Tuesday of the
Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 462
Lectionary: 462
The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,
put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth
and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive,
and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish."
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,
put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth
and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive,
and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish."
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 130:1B-2, 3-4AB, 7-8
R.(3) If
you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
AlleluiaLK 11:28
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”
Meditation:
"You are anxious - one thing is needful"
Does
the peace of Christ reign in your home and in your personal life? Jesus loved
to visit the home of Martha and Mary and enjoyed their gracious hospitality. In
this brief encounter we see two very different temperaments in Martha and Mary.
Martha loved to serve, but in her anxious manner of waiting on Jesus, she
caused unrest. Mary, in her simple and trusting manner, waited on Jesus by
sitting attentively at his feet. She instinctively knew that what the Lord and
Teacher most wanted at that moment was her attentive presence.
Give
your concerns and pre-occupations to the Lord
Anxiety and preoccupation keep us from listening and from giving the Lord our undivided attention. The Lord bids us to give him our concerns and anxieties because he is trustworthy and able to meet any need we have. His grace frees us from needless concerns and preoccupation. Do you seek the Lord attentively? And does the Lord find a welcomed and honored place in your home?
Anxiety and preoccupation keep us from listening and from giving the Lord our undivided attention. The Lord bids us to give him our concerns and anxieties because he is trustworthy and able to meet any need we have. His grace frees us from needless concerns and preoccupation. Do you seek the Lord attentively? And does the Lord find a welcomed and honored place in your home?
Always
welcome the Lord into your home and heart
The Lord Jesus desires that we make a place for him, not only in our hearts, but in our homes and in the daily circumstances of our lives as well. We honor the Lord when we offer to him everything we have and everything we do. After all, everything we have is an outright gift from God (1 Chronicles 29:14). Paul the Apostle urges us to give God glory in everything: "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).
The Lord Jesus desires that we make a place for him, not only in our hearts, but in our homes and in the daily circumstances of our lives as well. We honor the Lord when we offer to him everything we have and everything we do. After all, everything we have is an outright gift from God (1 Chronicles 29:14). Paul the Apostle urges us to give God glory in everything: "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).
When
you sit, eat, sleep and when you entertain your friends and guests, remember
that the Lord Jesus is also the guest of your home. Scripture tells us that
when Abraham opened his home and welcomed three unknown travelers, he welcomed
the Lord who blessed him favorably for his gracious hospitality (Genesis
18:1-10; Hebrews 13:2). The Lord wants us to bring him glory in the way we
treat others and use the gifts he has graciously given to us. God, in turn,
blesses us with his gracious presence and fills us with joy.
"Lord
Jesus, to be in your presence is life and joy for me. Free me from needless
concerns and preoccupations that I may give you my undivided love and
attention."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The Body of Christ needs hearers and
doers of the Word, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"'Virtue
does not have a single form. In the example of Martha and Mary, there is added
the busy devotion of the one and the pious attention of the other to the Word
of God, which, if it agrees with faith, is preferred even to the very works, as
it is written: 'Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away
from her.' So let us also strive to have what no one can take away from us, so
that not careless but diligent hearing may be granted to us. For even the seeds
of the heavenly Word itself are likely to be taken away if they are sowed by
the wayside (Luke 8:5,12). Let the desire for wisdom lead you as it did Mary.
It is a greater and more perfect work. Do not let service divert the knowledge
of the heavenly Word... Nor is Martha rebuked in her good serving, but Mary is
preferred because she has chosen the better part for herself, for Jesus abounds
with many blessings and bestows many gifts. And therefore the wiser chooses
what she perceives as foremost." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF
THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 7.83-86)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, LUKE 10:38-42
Weekday
(Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 130)
Weekday
(Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 130)
KEY VERSE: "Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her" (v. 42).
