Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary:
449
Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim
when it is in your power to do it for him.
Say not to your neighbor, "Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give," when you can give at once.
Plot no evil against your neighbor,
against one who lives at peace with you.
Quarrel not with a man without cause,
with one who has done you no harm.
Envy not the lawless man
and choose none of his ways:
To the LORD the perverse one is an abomination,
but with the upright is his friendship.
The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
but the dwelling of the just he blesses;
When dealing with the arrogant, he is stern,
but to the humble he shows kindness.
when it is in your power to do it for him.
Say not to your neighbor, "Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give," when you can give at once.
Plot no evil against your neighbor,
against one who lives at peace with you.
Quarrel not with a man without cause,
with one who has done you no harm.
Envy not the lawless man
and choose none of his ways:
To the LORD the perverse one is an abomination,
but with the upright is his friendship.
The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
but the dwelling of the just he blesses;
When dealing with the arrogant, he is stern,
but to the humble he shows kindness.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
R. (1) The just one shall live on your
holy mountain, O Lord.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Gospel Lk 8:16-18
Jesus said to the crowd:
"No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away."
"No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away."
Meditation: "Every secret shall come to
light"
What does the image of light and
a lamp tell us about God's kingdom? Lamps in the ancient world served a vital
function, much like they do today. They enable people to see and work in the
dark and to avoid stumbling. The Jews also understood "light" as an
expression of the inner beauty, truth, and goodness of God. In his light we see light ( Psalm 36:9). His word is a lamp that guides our
steps (Psalm 119:105). God's
grace not only illumines the darkness in our lives, but it also fills us with
spiritual light, joy, and peace. Jesus used the image of a lamp to describe how
his disciples are to live in the light of his truth and love. Just as natural
light illumines the darkness and enables one to see visually, so the light of Christ shines in the hearts of believers and
enables us to see the heavenly reality of God's kingdom. In fact, our mission
is to be light-bearers of Christ so that others may see the
truth of the gospel and be freed from the blindness of sin and deception.Jesus remarks that nothing can remain hidden or secret. We can try to hide things from others, from ourselves, and from God. How tempting to shut our eyes from the consequences of our sinful ways and bad habits, even when we know what those consequences are. And how tempting to hide them from others and even from God. But, nonetheless, everything is known to God who sees all. There is great freedom and joy for those who live in God's light and who seek his truth. Those who listen to God and heed his voice will receive more from him – abundance of wisdom, guidance, peace, and blessing. Do you know the joy and freedom of living in God's light?
"Lord Jesus, you guide me by the light of your saving truth. Fill my heart and mind with your light and truth and free me from the blindness of sin and deception that I may see your ways clearly and understand your will for my life. May I radiate your light and truth to others in word and deed."
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 A Just Settlement |
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Monday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
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Listen
to podcast version here. Luke 8: 16-18 Introductory Prayer:Lord, you dwell in brightness, truth and love. Nothing makes sense without your love. Without you, Lord, insipidity invades people, things and events. I believe that you are my refuge and the source of my happiness now and forever. I am convinced that your promises will be fulfilled sooner or later; this is why I prefer a single day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. 1. Torch Bearers: There are advantages to carrying a torch in the dark. This common knowledge informed our Lord’s address and helped him propose it to his listeners. At night, a torchbearer sheds light so that all who are with him can walk confidently, without stumbling along a dark path. Time is not wasted stepping insecurely and hesitantly; rather, the whole group walks purposefully and goes quickly where it needs and wants to be. When a group has a torchbearer, all in it are relieved, including the torchbearer himself. This is the value of my faith to a highly secularized society. Do I nurture an appreciation for the gift of faith that I have received from God? Am I afraid to allow its light to shine? 2. Wisdom at its Best: Jesus affirms, “For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.” When I am not praised and recognized by others, I might feel sad or forgotten. This is when I need to shine a lot of light to get out of that black hole. Do my good works seem to go unperceived? The Lord himself will expose them on the judgment day. The more they are hidden from others now, the more merits I will gain before God. All secrets will be cracked open in the future. My duty is not to crack them open now, but to keep them hidden and to be a torchbearer for the journey to that place of eternal reward. 3. A Rewarded Success: “To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” Here Jesus plumbs deeper into what we have already reflected on. “To anyone who has” obviously refers to the torchbearer who has successfully led his band of friends. He will be entrusted with more responsibility, or simply respected by the others. “…And from the one who has not”: The torchbearer who can’t keep his flame alive will be ousted. He will be taken away. Do I staunchly live the fire of the faith, or do I hesitate in witnessing to his love? Conversation with Christ:Lord, help me to be a wise torchbearer. Do not allow laziness and presumption to distract me from the basic task of keeping my lamp filled with oil at all times. Lord, give me a robust faith! Resolution: In my conversations today, I will bear witness to the light by avoiding all slanderous talk, and I will elevate the topics of conversation by talking about things that could inspire others to praise God.  |
Whoever does justice shall live on the Lord’s holy mountain.
