Memorial of Saint
Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 456
Lectionary: 456
Job opened his
mouth and cursed his day.
Job spoke out and said:
Perish the day on which I was born,
the night when they said, “The child is a boy!”
Why did I not perish at birth,
come forth from the womb and expire?
Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth,
like babes that have never seen the light?
Wherefore did the knees receive me?
or why did I suck at the breasts?
For then I should have lain down and been tranquil;
had I slept, I should then have been at rest
With kings and counselors of the earth
who built where now there are ruins
Or with princes who had gold
and filled their houses with silver.
There the wicked cease from troubling,
there the weary are at rest.
Why is light given to the toilers,
and life to the bitter in spirit?
They wait for death and it comes not;
they search for it rather than for hidden treasures,
Rejoice in it exultingly,
and are glad when they reach the grave:
Those whose path is hidden from them,
and whom God has hemmed in!
Job spoke out and said:
Perish the day on which I was born,
the night when they said, “The child is a boy!”
Why did I not perish at birth,
come forth from the womb and expire?
Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth,
like babes that have never seen the light?
Wherefore did the knees receive me?
or why did I suck at the breasts?
For then I should have lain down and been tranquil;
had I slept, I should then have been at rest
With kings and counselors of the earth
who built where now there are ruins
Or with princes who had gold
and filled their houses with silver.
There the wicked cease from troubling,
there the weary are at rest.
Why is light given to the toilers,
and life to the bitter in spirit?
They wait for death and it comes not;
they search for it rather than for hidden treasures,
Rejoice in it exultingly,
and are glad when they reach the grave:
Those whose path is hidden from them,
and whom God has hemmed in!
Responsorial Psalm PS 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8
R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
O LORD, my God, by day I cry out;
at night I clamor in your presence.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my call for help.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
For my soul is surfeited with troubles
and my life draws near to the nether world.
I am numbered with those who go down into the pit;
I am a man without strength.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
My couch is among the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom you remember no longer
and who are cut off from your care.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit,
into the dark abyss.
Upon me your wrath lies heavy,
and with all your billows you overwhelm me.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
O LORD, my God, by day I cry out;
at night I clamor in your presence.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my call for help.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
For my soul is surfeited with troubles
and my life draws near to the nether world.
I am numbered with those who go down into the pit;
I am a man without strength.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
My couch is among the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom you remember no longer
and who are cut off from your care.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit,
into the dark abyss.
Upon me your wrath lies heavy,
and with all your billows you overwhelm me.
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Gospel LK 9:51-56
When the days for
Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.
Meditation: "Jesus'
face was set toward Jerusalem"
Are you surprised to see two of Jesus' disciples praying for the
destruction of a Samaritan village? The Jews and Samaritans had been divided
for centuries. Jewish pilgrims who passed through Samaritan territory were
often treated badly and even assaulted. Jesus did the unthinkable for a Jew. He
not only decided to travel through Samaritan territory at personal risk, but he
also asked for hospitality in one of their villages!
Jesus faced rejection and abuse in order to reconcile us with
God and one another
Jesus' offer of friendship was rebuffed. Is there any wonder that the disciples were indignant and felt justified in wanting to see retribution done to this village? Wouldn't you respond the same way? Jesus, however, rebukes his disciples for their lack of toleration. Jesus had "set his face toward Jerusalem" to die on a cross that Jew, Samaritan and Gentile might be reconciled with God and be united as one people in Christ.
Jesus' offer of friendship was rebuffed. Is there any wonder that the disciples were indignant and felt justified in wanting to see retribution done to this village? Wouldn't you respond the same way? Jesus, however, rebukes his disciples for their lack of toleration. Jesus had "set his face toward Jerusalem" to die on a cross that Jew, Samaritan and Gentile might be reconciled with God and be united as one people in Christ.
Jesus seeks our highest good - friend and enemy alike
Tolerance is a much needed virtue today. But aren't we often tolerant for the wrong thing or for the wrong motive? Christian love seeks the highest good of both one's neighbor and one's enemy. When Abraham Lincoln was criticized for his courtesy and tolerance towards his enemies during the American Civil War, he responded: "Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" How do you treat those who cross you and cause you trouble? Do you seek their good rather than their harm?