TO KNOW: On Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, he stopped at the village of Bethany to rest at the home of his friends, Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus. Jesus had been teaching his disciples about the privilege and responsibility of being a disciple, and then he did a radical thing―he taught a woman. Mary seated herself at the feet of Jesus, and listened to his words just as a disciple of a Jewish rabbi would do. Martha criticized her sister for neglecting her duties as a host, but Mary showed true hospitality by being totally present to her guest. When Martha complained that Mary had left her with all the serving, Jesus told Martha that she was too "anxious and worried about many things" (v. 40-41). The one thing that should concern her was "to seek God's kingdom before all else" (12:29-31). Mary freely chose to be Jesus' disciple, and she would not be deprived of the opportunity. Her service to others would flow from her single-hearted devotion to the Lord.
TO LOVE: What does the hospitality ministry in your parish do to make visitors feel welcomed?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to serve others with respect and dedication.
YOM KIPPUR
BEGINS AT SUNSET
Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement) is the most important holiday of the Jewish year (Lev 23:26-32). Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of the month of Tishri (September / October). The day is set aside to atone for the sins against God of the past year, to atone for sins against another, and righting the wrongs committed against them, if possible. Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed on that day. Jews fast beginning before sunset in the evening and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. Most of the holiday is spent in prayer in the synagogue. At the close of the evening services, the shofar, or ram's horn, is blown with a long blast signaling the end of the feast.
Tuesday 8 October 2019
Jonah 3:1-10. Psalm 129(130):1-4, 7-8. Luke 10:38-42.
If you, O Lord, laid bare our guilt, who could endure it? –
Psalm 129(130):1-4, 7-8
‘A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.’
This is surely a classic story of graciousness and hospitality.
It was Martha, the worker, who first invited Jesus into their home. It was
Mary, the listener, who sat, undistracted, giving her full attention to their
visitor. She recognised the wealth in being in his presence. Similarly, to
spend time in prayer in the silence of God’s presence, without distraction,
brings us towards serenity.
Still, Martha’s practicality is not to be shunned. It is
important too. Both roles are important when we attend to our guests. Do I give
my guests my undivided attention? Do I attend responsibly to my tasks? Is my
prayer all asking, or is there time to just sit and listen to the spirit
within? We need to know the time for action and the time for contemplation. God
of my life, lead me to discern how I may attend to your presence in my days.
Saint John Leonardi
Saint of the Day for October 8
(1541 – October 9, 1609)
 |
| Body of Saint John Leonardi | Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli, Rome |
Saint John Leonardi’s Story
“I am only one person! Why should I do anything? What good would
it do?” Today, as in any age, people seem plagued with the dilemma of getting
involved. In his own way, John Leonardi answered these questions. He chose to
become a priest.
After his ordination, Fr. Leonardi became very active in the
works of the ministry, especially in hospitals and prisons. The example and
dedication of his work attracted several young laymen who began to assist him.
They later became priests themselves.
John lived after the Protestant Reformation and the Council of
Trent. He and his followers projected a new congregation of diocesan priests.
For some reason the plan, which was ultimately approved, provoked great
political opposition. John was exiled from his home town of Lucca, Italy, for
almost the entire remainder of his life. He received encouragement and help
from Saint Philip Neri, who gave him his lodgings—along with the care of
his cat!
In 1579, John formed the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine,
and published a compendium of Christian doctrine that remained in use until the
19th century.
Father Leonardi and his priests became a great power for good in
Italy, and their congregation was confirmed by Pope Clement in 1595. John died
at the age of 68 from a disease caught when tending those stricken by the
plague.
By the deliberate policy of the founder, the Clerks Regular of
the Mother of God have never had more than 15 churches, and today form only a
very small congregation. The Liturgical Feast of Saint John Leonardi is
October 9.
Reflection
What can one person do? The answer is plenty! In the life
of each saint, one thing stands clear: God and one person are a majority! What one
individual, following God’s will and plan for his or her life, can do is more
than our mind could ever hope for or imagine. Each of us, like John Leonardi,
has a mission to fulfill in God’s plan for the world. Each one of us is unique
and has been given talent to use for the service of our brothers and sisters
for the building up of God’s kingdom.
