Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 473
Lectionary: 473
Brothers and
sisters:
You were dead in your transgressions and sins
in which you once lived following the age of this world,
following the ruler of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.
All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh,
following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses,
and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.
But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.
You were dead in your transgressions and sins
in which you once lived following the age of this world,
following the ruler of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.
All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh,
following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses,
and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.
But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.
Responsorial Psalm PS 100:1B-2, 3, 4AB, 4C-5
R. (3b) The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Sing joyfully to the LORD all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Sing joyfully to the LORD all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Gospel LK 12:13-21
Someone in the
crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God.”
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God.”
Meditation: "Our life does not consist in the
abundance of possessions"
Have you ever tried to
settle a money dispute or an inheritance issue? Inheritance disputes are rarely
ever easy to resolve, especially when the relatives or close associates of the
deceased benefactor cannot agree on who should get what and who should get the
most. Why did Jesus refuse to settle an inheritance dispute between two
brothers? He saw that the heart of the issue was not justice or fairness but
rather greed and possessiveness.
The ten commandments
were summarized into two prohibitions – do not worship false idols and do not
covet what belongs to another. It's the flip side of the two great commandments
- love God and love your neighbor. Jesus warned the man who wanted half
of his brother's inheritance to "beware of all covetousness."
To covet is to wish to get wrongfully what another possesses or to begrudge
what God has given to another. Jesus restates the commandment "do not
covet", but he also states that a person's life does not consist in the
abundance of his or her possessions.
August of Hippo
(354-430 AD) comments on Jesus' words to the brother who wanted more:
Greed wants to divide,
just as love desires to gather. What is the significance of “guard against all
greed,” unless it is “fill yourselves with love”? We, possessing love for our
portion, inconvenience the Lord because of our brother just as that man did
against his brother, but we do not use the same plea. He said, “Master, tell my
brother to divide the inheritance with me.” We say, “Master, tell my brother
that he may have my inheritance.” [Sermon 265.9]
Jesus reinforces his
point with a parable about a foolish rich man. Why does Jesus call this wealthy
landowner a fool? Jesus does not fault the rich man for his industriousness and
skill in acquiring wealth, but rather for his egoism and selfishness - it's
mine, all mine, and no one else's. This parable is similar to the parable
of the rich man who refused to give any help to the beggar Lazarus (Luke
16:19-31). The rich fool had lost the capacity to be concerned for others. His
life was consumed with his possessions and his only interests were in himself.
His death was the final loss of his soul!
In the parable of the
rich fool Jesus gives a lesson on using material possessions. It is in giving
that we receive. Those who are rich towards God receive ample reward - not only
in this life - but in eternity as well.
Cyril of Alexandria, a
fifth century church father, comments on Jesus' word to be rich toward
God:
It is true that a
person’s life is not from one’s possessions or because of having an
overabundance. He who is rich toward God is very blessed and has glorious hope.
Who is he? Evidently, one who does not love wealth but rather loves virtue, and
to whom few things are sufficient. It is one whose hand is open to the
needs of the poor, comforting the sorrows of those in poverty according to his
means and the utmost of his power. He gathers in the storehouses that are above
and lays up treasures in heaven. Such a one shall find the interest of his
virtue and the reward of his right and blameless life.[Commentary on Luke,
Homily 89]
In this little parable
Jesus probes our heart - where is your treasure? Treasure has a special
connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and
focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. What do you
treasure above all else?
"Lord Jesus, free
my heart from all possessiveness and from coveting what belongs to another. May
I desire you alone as the one true treasure worth possessing above all else.
Help me to make good use of the material blessings you give me that I may use
them generously for your glory and for the good of others."
 Bigger Barns? |
|
October 20, 2014.
Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
|
|
Luke 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd
said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with
me." He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and
arbitrator?" Then he said to the crowd, "Take care to guard against
all greed, for though one may be rich, one´s life does not consist of
possessions." Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man
whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ´What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?´ And he said, ´This is what I
shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall
store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as
for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat,
drink, be merry!" But God said to him, ´You fool, this night your life
will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they
belong?´ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but
is not rich in what matters to God."
