Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 467
Lectionary: 467
Paul, a slave of
Christ Jesus,
called to be an Apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God,
which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
the Gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
called to be an Apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God,
which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
the Gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
While still more
people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
Meditation: "This is an evil generation; it seeks a
sign"
Do you pay attention
to warning signs? Many fatalities could be avoided if people took the warning
signs seriously. When the religious leaders demanded a sign from Jesus, he gave
them a warning to avert spiritual disaster. It was characteristic of the Jews
that they demanded "signs" from God's messengers to authenticate
their claims. When the religious leaders pressed Jesus to give proof for his
claims he says in so many words that he is God's sign and that they need no
further evidence from heaven than his own person. The Ninevites recognized
God's warning when Jonah spoke to them, and they repented. And the Queen of
Sheba recognized God's wisdom in Solomon. Jonah was God's sign and his message
was the message of God for the people of Nineveh. Unfortunately the religious
leaders were not content to accept the signs right before their eyes. They had
rejected the message of John the Baptist and now they reject Jesus as God's Anointed One (Messiah) and they fail to heed
his message. Simeon had prophesied at Jesus' birth that he was "destined for the falling and
rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that inner
thoughts of many will be revealed" (Luke
2:34- 35). Jesus confirmed his message with many miracles in preparation for
the greatest sign of all – his resurrection on the third day.The Lord Jesus came to set us free from slavery to sin and hurtful desires. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit he pours his love into our hearts that we may understand his will for our lives and walk in his way of holiness. God searches our hearts, not to condemn us, but to show us where we need his saving grace and help. He calls us to seek him with true repentance, humility, and the honesty to see our sins for what they really are – a rejection of his love and will for our lives. God will transform us if we listen to his word and allow his Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Ask the Lord to renew your mind and to increase your thirst for his wisdom. James says that the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity (James 3:17). A double-minded person cannot receive this kind of wisdom. The single of heart desire one thing alone – God's pleasure. God wants us to delight in him and to know the freedom of his truth and love. Do you thirst for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14)?
"Lord Jesus, give me a heart that loves what is good and in accord with your will and fill me with your wisdom that I my understand your ways. Give me the grace and the courage to reject whatever is evil and contrary to your will."
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 The Queen, the Ninevites and Me |
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Monday of the
Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
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Father Daniel Ray,
LC
Luke 11: 29-32
While still more people gathered in the
crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it
seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as
Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this
generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of
this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of
the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than
Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this
generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here as
I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give
me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you
for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in
return.
Petition: Lord, help me to recognize the signs of your
presence in my life.
1. Three Days in the Fish: When Jonah is swallowed by the whale he
dies, and when he is spit out onto the shore, he comes to life again. This is
the only sign that Christ promises to his listeners who seek a sign. Christ
will be seen by them as truly dead, swallowed by the tomb of the earth. Then,
after three days, he will come to life again in the Resurrection. As Jonah
preached conversion to the Ninevites after coming back from the dead, so
Christ would bring conversion and peace to some of the very ones who
abandoned him or cried out for his crucifixion. Even in rebuking the “evil
generation”, Christ promises them a sign that will bring hope to any of them
who—like the Ninevites—later repent. If later in life they realize their
evilness, Christ himself will be there to guide them back to friendship with
his Father.
2. Even the Queen Came: Christ is reminding his unbelieving
listeners that the Queen of Sheba traveled from afar to hear Solomon’s
wisdom. The distance from the Kingdom of Sheba in southern Arabia to
Jerusalem would have taken weeks to traverse. It would have been an
exhausting and expensive journey, especially considering the entourage that
would have accompanied the Queen. She recognized the gift of God in him and
relished the pearls of divine wisdom that he shared with her. We need to
reflect on how often we avail ourselves of all that God offers us that is not
a journey of weeks away, but is just a few miles away: Christ in the
Eucharist. Closer still, the Bible on the shelf is filled with Christ’s
message of love. All this is within easy reach and is much more than anything
Solomon could share with us.