Saint John Leonardi is the Patron Saint of:
Pharmacists
Lectio Divina: Luke 10:38-42
Lectio Divina
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Ordinary Time
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 10:38-42
In the course of their journey He came to a village, and a woman
named Martha welcomed Him into her house.
She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord's feet and listened to Him speaking.
Now Martha, who was distracted with all the serving, came to Him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.'
But the Lord answered, 'Martha, Martha,' He said, 'you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.'
She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord's feet and listened to Him speaking.
Now Martha, who was distracted with all the serving, came to Him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.'
But the Lord answered, 'Martha, Martha,' He said, 'you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.'
3) Reflection
• Context. The journey of Jesus, undertaken in 9, 51, is
surrounded by particular encounters, among the doctors of the Law
(10: 25-37), that precede the encounter with Martha and Mary (vv. 38-42).
Above all, there is a doctor of the Law who asks Jesus a question and, for the
reader, it becomes a convenient occasion to discover how eternal life is
inherited or gained in intimacy with the Father. One can have access to eternal
life by participating in the mission of Jesus, the first one sent who has shown
us fully God’s mercy (v. 37). In Jesus, the Father has become close to men and
has shown his paternity in a tangible way. At the end of the encounter, the
expression that Jesus addresses to the Doctor of the Law and to every reader is
crucial: “Go, and do the same yourself” (v. 37). To become a neighbor, to get
close to others as Jesus did, makes us become instruments to show, in a living
way, the merciful love of the Father. This is the secret key to enter into
eternal life.
• Listening to the Word. After this encounter with an expert of the Law, while He is on the way, Jesus enters into a village and is welcomed by old friends: Martha and Mary. Jesus is not only the first one sent by the Father, but He is also the one who gathers together men, and in our case, the members of the house of Bethany in so far as He is the only Word of the Father. If it is true that there are many services to be carried out, in welcoming attention to the needs of others, then even more is it true that what is irreplaceable is listening to the Word. The account that Luke gives is a real episode and at the same time an ideal. It begins with the welcome of Martha (v. 38). Then it sketches Mary with an attitude typical of the disciple, sitting at the feet of Jesus and totally attentive to listening to his Word. This attitude of Mary is extraordinary because in Judaism at the time of Jesus it was not permitted for a woman to go to the school of a teacher, a master. Up until now we have a harmonious picture: the welcome of Martha, the listening of Mary. But soon the welcome of Martha will be transformed into super activism: the woman is “pulled”, divided by performing multiple services. She is so absorbed that she is unable to control the domestic services. The great amount of activities, understandable for such a guest, becomes so disproportionate as to prevent her living what is essential, precisely in the time that Jesus is present in her house. Her worry or concern is legitimate but then it becomes anguish, a state of mind that is not convenient when a friend is welcomed.
• Relate service to listening. Her service of acceptance, of welcome, is very positive but it is detrimental because of this state of anxiety with which she carries it out. The Evangelist makes the reader glimpse at this to show that there is no contradiction between the ‘diaconia’ of the table and that of the Word, but He wants to suggest that the service should be related to listening. Because she did not relate the spiritual attitude of service to that of listening, Martha feels that she has been abandoned by her sister. Instead, of dialoguing with Mary, she complains with the Master. Trapped in her solitude she goes against Jesus who seems to be indifferent to her problem (“Lord do you not care”...) and then with the sister, (“that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself?”). In his response, Jesus does not reproach her, nor criticize her, but He tries to help Martha to recover that which is essential at that moment: listening to the Master. He invites her to choose that part, unique and a priority, that Mary has spontaneously taken. The episode invites us to consider a danger which is always frequent in the life of Christians: anxiety, worry, super activism that can isolate us from communion with Christ and with the community. The danger is more underhanded because frequently the material concerns or worries carried out with anxiety are those we consider a form of service. What presses Luke is that in our communities the priority that should be given to the Word of God, and to listen to it, should not be neglected. Before serving the others, the relatives, and the ecclesial community, it is necessary to be served by Christ with His Word of grace. And thus immersed in the daily tasks like Martha, we forget that the Lord desires to take care of us... It is necessary, instead, to place in Jesus and in God all our concerns and worries.