Do not refuse a kindness to anyone who asks…
Read quickly, today’s reading may seem remote to us. Yet living justly, in one sense, is what the whole of scripture is about. As the text assures us, it is our point of entry to the being of God, the point at which our being and the being of God draw close. Consequently, we pray for the grace to live justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God.
The Lord’s holy mountain—to the Israelites a place where God was present and where God spelt out the detail of living justly—is actually here with us all day and every day.
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY
ART AND SCIENCE
The most important function of art and science is to awaken the cosmic religious feeling and keep it alive.
- Albert Einstein
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MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Deliver Us From Evil
Lord, you stand ready to help us
choose grace over sin. I know how strong temptations can be. I have sinned over
and over again—failed to love my enemies, to help others when I could have… So,
Father, through the precious blood of Jesus, save me. Deliver me from sin
because of your love.
— from Catholic and Confident
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| St.Pacifico of San Severino |
September 24
St. Pacifico of San Severino
(1653-1721)
St. Pacifico of San Severino
(1653-1721)
Pacifico was born into a distinguished family in San Severino in the Marche of Ancona in central
At the age of 35, Pacifico contracted an illness that eventually left him deaf, blind and crippled. He offered his sufferings for the conversion of sinners, and he cured many of the sick who came to him. Pacifico also served as the superior of the friary in San Severino. He was canonized in 1839.
Comment:
Pacifico lived out the words of St. Francis cited below. His preaching and ministry were linked to his life of penance.
Francis urged his brothers to proclaim the Word of God
without fanfare or self-interest. In that way, their words were truly God’s and
directed toward the welfare of their listeners. The way Pacifico lived made his
preaching all the more effective, for his listeners knew the power present in
his words.Pacifico lived out the words of St. Francis cited below. His preaching and ministry were linked to his life of penance.
Quote:
"Moreover, I advise and admonish the friars that in their preaching, their words should be examined and chaste. They should aim only at the advantage and spiritual good of their listeners, telling them briefly about vice and virtue, punishment and glory, because our Lord himself kept his words short on earth" (St. Francis, Rule of 1223, Ch. 9).
"Moreover, I advise and admonish the friars that in their preaching, their words should be examined and chaste. They should aim only at the advantage and spiritual good of their listeners, telling them briefly about vice and virtue, punishment and glory, because our Lord himself kept his words short on earth" (St. Francis, Rule of 1223, Ch. 9).
St. Gerard
Sagredo*
Feastday: September 24
Patron of Hungary
~980 - 1046
was an Italian bishop from Venice (some claim Basque origins) who operated in the Kingdom of Hungary
(specifically in Budapest ), and educated Saint
Emeric of Hungary , the son
of Saint Stephen of Hungary Hungary
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| St.Gellert falling to his death |
Gellért's martyrdom took place on
24 September 1046 (his co-martyrs were Bystrik and Buldus) on a hill in Budapest
Canonized in 1083, along with St.
Stephen and St. Emeric, Gellért is currently one of the patron saints of Hungary
*Saint Gerard Sagredo (Italian: San Gerardo Sagredo;Hungarian: Szent Sagredo Gellért) (23 April 980 – 24
September 1046), also called Gerhard or Gellert.
