Monday
of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 449
Lectionary: 449
Refuse
no one the good on which he has a claim
when it is in your power to do it for him.
Say not to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give,” when you can give at once.
Plot no evil against your neighbor,
against one who lives at peace with you.
Quarrel not with a man without cause,
with one who has done you no harm.
Envy not the lawless man
and choose none of his ways:
To the LORD the perverse one is an abomination,
but with the upright is his friendship.
The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
but the dwelling of the just he blesses;
When dealing with the arrogant, he is stern,
but to the humble he shows kindness.
when it is in your power to do it for him.
Say not to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give,” when you can give at once.
Plot no evil against your neighbor,
against one who lives at peace with you.
Quarrel not with a man without cause,
with one who has done you no harm.
Envy not the lawless man
and choose none of his ways:
To the LORD the perverse one is an abomination,
but with the upright is his friendship.
The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
but the dwelling of the just he blesses;
When dealing with the arrogant, he is stern,
but to the humble he shows kindness.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 15:2-3A, 3BC-4AB, 5
R.
(1) The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
AlleluiaMT 5:16
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 8:16-18
Jesus
said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
Meditation: "Every secret shall come to light"
What does the image of light and a lamp tell us about
God's kingdom? Lamps in the ancient world served a vital function, much like
they do today. They enable people to see and work in the dark and to avoid
stumbling. The Jews also understood "light" as an expression of the
inner beauty, truth, and goodness of God. In his light we see light (
Psalm 36:9). His word is a lamp that guides our steps (Psalm
119:105).
God's light frees us from the blindness of sin so we
can walk in truth and goodness
God's grace not only illumines the darkness in our lives, but it also fills us with spiritual light, joy, and peace. Jesus used the image of a lamp to describe how his disciples are to live in the light of his truth and love. Just as natural light illumines the darkness and enables one to see visually, so the light of Christ shines in the hearts of believers and enables us to see the heavenly reality of God's kingdom. In fact, our mission is to be light-bearers of Christ so that others may see the truth of the Gospel and be freed from the blindness of sin and deception.
God's grace not only illumines the darkness in our lives, but it also fills us with spiritual light, joy, and peace. Jesus used the image of a lamp to describe how his disciples are to live in the light of his truth and love. Just as natural light illumines the darkness and enables one to see visually, so the light of Christ shines in the hearts of believers and enables us to see the heavenly reality of God's kingdom. In fact, our mission is to be light-bearers of Christ so that others may see the truth of the Gospel and be freed from the blindness of sin and deception.
Live in the light of God's truth, beauty, and goodness
Jesus remarks that nothing can remain hidden or secret. We can try to hide things from others, from ourselves, and from God. How tempting to shut our eyes from the consequences of our sinful ways and bad habits, even when we know what those consequences are. And how tempting to hide them from others and even from God. But, nonetheless, everything is known to God who sees all. There is great freedom and joy for those who live in God's light and who seek his truth. Those who listen to God and heed his voice will receive more from him - abundance of wisdom, guidance, peace, and blessing. Do you know the joy and freedom of living in God's light?
Jesus remarks that nothing can remain hidden or secret. We can try to hide things from others, from ourselves, and from God. How tempting to shut our eyes from the consequences of our sinful ways and bad habits, even when we know what those consequences are. And how tempting to hide them from others and even from God. But, nonetheless, everything is known to God who sees all. There is great freedom and joy for those who live in God's light and who seek his truth. Those who listen to God and heed his voice will receive more from him - abundance of wisdom, guidance, peace, and blessing. Do you know the joy and freedom of living in God's light?
"Lord Jesus, you guide me by the light of your
saving truth. Fill my heart and mind with your light and truth and free me from
the blindness of sin and deception that I may see your ways clearly and
understand your will for my life. May I radiate your light and truth to others
in word and deed."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The Word of God is like a lamp to guide us,
by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"Scripture does not say this about a tangible
lamp but about a comprehensible one. One does not 'light' the lamp and conceal
it 'with a vessel' or put it 'under a bed, but on the lamp stand' within
himself. The vessels of the house are the powers of the soul. The bed is the
body. 'Those who go in' are those who hear the teacher... He calls the holy
church a 'lamp stand.' By its proclamation, the Word of God gives light to all
who are in this world and illuminates those in the house with the rays of the
truth, filling the minds of all with divine knowledge. (excerpt from FRAGMENTS ON LUKE 120, 122)
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19,
LUKE 8:16-18
Weekday
(Proverbs 3:27-34; Psalm 15)
Weekday
(Proverbs 3:27-34; Psalm 15)
KEY VERSE: "For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light" (v 17).
