Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 460
Lectionary: 460
Job answered the LORD and said:
I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be hindered.
I have dealt with great things that I do not understand;
things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.
I had heard of you by word of mouth,
but now my eye has seen you.
Therefore I disown what I have said,
and repent in dust and ashes.
Thus the LORD blessed the latter days of Job
more than his earlier ones.
For he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels,
a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.
And he had seven sons and three daughters,
of whom he called the first Jemimah,
the second Keziah, and the third Kerenhappuch.
In all the land no other women were as beautiful
as the daughters of Job;
and their father gave them an inheritance
along with their brothers.
After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years;
and he saw his children, his grandchildren,
and even his great-grandchildren.
Then Job died, old and full of years.
I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be hindered.
I have dealt with great things that I do not understand;
things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.
I had heard of you by word of mouth,
but now my eye has seen you.
Therefore I disown what I have said,
and repent in dust and ashes.
Thus the LORD blessed the latter days of Job
more than his earlier ones.
For he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels,
a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.
And he had seven sons and three daughters,
of whom he called the first Jemimah,
the second Keziah, and the third Kerenhappuch.
In all the land no other women were as beautiful
as the daughters of Job;
and their father gave them an inheritance
along with their brothers.
After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years;
and he saw his children, his grandchildren,
and even his great-grandchildren.
Then Job died, old and full of years.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 119:66, 71, 75, 91,
125, 130
R. (135) Lord,
let your face shine on me.
Teach me wisdom and knowledge,
for in your commands I trust.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
that I may learn your statutes.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
I know, O LORD, that your ordinances are just,
and in your faithfulness you have afflicted me.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
According to your ordinances they still stand firm:
all things serve you.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
I am your servant; give me discernment
that I may know your decrees.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
Teach me wisdom and knowledge,
for in your commands I trust.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
that I may learn your statutes.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
I know, O LORD, that your ordinances are just,
and in your faithfulness you have afflicted me.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
According to your ordinances they still stand firm:
all things serve you.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
I am your servant; give me discernment
that I may know your decrees.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
AlleluiaSEE MT 11:25
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 10:17-24
The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."
Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
'to tread upon serpents' and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."
Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
'to tread upon serpents' and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
Meditation: "Your names are written in
heaven"
Do you know and experience in your personal life
the joy of the Lord? The Scriptures tell us that "the joy
of the Lord is our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Why does Jesus tell
his disciples to not take joy in their own successes, even spiritual ones?
Jesus makes clear that the true source of our joy is God himself, and God
alone. Regardless of the circumstances, in good times and bad times, in success
or loss, God always assures us of victory in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus assures his disciples that he has all power over
all evil, including the power of Satan and the evil spirits (demons) - the
fallen angels who rebelled against God and who hate men and women who have been
created in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:29). Jesus told his disciples
that he came into the world to overthrow the evil one (John 12:31). That is why
Jesus gave his disciples power over Satan and his legion of demons (rebellious
angels). We, too, as disciples of Jesus have been given spiritual authority and
power for overcoming the works of darkness and evil (1 John 2:13-14).
Self-centered pride closes the mind to God's
revelation and wisdom
Jesus thanks the Father in heaven for revealing to his disciples the wisdom and knowledge of God. What does Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father and Lord of earth as well as heaven. He is both Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and at the same time, goodness and loving care for all his children. All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15).
Jesus thanks the Father in heaven for revealing to his disciples the wisdom and knowledge of God. What does Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father and Lord of earth as well as heaven. He is both Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and at the same time, goodness and loving care for all his children. All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15).
Jesus' prayer also contains a warning that pride can
keep us from the love and knowledge of God. What makes us ignorant and blind to
the things of God? Sinful pride springs from being self-centered and holding an
exaggerated view of oneself. Pride closes the mind to God's truth and wisdom
for our lives. Lucifer, who was once the prince of angels, fell into pride
because he did not want to serve God but wanted to be equal with God. Through
his arrogant pride he led a whole host of angels to rebel against God. That is
why the rebellious angels (whom Scripture calls evil spirits, devils, and demons)
were cast out of heaven and thrown down to the earth. They seek to lead us away
from God through pride and rebellion.
How can we guard our hearts from sinful pride and
rebellion? The virtue of humility teaches us to put our trust in God and not in
ourselves. God gives strength and help to those who put their trust in him.
