Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 460
Lectionary: 460
Fear not, my
people!
Remember, Israel,
You were sold to the nations
not for your destruction;
It was because you angered God
that you were handed over to your foes.
For you provoked your Maker
with sacrifices to demons, to no-gods;
You forsook the Eternal God who nourished you,
and you grieved Jerusalem who fostered you.
She indeed saw coming upon you
the anger of God; and she said:
“Hear, you neighbors of Zion!
God has brought great mourning upon me,
For I have seen the captivity
that the Eternal God has brought
upon my sons and daughters.
With joy I fostered them;
but with mourning and lament I let them go.
Let no one gloat over me, a widow,
bereft of many:
For the sins of my children I am left desolate,
because they turned from the law of God.
Fear not, my children; call out to God!
He who brought this upon you will remember you.
As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God,
turn now ten times the more to seek him;
For he who has brought disaster upon you
will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy.”
Remember, Israel,
You were sold to the nations
not for your destruction;
It was because you angered God
that you were handed over to your foes.
For you provoked your Maker
with sacrifices to demons, to no-gods;
You forsook the Eternal God who nourished you,
and you grieved Jerusalem who fostered you.
She indeed saw coming upon you
the anger of God; and she said:
“Hear, you neighbors of Zion!
God has brought great mourning upon me,
For I have seen the captivity
that the Eternal God has brought
upon my sons and daughters.
With joy I fostered them;
but with mourning and lament I let them go.
Let no one gloat over me, a widow,
bereft of many:
For the sins of my children I am left desolate,
because they turned from the law of God.
Fear not, my children; call out to God!
He who brought this upon you will remember you.
As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God,
turn now ten times the more to seek him;
For he who has brought disaster upon you
will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy.”
R. (34) The Lord listens to the poor.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!”
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!”
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seventy-two
disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Meditation: "Your
names are written in heaven"
: Do you know and experience in your personal life the joy
of the Lord? The Scriptures tell us that "the joy of the Lord is
our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Why does Jesus tell his disciples
to not take joy in their own successes, even spiritual ones? Jesus makes clear
that the true source of our joy is God himself, and God alone. Regardless of
the circumstances, in good times and bad times, in success or loss, God always
assures us of victory in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus assures his disciples that he has all power over all evil,
including the power of Satan and the evil spirits (demons) - the fallen angels
who rebelled against God and who hate men and women who have been created in
God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:29). Jesus told his disciples that he came
into the world to overthrow the evil one (John 12:31). That is why Jesus gave
his disciples power over Satan and his legion of demons (rebellious angels).
We, too, as disciples of Jesus have been given spiritual authority and power
for overcoming the works of darkness and evil (1 John 2:13-14).
Self-centered pride closes the mind to God's revelation and
wisdom
Jesus thanks the Father in heaven for revealing to his disciples the wisdom and knowledge of God. What does Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father and Lord of earth as well as heaven. He is both Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and at the same time, goodness and loving care for all his children. All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15).
Jesus thanks the Father in heaven for revealing to his disciples the wisdom and knowledge of God. What does Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father and Lord of earth as well as heaven. He is both Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and at the same time, goodness and loving care for all his children. All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15).
Jesus' prayer also contains a warning that pride can keep us
from the love and knowledge of God. What makes us ignorant and blind to the
things of God? Sinful pride springs from being self-centered and holding an
exaggerated view of oneself. Pride closes the mind to God's truth and wisdom
for our lives. Lucifer, who was once the prince of angels, fell into pride
because he did not want to serve God but wanted to be equal with God. Through
his arrogant pride he led a whole host of angels to rebel against God. That is
why the rebellious angels (whom Scripture calls evil spirits, devils, and demons)
were cast out of heaven and thrown down to the earth. They seek to lead us away
from God through pride and rebellion.
How can we guard our hearts from sinful pride and rebellion? The
virtue of humility teaches us to put our trust in God and not in ourselves. God
gives strength and help to those who put their trust in him. Humility is the
only true remedy against sinful pride. True humility, which is very different
from the feelings of inferiority or low self-esteem, leads us to a true
recognition of who we are in the sight of God and of our dependence on God.