Martyrs of Chalcedon
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| Martyrs of Chalcedon |
Feastday: September 24
Died: 394
A group of forty-nine Christians
slain in Chalcedon church
of Chalcedon
(Notes : Chalcedon
/kælˈsiːdən/ or/ˈkælsɨdɒn/;[1]Greek: Χαλκηδών, sometimestransliterated asChalkedon) was an ancient
maritime town of Bithynia Byzantium , south of Scutari (modern Üsküdar) and it is now a
district of the city of Istanbul
BLESSED ANTON MARTIN SLOMSHEK
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| Bl.Anton Martin Slomshek |
Anton Martin Slomshek
who was born November 26, 1800 at Ponikva ,
Slovenia
Slomshek is known as a
great educator, largely responsible for the nearly 100% literacy rate among
Slovenians, a remarkable turn around from the very poor state of the nation's
educational levels at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
In the late 18th and
early 19th century, the Slovenian education system had been crippled by the
Austrian empire's suppression of their native language and culture. This left
them without their own schools, texts and magazines and newspapers.
As bishop, Anton Martin
Slomshek reformed the schools in Slovenia
He founded a society for
the spread of Catholic literature, an organization responsible in large part
for making possible the rejuvenation of the Catholic cultural base of the
Slovenian nation.
He was known as a simple
and humble man, possessed with a childlike purity, and was loved by his priests
and his flock.
Blessed Anton once
remarked, "When I was born, my mother laid me on a bed of straw, and I
desire no better pallet when I die, asking only to be in the state of grace and
worthy of salvation."
Blessed Anton died
September 24, 1862 in Maribor ,
Slovenia
LECTIO: LUKE 8,16-18
Lectio:
Monday, September 24,
2012
ORDINARY TIME
1) Opening prayer
Father,
guide us, as you guide creation
according to your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
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.
guide us, as you guide creation
according to your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
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
Jesus said to his
disciples: ‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a
bed. No, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they
come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it
will be made known and brought to light.
So take care how you listen; anyone who has, will be given more; anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has.’
So take care how you listen; anyone who has, will be given more; anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has.’
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel
presents three brief phrases pronounced by Jesus. They are phrases scattered in
different places which Luke collected here after the parable of the seed (Lk 8,
4-8) and of his explanation to the disciples (Lk 8, 9-15). This literary
context, in which Luke places the three phrases, helps us to understand how he
wants people to understand these phrases of Jesus.
• Luke 8, 16: The lamp which gives light. “No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed; no, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. This phrase of Jesus is a brief parable. Jesus does not explain, because all know what he is speaking about. This belonged to everyday life. At that time, there was no electric light. Just imagine this! The family meets at home. The sun begins to set. A person gets up, lights the lamp, covers it with a vase or places it under the bed. What will the others say? All will scream out: “But are you crazy... place the lamp on the table!” In a Biblical meeting somebody made the following comment: The Word of God is a lamp which is necessary to light in the darkness of the night. If it remains closed up in the Book of the Bible, it will be like the lamp under a vase. But when it is placed on the table it gives light to the whole house, when it is read in community and is connected to life.
• In the context in which Luke places this phrase, he is referring to the explanation which Jesus gave about the parable of the seeds (Lk 8, 9-15). It is as if he would say: the things which you have just heard you should not keep them only for yourselves, but you should share them with others. A Christian should not be afraid to give witness and spread the Good News. Humility is important, but the humility which hides the gifts of God given to edify the community is false (1Cor 12, 4-26; Rom 12, 3-8).
• Luke 8, 17: That which is hidden will be manifested. “·There is nothing hidden which will not be manifested, nothing secret which will not be known and brought to light”. In the context in which Luke places this second phrase of Jesus, it also refers to the teachings given by Jesus particularly to the disciples (Lk 8, 9-10). The disciples cannot keep these only for themselves, but they should diffuse them, because they form part of the Good News which Jesus has brought.