3. Greater than Jonah: The whale was greater than Jonah. It
swallowed him whole. Yet that violent death and subsequent resurrection was
the key moment in Jonah’s life and mission. It was necessary not only for
Jonah’s own salvation (he had been running from God), but it also was
necessary for the salvation of the whole city of Nineveh. Christ makes this
reference to Jonah as a forewarning to his listeners: He is greater than
Jonah. He is greater than the death that would swallow him. This should
inspire our faith and confidence in Christ. There is nothing greater than he.
There is no greater prophet; no greater event can consume him. All things are
under his dominion except one: our free will. That he doesn’t force; that he
doesn’t conquer. He leaves it perfectly intact, so that we might respond
freely to his call to ongoing conversion, just like the citizens of Nineveh.
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, the sign of love that you give
is your willingness to die a cruel and humiliating death. Yet that is not
everything: You give me your Word in the Gospel. You give me your Body and
Blood in the Eucharist. Help me to appreciate these great gifts and to make
the most of every opportunity to receive them.
Resolution: At some point today I will offer a prayer of
thanksgiving, thanking Christ for the blessings received over the past few
days.
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, LUKE 11:29-32
(Romans 1:1-7; Psalm 98)
(Romans 1:1-7; Psalm 98)
KEY VERSE: "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah" (v 29).
READING: When the people demanded a sign from Jesus as proof that his miracles were genuine, he accused them of lacking faith. He declared that the only sign he would give them would be the sign of Jonah's "death and resurrection" from the belly of a fish (Jonah 2). When Jonah was sent to preach to Nineveh in Assyria (Israel's enemy), the prophet was astonished when these pagan people repented and turned toward God (Jon 3:1-10). Jesus was a prophet greater than Jonah, yet the Gentiles were more receptive to his message than were his own people. Jesus noted that the Queen of Sheba had come from afar to learn the wisdom of King Solomon (1 Kgs 10:1-10). In contrast, Jesus, the wisdom of God, was spurned and rejected even though he came from God to offer them the gift of eternal life.
REFLECTING: Am I like Jonah, reluctant to speak God's words to unbelievers?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to repent of my sins and heed your words.
Optional Memorial of Callistus I, pope and
martyr
Callistus was an Archdeacon who became Pope. He was born a
slave, owned by a Christian of the household of Caesar. His master entrusted a
large sum to Callistus to open a bank. Callistus made several loans to people
who refused to pay them back, and the bank went broke. Accused of wrongdoing,
Callistus was sent to the tin mines. By a quirk of Roman law, Callistus was
later ransomed with a number of other Christians and he became a free man. Pope
St. Zephyrinus put Callistus in charge of the Roman public burial grounds,
today still called the Cemetery of St. Callistus. Callistus was renowned for
his mercy toward repentant sinners, thus incurring the criticism of many
Rigorists, most notably Tertullian. He defended the faith against the
Adoptionist and Modalist heresies regarding the Holy Trinity and the Person of
Jesus Christ. On October 14, 222, five years after he had been elected Pope,
Callistus was martyred, the first martyr to be honored in the liturgy of Rome.
Columbus Day, Observed
The first recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the United
States took place on October 12, 1792. Organized by The Society of St. Tammany,
also known as the Columbian Order, it commemorated the 300th anniversary of
Columbus' landing. The 400th anniversary of the event, however, inspired the
first official Columbus Day holiday in the United States. In 1892, President
Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation urging Americans to mark the day. The
public responded enthusiastically, organizing school programs, plays, and
community festivities across the country. The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic
men's fraternal benefit society that was formed to render financial aid to
members and their families. Mutual aid and assistance are offered to sick,
disabled and needy members and their families. Social and intellectual
fellowship is promoted among members and their families through educational,
charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief and public relief works.
Thanksgiving, Canada
www.togetherwithgodsword.com
The Lord has made known his salvation.
The spirit of holiness was in him.
The way that Jesus combined humanity and divinity reminds us that God is to be found in unexpected places. God is not alien to us and our world: rather God is at the heart of creation. God is in the simple and ordinary events and encounters that fill our days and nights. When we seek God only in flashy and showy things, often we are disappointed. We remain blind to the ordinariness of God’s presence. In this sense everything is sacrament, every little thing whispers of the holiness of life. Jesus teaches us to see the little events and encounters as great miracles and extraordinary blessings. Though the stuff of life, they are the treasures richer than gold to be sought and to be shared. Then, through you, Lord Jesus, we can live with grace and peace and gratitude and praise.