Humility is the only true remedy against sinful pride. True humility, which is
very different from the feelings of inferiority or low self-esteem, leads us to
a true recognition of who we are in the sight of God and of our dependence on
God.
Humility is the only soil where God's grace and truth
can take root
Jesus contrasts intellectual pride with child-like simplicity and humility. The simple of heart are like "babes" or "little children" in the sense that they see purely without pretense or falsehood and acknowledge their dependence and trust in one who is greater, wiser, and more trustworthy. They seek one thing - the "summum bonum" or "greatest good" who is God himself. Simplicity of heart is wedded with humility, the queen of virtues, because humility inclines the heart towards grace and truth.
Jesus contrasts intellectual pride with child-like simplicity and humility. The simple of heart are like "babes" or "little children" in the sense that they see purely without pretense or falsehood and acknowledge their dependence and trust in one who is greater, wiser, and more trustworthy. They seek one thing - the "summum bonum" or "greatest good" who is God himself. Simplicity of heart is wedded with humility, the queen of virtues, because humility inclines the heart towards grace and truth.
Just as pride is the root of every sin and evil
inclination, so humility is the only soil in which the grace of God can take
root. It alone takes the right attitude before God and allows him as God to do
all. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs
3:34, James 4:6). The grace of Christ-like humility inclines us towards God and
disposes us to receive God's wisdom and help. Allow the Lord Jesus to heal the
wounds of pride in your heart and to fill you with the joy of the Holy Spirit
who transforms us into the likeness of Christ himself - who is meek and humble
of heart (Matthew 11:29).
Nothing can give us greater joy than the knowledge
that we are God's beloved and that our names are written in heaven. The Lord
Jesus has ransomed us from slavery to sin, Satan, and death and has adopted us
as God's beloved sons and daughters. That is why we no longer belong to
ourselves - but to God alone. Do you seek to be like Jesus Christ in humility
and simplicity of heart?
The Lord Jesus wants us to know him personally -
experientially
Jesus makes a claim which no one would have dared to make: He is the perfect revelation of God - he and the Father are perfectly united in a bond of unbreakable love and fidelity. One of the greatest truths of the Christian faith is that we can know the living God. Our knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote: "God loves each of us as if there were only one of us to love."
Jesus makes a claim which no one would have dared to make: He is the perfect revelation of God - he and the Father are perfectly united in a bond of unbreakable love and fidelity. One of the greatest truths of the Christian faith is that we can know the living God. Our knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote: "God loves each of us as if there were only one of us to love."
Seek God with expectant faith and trust
To see Jesus is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God - a God who yearns over men and women, who cares intensely for them and who shows them unceasing kindness, mercy, and forgiveness. That is why the Father sent his only begotten Son who laid down his life for us on the cross. Jesus taught his followers to confidently pray to the Father with expectant faith, "Our Father who art in heaven ...give us this day our daily bread." Do you believe in your heavenly Father's care and love for you and do you pray with confident trust and hope that he will give you what you need to live as his son or daughter?
To see Jesus is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God - a God who yearns over men and women, who cares intensely for them and who shows them unceasing kindness, mercy, and forgiveness. That is why the Father sent his only begotten Son who laid down his life for us on the cross. Jesus taught his followers to confidently pray to the Father with expectant faith, "Our Father who art in heaven ...give us this day our daily bread." Do you believe in your heavenly Father's care and love for you and do you pray with confident trust and hope that he will give you what you need to live as his son or daughter?
"Most High and glorious God, enlighten the
darkness of our hearts and give us a true faith, a certain hope and a perfect
love. Give us a sense of the divine and knowledge of yourself, so that we may
do everything in fulfillment of your holy will; through Jesus Christ our
Lord." (Prayer of Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226)
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The power of the Kingdom of God, by
Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"He also gave the holy apostles power and might
even to raise the dead, cleanse lepers, heal the sick, and by the laying on of
hands to call down from heaven the Holy Spirit on anyone they wanted. He gave
them power to bind and to loose people's sins. His words are 'I say to you,
whatever you will bind on earth, will be bound in heaven (Matthew 18:18).