Introductory
Prayer: O God, I come to you
today with all my human frailty. You know me better than I know myself. I am
in your presence to accompany and console you, not to seek consolation or a
nice feeling for myself. Even if I get distracted during our time together, I
offer myself to you completely.
Petition: Lord, give me wisdom to understand what is truly
important in this life.
1. The Scorecard
of Life: Driving down the road, a
bumper sticker is often seen: “The one who dies with the most toys wins.”
This is a contemporary rendition of the mantra of Jesus’ rich fool: “Eat,
drink and be merry.” Juggling credit cards and all kinds of financing
schemes, many people live life like the rich fool in today’s Gospel. Is the
drive for material pleasure, or security, impoverishing my soul?
2. A Bigger Barn
vs. a Bigger Heart: What will
truly make us happy? Glossy magazine ads are, for some, a source of
inspiration on this point. Basically, they are about “bigger barns”: a hotter
car, redder lipstick, spectacular vacations. The rich fool believes that by
increasing his capacity for material pleasure, he will be happier. But it’s
an illusion. Like the running wheel for a gerbil, it is lots of movement
without getting anywhere. We invest energy and effort acquiring things, but
the bigger barn brings us little joy. That’s because our hearts--not our
barns--are what really need to be enlarged. Our heart longs for love. That
Augustinian restlessness will never leave us in peace until we have
encountered the Lord who loves us and discovered him in the relationships ordained
by his providence.
3. When the Final
Curtain Is Drawn: At the end of
this parable, Jesus in essence says, “You can’t take it with you.” There’s a
place in Rome in which this is graphically depicted. The Capuchin church of
St Mary of the Immaculate Conception, on Via Veneto, is affectionately known
as the “Bone Church.” Inside there is an amazingly designed and arranged
display made completely out of the bones of four thousand Capuchin friars!
While it may strike at modern sensitivities as somewhat morbid, like today’s
Gospel it teaches an important lesson. All those bones look alike. Unless you
are a forensic expert, you cannot tell who was fat or thin, smart or dull,
handsome or homely. Death is the great leveler. Earthly advantages dissolve.
Material goods stay in this world. We go to the Lord to render an account of
our lives at death. As the little sign on the wall of the Capuchin ossarium
says, “One day, we were like you. One day, you will be like us.”
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus, so often I
find my eyes looking on the good things of this world more as ends than
means. I need to keep my priorities straight always: you first and then
everything else, inasmuch as they lead me to you. Give me the wisdom to
realize that life is short and it must be lived for you alone.
Resolution: I will live charity today as fervently as if I
knew this day were my last.
By Father Steven
Reilly, LC
|
MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, LUKE 12:13-21
(Ephesians 2:1-10; Psalm 100)
(Ephesians 2:1-10; Psalm 100)
KEY VERSE: "You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?" (v 20).
READING: When an argument arose between brothers regarding a family's inheritance, Jesus refused to intervene. Instead, he told a parable about the foolishness of focusing on material wealth. In the story, a rich man's barns were full, so he made plans to build even larger ones to store his harvest. The man presumed that he would have many years to enjoy his prosperity, but he gave no thought to God's plans. (Count the number of times the man says "I" and "my"). When death came unexpectedly, the man's earthly riches counted for nothing. He was a "fool" because he was so absorbed in his worldly goods that he lost sight of God's treasures that have eternal value (Mt 6:20).
REFLECTING: What are the "barns" I am building to hold my earthly treasures?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, you are more precious than any wealth I might possess.
Memorial of St. Paul of the Cross, priest
St. Paul of the Cross (Paul Francis Danei, 1694-1775) is the founder of the order commonly known as the Passionists because of their dedication to the preaching of the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Inspired by a vision, Paul of the Cross established his religious order that takes not only the three traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but a fourth vow to promote devotion to the passion of Jesus. He wrote, "In naked faith and without images, clothe yourself always in the sufferings of Jesus. It is love which unites and which makes our own the sufferings of the one we love. It is through love that you will make the sufferings of Jesus your own. (In the Heart of God: The Spiritual Teaching of St. Paul of the Cross).
Monday 20 October 2014
Ephesians 2:1-10. The Lord
made us, we belong to him—Ps 99(100). Luke 12:13-21.
