Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch,
Bishop and Martyr
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
PsalmPS 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.
AlleluiaMT 5:3
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 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: Storing up true
riches
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.
Loving possessions
rather than loving my neighbor
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.
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)
The fool who was
possessed by his riches
Jesus reinforces his point with a parable about a foolish rich man (Luke 12:16-21). 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! What is Jesus' 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.
Jesus reinforces his point with a parable about a foolish rich man (Luke 12:16-21). 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! What is Jesus' 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.
Where is your treasure?
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?
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."
Daily Quote from the
early church fathers: Surrounded by wealth, blind to charity,
by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"'What does the rich man do, surrounded by a great supply of many
blessings beyond all numbering? In distress and anxiety, he speaks the words of
poverty. He says, 'What should I do?' ... He does not look to the future. He
does not raise his eyes to God. He does not count it worth his while to gain for
the mind those treasures that are above in heaven. He does not cherish love for
the poor or desire the esteem it gains. He does not sympathize with suffering.
It gives him no pain nor awakens his pity. Still more irrational, he settles
for himself the length of his life, as if he would also reap this from the
ground. He says, 'I will say to myself, "Self, you have goods laid up for
many years. Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself." 'O rich man,' one may say,
"You have storehouses for your fruits, but where will you receive your
many years? By the decree of God, your life is shortened." 'God,' it tells
us, 'said to him, "You fool, this night they will require of you your
soul. Whose will these things be that you have prepared?" (excerpt fromCOMMENTARY
ON LUKE, HOMILY 89)
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 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).
TO KNOW: When an argument arose between brothers regarding their family 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, which have eternal value (Mt 6:20).
TO LOVE: What are the "barns" I am building to hold my earthly treasures?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, you are more precious than any wealth I might possess.
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop
and martyr
Ignatius was a convert from paganism to Christianity. He succeeded Peter as bishop of Antioch, Syria. During persecution, the Emperor Trajan ordered him to be taken to Rome. On the way, a journey which took months, he wrote a series of encouraging letters to the churches under his care. Ignatius of Antioch was the first writer to use the term the "catholic" Church. He died a martyr c.107 at Rome, killed by wild animals. His relics are at Saint Peter's, Rome. I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not stand in my way. I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness. Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God. I am God's wheat and bread.
Monday 17 October 2016
Mon 17th. St Ignatius of Antioch.
Ephesians 2:1-10. The Lord made us, we belong to him—Ps 99(100). Luke 12:13-21.
'One's life does not consist in the
abundance of possessions'
The desire for possessions animates
today's commercial advertising. Many companies rely on us placing our hopes
solely in these desires and not in the deeper desires of our hearts. Yet if we
are not careful, misplaced desires can negatively impact our relationships, all
of which flow out of our primary relationship with God.
St Ignatius Loyola speaks of ordering our attachments according to our primary attachment to God. When we have things out of kilter our quality of life suffers, and our ability to be attentive to God's word can go too.
God's abundance is primarily something to be shared among all. When we focus on gathering up an abundance for ourselves, we can lose sight of those around us. We can lose sight of our relationship with God.
St Ignatius Loyola speaks of ordering our attachments according to our primary attachment to God. When we have things out of kilter our quality of life suffers, and our ability to be attentive to God's word can go too.
God's abundance is primarily something to be shared among all. When we focus on gathering up an abundance for ourselves, we can lose sight of those around us. We can lose sight of our relationship with God.
ST. IGNATIUS
OF ANTIOCH
On Oct. 17, the
Roman Catholic Church remembers the early Church Father, bishop, and martyr
Saint Ignatius of Antioch, whose writings attest to the sacramental and
hierarchical nature of the Church from its earliest days. Eastern Catholics and
Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate his memory on Dec. 20.
In a 2007 general audience on St. Ignatius of Antioch, Pope Benedict XVI observed that “no Church Father has expressed the longing for union with Christ and for life in him with the intensity of Ignatius.” In his letters, the Pope said, “one feels the freshness of the faith of the generation which had still known the Apostles. In these letters, the ardent love of a saint can also be felt.”
Born in Syria in the middle of the first century A.D., Ignatius is said to have been personally instructed – along with another future martyr, Saint Polycarp – by the Apostle Saint John. When Ignatius became the Bishop of Antioch around the year 70, he assumed leadership of a local church that was, according to tradition, first led by Saint Peter before his move to Rome.
Although St. Peter transmitted his Papal primacy to the bishops of Rome rather than Antioch, the city played an important role in the life of the early Church. Located in present-day Turkey, it was a chief city of the Roman Empire, and was also the location where the believers in Jesus' teachings and his resurrection were first called “Christians.”
