Wednesday
of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 457
Lectionary: 457
Job
answered his friends and said:
I know well that it is so;
but how can a man be justified before God?
Should one wish to contend with him,
he could not answer him once in a thousand times.
God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
who has withstood him and remained unscathed?
He removes the mountains before they know it;
he overturns them in his anger.
He shakes the earth out of its place,
and the pillars beneath it tremble.
He commands the sun, and it rises not;
he seals up the stars.
He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads upon the crests of the sea.
He made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south;
He does great things past finding out,
marvelous things beyond reckoning.
Should he come near me, I see him not;
should he pass by, I am not aware of him;
Should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay?
Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
How much less shall I give him any answer,
or choose out arguments against him!
Even though I were right, I could not answer him,
but should rather beg for what was due me.
If I appealed to him and he answered my call,
I could not believe that he would hearken to my words.
I know well that it is so;
but how can a man be justified before God?
Should one wish to contend with him,
he could not answer him once in a thousand times.
God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
who has withstood him and remained unscathed?
He removes the mountains before they know it;
he overturns them in his anger.
He shakes the earth out of its place,
and the pillars beneath it tremble.
He commands the sun, and it rises not;
he seals up the stars.
He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads upon the crests of the sea.
He made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south;
He does great things past finding out,
marvelous things beyond reckoning.
Should he come near me, I see him not;
should he pass by, I am not aware of him;
Should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay?
Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
How much less shall I give him any answer,
or choose out arguments against him!
Even though I were right, I could not answer him,
but should rather beg for what was due me.
If I appealed to him and he answered my call,
I could not believe that he would hearken to my words.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 88:10BC-11, 12-13,
14-15
R.
(3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Daily I call upon you, O LORD;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work wonders for the dead?
Will the shades arise to give you thanks?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Do they declare your mercy in the grave,
your faithfulness among those who have perished?
Are your wonders made known in the darkness,
or your justice in the land of oblivion?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
with my morning prayer I wait upon you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me;
why hide from me your face?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Daily I call upon you, O LORD;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work wonders for the dead?
Will the shades arise to give you thanks?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Do they declare your mercy in the grave,
your faithfulness among those who have perished?
Are your wonders made known in the darkness,
or your justice in the land of oblivion?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
with my morning prayer I wait upon you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me;
why hide from me your face?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
AlleluiaPHIL 3:8-9
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 9:57-62
As
Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
on their journey, someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Meditation: "Fit for the kingdom of God"
Are you ready to follow the Lord Jesus wherever he may
lead you? With the call the Lord gives the grace to respond and the strength to
follow all the way to the end. Why does Jesus issue a challenge with the call?
Jesus was utterly honest in telling people what it would cost to follow him.
When a would-be disciple approached Jesus and said he was ready to follow,
Jesus told him it would require sacrifice - the sacrifice of certain creaturely
comforts. Jesus appealed to this man's heart and told him to detach himself
from whatever might hold him back. Spiritual detachment is a necessary step for
following the Lord. It frees us to give ourselves without reserve to the Lord
and his service. While many of us may not need to give up the comfort of our
own home and bed to follow Jesus, we, nonetheless, must be willing to part with
anything that might stand in the way of doing God's will.
Don't let anything hold you back from following the
Lord Jesus
Another would-be disciple said he would follow as soon as he had buried his father. What he meant by this expression was that he felt the need to return to his home to take care of his father through old age until he died. The third had no obligation to return home, but simply wanted to go back and say good-bye. Jesus surprised these would-be disciples with the stark truth that nothing should hinder us from following the Lord. Was Jesus being harsh and rude to his would-be followers? Not really. We are free to decide whether we will take the path which Jesus offers. But if we choose to go, then the Lord wants us to count the cost and choose for it freely.
Another would-be disciple said he would follow as soon as he had buried his father. What he meant by this expression was that he felt the need to return to his home to take care of his father through old age until he died. The third had no obligation to return home, but simply wanted to go back and say good-bye. Jesus surprised these would-be disciples with the stark truth that nothing should hinder us from following the Lord. Was Jesus being harsh and rude to his would-be followers? Not really. We are free to decide whether we will take the path which Jesus offers. But if we choose to go, then the Lord wants us to count the cost and choose for it freely.
Don't miss the good path God has set for you - it will
lead to joy and freedom
What does the story of a plowman have to do with the journey? A plowman who looked back while plowing his field caused the line or furrow he cut into the soil to become crooked. One crooked line easily leads to another until the whole field is a mess. The plowman had to look straight ahead in order to keep the plow from going off course. Likewise, if we look back on what we have freely left behind to follow the Lord - whether that be some distraction, attachment, or sinful habit which leads us away from doing God's will - our path will likely diverge and we'll miss what God has for us.
