Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 469
Lectionary: 469
Brothers and sisters:
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
R. (see Jn 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of
life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
AlleluiaJN 10:27
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 11:42-46
The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
Meditation: "You load
burdens hard to bear"
Why does Jesus single
out the religious teachers and lawyers for some rather strong words of rebuke?
The word woe can also be translated as alas. It is
as much an expression of sorrowful pity as it is of anger. Why did Jesus lament
and issue such a stern rebuke? Jesus was angry with the religious leaders
because they failed to listen to God's word and they misled the people they
were supposed to guide in the ways of God.
God's commandments are
rooted in his love and care for us
The scribes devoted their lives to the study of the Law of Moses and regarded themselves as legal experts in it. They divided the ten commandments and precepts into thousands of tiny rules and regulations. They were so exacting in their interpretations and in trying to live them out, that they had little time for anything else. By the time they finished compiling their interpretations it took no less than fifty volumes to contain them! In their misguided zeal, they required unnecessary and burdensome rules which obscured the more important matters of religion, such as love of God and love of neighbor. They were leading people to Pharisaism rather than to God.
The scribes devoted their lives to the study of the Law of Moses and regarded themselves as legal experts in it. They divided the ten commandments and precepts into thousands of tiny rules and regulations. They were so exacting in their interpretations and in trying to live them out, that they had little time for anything else. By the time they finished compiling their interpretations it took no less than fifty volumes to contain them! In their misguided zeal, they required unnecessary and burdensome rules which obscured the more important matters of religion, such as love of God and love of neighbor. They were leading people to Pharisaism rather than to God.
Do not lay heavy burdens
on others
Jesus used the example of tithing to show how far they had missed the mark. God had commanded a tithe of the first fruits of one's labor as an expression of thanksgiving and honor for his providential care for his people (Deuteronomy 14:22; Leviticus 27:30). The scribes, however, went to extreme lengths to tithe on insignificant things (such as tiny plants) with great mathematical accuracy. They were very attentive to minute matters of little importance, but they neglected to care for the needy and the weak. Jesus admonished them because their hearts were not right. They were filled with pride and contempt for others. They put unnecessary burdens on others while neglecting to show charity, especially to the weak and the poor. They meticulously went through the correct motions of conventional religion while forgetting the realities.
Jesus used the example of tithing to show how far they had missed the mark. God had commanded a tithe of the first fruits of one's labor as an expression of thanksgiving and honor for his providential care for his people (Deuteronomy 14:22; Leviticus 27:30). The scribes, however, went to extreme lengths to tithe on insignificant things (such as tiny plants) with great mathematical accuracy. They were very attentive to minute matters of little importance, but they neglected to care for the needy and the weak. Jesus admonished them because their hearts were not right. They were filled with pride and contempt for others. They put unnecessary burdens on others while neglecting to show charity, especially to the weak and the poor. They meticulously went through the correct motions of conventional religion while forgetting the realities.
Why does Jesus also
compare them with "unmarked graves"? According to Numbers 19:16
contact with a grave made a person ritually unclean for seven days. Jesus turns
the table on the Pharisees by declaring that those who come into contact with
them and listen to their self-made instruction are likewise defiled by their
false doctrine. They infect others with wrong ideas of God and of his
intentions. Since the Pharisees are "unmarked", other people do not
recognize the decay within and do not realize the danger of spiritual
contamination. The Pharisees must have taken Jesus' accusation as a double
insult: They are not only spiritually unclean themselves because they reject
the word of God, but they also contaminate others with their dangerous
"leaven" as well (see Luke 12:1).
Love lifts the burdens
of others
What was the point of Jesus' lesson? The essence of God's commandments is love - love of the supreme good - God himself and love of our neighbor who is made in the image and likeness of God. God is love (1 John 4:8) and everything he does flows from his love for us. God's love is unconditional and is wholly directed towards the good of others. True love both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given us" (Romans 5:5). Do you help your neighbors carry their burdens? God gives each of us sufficient grace for each day to love as he loves and to lift the burdens of others that they, too, may experience the grace and love of Jesus Christ.
What was the point of Jesus' lesson? The essence of God's commandments is love - love of the supreme good - God himself and love of our neighbor who is made in the image and likeness of God. God is love (1 John 4:8) and everything he does flows from his love for us. God's love is unconditional and is wholly directed towards the good of others. True love both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given us" (Romans 5:5). Do you help your neighbors carry their burdens? God gives each of us sufficient grace for each day to love as he loves and to lift the burdens of others that they, too, may experience the grace and love of Jesus Christ.