TO KNOW: A lamp was the only source of illumination in the dark windowless houses of Jesus' day. This clay vessel was filled with oil and placed on a stand where it burned night and day. Jesus used this ordinary household object to illustrate the radiance that should occur naturally in the life of every Christian. Through their words and deeds, others would be enlightened by God's truth. Even the deep mysteries of Christ's revelation would come to light. Those who proclaimed God's word would find that the more Christ was shared, the brighter their own spiritual illumination would become. If they failed to persevere in responding to God's word, they would discover that whatever enlightenment they had obtained would fade and grow dim.
TO LOVE: Do what I say and do help to dispel the darkness in the world?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to share your light with others.
Optional Memorial of
Saint Januarius, bishop and martyr
Januarius was a Fourth century bishop of Benevento, Italy during the Emperor Diocletian's persecution. He was arrested while visiting imprisoned deacons, and later martyred with his companions, c.304 at Naples or Pozzuoli (sources vary). Januarius was first thrown to wild beasts, and when the animals would not attack him, he was beheaded. Januarius' body was brought to Naples, and there interred in the church. His blood was kept in a phial of glass, which was set near his head. Since at least 1389, it is said that the blood liquefies on his feast day.
Monday 19 September 2016
Mon 19th. Proverbs 3:27-34. Whoever does justice shall live on the
Lord's holy mountain—Ps 14(15):2-5. Luke 8:16-18.
'Let your light shine before all'
In
one of the foundational documents of Vatican II, the assembled bishops
described the Church and defined its mission in the words Lumen gentium - a
light to the nations. Jesus defined his mission similarly when he said, 'I am
the light of the world', the one who overcomes the darkness of a sinful world
and who, because he himself is the way, illuminates the path which leads to
union with God.
When he said to his disciples, 'As the Father has sent me so do I send you' (Jn 20:21), he intended that, imbued by his Spirit, they (and we) should be his light-bearers. That is our vocation as Christians today. Let us proclaim by our lives, in the words of a popular African-American spiritual: 'This little light of mine; I'm gonna let it shine.'
When he said to his disciples, 'As the Father has sent me so do I send you' (Jn 20:21), he intended that, imbued by his Spirit, they (and we) should be his light-bearers. That is our vocation as Christians today. Let us proclaim by our lives, in the words of a popular African-American spiritual: 'This little light of mine; I'm gonna let it shine.'
ST.
EMILY DE RODAT
Emily
was born in 1787 at Rodez, France. She was educated at Villefranche,
became a teacher at the age of 18 and, realizing that many of the children of
the poor were not going to school because they could not afford to, she opened
a school for them and taught without charge.
She
also began to consider religious life, but after entering three or four congregations
for a short time, she realized that she was not called to any of the existing
orders.
Emily
devoted all of her life to teaching the poor and gathered other young women to
help her cope with the rapidly growing numbers of children in her school. These
women also gave all their lives to teaching the children and became the nucleus
of the Religious Congregation of the Holy Family of Villefranche.
The
congregation was devoted to caring for the elderly, prisoners, and orphans, in
addition to the schools for the poor. Some of the nuns were also contemplative
and spent their time in prayer and adoration.
She
died of cancer at Villefranche on September 19, 1852. At the time of her
death Saint Emily de Rodat had opened 38 charitable institutions.
Saint
Emily was canonized in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 8,16-18
Lectio Divina:
Monday, September 19, 2016
ORDINARY TIME
1) Opening prayer
Father,
guide us, as you guide creation
according to your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
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.
guide us, as you guide creation
according to your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
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 8,16-18
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl
or to put it under a bed. No, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see
the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear,
nothing secret but it will be made known and brought to light.
So take care how you listen; anyone who has, will be given more; anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has.’
So take care how you listen; anyone who has, will be given more; anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has.’
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents three brief phrases pronounced by Jesus. They are
phrases scattered in different places which Luke collected here after the
parable of the seed (Lk 8, 4-8) and of his explanation to the disciples (Lk 8,
9-15). This literary context, in which Luke places the three phrases, helps us
to understand how he wants people to understand these phrases of Jesus.
• Luke 8, 16: The lamp which gives light. “No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed; no, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. This phrase of Jesus is a brief parable. Jesus does not explain, because all know what he is speaking about. This belonged to everyday life. At that time, there was no electric light. Just imagine this! The family meets at home. The sun begins to set. A person gets up, lights the lamp, covers it with a vase or places it under the bed. What will the others say? All will scream out: “But are you crazy... place the lamp on the table!” In a Biblical meeting somebody made the following comment: The Word of God is a lamp which is necessary to light in the darkness of the night. If it remains closed up in the Book of the Bible, it will be like the lamp under a vase. But when it is placed on the table it gives light to the whole house, when it is read in community and is connected to life.
• In the context in which Luke places this phrase, he is referring to the explanation which Jesus gave about the parable of the seeds (Lk 8, 9-15). It is as if he would say: the things which you have just heard you should not keep them only for yourselves, but you should share them with others. A Christian should not be afraid to give witness and spread the Good News. Humility is important, but the humility which hides the gifts of God given to edify the community is false (1Cor 12, 4-26; Rom 12, 3-8).