Ignatius led the Christians of Antioch during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, the first of the emperors to proclaim his divinity by adopting the title “Lord and God.” Subjects who would not give worship to the emperor under this title could be punished with death. As the leader of a major Catholic diocese during this period, Ignatius showed courage and worked to inspire it in others.
After Domitian's murder in the year 96, his successor Nerva reigned only briefly, and was soon followed by the Emperor Trajan. Under his rule, Christians were once again liable to death for denying the pagan state religion and refusing to participate in its rites. It was during his reign that Ignatius was convicted for his Christian testimony and sent from Syria to Rome to be put to death.
Escorted by a team of military guards, Ignatius nonetheless managed to compose seven letters: six to various local churches throughout the empire (including the Church of Rome), and one to his fellow bishop Polycarp who would give his own life for Christ several decades later.
Ignatius' letters passionately stressed the importance of Church unity, the dangers of heresy, and the surpassing importance of the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality.” These writings contain the first surviving written description of the Church as “Catholic,” from the Greek word indicating both universality and fullness.
One of the most striking features of Ignatius' letters, is his enthusiastic embrace of martyrdom as a means to union with God and eternal life. “All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing,” he wrote to the Church of Rome. “It is better for me to die in behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth.”
“Now I begin to be a disciple,” the bishop declared. “Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let tearings, breakings, and dislocations of bones; let cutting off of members; let shatterings of the whole body; and let all the dreadful torments of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ.”
St. Ignatius of Antioch bore witness to Christ publicly for the last time in Rome's Flavian Amphitheater, where he was mauled to death by lions. “I am the wheat of the Lord,” he had declared, before facing them. “I must be ground by the teeth of these beasts to be made the pure bread of Christ.” His memory was honored, and his bones venerated, soon after his death around the year 107.
In a 2007 general audience on St. Ignatius of Antioch, Pope Benedict XVI observed that “no Church Father has expressed the longing for union with Christ and for life in him with the intensity of Ignatius.” In his letters, the Pope said, “one feels the freshness of the faith of the generation which had still known the Apostles. In these letters, the ardent love of a saint can also be felt.”
Born in Syria in the middle of the first century A.D., Ignatius is said to have been personally instructed – along with another future martyr, Saint Polycarp – by the Apostle Saint John. When Ignatius became the Bishop of Antioch around the year 70, he assumed leadership of a local church that was, according to tradition, first led by Saint Peter before his move to Rome.
Although St. Peter transmitted his Papal primacy to the bishops of Rome rather than Antioch, the city played an important role in the life of the early Church. Located in present-day Turkey, it was a chief city of the Roman Empire, and was also the location where the believers in Jesus' teachings and his resurrection were first called “Christians.”
Ignatius led the Christians of Antioch during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, the first of the emperors to proclaim his divinity by adopting the title “Lord and God.” Subjects who would not give worship to the emperor under this title could be punished with death. As the leader of a major Catholic diocese during this period, Ignatius showed courage and worked to inspire it in others.
After Domitian's murder in the year 96, his successor Nerva reigned only briefly, and was soon followed by the Emperor Trajan. Under his rule, Christians were once again liable to death for denying the pagan state religion and refusing to participate in its rites. It was during his reign that Ignatius was convicted for his Christian testimony and sent from Syria to Rome to be put to death.
Escorted by a team of military guards, Ignatius nonetheless managed to compose seven letters: six to various local churches throughout the empire (including the Church of Rome), and one to his fellow bishop Polycarp who would give his own life for Christ several decades later.
Ignatius' letters passionately stressed the importance of Church unity, the dangers of heresy, and the surpassing importance of the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality.” These writings contain the first surviving written description of the Church as “Catholic,” from the Greek word indicating both universality and fullness.
One of the most striking features of Ignatius' letters, is his enthusiastic embrace of martyrdom as a means to union with God and eternal life. “All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing,” he wrote to the Church of Rome. “It is better for me to die in behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth.”
“Now I begin to be a disciple,” the bishop declared. “Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let tearings, breakings, and dislocations of bones; let cutting off of members; let shatterings of the whole body; and let all the dreadful torments of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ.”
St. Ignatius of Antioch bore witness to Christ publicly for the last time in Rome's Flavian Amphitheater, where he was mauled to death by lions. “I am the wheat of the Lord,” he had declared, before facing them. “I must be ground by the teeth of these beasts to be made the pure bread of Christ.” His memory was honored, and his bones venerated, soon after his death around the year 107.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 12,13-21
Lectio Divina:
Monday, October 17, 2016
Ordinary Time
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)
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