"Lord Jesus,
inflame my heart with your love that I may always pursue what matters most -
love of you, my Lord and my God, and love of my fellow neighbor whom you have
made in your own image and likeness. Free my heart from selfish desires that I
may only have room for kindness, mercy, and goodness toward every person I know
and meet."
Daily Quote from the early
church fathers: Binding heavy burdens on others, by
Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"Just as the
scribes and Pharisees wickedly sat upon the throne of Moses, so do some in the
church who sit upon the ecclesiastical throne. There are some in the church who
have the right understanding of the law and pass it on correctly. They say what
each person needs to do, but they themselves do not do it. Some of them lay
heavy burdens upon the shoulders of men, but they won’t even lift a finger to
help. These are the ones the Savior is talking about when he says, 'Whoever
then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall
be called least in the kingdom of God' (Matthew 5:19). There are others,
however, who sit on the throne, who act before they speak and speak wisely,
restraining those who are disordered. They place merciful burdens on the
shoulders of others. They themselves are the first to lift the heavy burden,
for the exhortation of other listeners. It is these of whom the Lord speaks
when he says, 'He who does so and teaches others to do so, this man will be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.'" (excerpt from COMMENTARY
ON MATTHEW 9)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, LUKE 11:42-46
Weekday
(Galatians 5:18-25; Psalm 1)
Weekday
(Galatians 5:18-25; Psalm 1)
Key Verse: "You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them" (v 46).
TO KNOW: Every clash with the religious leaders moved Jesus a step closer to Calvary. He spoke stern words to the Pharisees and the scholars of the law (scribes) for oppressing the people with their impossible legal requirements, and doing nothing to lighten their burden. Whereas the law required people to pay a 10% tax on produce, the Pharisees taxed even the tiniest garden herbs and ignored the greater demands of the law, which was justice and charity. The Pharisees loved to be respected by the people in the synagogue and marketplace. Although they gave the appearance of being holy men, Jesus said that they were spiritually dead as the "unclean" bones in the graveyard. He accused the scribes of using the law as a rod to punish the people instead of interpreting it for them as a gift from God. They had taken away the means for true understanding of God and salvation, and, by misusing the law, were themselves misled.
TO LOVE: In what areas of my life am I hypocritical in observing God's law?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to obey your laws of justice and love.
Wednesday 12 October 2016
Wed 12th. Galatians 5:18-25. Those who
follow you, Lord, will have the light of life—Ps 1:1-4, 6. Luke 11:42-46.
'You pay your tithe and overlook justice
and the love of God'
'We can't afford to look after the poor,'
This comment by a relative sparked a rather heated discussion at a family meal.
There were further comments about dole bludgers and rorting of pensions. How a
well-known politician had started out impoverished but, by hard work, was now a
millionaire. It is hard to explain that life is not a level playing field. That
family stability, intelligence and education are key and that mental illness,
other disabilities and addictions can severely handicap people and almost
anyone can become homeless. In the security of Australia, we are far from the
desperate poverty of many Pacific neighbours, yet our foreign aid is cut.
Jesus, please convert our hearts on personal and national levels, so that we
can respond with sensitivity, compassion and generosity to people and countries
in need.
NUESTRA
SEÑORA DEL PILAR (OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR)
The
first Marian apparition in history appeared to Saint James the Apostle, the
brother of Saint John the Evangelist, on the bank of the river Ebro in
Saragossa, Spain. Unlike every other recorded apparition, this one took place
during the earthly life of the Mother of God.
According
to tradition, she had promised Saint James that when he needed it most in his
difficult mission to the pagans in today's Spain, she would appear to him
to encourage him.
In
the year 40 A.D., while praying one night on the tobrt bank, the Virgin
appeared with the Child Jesus standing on a pillar and asked Saint James and
his eight disciples to build a church on the site, promising that “it will
stand from that moment until the end of time in order that God may work
miracles and wonders through my intercession for all those who place themselves
under my patronage.”
The
church of Our Lady of the Pilar in Zaragoza, is the first church dedicated to
Mary in history and it remains standing to this day, having survived invasions
and wars – in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 three bombs were dropped on
the church and none of them exploded.
Our
Lady is also said to have given the small wooden statue of the apparition to
Saint James which now stands on a pillar in the church.
Nuestra
Señora del Pilar is the patron of Spain and all Hispanic peoples. October 12,
1492, the feast of the Virgin of the Pillar, is the day Christopher Colombus
first sighted American land, and when the first Mass in the Americas was
celebrated.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 11,42-46
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
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 11,42-46
Jesus said: But alas for you Pharisees, because you pay your tithe of mint
and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and neglect justice and the love of God!
These you should have practised, without neglecting the others.
Alas for you Pharisees, because you like to take the seats of honour in the
synagogues and to be greeted respectfully in the market squares!
Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that people walk on
without knowing it!'
A lawyer then spoke up. 'Master,' he said, 'when you speak like this you
insult us too.'
But he said, 'Alas for you lawyers as well, because you load on people
burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not touch with
your fingertips.
3) REFLECTION
• In today’s Gospel the conflictive relation between Jesus and the
religious authority of the time continues. Today in the church we have the same
conflict. In a determinate diocese the Bishop convoked the poor to participate
actively. They accepted the request and numerous began to participate. A great
conflict arose. The rich said that they had been excluded and some priests
began to say: “the Bishop is doing politics and forgets the Gospel”.
• Luke 11, 42: Alas for you who do not think of justice and love. “Alas for
you, Pharisees, because your pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of
garden herbs and neglect justice and the love of God. These you should have
practiced without neglecting the others”. This criticism of Jesus against the
religious heads of the time can be repeated against many religious heads of the
following centuries, even up until now. Many times, in the name of God, we
insist on details and we forget justice and love. For example, Jansenism
rendered arid the living out of faith, insisting on observance and penance and
leading people away from the path of love. Saint Theresa of Lisieux, the
Carmelite Sister grew in a Jansenistic environment which marked France at the
end of the XIX century. After a painful personal experience, she knew how to
recover the gratuity of the Love of God with the force which has to animate the
observance of the norms from within; because, without the experience of love,
observance makes an idol of God.
The final observation of Jesus said: “You should practice this, without
neglecting the others”. This observation recalls another observation of Jesus
which serves as a comment: “Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law
or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. In truth I
tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke,
is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved. Therefore,
anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches
others to do the same will be considered the least in the Kingdom of Heaven;
but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the
Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of
the Scribes and Pharisees you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt
5,17-20).
• Luke 11, 43: Alas for you, because you like to take the seats of honour.
“Alas for you, Pharisees, because you like to take the seats of honour in the
Synagogues and to be greeted respectfully in the market squares”. Jesus calls
the attention of the disciples on the hypocritical behaviour of some Pharisees.
They like to go around the squares with long tunics, and receive the greetings
of the people, to occupy the first seats in the synagogues and the seats of
honour in the banquets (cf. Mt 6, 5; 23, 5-7). Mark says that they lied to
enter into the houses of the widows to recite long prayers in exchange for some
money. Such persons will be judged very severely (Mk 12, 38-40). This also
happens today in the Church.
• Luke 11, 44: Alas for you, unmarked tombs. “Alas for you, Scribes and
Pharisees, because you are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the
outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of
corruption” (Mt 23,27-28). The image of “whitewashed tombs” speaks of itself
and does not need any comments. Through this image, Jesus condemns a fictitious
appearance of persons who are correct, but interiorly there is the complete
negation of what they ant to appear to be on the outside. Luke speaks about
unmarked tombs: Alas for you, because you are like those unmarked tombs that
people walked on without knowing it. “. Anyone who walks on or touches a tomb
becomes impure, even if the tomb is hidden under the ground. This image is very
strong: on the outside the Pharisee seems to be just and good, but this aspect
is deceitful because inside there is a hidden tomb, that without people being
aware spreads a poison that kills, communicates a mentality that leads people
away from God , suggests an erroneous understanding of the Good News of the
Kingdom. It is an ideology which makes of God a dead idol.
• Luke 11, 45-46: Criticism of the Doctors of the Law and response of
Jesus: A lawyer then spoke up and said: “Master, when you speak like this you
insult us too!" In his response Jesus does not turn back, rather he shows
clearly that the same criticism is also for the Scribes: “Alas for you lawyers
as well , because you load on people burdens that are unbearable, burdens that
you yourselves do not touch with your fingertips!” In the Sermon on the
Mountain, Jesus expresses the same criticism which serves as a comment: “The
Scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore, do and
observe what they tell you, but do not be guided by what they do , since they
do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on
people’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them?” (Mt 23, 2-4).
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Hypocrisy maintains an appearance which deceives. Up to what point does
my hypocrisy reach? How far does the hypocrisy of our Church go?
• Jesus criticized the Scribes who insisted in the disciplinary observance
of the minute points of the law, as for example the to pay the tithe of mint
and rue and all forts of garden herbs and forget the objective of the Law which
is the practice of justice and the love. Can this criticism also apply to me?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
How blessed is anyone who rejects the advice of the wicked
and does not take a stand in the path that sinners tread,
nor a seat in company with cynics,
but who delights in the law of Yahweh
and murmurs his law day and night. (Ps 1,1-2)
and does not take a stand in the path that sinners tread,
nor a seat in company with cynics,
but who delights in the law of Yahweh
and murmurs his law day and night. (Ps 1,1-2)
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