‘Tell my brother to give me
a share of our inheritance.’
The jealous child doesn’t
wish to share. She snatches toys from her brother with a cry of ‘That’s mine!’
The opportunity for carefree play is lost in the effort to protect and shore up
possessions. The child is gently reminded that sharing is an important part of
playing. Freed of the need and greed of possession, the child can enjoy life
and play in a joyful way.
As adults, we know
acquisition is a dominant theme in our secular culture. We collect assets, grow
wealth, secure our futures. But what is God demanding of us, right now? Life!
To live unchained to earthly possessions, to be fully and joyfully present.
God, may we go from ‘mine!’ to yours!
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Glimmer of Light
Always bear in mind as a safe general rule that while God tries us
by His crosses and sufferings, He always leaves us a glimmer of light by which
we continue to have great trust in him and to recognize His immense goodness.
October
20
St. Paul of the Cross
(1694-1775)
St. Paul of the Cross
(1694-1775)
Born in
northern Italy in 1694, Paul Daneo lived at a time when many regarded Jesus as
a great moral teacher but no more. After a brief time as a soldier, he turned
to solitary prayer, developing a devotion to Christ’s passion. Paul saw in the
Lord’s passion a demonstration of God’s love for all people. In turn that
devotion nurtured his compassion and supported a preaching ministry that
touched the hearts of many listeners. He was known as one of the most popular
preachers of his day, both for his words and for his generous acts of mercy.
In 1720
Paul founded the Congregation of the Passion, whose members combined devotion
to Christ’s passion with preaching to the poor and rigorous penances. Known as
the Passionists, they add a fourth vow to the traditional three of poverty,
chastity, and obedience, to spread the memory of Christ’s passion among the
faithful. Paul was elected superior general of the Congregation in 1747,
spending the remainder of his life in Rome.
Paul of
the Cross died in 1775, and was canonized in 1867. Over 2000 of his letters and
several of his short writings have survived.
Comment:
Paul's devotion to Christ's passion must have seemed eccentric if not bizarre to many people. Yet it was that devotion that nurtured Paul's compassion and supported a preaching ministry that touched the hearts of many listeners. He was one of the most popular preachers of his day, known for both his words and his generous acts of mercy.
Paul's devotion to Christ's passion must have seemed eccentric if not bizarre to many people. Yet it was that devotion that nurtured Paul's compassion and supported a preaching ministry that touched the hearts of many listeners. He was one of the most popular preachers of his day, known for both his words and his generous acts of mercy.
Quote:
Paul wrote that God's love "penetrates the inner core of one's being, changes the lover into his beloved. And on a higher level whre love is merged with sorrow and sorrow mingled with love, there results a certain blend of love and sorrow that is so complex that the love can no longer be distinguished from the sorrow nor the sorrow from the love."
Paul wrote that God's love "penetrates the inner core of one's being, changes the lover into his beloved. And on a higher level whre love is merged with sorrow and sorrow mingled with love, there results a certain blend of love and sorrow that is so complex that the love can no longer be distinguished from the sorrow nor the sorrow from the love."
Patron Saint of:
Hungary
Hungary
LECTIO DIVINA:
LUKE 12,13-21
Lectio:
Monday, October 20, 2014
Ordinary Time
.jpg)
1) Opening prayer
Almighty and everlasting God,
our source of power and inspiration,
give us strength and joy
in serving you as followers of Christ,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
our source of power and inspiration,
give us strength and joy
in serving you as followers of Christ,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 12,13-21
A man in the crowd said to him, 'Master, tell my brother to give
me a share of our inheritance.' He said to him, 'My friend, who appointed me
your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?' Then he said to them, 'Watch,
and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in
possessions, even when someone has more than he needs.'
Then he told them a parable, 'There was once a rich man who,
having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, "What am I to
do? I have not enough room to store my crops." Then he said, "This is
what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all
my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have
plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat,
drink, have a good time." But God said to him, "Fool! This very night
the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it
be then?" So it is when someone stores up treasure for himself instead of
becoming rich in the sight of God.'
