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?
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. 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?
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. Afterall,
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."
 Prayer Is the Lifeblood of My Relationship with Jesus |
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Tuesday of the
Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
|
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Father James
Swanson, LC
Luke 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."
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the master of the
universe, and yet you wish to listen to me and guide me. You know all things
past, present and future, and yet you respect my freedom to choose you. Holy
Trinity, you are completely happy and fulfilled on you own, and yet you have
generously brought us into existence. You are our fulfillment. Thank you for
the gift of yourself. I offer the littleness of myself in return, knowing you
are pleased with what I have to give.
Petition: Lord, help me to learn how to pray better.
1. “More Things Are Wrought By Prayer Than
Your Philosophy Dreams Of.” Many good people see prayer as a weak thing that really
doesn’t help. So they put their effort into doing great projects, into doing
as much as they can to bring about good in the world. This is a good thing.
But prayer is essential. Even if I manage to involve thousands of others in
my project, I will still not accomplish as much as when I get God involved.
Getting God involved through prayer is the first and the most important thing
to do if we are going to accomplish anything. As King Arthur says to Sir
Bedevere in Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur, “More things are wrought
by prayer than your philosophy dreams of.”
2. Persevere in Prayer with Love: Many critics of prayer complain that they
pray a lot, but it doesn’t seem to do any good. Well, there are a couple of
things to say about that. First of all, there needs to be love for God in my
heart. God needs to be someone familiar to me, a friend. In asking for a
favor, I expect to get a greater response from someone I know, someone who is
close to me, than from a stranger. Imagine if there was someone I barely
knew, and the only time I saw him was when he needed a favor from me. Would I
be inclined to give him what he needs? Second, I need to persevere. Like the
Canaanite woman who asked Jesus to cure her daughter, I have to persevere in
prayer when things are difficult. Her perseverance increased her faith, and
in the end it got her what she wanted. If I persevere in prayer with love, I
will get all that I need.
3. Cooperate with God’s Plan Instead of
Insisting on Your Own: I need to remember that every prayer has its effect. How often
am I disappointed when I don’t get what I’m asking for? Am I open enough in
my prayer to let God work as he wants; to follow his plan and not mine? Do I
force him to refuse my request by making it so narrow that there is no way to
incorporate it into his plan? Even if I don’t see the results of my prayer,
that doesn’t mean God is not listening. God always rises to the occasion and
will often do something a lot better than what I wanted him to do. He does
what is best for me, even if it does not entirely conform to my plan. I may
never know or realize – in this life – the specifics of how God listened to
my prayers. It takes faith to accept this.
Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord, whatever project I undertake,
help me to remember to start it with prayer, pray while I am doing it, and
finish it with prayer. I want to be close to you like Mary. I want to serve
you like Martha. Help me to find the right order and balance in my life.
Resolution: When I consider the biggest thing I am doing
for God today, I will be sure to ask him in prayer to bless it.
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TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 8, LUKE 10:38-42
(Jonah
3:1-10; Psalm 130)
KEY
VERSE: "Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from
her" (v 42).
READING:
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 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.
REFLECTING:
Do I serve others with love and dedication?
PRAYING:
Lord Jesus, help me to welcome you into my home so that I might listen to your
words
If you, O Lord, laid bare our guilt, who could endure it?
Martha welcomed him into her house...Mary listened to him.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 a priceless 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.
October 9
St. John Leonardi
(1541?-1609)
St. John Leonardi
(1541?-1609)
"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, he 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 (1545-63). 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 St.
Philip Neri [whose feast is May 26], 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. He 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.
Comment:
What can one person do? If you ever glanced through a Christopher Notespamphlet you know—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.
What can one person do? If you ever glanced through a Christopher Notespamphlet you know—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.
Quote:
"Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy" (Luke 12:32-33).
"Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy" (Luke 12:32-33).
LECTIO: LUKE
10,38-42
Lectio:
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
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.
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.'
3) Reflection
• Context. The journey of Jesus, undertaken in 9, 51, is surrounded by particular encounters, among which with the Doctors of the Law (10, 25-37), that precedes the encounter with Martha and Mary (vv. 38-42). Above all, there is a doctor of the Law who asks Jesus a question and that for the reader it becomes a convenient occasion to discover how eternal life is inherited or gained which is 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 God’s mercy fully (v. 37). In Jesus the Father has become close to men, he 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 neighbour, 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, welcoming, attention to the needs of others, and even more it is 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 listen 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 the 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 however, disproportionate so much so 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 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, but 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, we consider them 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?
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)
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.'
3) Reflection
• Context. The journey of Jesus, undertaken in 9, 51, is surrounded by particular encounters, among which with the Doctors of the Law (10, 25-37), that precedes the encounter with Martha and Mary (vv. 38-42). Above all, there is a doctor of the Law who asks Jesus a question and that for the reader it becomes a convenient occasion to discover how eternal life is inherited or gained which is 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 God’s mercy fully (v. 37). In Jesus the Father has become close to men, he 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 neighbour, 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, welcoming, attention to the needs of others, and even more it is 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 listen 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 the 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 however, disproportionate so much so 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 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, but 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, we consider them 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?
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)
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