Tolerance is a much needed virtue today. But aren't we often tolerant for the wrong thing or for the wrong motive? Christian love seeks the highest good of both one's neighbor and one's enemy. When Abraham Lincoln was criticized for his courtesy and tolerance towards his enemies during the American Civil War, he responded: "Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" How do you treat those who cross you and cause you trouble? Do you seek their good rather than their harm?
"Lord Jesus, you are gracious, merciful, and kind. Set me
free from my prejudice and intolerance towards those I find disagreeable, and
widen my heart to love and to do good even to those who wish me harm or
evil."
 The Real Fight until the End |
|
The Real Fight until the End
When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he
resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead
of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his
reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of
his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they
asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume
them?" Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another
village.
Introductory Prayer: In you, Lord, I find all my joy and happiness. How could
I offend you by chasing after fleeting success and lifeless trophies? I
believe in you because you are truth itself. I hope in you because you are
faithful to your promises. I love you because you have loved me first. I am a
sinner; nevertheless, you have given me so many blessings. I humbly thank
you.
Petition: Lord Jesus, make me meek and humble of heart.
1. An Unpopular Strategy: military term: “resolutely”.
Nevertheless, even though he was engaged in fierce combat, Jesus didn’t show
it in a way the world understood. Our Lord approached his battle in Jerusalem
like a sheep being led to the slaughter. His strategy was humility. Humility
was the atomic bomb that he would drop on Satan’s designs and plans. He thus
undid the pride and arrogance of Lucifer.
2. A Lesson in Humility: St. John the Evangelist is an
active participant in this passage. He himself knew that Jesus’ purpose was
to wage war (see 1 John 3:8), and he and his brother dreamed
of being well-decorated in Jesus’ battalion. They sought places at his right
and left hand in the Kingdom (see Mark 10:35-37), and now
they seek to use their rank as apostles to bring down revenge on their
opponents. Jesus rebuked them, redefining for them the idea of kingship in
his reign. They learned quickly that the weapons of attack were kindness,
gentleness, charity and humility.
3. Mission Oriented: In military standards, a
commander-in-chief might have considered the incident in Samaria a defeat.
Christ was uprooted from their presence, so humanly speaking, he lost. This
however, is not the case. Had Jesus complained or retaliated against the
fanaticism of the Samaritans, that would have been a defeat. Instead, the
Gospel tells us: “They journeyed to another village.” Simple as that! Christ
won victory because he didn’t waste time on fickle, whimsical and capricious
expectations; rather as a true soldier, he forgave, forgot and continued to
the next town.
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, allow me to understand the
bumps and bruises of your “boot camp.” It is hard to understand why life is
so taxing for my weak nature, but I know that we are at war with the forces
of evil. Seeing you die for this war and winning it gives me greater courage
to commit my bit to the war effort. Help me to prefer the virtue of humility
over my pride.
Resolution: Today, I will be to the one who does an everyday chore
in my house. I will make the coffee for all or wash the dishes to demonstrate
to the Lord (and myself) that I can be humble.
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, LUKE 9:51-56
(Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23; Psalm 88)
(Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23; Psalm 88)
KEY VERSE: "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (v 54).
READING: The hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans arose in the eighth century BC when the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Samaria and deported most of the citizens. The land was resettled with pagan foreigners who intermarried with the remaining Jews (2 Kings 17:6, 24). This mixed ethnic and religious group was looked down upon by the Jews. When Jesus began his journey to Jerusalem where he would face suffering and death, he sent messengers ahead to prepare for his arrival at a Samaritan village. Samaritans often refused hospitality to Jews who were on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and they refused to welcome Jesus. James and John responded angrily, such as Elijah did to the prophets of Baal to "call down fire from heaven to consume them" (v. 54; 1 Kgs 18:38). Jesus reprimanded his disciples for their narrow-mindedness. He had come to save all people, regardless of race or religion.