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October 14
St. Callistus I
(d. 223?)
The most reliable information about this saint comes from his
enemy St. Hippolytus, an early antipope, later a martyr for the Church. A
negative principle is used: If some worse things had happened, Hippolytus would
surely have mentioned them.
Callistus
was a slave in the imperial Roman household. Put in charge of the bank by his
master, he lost the money deposited, fled and was caught. After serving time
for a while, he was released to make some attempt to recover the money.
Apparently he carried his zeal too far, being arrested for brawling in a Jewish
synagogue. This time he was condemned to work in the mines of Sardinia. He was
released through the influence of the emperor's mistress and lived at Anzio
(site of a famous World War II beachhead).
After
winning his freedom, Callistus was made superintendent of the public Christian
burial ground in Rome (still called the cemetery of St. Callistus), probably
the first land owned by the Church. The pope ordained him a deacon and made him
his friend and adviser.
He was
elected pope by a majority vote of the clergy and laity of Rome, and thereafter
was bitterly attacked by the losing candidate, St. Hippolytus, who let himself
be set up as the first antipope in the history of the Church. The schism lasted
about 18 years.
Hippolytus
is venerated as a saint. He was banished during the persecution of 235 and was
reconciled to the Church. He died from his sufferings in Sardinia. He attacked
Callistus on two fronts—doctrine and discipline. Hippolytus seems to have
exaggerated the distinction between Father and Son (almost making two gods)
possibly because theological language had not yet been refined. He also accused
Callistus of being too lenient, for reasons we may find surprising: (1)
Callistus admitted to Holy Communion those who had already done public penance
for murder, adultery, fornication; (2) he held marriages between free women and
slaves to be valid—contrary to Roman law; (3) he authorized the ordination of
men who had been married two or three times; (4) he held that mortal sin was
not a sufficient reason to depose a bishop; (5) he held to a policy of leniency
toward those who had temporarily denied their faith during persecution.
Callistus
was martyred during a local disturbance in Trastevere, Rome, and is the first
pope (except for Peter) to be commemorated as a martyr in the earliest
martyrology of the Church.
Comment:
The life of this man is another reminder that the course of Church history, like that of true love, never did run smooth. The Church had to (and still must) go through the agonizing struggle to state the mysteries of the faith in language that, at the very least, sets up definite barriers to error. On the disciplinary side, the Church had to preserve the mercy of Christ against rigorism while still upholding the gospel ideal of radical conversion and self-discipline. Every pope—indeed every Christian—must walk the difficult path between "reasonable" indulgence and "reasonable" rigorism.
The life of this man is another reminder that the course of Church history, like that of true love, never did run smooth. The Church had to (and still must) go through the agonizing struggle to state the mysteries of the faith in language that, at the very least, sets up definite barriers to error. On the disciplinary side, the Church had to preserve the mercy of Christ against rigorism while still upholding the gospel ideal of radical conversion and self-discipline. Every pope—indeed every Christian—must walk the difficult path between "reasonable" indulgence and "reasonable" rigorism.
Quote:
His contemporaries, Jesus said, were "like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.' For John [the Baptist] came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners'" (Matthew 11:16b-19a).
www.americancatholic.orgHis contemporaries, Jesus said, were "like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.' For John [the Baptist] came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners'" (Matthew 11:16b-19a).
LECTIO: LUKE
11,29-32
Lectio:
Monday, October 14, 2013
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
our help and guide,
make your love the foundation of our lives.
May our love for you express itself
in our eagerness to do good for others.
You live and reign with the Father and the
Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 11,29-32
The crowds got even bigger and Jesus addressed
them, 'This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it
will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the
people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation.
On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will
stand up against the people of this generation and be their condemnation,
because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and,
look, there is something greater than Solomon here.
On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will
appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah
preached they repented; and, look, there is something greater than Jonah here.