Humility is the only soil where God's grace and truth can take
root
Jesus contrasts intellectual pride with child-like simplicity and humility. The simple of heart are like "babes" or "little children" in the sense that they see purely without pretense or falsehood and acknowledge their dependence and trust in one who is greater, wiser, and more trustworthy. They seek one thing - the "summum bonum" or "greatest good" who is God himself. Simplicity of heart is wedded with humility, the queen of virtues, because humility inclines the heart towards grace and truth.
Jesus contrasts intellectual pride with child-like simplicity and humility. The simple of heart are like "babes" or "little children" in the sense that they see purely without pretense or falsehood and acknowledge their dependence and trust in one who is greater, wiser, and more trustworthy. They seek one thing - the "summum bonum" or "greatest good" who is God himself. Simplicity of heart is wedded with humility, the queen of virtues, because humility inclines the heart towards grace and truth.
Just as pride is the root of every sin and evil inclination, so
humility is the only soil in which the grace of God can take root. It alone
takes the right attitude before God and allows him as God to do all. God
opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, James
4:6). The grace of Christ-like humility inclines us towards God and disposes us
to receive God's wisdom and help. Allow the Lord Jesus to heal the wounds of
pride in your heart and to fill you with the joy of the Holy Spirit who
transforms us into the likeness of Christ himself - who is meek and humble of
heart (Matthew 11:29).
Nothing can give us greater joy than the knowledge that we are
God's beloved and that our names are written in heaven. The Lord Jesus has
ransomed us from slavery to sin, Satan, and death and has adopted us as God's
beloved sons and daughters. That is why we no longer belong to ourselves - but
to God alone. Do you seek to be like Jesus Christ in humility and simplicity of
heart?
The Lord Jesus wants us to know him personally - experientially
Jesus makes a claim which no one would have dared to make: He is the perfect revelation of God - he and the Father are perfectly united in a bond of unbreakable love and fidelity. One of the greatest truths of the Christian faith is that we can know the living God. Our knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote: "God loves each of us as if there were only one of us to love."
Jesus makes a claim which no one would have dared to make: He is the perfect revelation of God - he and the Father are perfectly united in a bond of unbreakable love and fidelity. One of the greatest truths of the Christian faith is that we can know the living God. Our knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote: "God loves each of us as if there were only one of us to love."
Seek God with expectant faith and trust
To see Jesus is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God - a God who yearns over men and women, who cares intensely for them and who shows them unceasing kindness, mercy, and forgiveness. That is why the Father sent his only begotten Son who laid down his life for us on the cross. Jesus taught his followers to confidently pray to the Father with expectant faith, "Our Father who art in heaven ...give us this day our daily bread." Do you believe in your heavenly Father's care and love for you and do you pray with confident trust and hope that he will give you what you need to live as his son or daughter?
To see Jesus is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God - a God who yearns over men and women, who cares intensely for them and who shows them unceasing kindness, mercy, and forgiveness. That is why the Father sent his only begotten Son who laid down his life for us on the cross. Jesus taught his followers to confidently pray to the Father with expectant faith, "Our Father who art in heaven ...give us this day our daily bread." Do you believe in your heavenly Father's care and love for you and do you pray with confident trust and hope that he will give you what you need to live as his son or daughter?
"Most High and glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our
hearts and give us a true faith, a certain hope and a perfect love. Give us a
sense of the divine and knowledge of yourself, so that we may do everything in
fulfillment of your holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Prayer of
Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3,
LUKE 10:17-24
Weekday
(Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29; Psalm 69)
Weekday
(Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29; Psalm 69)
KEY VERSE: "For although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike" (v 21).
