knowledge who will be saved but those who believe true teaching. For the cross of Christ is indeed a stumbling block to those who dispute knowledge but salvation to those who believe. Paul testifies to this: 'But we, for our part, preach the crucified Christ - to the Jews indeed a stumbling block and to the Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God' (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Why do the Jews seek signs and the Greeks seek wisdom? God pointed to the sign of the stumbling block of the cross to both the Jews and the Greeks. Thus those who wish to find Christ not through faith but through wisdom will perish on the stumbling block of foolishness. Those who wish to know the Son of God not through faith but through a demonstration of signs will remain trapped in their disbelief, falling on the stumbling block of his death. It is no small wonder that the Jews, considering the death of Christ, thought he was merely a man, when even Christians - as they purport to be but really are not - because of his death are reluctant to declare the only begotten, the crucified, as incomparable majesty." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 30, the Greek fathers).
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, LUKE
11:29-32
Weekday
(Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31--5:1; Psalm 113)
Weekday
(Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31--5:1; Psalm 113)
KEY VERSE: "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah" (v 29).
TO KNOW: When the people demanded a sign from Jesus as proof that his miracles were genuine, he accused them of lacking faith. He declared that the only sign he would give them would be the sign of Jonah's "death and resurrection" from the belly of a fish (Jonah 2). When Jonah was sent to preach to Nineveh in Assyria (Israel's enemy), the prophet was astonished when those pagan people repented and turned toward God (Jon 3:1-10). Jesus was a prophet greater than Jonah, yet the Gentiles were more receptive to his message than were his own people. Jesus noted that the Queen of Sheba had come from afar to learn the wisdom of King Solomon (1 Kgs 10:1-10). In contrast, Jesus, the wisdom of God, was spurned and rejected even though he came from God to offer them the gift of eternal life.
TO LOVE: Am I, like Jonah, reluctant to speak God's words to unbelievers?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to repent of my sins and heed your words.
Columbus Day, Observed
The first recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the United States took place on October 12, 1792. Organized by The Society of St. Tammany, also known as the Columbian Order, it commemorated the 300th anniversary of Columbus' landing. The 400th anniversary of the event, however, inspired the first official Columbus Day holiday in the United States. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation urging Americans to mark the day. The public responded enthusiastically, organizing school programs, plays, and community festivities across the country. The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic men's fraternal benefit society that was formed to render financial aid to members and their families. Social and intellectual fellowship is promoted among members through educational, charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief and public relief works.
Thanksgiving Day, Canada
In 1578 English explorer, Martin Frobisher held a formal ceremony, in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arriving in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held feasts of thanks. After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving. On January 31st, 1957, Parliament proclaimed..."A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.
ST.
FRANCIS BORGIA
Francis
Borgia was born October 28, 1510 in Gandia, Valencia, Spain as the
son of the Duke of Gandia, the great grandson, from his father’s side, of Pope
Alexander VI, the notorious Borgia pope, and from his mother’s side, the great
grandson of King Ferdinand of Aragon.
Francis’ grandmother joined her daughther in a convent of Poor Clares after the death of her husband and held a pious influence in the court of the Borgia, to which Francis is indebted. It was with these two women that holiness penetrated into the scandalous lineage of the Borgia family.
Francis grew to be a pious young man, posessed of many natural gifts and a favorite at the court of Charles V. It is recounted that one day Francis passed through Alcalá, followed by his escort, and exchanged an emotional glance with a poor man being escorted to prison by the Inquisition. This man was Ignatius of Loyola, and at this moment Francis could not have had any idea what an important role this man would play in his destiny.
In 1539 Francis was appointed Viceroy of Catalonia, and four years later, upon the death of his father, the Duke of Gandia. He built a university there, received the degree of Doctor in Theology, and invited the Jesuits to his duchy.
His wife died in 1546, and Francis entered the Society of Jesus in 1548, but was ordered by the Pope to remain in the world until he had fulfilled his obligations to his ten children and his duchy.