Whatever you will loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven.' These are the
things we see ourselves possessing. Blessed are our eyes and the eyes of those
of all who love him. We have heard his wonderful teaching. He has given us the
knowledge of God the Father, and he has shown him to us in his own nature. The
things that were by Moses were only types and symbols. Christ has revealed the
truth to us. He has taught us that not by blood and smoke, but rather by
spiritual sacrifices, we must honor him who is spiritual, immaterial and above
all understanding." (excerpt from COMMENTARY
ON LUKE, HOMILY 67)
SATURDAY,
OCTOBER 6, LUKE 10:17-24
Weekday
Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17; Psalm 119)
Weekday
Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "For although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike" (v. 21).
TO KNOW: Only Luke among the evangelists tells of this second mission of seventy-two disciples. Jesus sent them ahead in pairs, to every town he intended to visit. When they returned, they were jubilant because their mission was successful. They were amazed at the power that had been given to them, having witnessed the collapse of Satan's reign through their proclamation of God's reign. Jesus shared their joy over Satan's fall, but he told them not to rejoice that they had greater power than the evil forces. They should be glad that their "names were written in heaven" (v. 20). Jesus prayed in thanksgiving to the Father for bestowing the mysteries of the kingdom on his lowly disciples. This privilege had not been given to the "wise and the learned" (v. 21), but to his disciples who, like little children, were open to God's revelation in Jesus.
TO LOVE: In what ways do I help to reduce the influence of evil in the world?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to imitate your humble obedience to God's word.
Optional Memorial of Saint Bruno,
priest
St. Bruno was born in 1030 in Cologne, Germany. He became a priest and achieved fame as a professor of theology at Rheims. Critical of the worldliness he saw in his fellow clergy, he decided to pursue a life of complete solitude and prayer. He established his hermitage in Chartreuse, near Grenoble, France. Soon he attracted disciples and he established the first monastery of Carthusian monks. Bruno and his brothers worked as manuscript copyists. In 1090, Bruno was brought to Rome, against his wishes, by Pope Urban II (whom he had taught at Rheims) as Papal Adviser in the reformation of the clergy. 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 the eremetical (hermit) and the cenobitic (communal) in his religious life. His learning is apparent from his scriptural commentaries on the psalms and on St. Paul's epistles.
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.
Saturday 6
October 2018
St Bruno
Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17. Psalm 118(119):66, 71,
75, 91, 125, 130. Luke 10:17-24.
Lord, let your face shine on me – Psalm
118(119):66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130.
‘Rejoice that your names are written in
heaven.’
The seventy-two Jesus
had sent out to teach in his name returned to him with tons of job
satisfaction. Jesus wants them, however, to remain humble servants of their
brothers and sisters in the countryside.
So much of the gospel
narrative speaks of failure to reach the unteachable ones, mainly the religious
leaders who had their own agenda. We can ask always to remain simple, even if
we are highly educated, so we may see things with all their sparkle and wonder
as if for the first time. Then we may never run out of gratitude or begin to
think all the blessings around us are simply what people like us deserve!
Saint Bruno
Saint of the Day for October 6
(c. 1030 – October 6, 1101)
 |
| Saint Bruno | Girolamo Marchesi |
Saint Bruno’s Story
This saint has the
honor of having founded a religious order which, as the saying goes, has never
had to be reformed because it was never deformed. No doubt both the founder and
the members would reject such high praise, but it is an indication of the
saint’s intense love of a penitential life in solitude.
Bruno was born in
Cologne, Germany, became a famous teacher at Rheims, and was appointed
chancellor of the archdiocese at the age of 45. He supported Pope Gregory VII
in his fight against the decadence of the clergy, and took part in the removal
of his own scandalous archbishop, Manasses. Bruno suffered the plundering of
his house for his pains.
He had a dream of
living in solitude and prayer, and persuaded a few friends to join him in a
hermitage. After a while he felt the place unsuitable and through a friend, was
given some land which was to become famous for his foundation “in the
Chartreuse”—from which comes the word Carthusians. The climate, desert,
mountainous terrain, and inaccessibility guaranteed silence, poverty, and small
numbers.
Bruno and his friends
built an oratory with small individual cells at a distance from each other.
They met for Matins and Vespers each day and spent the rest of the time in
solitude, eating together only on great feasts. Their chief work was copying
manuscripts.
Hearing of Bruno’s
holiness, the pope called for his assistance in Rome. When the pope had to flee
Rome, Bruno pulled up stakes again, and after refusing a bishopric, spent his
last years in the wilderness of Calabria.
Bruno was never
formally canonized, because the Carthusians were averse to all occasions of
publicity. However, Pope Clement X extended his feast to the whole Church in
1674.