What does the story of a plowman have to do with the journey? A plowman who looked back while plowing his field caused the line or furrow he cut into the soil to become crooked. One crooked line easily leads to another until the whole field is a mess. The plowman had to look straight ahead in order to keep the plow from going off course. Likewise, if we look back on what we have freely left behind to follow the Lord - whether that be some distraction, attachment, or sinful habit which leads us away from doing God's will - our path will likely diverge and we'll miss what God has for us.
Will you say "yes" to the Lord's call for
your life?
The Gospel does not record the response from these three would-be disciples. We are only left with the question which Jesus intends for us as well. Are you ready to take the path which the Lord Jesus offers? His grace is sufficient and his love is strong. There is nothing greater we can do with our lives than to place them at the service of the Lord and Master of the universe. We cannot outmatch God in his generosity. Jesus promises that those who are willing to part with what is most dear to them for his sake "will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life"(Matthew 19:29). The Lord Jesus offers us a kingdom of lasting peace, unending joy, surpassing love, enduring friendship, and abundant life. Is there anything holding you back from pursuing the Lord and his will for you life?
The Gospel does not record the response from these three would-be disciples. We are only left with the question which Jesus intends for us as well. Are you ready to take the path which the Lord Jesus offers? His grace is sufficient and his love is strong. There is nothing greater we can do with our lives than to place them at the service of the Lord and Master of the universe. We cannot outmatch God in his generosity. Jesus promises that those who are willing to part with what is most dear to them for his sake "will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life"(Matthew 19:29). The Lord Jesus offers us a kingdom of lasting peace, unending joy, surpassing love, enduring friendship, and abundant life. Is there anything holding you back from pursuing the Lord and his will for you life?
"Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my
memory, my understanding, and my whole will. All that I am and all that I
possess you have given me. I surrender it all to you to be disposed of
according to your will. Give me only your love and your grace - with
these I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more." (Prayer of
Ignatius Loyola, 1491-1556)
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Put to death what is earthly in you, by
Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"The statement 'Let the dead bury their dead'
implies spiritually: Waste no more time on dead things. You are to 'put to
death therefore what is earthly in you: immorality, impurity, passion, evil
desire and covetousness, which is idolatry' (Colossians 3:5). These things
therefore are dead. Cast them away from you. Cut them off as you would cut off
gangrenous flesh to prevent the contamination of the whole body, so that you
may not hear it said, 'Leave the dead [spiritually dead] to bury their dead'
(Matthew 8:22). But to some it seems abnormal and contradictory that the Savior
does not allow the disciple to bury his father. It seems inhumane. But Jesus
does not in fact forbid people from burying the dead, but rather he puts before
this the preaching of the kingdom of heaven, which makes people alive (Luke
9:60). As for burying the body, there were many people who could have done
this." (excerpt from Fragment 161)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28,
LUKE 9:57-62
Weekday
(Job 9:1-2, 14-16; Psalm 88)
Weekday
(Job 9:1-2, 14-16; Psalm 88)
KEY VERSE: "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God" (v 62).
TO KNOW: When a prospective disciple declared that he was willing to follow Jesus wherever he went, Jesus made the demands of discipleship very clear to him. Was he willing to be like Jesus, a homeless wanderer without even a place to lay his head? Could he renounce security and personal relationships for the sake of the kingdom? When another would-be disciple asked permission to return home to bury his father, Jesus told him that those who were spiritually "dead" should take care of this obligation. Still another asked Jesus if he could bid his family farewell before joining him. He expected that Jesus would allow him to do so, just as Elijah gave permission to Elisha (1 Kgs 19:19-21). Jesus was even more challenging. God's call was urgent and a disciple's response must be unconditional.
TO LOVE: What stands in the way of my answering God's call?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to follow you no matter what the cost.
Optional memorial of Saint
Wenceslaus, martyr
At the death of King Vratislaus, who was killed during a pagan backlash against Christianity, the people of Bohemia made his son Wenceslaus their king. He was a man of utmost faith, charitable to the poor, and offered hospitality to travelers. He would not allow widows to be treated unjustly. He loved all his people, both rich and poor, and he adorned many churches. Boleslaus, his brother, no longer successor to the throne, joined a group of Czech dissenters. They invited Wenceslaus to a religious festival, trapped and killed him on the way to Mass. Wenceslaus is the patron saint of Bohemia. Although he was killed for political reasons, he is normally listed as a martyr since his politics arose from his faith. Miracles have been reported at his tomb.