Two years later he left Gandia, never to return, and joined the Jesuits in Rome. He immediately set about initiating grand projects – he convinced Ignatius to found the Roman College, and a year later he left for Spain, where his preaching and example sparked a renewal of religious fervour in the country, drawing pilgrims from far and wide to hear him preach.
In 1556 he was placed in charge of all the missions of the Society, and his energetic work transformed them. He also initiated the missions to Peru, New Spain and Brazil.
He was elected as general on July 2, 1565, and although in poor health for his last years, he executed the governance and initiated projects of the Society with great energy. He introduced so many reforms to the society of Jesus that he was considered in some ways to be its second founder. Francis was a man of contemplation and action in the fullest sense, and clearly drew much strength from the silence of his prayer.
He died in Rome on September 30, 1572, in Ferrara, Spain, two days after returning from an apostolic journey to Spain.
Saint Francis Borgia is one of the great saints of the Catholic Reformation, and was cannonized by Pope Clement X in 1670.
Francis’ grandmother joined her daughther in a convent of Poor Clares after the death of her husband and held a pious influence in the court of the Borgia, to which Francis is indebted. It was with these two women that holiness penetrated into the scandalous lineage of the Borgia family.
Francis grew to be a pious young man, posessed of many natural gifts and a favorite at the court of Charles V. It is recounted that one day Francis passed through Alcalá, followed by his escort, and exchanged an emotional glance with a poor man being escorted to prison by the Inquisition. This man was Ignatius of Loyola, and at this moment Francis could not have had any idea what an important role this man would play in his destiny.
In 1539 Francis was appointed Viceroy of Catalonia, and four years later, upon the death of his father, the Duke of Gandia. He built a university there, received the degree of Doctor in Theology, and invited the Jesuits to his duchy.
His wife died in 1546, and Francis entered the Society of Jesus in 1548, but was ordered by the Pope to remain in the world until he had fulfilled his obligations to his ten children and his duchy.
Two years later he left Gandia, never to return, and joined the Jesuits in Rome. He immediately set about initiating grand projects – he convinced Ignatius to found the Roman College, and a year later he left for Spain, where his preaching and example sparked a renewal of religious fervour in the country, drawing pilgrims from far and wide to hear him preach.
In 1556 he was placed in charge of all the missions of the Society, and his energetic work transformed them. He also initiated the missions to Peru, New Spain and Brazil.
He was elected as general on July 2, 1565, and although in poor health for his last years, he executed the governance and initiated projects of the Society with great energy. He introduced so many reforms to the society of Jesus that he was considered in some ways to be its second founder. Francis was a man of contemplation and action in the fullest sense, and clearly drew much strength from the silence of his prayer.
He died in Rome on September 30, 1572, in Ferrara, Spain, two days after returning from an apostolic journey to Spain.
Saint Francis Borgia is one of the great saints of the Catholic Reformation, and was cannonized by Pope Clement X in 1670.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 11,29-32
Lectio Divina:
Monday, October 10, 2016
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
our help and guide,
make your love the foundation of our lives.
May our love for you express itself
in our eagerness to do good for others.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
our help and guide,
make your love the foundation of our lives.
May our love for you express itself
in our eagerness to do good for others.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 11,29-32
The crowds got even bigger and Jesus addressed them, 'This is an evil
generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign
of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the
Son of man be a sign to this generation.
On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will stand up against the people of
this generation and be their condemnation, because she came from the ends of
the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, look, there is something greater
than Solomon here.
On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will appear against this generation and
be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented; and, look,
there is something greater than Jonah here.