Reflection
If there is always a
certain uneasy questioning of the contemplative life, there is an even greater
puzzlement about the extremely penitential combination of community and hermit
life lived by the Carthusians. May we mirror Bruno’s quest for holiness and
unity with God.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 10:17-24
Lectio Divina:
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
you show your almighty power
in your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promise
and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.
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.
you show your almighty power
in your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promise
and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.
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 10,17-24
The seventy-two came back rejoicing.
'Lord,' they said, 'even the devils submit to us when we use your name.'
He said to them, 'I watched Satan fall
like lightning from heaven. Look, I have given you power to tread down serpents
and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you.
Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice instead that your
names are written in heaven.'
Just at this time, filled with joy by
the Holy Spirit, He said, 'I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth,
for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to
little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it has pleased you to do.
Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son
is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom
the Son chooses to reveal him.'
Then turning to his disciples He spoke
to them by themselves, 'Blessed are the eyes that see what you see, for I tell
you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it;
to hear what you hear, and never heard it.'
3) Reflection
• Context. Previously Jesus had sent 72
disciples. They now return from their mission and give an account of it. The
proof of the success of their mission is due to the experience of the
superiority and supremacy of the name of Jesus in regard to the power of evil.
The defeat of Satan coincides with the coming of the Kingdom and the disciples
have seen it in their present mission. The diabolical forces have been weakened
and the demons have submitted to the power of the name of Jesus. Such a
conviction cannot be the foundation of their joy and the enthusiasm of their
missionary witness though. Joy has its last root or origin in the fact of
being known and loved by God. This does not mean that being protected by God through
a relationship with Him always places us in an advantageous situation in the
face of the diabolical forces. Here is inserted the mediation of Jesus between
God and us: “Look, I have given you power” (v. 19). The power of Jesus is one
that makes us experience success in regard to the devil’s power and He protects
us. Jesus has been present in the fall of Satan, even if he is not as yet
definitively defeated or overcome. Christians are called to hinder and be an
obstacle to the power of Satan on earth. They are sure of the victory in spite
of the fact that they live in a critical situation. They participate in
obtaining victory in the communion of love with Christ even though they may be
tried by suffering and death. Just the same, the reason for joy is not in the
certainty of coming out unharmed but of being loved by God. The expression of
Jesus, “your names are written in heaven” is a witness that being present to
the heart of God (memory) guarantees the continuity of our life in eternity.
The success of the mission of the disciples is the result of the defeat of
Satan. Now the benevolence of the Father is shown (vv. 21-22): the success of
the word of Grace in the mission of the seventy two, seen as the design of the
Father and in the communion in the resurrection of the Son, begins with this
revelation of the benevolence of the Father. The mission becomes a space for
the revelation of God’s will in human time. This experience is transmitted by
Luke in the context of prayer. It shows on one side the reaction in heaven: “I
bless you Father”, (v. 21) and that on earth (vv. 23-24).
• The prayer of rejoicing or exultation.
In the prayer that Jesus addresses to the Father, guided by the action of the
Spirit, the word “exults” expresses the openness of the Messianic joy and
proclaims the goodness of the Father. This is made evident in the little ones,
in the poor and in those who have no value because they have accepted the Word
transmitted by those sent and thus they have access to the relationship between
the Divine Persons of the Trinity. Instead, the wise and the learned, on
account of feeling sure, are gratified because of their intellectual and
theological competence. But such an attitude prevents them from entering into
the dynamism of salvation given by Jesus. The teaching that Luke intends to
transmit to individual believers, as well as to the ecclesial communities, may
be synthesized as follows: Humility opens to faith. The sufficiency of one’s
assurance closes to pardon, to light, to God’s goodness. The prayer of Jesus
has its effects on all those who accept this and allow themselves to be wrapped
up by the goodness of the Father.
4) Personal questions
• The mission to take the life of God to
others implies a lifestyle that is poor and humble. Is your life permeated by
the life of God, by the Word of grace that comes from Jesus?
• Do you have trust in God’s call and in
his power that asks to be manifested through simplicity, poverty and humility?
5) Concluding Prayer
Lord, you are kind and forgiving,
rich in faithful love for all who call upon you.
Yahweh, hear my prayer,
listen to the sound of my pleading. (Ps 86,5-6)
rich in faithful love for all who call upon you.
Yahweh, hear my prayer,
listen to the sound of my pleading. (Ps 86,5-6)
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