TO READ: Jesus sent out seventy disciples, sending them ahead in pairs, to every town he intended to visit. When they returned, they were jubilant because their mission was successful. They were amazed at the power that had been given to them, having witnessed the collapse of Satan's reign through their proclamation of God's reign. Jesus shared their joy over Satan's fall, but he told them not to rejoice that they had greater power than the evil forces. They should be glad that their "names were written in heaven" (v 20). Jesus prayed in thanksgiving to the Father for bestowing the mysteries of the kingdom on his lowly disciples. This privilege had not been given to the "wise and the learned" (v 21), but to his disciples who, like little children, were open to God's revelation in Jesus.
TO REFLECT: In what ways do I help to reduce the influence of evil in the world?
TO RESPOND: Lord Jesus, help me to imitate your humble obedience to God's word.
OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF THE
BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Chapter V of the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, issued by the Holy See in December 2001, describes the Church's traditional dedication of Saturday to the Virgin Mary. "Saturdays stand out among those days dedicated to the Virgin Mary. These are designated as memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (218). The chapter also describes the importance of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in Catholic devotional life, including the Liturgy, and includes reflections on popular devotions to Mary, her feast days, and the Rosary.
Saturday 3rd October 2015
SAT
3RD. Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29. The Lord listens to the poor—Ps 68(69):33-37.
Luke 10:17-24.
‘Rejoice
because your names are written in heaven.’
The
seventy-two disciples came back overjoyed and confident from the mission Jesus
had given them. He told them not to rejoice at their victories over devils but
because their names were written in heaven.
Filled
with the Holy Spirit, Jesus thanked his Father for revealing so much to simple
ordinary people like the disciples. They were privileged over the prophets and
kings of the Old Testament.
Are we
deeply grateful for the gift of faith and for the truths that Jesus has taught
us at the cost of his life?
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
|
God’s Best Creation
|
In the eyes of God we are the most beautiful thing, the greatest,
the best of creation: even the angels are beneath us; we are more than the
angels, as we heard in the Book of Psalms. The Lord favors us! We must give
thanks to him for this.
October
3
St. Theodora Guérin
(1798-1856)
St. Theodora Guérin
(1798-1856)
Trust in God’s Providence enabled Mother Theodore to leave her
homeland, sail halfway around the world, and found a new religious
congregation.
Born in
Etables, France, Anne-Thérèse Guerin’s life was shattered by her father’s
murder when she was 15. For several years she cared for her mother and younger
sister. She entered the Sisters of Providence in 1823, taking the name Sister
St. Theodore. An illness during novitiate left her with lifelong fragile
health; that did not keep her from becoming an accomplished teacher.
At the
invitation of the bishop of Vincennes, she and five sisters were sent in 1840
to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, to teach and to care for the sick poor.
She was to establish a motherhouse and novitiate. Only later did she learn that
her French superiors had already decided the sisters in the United States
should form a new religious congregation under her leadership.
She and
her community persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against
Catholic women religious, misunderstandings and separation from their original
religious congregation. She once told her sisters, “Have confidence in the
Providence that so far has never failed us. The way is not yet clear. Grope
along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient, be trustful.” Another time, she
asked, “With Jesus, what shall we have to fear?”
She is
buried in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods,
Indiana, and was beatified in 1998. Eight years later she
was canonized.
Comment:
God’s work gets done by people ready to take risks and to work hard—always remembering what St. Paul told the Corinthians, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Every holy person has a strong sense of God’s Providence.
God’s work gets done by people ready to take risks and to work hard—always remembering what St. Paul told the Corinthians, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Every holy person has a strong sense of God’s Providence.
Quote:
During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Mother Theodore “continues to teach Christians to abandon themselves to the providence of our heavenly Father and to be totally committed to doing what pleases him. The life of Blessed Theodora Guérin is a testimony that everything is possible with God and for God.”
During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Mother Theodore “continues to teach Christians to abandon themselves to the providence of our heavenly Father and to be totally committed to doing what pleases him. The life of Blessed Theodora Guérin is a testimony that everything is possible with God and for God.”