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today presents a very hard
accusation of Jesus against the Pharisees and the Scribes. They wanted Jesus to
give them a sign, because they did not believe in the signs and in the miracles
which he was working. This accusation of Jesus continues in the Gospels of the
following days. In meditating on these Gospels we have to be very attentive not
to generalize the accusation of Jesus as if it were addressed to the Hebrew
people. In the past, the lack of this attention, unfortunately contributed to
increase anti- Semitism in us Christians, which has caused so much harm to
humanity throughout the centuries. Instead of pointing out the finger against the
Pharisees of the time of Jesus, it is better to look at ourselves in the mirror
of the texts to discover in them the Pharisee which lives hidden in our Church
and in each one of us, and who merits this criticism from Jesus.
• Luke 11, 29-30: The sign of Jonah. “At that
time, the people crowed and Jesus began to say: This is an evil generation; it
is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah”. The
Gospel of Matthew says that it was the Scribes and the Pharisees who were
asking for a sign (Mt 12, 38). They wanted Jesus to work a sign for them, a
miracle, in such a way that they could become aware if he was the one sent by
God, as they imagined. They wanted Jesus to submit himself to their criteria.
They wanted to fit him in to the framework of their own idea of the Messiah. In
them there was no openness for a possible conversion. But Jesus did not submit
himself to their request. The Gospel of Mark says that Jesus, before the
request of the Pharisees, Jesus sighed profoundly (Mk 8, 12), probably because
he was upset and sad in the face of such blindness; because it serves nothing
to try to show a beautiful picture to a person who does not want to open the
eyes. The only sign that will be given is the sign of Jonah. “For just as Jonah
became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to
this generation “. How will this sign of the Son of man be? The Gospel of
Matthew responds: “For as Jonah remained in the belly of the sea-monster for
three days and three nights, so will the Son of man be in the heart of the
earth for three days and three nights” (Mt 12, 40). The only sign will be the
resurrection of Jesus. This is the sign which will be given in the future to
the Scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus, who was condemned to death by them and to
death on the cross, will rise from the dead by God and will continue to
resurrect in many ways in those who believe in him. The sign which converts is
not the miracles but the witness of life!
• Luke 11, 31: Salomon and the Queen of the
South. The reference to the conversion of the people of Nineveh associates and
recalls the conversion of the Queen of the South: “The Queen of the South will
stand up against this generation and be their condemnation; because she came
from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look, there is
something greater than Solomon here”. This reminder almost occasional of the
episode of the Queen of the South who recognizes the wisdom of Solomon, shows
how the Bible was used at that time. It was by association. The principal rule
for the interpretation was this one: “The Bible is explained by the Bible”. Up
until now, this is one of the more important norms for the interpretation of
the Bible, especially for the Reading of the Word of God, in a climate of
prayer.
• Luke 11, 32: And Look there is something
greater than Solomon here. After the digression on Solomon and on the Queen of
the South, Jesus returns to speak about the sign of Jonah: “The men of Nineveh
will appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah
preached they repented”. The people of Nineveh were converted because of the
witness of the preaching of Jonah and he denounces the unbelief of the Scribes
and of the Pharisees. Because “something greater than Jonah is here”. Jesus is
greater than Jonah, greater than Solomon. For us Christians, he is the
principal key for Scripture (2Co 3, 14-18).
4) Personal questions
• Jesus criticizes the Scribes and the
Pharisees who managed to deny the evidence, rendering themselves incapable to
recognize the call of God in the events. And we Christians today, and I, do we
deserve the same criticism of Jesus?
• Níneveh was converted because of the
preaching of Jonah. The Scribes and the Pharisees were not converted. Today,
the calls of reality cause changes and conversions in people in the whole
world: the ecological threat, urbanization that dehumanizes, consumerism which
standardizes and alienates, injustice, violence, etc. Many Christians live far
away from these calls of God which come from reality.
5) Concluding prayer
Praise, servants of Yahweh,
praise the name of Yahweh.
Blessed be the name of Yahweh,
henceforth and for ever. (Ps 113,1-2)
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