• Listening to the Word. After this encounter with an expert of the Law, while He is on the way, Jesus enters into a village and is welcomed by old friends: Martha and Mary. Jesus is not only the first one sent by the Father, but He is also the one who gathers together men, and in our case, the members of the house of Bethany in so far as He is the only Word of the Father. If it is true that there are many services to be carried out, in welcoming attention to the needs of others, then even more is it true that what is irreplaceable is listening to the Word. The account that Luke gives is a real episode and at the same time an ideal. It begins with the welcome of Martha (v. 38). Then it sketches Mary with an attitude typical of the disciple, sitting at the feet of Jesus and totally attentive to listening to his Word. This attitude of Mary is extraordinary because in Judaism at the time of Jesus it was not permitted for a woman to go to the school of a teacher, a master. Up until now we have a harmonious picture: the welcome of Martha, the listening of Mary. But soon the welcome of Martha will be transformed into super activism: the woman is “pulled”, divided by performing multiple services. She is so absorbed that she is unable to control the domestic services. The great amount of activities, understandable for such a guest, becomes so disproportionate as to prevent her living what is essential, precisely in the time that Jesus is present in her house. Her worry or concern is legitimate but then it becomes anguish, a state of mind that is not convenient when a friend is welcomed.
• Relate service to listening. Her service of acceptance, of welcome, is very positive but it is detrimental because of this state of anxiety with which she carries it out. The Evangelist makes the reader glimpse at this to show that there is no contradiction between the ‘diaconia’ of the table and that of the Word, but He wants to suggest that the service should be related to listening. Because she did not relate the spiritual attitude of service to that of listening, Martha feels that she has been abandoned by her sister. Instead, of dialoguing with Mary, she complains with the Master. Trapped in her solitude she goes against Jesus who seems to be indifferent to her problem (“Lord do you not care”...) and then with the sister, (“that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself?”). In his response, Jesus does not reproach her, nor criticize her, but He tries to help Martha to recover that which is essential at that moment: listening to the Master. He invites her to choose that part, unique and a priority, that Mary has spontaneously taken. The episode invites us to consider a danger which is always frequent in the life of Christians: anxiety, worry, super activism that can isolate us from communion with Christ and with the community. The danger is more underhanded because frequently the material concerns or worries carried out with anxiety are those we consider a form of service. What presses Luke is that in our communities the priority that should be given to the Word of God, and to listen to it, should not be neglected. Before serving the others, the relatives, and the ecclesial community, it is necessary to be served by Christ with His Word of grace. And thus immersed in the daily tasks like Martha, we forget that the Lord desires to take care of us... It is necessary, instead, to place in Jesus and in God all our concerns and worries.
4) Personal questions
• Do you know how to relate service to listening to the Word of
Jesus? Or rather do you allow yourself to be taken up by anxiety because of the
multiple things to be done?
• Have you understood that before serving you have to accept to be served by Christ? Are you aware that your service becomes divine only if previously you will have accepted Christ and his word?
• Have you understood that before serving you have to accept to be served by Christ? Are you aware that your service becomes divine only if previously you will have accepted Christ and his word?
5) Concluding Prayer
Yahweh, you examine me and know me,
you know when I sit, when I rise,
you understand my thoughts from afar.
You watch when I walk or lie down,
you know every detail of my conduct. (Ps 139:1-3)
you know when I sit, when I rise,
you understand my thoughts from afar.
You watch when I walk or lie down,
you know every detail of my conduct. (Ps 139:1-3)
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