REFLECTING: Do I work for racial and religious tolerance?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, open my mind and heart to all your people.
Memorial of Jerome, priest and doctor of the
Church
Born to a rich pagan family, Jerome misspent his youth. After his conversion, he was baptized in 365 and began his study of theology. He lived for years as a hermit in the Syrian deserts. Ordained a priest, he was a student of St. Gregory of Nazianzen, and secretary to Pope Damasus who commissioned him to revise the Latin text of the Bible, translating most of the Old Testament from the Hebrew. The result of his 30 years of work was the Vulgate translation, which was in common use until the Vatican II Council. He also wrote commentaries which are a great source of scriptural inspiration for us today. He was an avid student, a thorough scholar, a prodigious letter-writer and a consultant to monk, bishop and pope. St. Augustine (August 28) said of him, "What Jerome is ignorant of, no mortal has ever known." Jerome was a friend and teacher of St. Paula, St. Marcella, and St. Eustochium. He lived his last 34 years in the Holy Land as a semi-recluse.
Let my prayer come before you, Lord
Pain and grief often close us off from others.We curl in on ourselves, wishing from the depths of our being that things were different. Job knew this experience and was honest in his feelings. He allowed pain and anguish to surface and named them for what they were. Similarly, Jesus heads towards Jerusalem. ‘Resolutely’ is Luke’s word. Jesus knows what is coming. He doesn’t wish for it, but neither does he flee from it. He names it for what it is and moves towards it. When he does not receive support from the villagers in Samaria, he doesn’t seek revenge. He simply and resolutely moves on. Jesus allowed nothing to stand in the way of what was to come and remained focused upon it. Jesus and Job—each of them name it, know it, do it, prayerfully and trusting in God.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Mad With Love
O fire of love! Was it not enough to gift us with creation in your
image and likeness, and to create us anew to grace in your Son’s blood, without
giving us yourself as food, the whole of divine being, the whole of God? What
drove you? Nothing but your charity, mad with love as your are! –St. Catherine
of Siena
September
30
St. Jerome
(345-420)
St. Jerome
(345-420)
Most of the saints are remembered for some outstanding virtue or
devotion which they practiced, but Jerome is frequently remembered for his bad
temper! It is true that he had a very bad temper and could use a vitriolic pen,
but his love for God and his Son Jesus Christ was extraordinarily intense;
anyone who taught error was an enemy of God and truth, and St. Jerome went
after him or her with his mighty and sometimes sarcastic pen.
He was
above all a Scripture scholar, translating most of the Old Testament from the
Hebrew. He also wrote commentaries which are a great source of scriptural
inspiration for us today. He was an avid student, a thorough scholar, a
prodigious letter-writer and a consultant to monk, bishop and pope. St.
Augustine (August 28) said of him, "What Jerome is ignorant of, no mortal
has ever known."
St.
Jerome is particularly important for having made a translation of the Bible
which came to be called the Vulgate. It is not the most critical edition of the
Bible, but its acceptance by the Church was fortunate. As a modern scholar
says, "No man before Jerome or among his contemporaries and very few men
for many centuries afterwards were so well qualified to do the work." The
Council of Trent called for a new and corrected edition of the Vulgate, and
declared it the authentic text to be used in the Church.
In order
to be able to do such work, Jerome prepared himself well. He was a master of
Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Chaldaic. He began his studies at his birthplace,
Stridon in Dalmatia (in the former Yugoslavia). After his preliminary education
he went to Rome, the center of learning at that time, and thence to Trier,
Germany, where the scholar was very much in evidence. He spent several years in
each place, always trying to find the very best teachers. He once served as
private secretary of Pope Damasus (December 11).