• Luke 8, 18: Attention to preconceptions. “So take care how you listen, anyone who has will be given more, anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has”. At that time, there were many preconceptions on the Messiah which prevented people from understanding, in a correct way, the Good News of the Kingdom which Jesus announced. “For this reason, this warning of Jesus concerning preconceptions is quite actual. Jesus asks the disciples to be aware of the preconceptions with which they listen to the teaching that he presents. With this phrase of Jesus, Luke is saying to the communities and to all of us: “Be attentive to the ideas with which you look at Jesus!” Because if the colour of the eyes is green, everything will seem to be green. If it were blue, everything would be blue! If the idea that I have when I look at Jesus is mistaken, erroneous, everything which I receive and teach about Jesus will be threatened by error! If I think that the Messiah has to be a glorious King, I will not want to hear anything which Jesus teaches about the Cross, about suffering, persecution and about commitment, and to lose even what I thought I possessed. Joining this third phrase to the first one, I can conclude what follows: anyone who keeps for himself what he receives and does not distribute it to others, loses what he has, because it becomes corrupt.
• Luke 8, 16: The lamp which gives light. “No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed; no, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. This phrase of Jesus is a brief parable. Jesus does not explain, because all know what he is speaking about. This belonged to everyday life. At that time, there was no electric light. Just imagine this! The family meets at home. The sun begins to set. A person gets up, lights the lamp, covers it with a vase or places it under the bed. What will the others say? All will scream out: “But are you crazy... place the lamp on the table!” In a Biblical meeting somebody made the following comment: The Word of God is a lamp which is necessary to light in the darkness of the night. If it remains closed up in the Book of the Bible, it will be like the lamp under a vase. But when it is placed on the table it gives light to the whole house, when it is read in community and is connected to life.
• In the context in which Luke places this phrase, he is referring to the explanation which Jesus gave about the parable of the seeds (Lk 8, 9-15). It is as if he would say: the things which you have just heard you should not keep them only for yourselves, but you should share them with others. A Christian should not be afraid to give witness and spread the Good News. Humility is important, but the humility which hides the gifts of God given to edify the community is false (1Cor 12, 4-26; Rom 12, 3-8).
• Luke 8, 17: That which is hidden will be manifested. “·There is nothing hidden which will not be manifested, nothing secret which will not be known and brought to light”. In the context in which Luke places this second phrase of Jesus, it also refers to the teachings given by Jesus particularly to the disciples (Lk 8, 9-10). The disciples cannot keep these only for themselves, but they should diffuse them, because they form part of the Good News which Jesus has brought.
• Luke 8, 18: Attention to preconceptions. “So take care how you listen, anyone who has will be given more, anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has”. At that time, there were many preconceptions on the Messiah which prevented people from understanding, in a correct way, the Good News of the Kingdom which Jesus announced. “For this reason, this warning of Jesus concerning preconceptions is quite actual. Jesus asks the disciples to be aware of the preconceptions with which they listen to the teaching that he presents. With this phrase of Jesus, Luke is saying to the communities and to all of us: “Be attentive to the ideas with which you look at Jesus!” Because if the colour of the eyes is green, everything will seem to be green. If it were blue, everything would be blue! If the idea that I have when I look at Jesus is mistaken, erroneous, everything which I receive and teach about Jesus will be threatened by error! If I think that the Messiah has to be a glorious King, I will not want to hear anything which Jesus teaches about the Cross, about suffering, persecution and about commitment, and to lose even what I thought I possessed. Joining this third phrase to the first one, I can conclude what follows: anyone who keeps for himself what he receives and does not distribute it to others, loses what he has, because it becomes corrupt.
4) Personal questions
• Have you had any
experience of preconceptions which have prevented you from perceiving and
appreciating in their just value, the good things that persons have?
• Have you perceived the preconceptions which are behind certain stories, accounts and parables which certain persons tell us?
• Have you perceived the preconceptions which are behind certain stories, accounts and parables which certain persons tell us?
5) Concluding Prayer
How blessed are those
whose way is blameless,
who walk in the Law of Yahweh!
Blessed are those who observe his instructions,
who seek him with all their hearts. (Ps 119,1-2)
who walk in the Law of Yahweh!
Blessed are those who observe his instructions,
who seek him with all their hearts. (Ps 119,1-2)
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