LECTIO DIVINA:
LUKE 10,17-24
Lectio:
Saturday, October 3, 2015
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 10,17-24
The seventy-two came back rejoicing. 'Lord,' they said, 'even
the devils submit to us when we use your name.'
He said to them, 'I watched Satan fall like lightning from
heaven. Look, I have given you power to tread down serpents and scorpions and
the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not
rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice instead that your names are
written in heaven.'
Just at this time, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, he said,
'I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from
the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father,
for that is what it has pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me
by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the
Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.'
Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them by themselves,
'Blessed are the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets
and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear,
and never heard it.'
3) Reflection
• Context. Previously Jesus had sent 72 disciples, now they
return from their mission and they give an account of it. One can prove that
the success of the mission is due to the experience of the superiority or
better the supremacy of the name of Jesus in regard to the power of evil. The
defeat of Satan coincides with the coming of the Kingdom: the disciples have
seen it in their present mission. The diabolical forces have been weakened: the
demons have submitted to the power of the name of Jesus. Such a conviction
cannot be the foundation of their joy and the enthusiasm of their missionary
witness; joy has its last root or origin in the fact of being known and loved
by God. This does not mean that being protected by God and the relationship
with him always places us in an advantageous situation in the face of the
diabolical forces. Here is inserted the mediation of Jesus between God and us:
“Look, I have given you power” (v. 19). The power of Jesus is one that makes us
experience the success in regard to the devil’s power and he protects us. A
power that can be transmitted only when Satan is defeated, Jesus has been
present in the fall of Satan, even if he is not as yet definitively defeated or
overcome; Christians are called to hinder, to put an obstacle to the power of
Satan on earth. They are sure of the victory in spite of the fact that they
live in a critical situation: they participate to obtain victory in the
communion of love with Christ even though they may be tried by suffering and
death. Just the same, the reason for joy is not in the certainty of coming out
unharmed but of being loved by God. The expression of Jesus, “your names are
written in heaven” is a witness that being present to the heart of God (memory)
guarantees the continuity of our life in eternity. The success of the mission
of the disciples is the consequence of the defeat of Satan, now is shown the
benevolence of the Father (vv. 21-22): the success of the word of Grace in the
mission of the seventy two, seen as the design of the Father and in the
communion in the resurrection of the Son, is, beginning now, the revelation of
the benevolence of the Father; the mission becomes a space for the revelation
of God’s will in human time. Such experience is transmitted by Luke in a
context of prayer: it shows on one side the reaction in heaven (“I bless you
Father”, (v. 21) and that on earth (vv. 23-24).
• The prayer of rejoicing or exultation. In the prayer that
Jesus addresses to the Father, guided by the action of the Spirit, it is said
that “exults”, expresses the openness of the Messianic joy and proclaims the
goodness of the Father. This is made evident in the little ones, in the poor
and in those who have no value because they have accepted the Word transmitted
by those sent and thus they have access to the relationship between the Divine
Persons of the Trinity. Instead, the wise and the learned, on account that they
feel sure, are gratified because of their intellectual and theological
competence. But such an attitude prevents them from entering in the dynamism of
salvation, given by Jesus. The teaching that Luke intends to transmit to
individual believers, not less to the ecclesial communities, may be synthesized
as follows: Humility opens to faith; the sufficiency of one’s assurance closes
to pardon, to light, to God’s goodness. The prayer of Jesus has its effects on
all those who accept to allow themselves to be wrapped up by the goodness of
the Father.
4) Personal questions
• The mission to take the life of God to others implies a life
style that is poor and humble. Is your life permeated by the life of God, by
the Word of grace that comes from Jesus?
• Do you have trust in God’s call and in his power that asks to
be manifested through simplicity, poverty and humility?
5) Concluding Prayer
Lord, you are kind and forgiving,
rich in faithful love for all who call upon you.
Yahweh, hear my prayer,
listen to the sound of my pleading. (Ps 86,5-6)
rich in faithful love for all who call upon you.
Yahweh, hear my prayer,
listen to the sound of my pleading. (Ps 86,5-6)
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