After
these preparatory studies he traveled extensively in Palestine, marking each
spot of Christ's life with an outpouring of devotion. Mystic that he was, he
spent five years in the desert of Chalcis so that he might give himself up to
prayer, penance and study. Finally he settled in Bethlehem, where he lived in
the cave believed to have been the birthplace of Christ. On September 30 in the
year 420, Jerome died in Bethlehem. The remains of his body now lie buried in
the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
Comment:
Jerome was a strong, outspoken man. He had the virtues and the unpleasant fruits of being a fearless critic and all the usual moral problems of a man. He was, as someone has said, no admirer of moderation whether in virtue or against evil. He was swift to anger, but also swift to feel remorse, even more severe on his own shortcomings than on those of others. A pope is said to have remarked, on seeing a picture of Jerome striking his breast with a stone, "You do well to carry that stone, for without it the Church would never have canonized you" (Butler's Lives of the Saints).
Jerome was a strong, outspoken man. He had the virtues and the unpleasant fruits of being a fearless critic and all the usual moral problems of a man. He was, as someone has said, no admirer of moderation whether in virtue or against evil. He was swift to anger, but also swift to feel remorse, even more severe on his own shortcomings than on those of others. A pope is said to have remarked, on seeing a picture of Jerome striking his breast with a stone, "You do well to carry that stone, for without it the Church would never have canonized you" (Butler's Lives of the Saints).
Quote:
"In the remotest part of a wild and stony desert, burnt up with the heat of the scorching sun so that it frightens even the monks that inhabit it, I seemed to myself to be in the midst of the delights and crowds of Rome. In this exile and prison to which for the fear of hell I had voluntarily condemned myself, I many times imagined myself witnessing the dancing of the Roman maidens as if I had been in the midst of them: In my cold body and in my parched-up flesh, which seemed dead before its death, passion was able to live. Alone with this enemy, I threw myself in spirit at the feet of Jesus, watering them with my tears, and I tamed my flesh by fasting whole weeks. I am not ashamed to disclose my temptations, but I grieve that I am not now what I then was" ("Letter to St. Eustochium").
"In the remotest part of a wild and stony desert, burnt up with the heat of the scorching sun so that it frightens even the monks that inhabit it, I seemed to myself to be in the midst of the delights and crowds of Rome. In this exile and prison to which for the fear of hell I had voluntarily condemned myself, I many times imagined myself witnessing the dancing of the Roman maidens as if I had been in the midst of them: In my cold body and in my parched-up flesh, which seemed dead before its death, passion was able to live. Alone with this enemy, I threw myself in spirit at the feet of Jesus, watering them with my tears, and I tamed my flesh by fasting whole weeks. I am not ashamed to disclose my temptations, but I grieve that I am not now what I then was" ("Letter to St. Eustochium").
Patron Saint of:
Librarians
Librarians
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 9,51-56
Lectio:
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
you show your almighty power
in your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promise
and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
you show your almighty power
in your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promise
and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 9,51-56
It happened that as the time drew near for him to be taken up,
he resolutely turned his face towards Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of
him.
These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem.
Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.
These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem.
Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today narrates and tells us how Jesus decides to go
to Jerusalem. It also describes the first difficulties which he finds along this
road. He presents us the beginning of the long and hard way of the periphery
toward the capital city. Jesus leaves Galilee and goes toward Jerusalem. Not
all can understand him. Many abandon him, because the demands are enormous.
Today, the same thing happens. Along the way of our community there are
misunderstandings and abandonment.
• “Jesus decides to go to Jerusalem”. This decision marks the hard and long way of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, from the periphery to the capital city. This journey occupies more than one third part of the Gospel of Luke (Lk 9, 51 to 19, 28). This is a sign that the voyage to Jerusalem was of great importance in the life of Jesus. The long walk is the symbol, at the same time, of the journey that the community is making. They seek to go through a difficult passage from the Jewish world toward the world of the Greek culture. This also symbolized the tension between the New and the Ancient which was closing more and more in itself. It also symbolizes the conversion which each one of us has to carry out, trying to follow Jesus. During the journey, the disciples try to follow Jesus, without returning back; but they do not always succeed. Jesus dedicates much time to instruct those who follow him closely. We have a concrete example of this instruction in today’s Gospel. At the beginning of the journey, Jesus leaves Galilee and takes with him the disciples to the territory of the Samaritans. He tries to form them in order that they may be ready to understand the openness to the New, toward the other, toward what is different.
