Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 480
Lectionary: 480
Brothers and
sisters:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees for itself is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees for itself is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
Responsorial PsalmPS 126:1B-2AB, 2CD-3, 4-5, 6
R. (3a) The Lord has done marvels for us.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
AlleluiaSEE MT 11:25
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.
Gospel LK 13:18-21
Jesus said, “What
is the Kingdom of God like?
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”
Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”
Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, LUKE 13:18-21
Weekday
(Romans 8:18-25; Psalm 126)
Weekday
(Romans 8:18-25; Psalm 126)
KEY VERSE: "What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it?" (v 18).
TO KNOW: In Jesus' time, Israel had neither king nor kingdom. Some people hoped for a leader with political power to rid them of Roman occupation and restore the rule to Israel. Others hoped for a priestly leader who would bring about spiritual transformation. Jesus announced that the kingdom of God had begun in him. He used images to show that God's reign would not be manifested in sudden or dramatic ways, but in hidden, mysterious ways. When a tiny mustard seed was planted in a garden, it grew to be nine to twelve feet high. A few grains of yeast could alter the whole mass of dough. Although God's reign had insignificant beginnings, it had the capability to become great and powerful, and be the means whereby the whole world would be renewed.
TO LOVE: What are the seemingly unimportant things in my life that have potential for growth?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to trust that all things will be brought to fulfillment in your time.
Tuesday 27 October 2015
TUE
27TH. Romans 8:18-25. The Lord has done marvels for us—Ps 125(126). Luke
13:18-21.
'What is
the kingdom of God like?'
The
kingdom of God is the redeeming, healing, liberating presence of God that
answers our deepest longings—for God, for justice, for happiness. It involves
the power to change everything into all that is good. It has the breadth to
shelter all of creation.
As Paul
in his letter to the Romans puts it, it is something that the whole of creation
is waiting for—waiting for God to reveal it fully. In the risen Christ we see
the kingdom in all its glory. In following Christ we are moving towards the
kingdom, and the Holy Spirit enables us to get some understanding of it and
bring it to others.
Let us
pray then that by being open to the Spirit we will allow God to work through us
to bring about the kingdom.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
|
Broken and Shared
|
For you and I are the body of Christ, broken and shared so that
others might live…just like the Eucharist. Every one of the tears I have ever
shed has, in time, helped another. If my brokenness can bring hope or comfort,
wisdom or counsel, peace or even joy to another member of God’s family, then
that pain was not worthless but very worthwhile.
October 27
Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza
(c. 1200-1271)
Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza
(c. 1200-1271)
Dominicans honor one of their own today, Blessed Bartholomew of
Vicenza. This was a man who used his skills as a preacher to challenge the
heresies of his day.
Bartholomew
was born in Vicenza around 1200. At 20 he entered the Dominicans. Following his
ordination he served in various leadership positions. As a young priest he
founded a military order whose purpose was to keep civil peace in towns
throughout Italy.
In 1248,
Bartholomew was appointed a bishop. For most men, such an appointment is an
honor and a tribute to their holiness and their demonstrated leadership skills.
But for Bartholomew, it was a form of exile that had been urged by an antipapal
group that was only too happy to see him leave for Cyprus. Not many years later,
however, Bartholomew was transferred back to Vicenza. Despite the antipapal
feelings that were still evident, he worked diligently—especially through his
preaching—to rebuild his diocese and strengthen the people’s loyalty to Rome.
During
his years as bishop in Cyprus, Bartholomew befriended King Louis the Ninth of
France, who is said to have given the holy bishop a relic of Christ’s Crown of
Thorns.
Bartholomew
died in 1271. He was beatified in 1793.
LECTIO: LUKE
13,18-21
Lectio:
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty and ever-living God,
Almighty and ever-living God,
strengthen our faith, hope and love.
May we do with loving hearts
what you ask of us
and come to share the life you promise.
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 13,18-21
Jesus went on to say, 'What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.'
Jesus went on to say, 'What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.'
Again he said, 'What shall I compare the kingdom of God with? It
is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till
it was leavened all through.'