Optional Memorial of Saint
Lawrence Ruiz and his companions, martyrs
Filipino Lorenzo Ruiz was a married layman, and the father of two sons and a daughter. For unknown reasons, he was accused of murder. He sought asylum on a ship with three Dominican priests, Antonio Gonzalez, Guillermo Courtet, Miguel de Aozaraza, a Japanese priest. Also on board were Vicente Shiwozuka de la Cruz, and a layman named Lazaro of Kyoto who was a leper. Only when they were at sea did Lorenzo learn that they were going to Japan during a time of intense Christian persecution. Lorenzo could have gone to Formosa (modern Taiwan), but feared the Spaniards there would hang him, and so stayed with the missionaries as they landed at Okinawa. The group was soon exposed as Christian, arrested, and taken to Nagasaki where they were tortured for days. Lawrence and the Japanese priest broke at one point, and were ready to renounce their faith in exchange for release, but after their moment of crisis, they reclaimed their faith and defied their tormentors. Lorenzo Ruiz is the first canonized Filipino martyr.
Wednesday 28 September 2016
Wed 28th. St Wenceslas; Ss Laurence Ruiz
& Cc. Job 9:1-12, 14-16. Let my prayer come before you, Lord—Ps
87(88):10-15. Luke 9:57-62.
'Making resolutions'
Many times I've been with Jesus in prayer,
and whilst awash with love for him have said 'Lord, I'll fast strictly all
Lent', or, 'Lord, I will do anything you ask of me!'
I'm thinking it was one of those moments for the person walking along the road with Jesus. Aglow with the joy of Jesus' company, he or she tried to express to Our Lord just how committed they were. 'I will follow you wherever you go!'
However, when the reality hits, we take a quick breath.
I think Jesus was trying to display in words in this Gospel the deepest conversion of the heart which becomes necessary, in order to walk wherever he may go.
Jesus, when our hearts are so willing but we continue to look back, may your merciful love guide us in the direction you want us to go.
I'm thinking it was one of those moments for the person walking along the road with Jesus. Aglow with the joy of Jesus' company, he or she tried to express to Our Lord just how committed they were. 'I will follow you wherever you go!'
However, when the reality hits, we take a quick breath.
I think Jesus was trying to display in words in this Gospel the deepest conversion of the heart which becomes necessary, in order to walk wherever he may go.
Jesus, when our hearts are so willing but we continue to look back, may your merciful love guide us in the direction you want us to go.
ST.
WENCESLAUS
On
Sept. 28, the Catholic Church honors Saint Wenceslaus, a Central European ruler
who died at the hands of his brother while seeking to strengthen the Catholic
faith in his native Bohemia.
During
his 2009 visit to the Czech Republic, Pope Benedict XVI called the country's
patron saint “a martyr for Christ” who “had the courage to prefer the kingdom
of heaven to the enticement of worldly power.”
St.
Wenceslaus was born around the year 903. His father Duke Wratislaw was a
Catholic, but his mother Princess Dragomir practiced the native pagan religion.
She would later arrange the murders of both Wenceslaus and his grandmother
Ludmilla, who is also a canonized saint.
During
his youth, Wenceslaus received a strong religious education from Ludmilla, in
addition to the good example of his father. He maintained a virtuous manner of
living while attending college near Prague, making significant progress both
academically and spiritually. But with the death of his father Wratislaw, the
devout young nobleman faced a spiritual and political crisis.
His
mother Dragomir, who had never accepted the Catholic faith, turned against it
entirely. She seized her husband's death as a chance to destroy the religion his
parents had received from Sts. Cyril and Methodius, through methods that
included purging Catholics from public office, closing churches, and preventing
all teaching of the faith.
Dragomir's
Catholic mother-in-law Ludmilla urged Wenceslaus to seize power from his mother
and defend their faith. His attempt to do so resulted in the division of the
country into two halves: one ruled by Wenceslaus, advised by Ludmilla; the
other ruled by Wenceslaus' younger brother Boleslaus, who had absorbed his
mother's hatred of the Church.
Wenceslaus,
who would have preferred to become a monk and not a duke, fortified himself in
this struggle through fervent prayer, extreme asceticism, charitable service,
and a vow of chastity. Meanwhile, his mother carried out a plot to kill
Ludmilla, having her strangled in her private chapel. St. Ludmilla's liturgical
feast day is Sept. 16.
The
Bohemian duke also faced the threat of invasion from abroad, when Prince
Radislaus of Gurima demanded that Bohemia submit to his rule. When Wenceslaus
sought to avoid a war by challenging him in single combat, two angels are said
to have appeared, deflecting the javelin thrown at Wenceslaus and immediately
inspiring Radislaus to drop to his knees in surrender.
During
his period of rule, Wenceslaus received the relics of several saints from the
Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, who also conferred on him the title of “King
Wenceslaus.” But some noblemen of his own country resented the saintly king's
strict morals, and allied themselves with Dragomir and Boleslaus.
Wenceslaus'
brother sought to appear as a peacemaker, inviting the king to his realm for a
celebration. When Wenceslaus was praying in a chapel during the visit,
Boleslaus' henchmen attacked and wounded him. Boleslaus himself delivered the
final blow, killing his brother by running him through with a lance. St.