3) Reflection
● The episode in today’s gospel is found only in the Gospel of
Luke and does not have a parallel in the other Gospels. It forms part of the
long description of Jesus’ trip from Galilee to Jerusalem (Lk 9, 51 to 19, 28),
in which Luke places most of the information which he succeeded to collect
concerning Jesus and which is not found in the other three Gospels (cf. Lk 1,
2-3). The gospel today gives the response of Jesus to the person who asked him
to be the mediator in the distribution of an inheritance.
● Luke 12, 13: A request to distribute an inheritance.
“One from the crowd told Jesus: Master, tell my brother to give me a share of
our inheritance”. Up until today, the distribution of an inheritance
among the living relatives is always a delicate question and, many times, it is
the occasion of disputes and of tensions without end. At that time, the
inheritance also had something to do with the identity of the person (1 K 21,
1-3) and with the survival (Num 27,1-11; 36,1-12). The greatest problem was the
distribution of the land among the sons of the deceased father. If the family
was numerous, there was the danger that the inheritance would be divided into
small pieces of land which would not have guaranteed survival of all. For this
reason, in order to avoid the breaking up or disintegration of the inheritance
and to maintain alive the name of the family, the firstborn or eldest received
double of what the other sons received (Dt 21,17. cf. 2Rs 2, 11).
● Luke 12, 14-15: Response of Jesus: attention to greed,
to cupidity. “Jesus answers: My friend, who appointed me your judge or the
arbitrator of your claims?” In the response of Jesus appears the
knowledge which he has of the mission. Jesus does not feel sent by God to respond
to the request to be arbitrator between the relatives who argue or quarrel
among themselves concerning the distribution of the inheritance. But the
request of this man leads him to the mission to orientate persons, because “Watch,
and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in
possessions, even when someone has more than he needs”. It was part of
his mission to clarify persons concerning the sense of life. The value of life
does not consist in having many things, rather in being rich for God (Lk 12,
21). Because when gain occupies the heart, it does not know how to distribute
the inheritance in an equitable way and with peace.
● Luke 12, 16-19: The parable that makes one think on
the sense of life. Then Jesus told a parable to help persons to
reflect on the sense of life: “There was a rich man who having had a good
harvest from his land, thought to himself: What am I to do? I have not enough
room to store my crops”. The rich man was very obsessed by the concern of his goods
which had increased in an unforeseen way because of an abundant harvest. He
thinks only of accumulating in order to guarantee a life without worries. He
says: This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones,
and store all my grain and my goods in them and I will say to my soul: My soul,
now you have plenty of good things laid for many years to come, take things
easy, eat, drink, have a good time”.
● Luke 12, 20: The first conclusion of the parable. “But
God said to him: ‘Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul,
and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” So it is when someone stores
up treasures for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God”. Death
is an important key to discover the true sense of life. It makes all things
relative, because it shows what perishes and that which remains. Anyone who
only seeks to have and forgets to be, loses everything at the hour of death.
Here we have a thought which appears very frequently in the Books of wisdom:
Why accumulate great quantities of goods in this life if you do not know what
will become of them, if you do not know what the heirs will do with what you
will leave them. (Qo 2, 12.18-19. 21).
● Luke 12, 21: second conclusion of the parable. “So it
is with someone who stores up treasures for himself instead of becoming rich in
the sight of God”. How can one become rich for God? Jesus gives
several suggestions and advice: Anyone who wants to be first, let him be last
(Mt 20, 27; Mk 9, 35; 10, 44); it is better to give than to receive (Ac 20,
35); the greatest is the smallest (Mt 18, 4; 23, 11; Lk 9, 48) he/she who loses
his/her life will save it (Mt 10, 39; 16, 25; Mk 8, 35; Lk 9, 24).
4) Personal questions
● The man asked Jesus to help him in the distribution of his
inheritance. And you, what do you ask Jesus in your prayer?
● Consumerism creates needs and awakens in us the desire of gaining. What do you do so as not to be a victim of gain brought about by consumerism?
● Consumerism creates needs and awakens in us the desire of gaining. What do you do so as not to be a victim of gain brought about by consumerism?
5) Concluding prayer
Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,
serve Yahweh with gladness,
come into his presence with songs of joy! (Ps 100,1-2)
serve Yahweh with gladness,
come into his presence with songs of joy! (Ps 100,1-2)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét