Friday of the Thirty-third Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 501
Lectionary: 501
I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.
Then the voice spoke to me and said:
“Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel
who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
So I went up to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll.
He said to me, “Take and swallow it.
It will turn your stomach sour,
but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.”
I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and swallowed it.
In my mouth it was like sweet honey,
but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.
Then someone said to me, “You must prophesy again
about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
Then the voice spoke to me and said:
“Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel
who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
So I went up to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll.
He said to me, “Take and swallow it.
It will turn your stomach sour,
but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.”
I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and swallowed it.
In my mouth it was like sweet honey,
but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.
Then someone said to me, “You must prophesy again
about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
Responsorial
PsalmPS 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131
R. (103a) How
sweet to my taste is your promise!
In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
How sweet to my palate are your promises,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
I gasp with open mouth
in my yearning for your commands.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
How sweet to my palate are your promises,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
I gasp with open mouth
in my yearning for your commands.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
AlleluiaJN 10:27
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 19:45-48
Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.
Meditation: "All
the people hung upon his words "
Why did Jesus drive
out the money changers in the temple at Jerusalem? Was he upset with their
greediness? This is the only incident in the Gospels where we see Jesus using
physical force. Jesus went to Jerusalem, knowing he would meet certain death on
the cross, but victory as well for our sake. His act of judgment in the temple
is meant to be a prophetic sign and warning to the people that God takes our
worship very seriously.
Jesus honors the
Father's house of prayer by cleansing it of unholy practices
In this incident we see Jesus' startling and swift action in cleansing the temple of those who were using it to exploit the worshipers of God. The money changers took advantage of the poor and forced them to pay many times more than was right - in the house of God no less! Their robbery of the poor was not only dishonoring to God but unjust toward their neighbor.
In this incident we see Jesus' startling and swift action in cleansing the temple of those who were using it to exploit the worshipers of God. The money changers took advantage of the poor and forced them to pay many times more than was right - in the house of God no less! Their robbery of the poor was not only dishonoring to God but unjust toward their neighbor.
The people were
hungry for the word of God
In justification for his audacious action Jesus quotes from the prophets Isaiah (Isaiah 56:7) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:11). His act of judgment aims to purify the worship of God's people and to discipline their erring ways. Despite the objections of the religious leaders, no doubt because Jesus was usurping their authority in the house of God, the people who listened to Jesus teaching daily in the temple regarded him with great awe and respect. Luke tells us that "they hung upon Jesus' words" (Luke 19:48). How hungry are you for God's word?
In justification for his audacious action Jesus quotes from the prophets Isaiah (Isaiah 56:7) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:11). His act of judgment aims to purify the worship of God's people and to discipline their erring ways. Despite the objections of the religious leaders, no doubt because Jesus was usurping their authority in the house of God, the people who listened to Jesus teaching daily in the temple regarded him with great awe and respect. Luke tells us that "they hung upon Jesus' words" (Luke 19:48). How hungry are you for God's word?
The Lord wants
to share his holiness with us
If we approach God's word with a humble attentive heart and with a willingness to be taught by the Lord, then we are in a good place to allow God's word to change and transform us in the likeness of Christ. The Lord wants to teach us his ways so that we may grow in holiness. The Lord both instructs and disciplines us in love to lead us from the error of our sinful ways to his truth and justice. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness" (Hebrews 12:10). The Lord calls us to be a holy people who worship him with reverence and gratitude for his great mercy and kindness towards us. Do you allow God's word to transform you in his way of love and holiness?
If we approach God's word with a humble attentive heart and with a willingness to be taught by the Lord, then we are in a good place to allow God's word to change and transform us in the likeness of Christ. The Lord wants to teach us his ways so that we may grow in holiness. The Lord both instructs and disciplines us in love to lead us from the error of our sinful ways to his truth and justice. "God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness" (Hebrews 12:10). The Lord calls us to be a holy people who worship him with reverence and gratitude for his great mercy and kindness towards us. Do you allow God's word to transform you in his way of love and holiness?
"Lord Jesus, you
open wide the door of your house and you bid us to enter confidently that we
may worship you in spirit and truth. Help me to draw near to you with gratitude
and joy for your great mercy. May I always revere your word and give you
acceptable praise and worship."
Daily Quote from the
early church fathers: The home of sanctity, by Augustine of
Hippo, 354-430
A.D.
"God does not want
his temple to be a trader's lodge but the home of sanctity. He does not
preserve the practice of the priestly ministry by the dishonest duty of
religion but by voluntary obedience. Consider what the Lord’s actions impose on
you as an example of living... He taught in general that worldly transactions
must be absent from the temple, but he drove out the money changers in
particular. Who are the money changers, if not those who seek profit from the
Lord's money and cannot distinguish between good and evil? Holy Scripture is
the Lord's money." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE
GOSPEL OF LUKE 9.17–18)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, LUKE 19:45-48
Weekday
(Revelation 10:8-11; Psalm 119)
Weekday
(Revelation 10:8-11; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves" (v 46).
TO KNOW: When Jesus entered the precincts of the Jerusalem temple and saw all the money changers there, he was filled with righteous indignation. God intended that the temple would be a "house of prayer" (Is.56:7), but it had become a "den of thieves" (Jer 7:11). Jesus swiftly acted to cleanse the temple of the abusive practices. His actions represented divine judgment against the religious leaders who failed to instruct the people as to the meaning of true worship. The leaders were outraged and wanted to do away with Jesus, but because of his popularity, they could not find a way. By Jesus' actions, he took possession of the temple as its legitimate and authoritative teacher. From that time until his arrest, the temple would be the center of his ministry.
TO LOVE: What do I do to help make my parish a true place of worship?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to respect your holy dwelling place.
MEMORIAL OF THE
DEDICATION OF THE BASILICAS OF THE APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL IN ROME
The Basilica of Saint Peter, in which the most important ceremonies of the Catholic Church are celebrated, stands on the site of a much smaller basilica erected in the years 324 - 349 by the Roman emperor Constantine to honor the tomb of the first Pope, the apostle Peter. The four colossal columns and the connecting arches on which the dome rests, aligned with the saint's tomb, was the work of Donato Bramante, the inspiration behind the initial project of the "new Saint Peter's." After Bramante's death in 1514, the commission was entrusted to some of the greatest architects and artists of the time (Giuliano da Santagallo Fra Giocondo, Raphael, Baldassarre Peruzzi, Antonio da Santagallo and Michelangelo). The latter was responsible for the apse, the transept and the dome, and the frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Saint Paul's Outside the Walls is a major
basilica built outside Rome as the traditional burial place of Saint Paul.
After his execution and burial in Rome in the 1st century AD, Saint Paul's
followers erected a shrine over the grave. Early Christians frequently visited
the site to honor the great Apostle to the Gentiles who authored more than half
of the New Testament. The first church on the site was a small one, founded by
Emperor Constantine and consecrated on November 18, 324. In 386 Emperor
Theodosius demolished the original church and began the construction of a much
larger and more beautiful basilica, but the work was not completed until the
pontificate of Saint Leo the Great (440-461). Although heavily restored, the
present basilica looks much the same as it did in the 4th century.
Memorial of Saint Rose
Philippine Duchesne, virgin
Rose Perier, was a member of a leading family from the Dauphine region. She joined the Visitation nuns in Grenoble at age 19. Religious communities were outlawed during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution, and her convent was closed in 1792. She spent the next ten years living as a laywoman again. She established a school for poor children, provided care for the sick, and hid priests from Revolutionaries. When the Terror ended, she reclaimed her convent and tried to reestablish it. However, most of her community were gone, and in 1804 the group was incorporated into the Society of the Sacred Heart nuns. Rose made her final vows in 1805 and she and four sisters were sent as missionaries to the Louisiana Territory to found the Society's presence in America. She was ever concerned about the plight of Native Americans, and much of her work was devoted to educating them. She was known to the native people as "Woman-Who-Prays-Always." She spent her last ten years in retirement in a tiny shack at the convent in Saint Charles, Missouri where she lived austerely and in constant prayer.
Friday 18 November 2016
Fri 18th. Dedication of the Basilicas of
Ss Peter and Paul. Day of penance.
Apocalypse
10:8-11. How sweet to my taste is your promise!—Ps 118(119):14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131.
Luke 19:45-48.
'The sweet promise'
Sometimes what tastes sweet or pleasant at
first causes bitterness or discomfort later. Your word is truth and goodness.
Its sweetness remains, and nourishes my heart. Help me make sure I do not let
goodness become contaminated, so it remains sweet and does not become bitter.
DEDICATION OF THE
CHURCHES OF PETER AND PAUL
This feast celebrates
the dedications of two of the four major basilicas of Rome.
Saint Peter’s Basilica
was originally built in 323 by the emperor Constantine. The basilica was
constructed over the tomb of Peter the Apostle, the Church’s first Pope.
After standing for more than a thousand years, Pope Julius II ordered the
building to be torn down due to structural concerns. The construction of
the new church spanned over 200 years before its completion. It was dedicated
on Nov. 18, 1626. It is considered the most famous church in Christendom.
Saint Paul´s Basilica
is located outside the original walls of Rome. It was also originally built by
the emperor Constantine though it was destroyed by fire in 1823. Donations from
around the world made the reconstruction possible. Before the completion of
Saint Peter´s Basilica, St Paul's was the largest church in Rome. The
Basilica was built over St. Paul´s grave. Pope Pius IX consecrated the
Basilica in 1854.
These two churches
continue to draw millions of faithful pilgrims each year as well as many
visitors from other faiths .
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 19,45-48
Lectio Divina:
Friday, November 18, 2016
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father of all that is good,
keep us faithful in serving you,
for to serve you is our lasting joy.
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 19,45-48
Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were busy trading, saying to them, 'According to scripture, my house shall be a house of prayer but you have turned it into a bandits' den.'
He taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, in company with the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they could not find a way to carry this out because the whole people hung on his words.
3) Reflection
• Context. Luke after having described the journey of Jesus going up to Jerusalem (11-19, 28) now presents him while he is carrying out his activity in the context of the Temple. After the entrance of the one sent by the Lord into Jerusalem passing through the door on the East (19, 45), the Temple becomes the first place where Jesus carries out his activity: the controversies that are narrated take place in this place and they refer to this. Jesus’ going to the Temple is not only a personal fact but also concerns the “multitude of his disciples” (v. 37) on their relationship with God (vv. 31-34). Luke above all, presents a first episode in which are presented the preparations for the entrance of Jesus into the Temple (vv. 29-36) and their realization (vv. 37-40); then follows a scene where we find the passage of today’s liturgy: his installation in the Temple and driving out the sellers from the Temple (vv. 45-48).
• The gesture of Jesus. This does not have a political value but a prophetic significance. The reader thinks that the great purpose of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is the entrance into the Temple. To recall the prophecy of Malachi is evident that is fulfilled at the entrance of Jesus into the Temple: “And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his Temple...” (3, 1). The gesture of driving out the sellers from the Temple is accompanied by Jesus with two references to Scripture. Above all, Is 56, 7: “My house will be a house of prayer”. The Temple is the place in which Jesus turns back to the Father. The commercial and business activity has made the Temple a den of bandits and has deprived it of its only and exclusive function: the encounter with the presence of God. The second reference from Scripture: is taken from Jeremiah 7, 11: “Do you look on this Temple that bears my name as a den of bandits?” The image of the den of bandits serves Jesus to condemn the material traffic on the one side and not only the dishonest traffic of trade or business that in a hidden and illegal way was carried out in the Temple. Jesus demands a complete change: to purify the Temple from all that human negative things and to bring it back to its original function: to render an authentic service to God. And driving out those impostors of the trade and business the prophecy of Zechariah is fulfilled: «There will be no more traders in the Temple of Yahweh Sabaoth, when that Day comes” (14, 21). These words of Jesus on the Temple are not directed to a restoration of the purity of the cult or worship, as was the intention of the Zelots. The intention of Jesus goes beyond the purity of the cult; it is more radical, intransigent: the Temple is not a work done by human efforts; the presence of God is not bound to its material aspect; the authentic service of God is carried out by Jesus through his teaching. Because of this preaching “the high priests and the Scribes together with the leading citizens tried to do away with him” (v. 47). Within this temporary place of the Temple Jesus carries out a highly significant teaching, in fact, it is precisely in this place that is so fundamental for the Jews that his teaching reaches the summit and it will be from here that the words of the Apostles will begin also (Act 5, 12.20.25.42). The diffusion of the Word of grace of which Jesus is the only bearer extends itself like an arch that begins with his opposition, when he was still only twelve years old in the Temple among the doctors of the Law; it is prolonged with his teaching when going across Galilee and during his journey to Jerusalem; until he entered the Temple where he takes possession of the house of God. The bases for the future mission of the Church are placed in this place: the diffusion of the Word of God. The heads of the people do not intend to suppress Jesus for having ruined the progress of the economic affairs of that time, but the reasons go back to all his previous activity of teaching and now these act in his discourse against the temple. Jesus claims something and this causes the reaction of the high priests and of the Scribes to break out. In contrast with this hostile behaviour one can see the positive one of the people who “are hanging from his words”. Jesus is considered as the Messiah who gathers around him with his Word of grace the people of God.
4) Personal questions
• Does your prayer to the Lord consist in a simple relationship of father to son in which to find all the strength to communicate with God, or rather is it accompanied by uses and practices to gain over his goodness?
• When you listen to the Word of Jesus do you feel seized by his teaching like the crowds who hung from his words? Or rather are you sufficiently attentive to listen to the Gospel and do you adhere to Christ?
5) Concluding Prayer
The Law you have uttered is more precious to me
than all the wealth in the world.
How pleasant your promise to my palate,
sweeter than honey in my mouth! (Ps 119,72.103)
Father of all that is good,
keep us faithful in serving you,
for to serve you is our lasting joy.
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 19,45-48
Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were busy trading, saying to them, 'According to scripture, my house shall be a house of prayer but you have turned it into a bandits' den.'
He taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, in company with the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they could not find a way to carry this out because the whole people hung on his words.
3) Reflection
• Context. Luke after having described the journey of Jesus going up to Jerusalem (11-19, 28) now presents him while he is carrying out his activity in the context of the Temple. After the entrance of the one sent by the Lord into Jerusalem passing through the door on the East (19, 45), the Temple becomes the first place where Jesus carries out his activity: the controversies that are narrated take place in this place and they refer to this. Jesus’ going to the Temple is not only a personal fact but also concerns the “multitude of his disciples” (v. 37) on their relationship with God (vv. 31-34). Luke above all, presents a first episode in which are presented the preparations for the entrance of Jesus into the Temple (vv. 29-36) and their realization (vv. 37-40); then follows a scene where we find the passage of today’s liturgy: his installation in the Temple and driving out the sellers from the Temple (vv. 45-48).
• The gesture of Jesus. This does not have a political value but a prophetic significance. The reader thinks that the great purpose of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is the entrance into the Temple. To recall the prophecy of Malachi is evident that is fulfilled at the entrance of Jesus into the Temple: “And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his Temple...” (3, 1). The gesture of driving out the sellers from the Temple is accompanied by Jesus with two references to Scripture. Above all, Is 56, 7: “My house will be a house of prayer”. The Temple is the place in which Jesus turns back to the Father. The commercial and business activity has made the Temple a den of bandits and has deprived it of its only and exclusive function: the encounter with the presence of God. The second reference from Scripture: is taken from Jeremiah 7, 11: “Do you look on this Temple that bears my name as a den of bandits?” The image of the den of bandits serves Jesus to condemn the material traffic on the one side and not only the dishonest traffic of trade or business that in a hidden and illegal way was carried out in the Temple. Jesus demands a complete change: to purify the Temple from all that human negative things and to bring it back to its original function: to render an authentic service to God. And driving out those impostors of the trade and business the prophecy of Zechariah is fulfilled: «There will be no more traders in the Temple of Yahweh Sabaoth, when that Day comes” (14, 21). These words of Jesus on the Temple are not directed to a restoration of the purity of the cult or worship, as was the intention of the Zelots. The intention of Jesus goes beyond the purity of the cult; it is more radical, intransigent: the Temple is not a work done by human efforts; the presence of God is not bound to its material aspect; the authentic service of God is carried out by Jesus through his teaching. Because of this preaching “the high priests and the Scribes together with the leading citizens tried to do away with him” (v. 47). Within this temporary place of the Temple Jesus carries out a highly significant teaching, in fact, it is precisely in this place that is so fundamental for the Jews that his teaching reaches the summit and it will be from here that the words of the Apostles will begin also (Act 5, 12.20.25.42). The diffusion of the Word of grace of which Jesus is the only bearer extends itself like an arch that begins with his opposition, when he was still only twelve years old in the Temple among the doctors of the Law; it is prolonged with his teaching when going across Galilee and during his journey to Jerusalem; until he entered the Temple where he takes possession of the house of God. The bases for the future mission of the Church are placed in this place: the diffusion of the Word of God. The heads of the people do not intend to suppress Jesus for having ruined the progress of the economic affairs of that time, but the reasons go back to all his previous activity of teaching and now these act in his discourse against the temple. Jesus claims something and this causes the reaction of the high priests and of the Scribes to break out. In contrast with this hostile behaviour one can see the positive one of the people who “are hanging from his words”. Jesus is considered as the Messiah who gathers around him with his Word of grace the people of God.
4) Personal questions
• Does your prayer to the Lord consist in a simple relationship of father to son in which to find all the strength to communicate with God, or rather is it accompanied by uses and practices to gain over his goodness?
• When you listen to the Word of Jesus do you feel seized by his teaching like the crowds who hung from his words? Or rather are you sufficiently attentive to listen to the Gospel and do you adhere to Christ?
5) Concluding Prayer
The Law you have uttered is more precious to me
than all the wealth in the world.
How pleasant your promise to my palate,
sweeter than honey in my mouth! (Ps 119,72.103)
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