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today presents a very hard accusation of Jesus against the
Pharisees and the Scribes. They wanted Jesus to give them a sign, because they
did not believe in the signs and in the miracles which he was working. This
accusation of Jesus continues in the Gospels of the following days. In meditating
on these Gospels we have to be very attentive not to generalize the accusation
of Jesus as if it were addressed to the Hebrew people. In the past, the lack of
this attention, unfortunately contributed to increase anti- Semitism in us
Christians, which has caused so much harm to humanity throughout the centuries.
Instead of pointing out the finger against the Pharisees of the time of Jesus,
it is better to look at ourselves in the mirror of the texts to discover in
them the Pharisee which lives hidden in our Church and in each one of us, and
who merits this criticism from Jesus.
• Luke 11, 29-30: The sign of Jonah. “At that time, the people crowed and
Jesus began to say: This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The
only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah”. The Gospel of Matthew says
that it was the Scribes and the Pharisees who were asking for a sign (Mt 12,
38). They wanted Jesus to work a sign for them, a miracle, in such a way that
they could become aware if he was the one sent by God, as they imagined. They
wanted Jesus to submit himself to their criteria. They wanted to fit him in to
the framework of their own idea of the Messiah. In them there was no openness
for a possible conversion. But Jesus did not submit himself to their request.
The Gospel of Mark says that Jesus, before the request of the Pharisees, Jesus
sighed profoundly (Mk 8, 12), probably because he was upset and sad in the face
of such blindness; because it serves nothing to try to show a beautiful picture
to a person who does not want to open the eyes. The only sign that will be
given is the sign of Jonah. “For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of
Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation “. How will this
sign of the Son of man be? The Gospel of Matthew responds: “For as Jonah
remained in the belly of the sea-monster for three days and three nights, so
will the Son of man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three
nights” (Mt 12, 40). The only sign will be the resurrection of Jesus. This is
the sign which will be given in the future to the Scribes and the Pharisees.
Jesus, who was condemned to death by them and to death on the cross, will rise
from the dead by God and will continue to resurrect in many ways in those who
believe in him. The sign which converts is not the miracles but the witness of
life!
• Luke 11, 31: Salomon and the Queen of the South. The reference to the
conversion of the people of Nineveh associates and recalls the conversion of
the Queen of the South: “The Queen of the South will stand up against this
generation and be their condemnation; because she came from the ends of the
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look, there is something greater than
Solomon here”. This reminder almost occasional of the episode of the Queen of
the South who recognizes the wisdom of Solomon, shows how the Bible was used at
that time. It was by association. The principal rule for the interpretation was
this one: “The Bible is explained by the Bible”. Up until now, this is one of the
more important norms for the interpretation of the Bible, especially for the
Reading of the Word of God, in a climate of prayer.
• Luke 11, 32: And Look there is something greater than Solomon here. After
the digression on Solomon and on the Queen of the South, Jesus returns to speak
about the sign of Jonah: “The men of Nineveh will appear against this
generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented”.
The people of Nineveh were converted because of the witness of the preaching of
Jonah and he denounces the unbelief of the Scribes and of the Pharisees.
Because “something greater than Jonah is here”. Jesus is greater than Jonah,
greater than Solomon. For us Christians, he is the principal key for Scripture
(2Co 3, 14-18).
4) Personal questions
• Jesus criticizes the Scribes and the Pharisees who managed to deny the
evidence, rendering themselves incapable to recognize the call of God in the
events. And we Christians today, and I, do we deserve the same criticism of
Jesus?
• Níneveh was converted because of the preaching of Jonah. The Scribes and
the Pharisees were not converted. Today, the calls of reality cause changes and
conversions in people in the whole world: the ecological threat, urbanization
that dehumanizes, consumerism which standardizes and alienates, injustice,
violence, etc. Many Christians live far away from these calls of God which come
from reality.
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Praise, servants of Yahweh,
praise the name of Yahweh.
Blessed be the name of Yahweh,
henceforth and for ever. (Ps 113,1-2)
praise the name of Yahweh.
Blessed be the name of Yahweh,
henceforth and for ever. (Ps 113,1-2)
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