Wenceslaus died on Sept. 28, 935.
Emperor
Otto responded to St. Wenceslaus' death by invading Bohemia and making war
against Boleslaus for several years. He succeeded in conquering the region, and
forced Boleslaus to reverse the anti-Catholic measures he and his mother had
taken.
There
is no evidence that Dragomir, who died soon after the murder of St. Wenceslaus,
ever repented of killing her family members. Boleslaus, however, came to regret
his sin when he learned of the miracles that were taking place at his brother's
tomb. He moved St. Wenceslaus' body to a cathedral for veneration by the
faithful.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 9, 57-62
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
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, 57-62
As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to Jesus, 'I
will follow you wherever you go.'
Jesus answered, 'Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.'
Another to whom he said, 'Follow me,' replied, 'Let me go and bury my father first.'
But he answered, 'Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.'
Another said, 'I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say good -- bye to my people at home.'
Jesus said to him, 'Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.'
Jesus answered, 'Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.'
Another to whom he said, 'Follow me,' replied, 'Let me go and bury my father first.'
But he answered, 'Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.'
Another said, 'I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say good -- bye to my people at home.'
Jesus said to him, 'Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.'
3) Reflection
● In today's Gospel the long and hard journey of Jesus continues from the
periphery of Galilee toward the capital city. Leaving Galilee, Jesus enters in
Samaria and continues toward Jerusalem. But not all understand him. Many
abandon him, because the demands are enormous. But others get close to him and
present themselves to follow Jesus. At the beginning of his pastoral activity
in Galilee, Jesus had called three: Peter, James and John (Lk 5, 8-11). Here
also, in Samaria there are three persons who present themselves or who are
called. In the responses of Jesus there are the requirements or conditions in
order to be able to be his disciples.
● Luke 9, 56-58: The first one of the three new disciples. At that time, as they travelled along, they met a man who said to Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go". Jesus answered: "Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head". To this first person who wants to be his disciple, Jesus asks him to divest himself of everything: he has nowhere to lay his head; much less should he seek a false security where to lay the thoughts of his head.
● Luke 9, 59-60: The second one of the three new disciples. To another one he says "Follow me". And he replied, "Let me go and bury my father first". Jesus replied: "Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the Kingdom of God". To this second person called by Jesus to follow Him, he asks him to leave the dead bury the dead. It is a question of a popular saying used to say: leave aside the things of the past. Do not lose time with what happened and look ahead. After having discovered the new life in Jesus, the disciple should not lose time with what has happened.
● Luke 9, 61-62: The third one of the three new disciples. "Another said: I will follow you, Sir, but first let me go and say good-bye to my people at home". But Jesus replied: once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God".To this third person called to be a disciple, Jesus asks to break the family bonds of union. On another occasion he had said: Anyone who loves his father and his mother more than me cannot be my disciple (Lk 14, 26; Mt 10, 37). Jesus is more demanding than the Prophet Elijah who allowed Elisha to greet and take leave from his parents (1 K 19, 19-21). This also means to break the nationalistic bonds of race and the patriarchal family structure.
● These are three fundamental requirements as necessary conditions for those who want to be the disciples of Jesus: (a) to abandon material goods, (b) not to be attached to personal goods lived and accumulated in the past (c) to break away from the family bonds. In reality, nobody, even wishing it, can break neither the family bonds, nor break away from things lived in the past. What is asked is to know how to re-integrate everything (material goods, personal life and family life) in a new way around the new axis which is Jesus and the Good News of God which he has brought to us.
● Jesus himself, lived and became aware of what he was asking to his followers. With his decision to go up to Jerusalem Jesus reveals his project. His journey toward Jerusalem (Lk 9, 51 a 19, 27) is represented as the undertaking (Lk 9, 51), the exodus (Lk 9, 31) or the crossing (Lk 17, 11). Arriving in Jerusalem Jesus fulfils the exodus, the undertaking or the definitive crossing from this world toward the Father (Jn 13, 1). Only a truly free person can do this, because such an exodus presupposes to dedicate one's whole life for the brothers (Lk 23, 44-46; 24, 51). This is the exodus, the crossing, the undertaking of which the communities should become aware in order to be able to carry on Jesus' project.
4) Personal questions
● Compare each one of these three requirements with your life.
● Which are the problems that arise in your life as a consequence of the decision which you have taken to follow Jesus?
● Which are the problems that arise in your life as a consequence of the decision which you have taken to follow Jesus?
5) Concluding prayer
Yahweh, you examine me and know me,
you know when I sit,
when I rise,
you understand my thoughts from afar. (Ps 139,1-2)
you know when I sit,
when I rise,
you understand my thoughts from afar. (Ps 139,1-2)
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