• Luke 9, 51: Jesus decides to go to Jerusalem. The Greek text says literally: “Now it happened that as the time drew near for him to be taken up, he resolutely turned his face towards Jerusalem”. The expression assumption or being snatched recalls the Prophet Elijah snatched to heaven (2 K 2, 9-11). The expression turned his face recalls the Servant of Yahweh who said: “I have set my face like flint and I know I shall not be put to shame” (Is 50, 7). It also recalls an order which the Prophet Ezekiel received from God: “Turn your face toward Jerusalem!” (Ez 21, 7). In using these expressions Luke suggests that while they were walking toward Jerusalem, the most open opposition of Jesus began against the project of the official ideology of the Temple of Jerusalem. The ideology of the Temple wanted a glorious and nationalistic Messiah. Jesus wants to be a Messiah Servant. During the long journey, this opposition will increase and finally, it will end in the getting hold of Jesus. The snatching of Jesus is his death on the Cross, followed by his Resurrection.
• Luke 9, 52-53: The mission in Samaria failed. During the journey, the horizon of the mission is extended. After the beginning, Jesus goes beyond the frontiers of the territory and of the race. He sends his disciples to go and prepare his arrival in a town of Samaria. But the mission together with the Samaritans fails. Luke says that the Samaritans did not receive Jesus because he was going to Jerusalem. But if the disciples would have said to the Samaritans: “Jesus is going to Jerusalem to criticize the project of the Temple and to demand a greater openness”, Jesus would have been accepted, because the Samaritans were of the same opinion. The failure of the mission is, probably, due to the disciples. They did not understand why Jesus “turned the face toward Jerusalem”. The official propaganda of the glorious and nationalistic Messiah prevented them from perceiving... The disciples did not understand the openness of Jesus and the mission failed!
• Luke 9, 54-55: Jesus does not accept the request of vengeance. James and John do not want to take home the defeat. They do not accept that some one is not in agreement with their ideas. They want to imitate Elijah and use fire to revenge (2 K 1, 10). Jesus rejects the proposal. He does not want the fire. Some Bibles add: “You do not know what spirit is moving you!” This means that the reaction of the disciples was not according to the Spirit of Jesus. When Peter suggests to Jesus not to follow the path of the Messiah Servant, Jesus turns to Peter calling him Satan (Mk 8, 33). Satan is the evil spirit who wants to change the course or route of the mission of Jesus. The Message of Luke for the communities: those who want to hinder the mission among the pagans are moved by the evil spirit!
• In the ten chapters which describe the journey up to Jerusalem (Lk 9, 51 to 19, 28), Luke constantly reminds us that Jesus is on the way toward Jerusalem (Lk 9, 51.53.57; 10, 1.38; 11, 1; 13, 22.33; 14, 25; 17,11; 18, 31; 18, 37; 19, 1.11.28). He rarely says through where Jesus passed. Only at the beginning of the journey (Lk 9, 51), in the middle (Lk 17, 11), and at the end (Lk 18, 35; 19, 1), something is known concerning the place where Jesus was going by. This refers to the communities of Luke and also for all of us. The only thing that is sure is that we have to continue to walk. We cannot stop. But it is not always clear and definite the place where we have to pass by. What is sure, certain, is the objective: Jerusalem.
• “Jesus decides to go to Jerusalem”. This decision marks the hard and long way of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, from the periphery to the capital city. This journey occupies more than one third part of the Gospel of Luke (Lk 9, 51 to 19, 28). This is a sign that the voyage to Jerusalem was of great importance in the life of Jesus. The long walk is the symbol, at the same time, of the journey that the community is making. They seek to go through a difficult passage from the Jewish world toward the world of the Greek culture. This also symbolized the tension between the New and the Ancient which was closing more and more in itself. It also symbolizes the conversion which each one of us has to carry out, trying to follow Jesus. During the journey, the disciples try to follow Jesus, without returning back; but they do not always succeed. Jesus dedicates much time to instruct those who follow him closely. We have a concrete example of this instruction in today’s Gospel. At the beginning of the journey, Jesus leaves Galilee and takes with him the disciples to the territory of the Samaritans. He tries to form them in order that they may be ready to understand the openness to the New, toward the other, toward what is different.