• Luke 8, 17: That which is hidden will be manifested. “·There is nothing hidden which will not be manifested, nothing secret which will not be known and brought to light”. In the context in which Luke places this second phrase of Jesus, it also refers to the teachings given by Jesus particularly to the disciples (Lk 8, 9-10). The disciples cannot keep these only for themselves, but they should diffuse them, because they form part of the Good News which Jesus has brought.
• Luke 8, 18: Attention to preconceptions. “So take care how you listen, anyone who has will be given more, anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has”. At that time, there were many preconceptions on the Messiah which prevented people from understanding, in a correct way, the Good News of the Kingdom which Jesus announced. “For this reason, this warning of Jesus concerning preconceptions is quite actual. Jesus asks the disciples to be aware of the preconceptions with which they listen to the teaching that he presents. With this phrase of Jesus, Luke is saying to the communities and to all of us: “Be attentive to the ideas with which you look at Jesus!” Because if the colour of the eyes is green, everything will seem to be green. If it were blue, everything would be blue! If the idea that I have when I look at Jesus is mistaken, erroneous, everything which I receive and teach about Jesus will be threatened by error! If I think that the Messiah has to be a glorious King, I will not want to hear anything which Jesus teaches about the Cross, about suffering, persecution and about commitment, and to lose even what I thought I possessed. Joining this third phrase to the first one, I can conclude what follows: anyone who keeps for himself what he receives and does not distribute it to others, loses what he has, because it becomes corrupt.
• Luke 8, 16: The lamp which gives light. “No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed; no, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. This phrase of Jesus is a brief parable. Jesus does not explain, because all know what he is speaking about. This belonged to everyday life. At that time, there was no electric light. Just imagine this! The family meets at home. The sun begins to set. A person gets up, lights the lamp, covers it with a vase or places it under the bed. What will the others say? All will scream out: “But are you crazy... place the lamp on the table!” In a Biblical meeting somebody made the following comment: The Word of God is a lamp which is necessary to light in the darkness of the night. If it remains closed up in the Book of the Bible, it will be like the lamp under a vase. But when it is placed on the table it gives light to the whole house, when it is read in community and is connected to life.
• In the context in which Luke places this phrase, he is referring to the explanation which Jesus gave about the parable of the seeds (Lk 8, 9-15). It is as if he would say: the things which you have just heard you should not keep them only for yourselves, but you should share them with others. A Christian should not be afraid to give witness and spread the Good News. Humility is important, but the humility which hides the gifts of God given to edify the community is false (1Cor 12, 4-26; Rom 12, 3-8).
• Luke 8, 17: That which is hidden will be manifested. “·There is nothing hidden which will not be manifested, nothing secret which will not be known and brought to light”. In the context in which Luke places this second phrase of Jesus, it also refers to the teachings given by Jesus particularly to the disciples (Lk 8, 9-10). The disciples cannot keep these only for themselves, but they should diffuse them, because they form part of the Good News which Jesus has brought.
• Luke 8, 18: Attention to preconceptions. “So take care how you listen, anyone who has will be given more, anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has”. At that time, there were many preconceptions on the Messiah which prevented people from understanding, in a correct way, the Good News of the Kingdom which Jesus announced. “For this reason, this warning of Jesus concerning preconceptions is quite actual. Jesus asks the disciples to be aware of the preconceptions with which they listen to the teaching that he presents. With this phrase of Jesus, Luke is saying to the communities and to all of us: “Be attentive to the ideas with which you look at Jesus!” Because if the colour of the eyes is green, everything will seem to be green. If it were blue, everything would be blue! If the idea that I have when I look at Jesus is mistaken, erroneous, everything which I receive and teach about Jesus will be threatened by error! If I think that the Messiah has to be a glorious King, I will not want to hear anything which Jesus teaches about the Cross, about suffering, persecution and about commitment, and to lose even what I thought I possessed. Joining this third phrase to the first one, I can conclude what follows: anyone who keeps for himself what he receives and does not distribute it to others, loses what he has, because it becomes corrupt.
4) Personal questions
• Have you had any experience of preconceptions which have prevented you
from perceiving and appreciating in their just value, the good things that
persons have?
• Have you perceived the preconceptions which are behind certain stories, accounts and parables which certain persons tell us?
• Have you perceived the preconceptions which are behind certain stories, accounts and parables which certain persons tell us?
5) Concluding Prayer
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the Law of Yahweh!
Blessed are those who observe his instructions,
who seek him with all their hearts. (Ps 119,1-2)
who walk in the Law of Yahweh!
Blessed are those who observe his instructions,
who seek him with all their hearts. (Ps 119,1-2)
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