3) Reflection
• Context. Along the road that leads him to Jerusalem Jesus is surrounded by “thousands” of persons (11, 29) who crowd around him. The reason for such attraction on the part of the crowds is the Word of Jesus. In chapter 12 one can notice how the persons who listen to his Word alternate: the disciples (12, 1-12), the crowd (vv.13-21), the disciples (vv.22-53), the crowds (vv.54-59). Instead the scandal of the death is the dominating theme of Luke 13, 1-35. In the first part it is spoken about the death of all (vv.1-9), in the second part instead, of the death of Jesus (vv.31-35); to the death avoided for sinners because their conversion is expect6ed. But there is another theme that is put together with the dominating one: the salvation given to men. The cure of the woman who was bent, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had held during eighteen years, is liberated by Jesus. And in the centre of this chapter 13 we find two parables that constitute the whole or overall theme: the Kingdom of God compared to the “mustard seed” and to the “leaven or yeast”.
• Context. Along the road that leads him to Jerusalem Jesus is surrounded by “thousands” of persons (11, 29) who crowd around him. The reason for such attraction on the part of the crowds is the Word of Jesus. In chapter 12 one can notice how the persons who listen to his Word alternate: the disciples (12, 1-12), the crowd (vv.13-21), the disciples (vv.22-53), the crowds (vv.54-59). Instead the scandal of the death is the dominating theme of Luke 13, 1-35. In the first part it is spoken about the death of all (vv.1-9), in the second part instead, of the death of Jesus (vv.31-35); to the death avoided for sinners because their conversion is expect6ed. But there is another theme that is put together with the dominating one: the salvation given to men. The cure of the woman who was bent, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had held during eighteen years, is liberated by Jesus. And in the centre of this chapter 13 we find two parables that constitute the whole or overall theme: the Kingdom of God compared to the “mustard seed” and to the “leaven or yeast”.
• The Kingdom of God is similar to a mustard seed. Such a seed
is very common in Palestine and particularly close to the Lake of Galilee. It
is especially known because it is particularly small. In Luke 17, 6, Jesus uses
such an image to express the hope that he has on the disciples that they have a
minimum faith: “If you had faith like a mustard seed...”. This parable which is
very simple confronts two diverse moments of the story of the seed: the moment
when it is sown in the earth (the modest beginnings) and that in which it
becomes a tree (the final miracle). Therefore, the purpose of this account is
to narrate the extraordinary growth of a seed that is thrown in one’s own
garden, and to this follows an amazing growth, it becomes a tree. Like this
seed the Kingdom of God also has its story. The kingdom of God is the seed
thrown into the garden, the place that in the New Testament is the place of the
agony and the burial of Jesus (Jn 18, 1.26; 19, 41); then follows the moment of
growth and concludes with becoming a tree open to all.
• The Kingdom of God is similar to yeast. Yeast is put into
three measures of flour. In the Hebrew culture yeast was considered a factor of
corruption so much so that it was eliminated from their houses, in order not to
contaminate the feast at Passover which began precisely with the week of the
unleavened dough. In the ears of the Jews the use of this negative element, to
describe the Kingdom of God, was a reason to be disturbed. But the reader is
able to discover the convincing force: it is sufficient to put a very small
quantity of yeast in three measures of flour in order to get a big amount of
dough. Jesus announces that this yeast, hidden or that has disappeared in three
measures of flour, after a certain amount of time, leavens the whole dough.
• The effects of the text on the reader. What do these two
parables communicate to us? The Kingdom of God compared by Jesus to a seed that
becomes a tree, is to be put close to the story of God as a story of his Word:
it is hidden in human history and it is growing; Luke thinks of the Word of God
(the Kingdom of God in our midst) that it is already developing but it has not
as yet become a tree. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are supporting this growth of
the Word. The image of yeast completes the frame of the seed. The yeast is the
Gospel that is working in the world, in the ecclesial communities, in the
individual believers.
4) Personal questions
• Are you aware that the Kingdom of God is present in our midst and that it grows mysteriously and extends itself in the history of every person, and in the Church?
• Are you aware that the Kingdom of God is present in our midst and that it grows mysteriously and extends itself in the history of every person, and in the Church?
• The Kingdom is a humble reality, hidden, poor and silent,
immersed between the competition and pleasures of life. Have you understood
from the two parables, that you will not be able to get a glimpse of the
Kingdom if you do not have an attitude of humble and silent listening?
5) Concluding Prayer
How blessed are all who fear Yahweh,
How blessed are all who fear Yahweh,
who walk in his ways!
Your own labours will yield you a living,
happy and prosperous will you be. (Ps 128,1-2)
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