• Luke 9, 51: Jesus decides to go to Jerusalem. The Greek text says literally: “Now it happened that as the time drew near for him to be taken up, he resolutely turned his face towards Jerusalem”. The expression assumption or being snatched recalls the Prophet Elijah snatched to heaven (2 K 2, 9-11). The expression turned his face recalls the Servant of Yahweh who said: “I have set my face like flint and I know I shall not be put to shame” (Is 50, 7). It also recalls an order which the Prophet Ezekiel received from God: “Turn your face toward Jerusalem!” (Ez 21, 7). In using these expressions Luke suggests that while they were walking toward Jerusalem, the most open opposition of Jesus began against the project of the official ideology of the Temple of Jerusalem. The ideology of the Temple wanted a glorious and nationalistic Messiah. Jesus wants to be a Messiah Servant. During the long journey, this opposition will increase and finally, it will end in the getting hold of Jesus. The snatching of Jesus is his death on the Cross, followed by his Resurrection.
• Luke 9, 52-53: The mission in Samaria failed. During the journey, the horizon of the mission is extended. After the beginning, Jesus goes beyond the frontiers of the territory and of the race. He sends his disciples to go and prepare his arrival in a town of Samaria. But the mission together with the Samaritans fails. Luke says that the Samaritans did not receive Jesus because he was going to Jerusalem. But if the disciples would have said to the Samaritans: “Jesus is going to Jerusalem to criticize the project of the Temple and to demand a greater openness”, Jesus would have been accepted, because the Samaritans were of the same opinion. The failure of the mission is, probably, due to the disciples. They did not understand why Jesus “turned the face toward Jerusalem”. The official propaganda of the glorious and nationalistic Messiah prevented them from perceiving... The disciples did not understand the openness of Jesus and the mission failed!
• Luke 9, 54-55: Jesus does not accept the request of vengeance. James and John do not want to take home the defeat. They do not accept that some one is not in agreement with their ideas. They want to imitate Elijah and use fire to revenge (2 K 1, 10). Jesus rejects the proposal. He does not want the fire. Some Bibles add: “You do not know what spirit is moving you!” This means that the reaction of the disciples was not according to the Spirit of Jesus. When Peter suggests to Jesus not to follow the path of the Messiah Servant, Jesus turns to Peter calling him Satan (Mk 8, 33). Satan is the evil spirit who wants to change the course or route of the mission of Jesus. The Message of Luke for the communities: those who want to hinder the mission among the pagans are moved by the evil spirit!
• In the ten chapters which describe the journey up to Jerusalem (Lk 9, 51 to 19, 28), Luke constantly reminds us that Jesus is on the way toward Jerusalem (Lk 9, 51.53.57; 10, 1.38; 11, 1; 13, 22.33; 14, 25; 17,11; 18, 31; 18, 37; 19, 1.11.28). He rarely says through where Jesus passed. Only at the beginning of the journey (Lk 9, 51), in the middle (Lk 17, 11), and at the end (Lk 18, 35; 19, 1), something is known concerning the place where Jesus was going by. This refers to the communities of Luke and also for all of us. The only thing that is sure is that we have to continue to walk. We cannot stop. But it is not always clear and definite the place where we have to pass by. What is sure, certain, is the objective: Jerusalem.
4) Personal questions
• Which are the problems which you have to face in your life,
because of the decision which you have taken to follow Jesus?
• What can we learn from the pedagogy of Jesus with his disciples who wanted to revenge of the Samaritans?
• What can we learn from the pedagogy of Jesus with his disciples who wanted to revenge of the Samaritans?
5) Concluding Prayer
All the kings of the earth give thanks to you, Yahweh,
when they hear the promises you make;
they sing of Yahweh’s ways,
‘Great is the glory of Yahweh!’ (Ps 138,4-5)
when they hear the promises you make;
they sing of Yahweh’s ways,
‘Great is the glory of Yahweh!’ (Ps 138,4-5)
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