Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 464
Lectionary: 464
You have defied me in word, says the LORD,
yet you ask, "What have we spoken against you?"
You have said, "It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity."
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
yet you ask, "What have we spoken against you?"
You have said, "It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity."
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
Responsorial PsalmPS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
R. (Ps 40:5a) Blessed
are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
AlleluiaSEE ACTS 16:14B
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,'
and he says in reply from within,
'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.'
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"
"Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,'
and he says in reply from within,
'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.'
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"
Meditation: "How much more will the heavenly Father
give!"
What can we expect from God, especially when we
recognize that he doesn't owe us anything and that we don't deserve his grace
and favor? Jesus used the illustration of a late-night traveler to teach his
listeners an important lesson about how God treats us in contrast to the kind
of treatment we might expect from our neighbors.
The rule of hospitality in biblical times required the
cooperation of the entire community in entertaining an unexpected or late-night
guest. Whether the guest was hungry or not, a meal would be served. In a small
village it would be easy to know who had baked bread that day. Bread was
essential for a meal because it served as a utensil for dipping and eating from
the common dishes. Asking for bread from one's neighbor was both a common
occurrence and an expected favor. To refuse to give bread would bring shame and
dishonor because it was a sign of in-hospitality - showing a lack of friendship
and generosity.
God awakens us from sleep that we may ask and receive
If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the night, how much more hospitable is God, who, no matter what the circumstances, is generous and ready to give us what we need. Augustine of Hippo reminds us that "God, who does not sleep and who awakens us from sleep that we may ask, gives much more graciously."
If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the night, how much more hospitable is God, who, no matter what the circumstances, is generous and ready to give us what we need. Augustine of Hippo reminds us that "God, who does not sleep and who awakens us from sleep that we may ask, gives much more graciously."
Ask, seek, knock - and it will be given
When you are in need who do you turn to for help? Jesus tells us that God is always ready to answer those who seek him and call upon him with expectant trust in his mercy and kindness. Jesus states very clearly and simply what we must do: Ask, seek, knock. God our heavenly Father waits upon us. Like a table waiter or friend who comes in the middle of the night, he is always ready to hear our plea and to give us what we need. Do you ask the Father with expectant faith and confident trust in his goodness? Do you seek his guidance and help in your time of need? Do you knock with persistence at his door of mercy and favor? If we treat our heavenly Father with indifference or neglect to ask with confident trust, we may miss the opportunity we have been given to receive his grace and favor and merciful help.
When you are in need who do you turn to for help? Jesus tells us that God is always ready to answer those who seek him and call upon him with expectant trust in his mercy and kindness. Jesus states very clearly and simply what we must do: Ask, seek, knock. God our heavenly Father waits upon us. Like a table waiter or friend who comes in the middle of the night, he is always ready to hear our plea and to give us what we need. Do you ask the Father with expectant faith and confident trust in his goodness? Do you seek his guidance and help in your time of need? Do you knock with persistence at his door of mercy and favor? If we treat our heavenly Father with indifference or neglect to ask with confident trust, we may miss the opportunity we have been given to receive his grace and favor and merciful help.
God gives more than we can ask or expect
In conclusion Jesus makes a startling claim: How much more will the heavenly Father give! The Lord is ever ready to give us not only what we need, but more than we can expect. He gives freely of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his abundant life and joy. Do you approach your heavenly Father with confident trust in his mercy and kindness?
In conclusion Jesus makes a startling claim: How much more will the heavenly Father give! The Lord is ever ready to give us not only what we need, but more than we can expect. He gives freely of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his abundant life and joy. Do you approach your heavenly Father with confident trust in his mercy and kindness?
"Heavenly Father, you are merciful, gracious and
kind. May I never doubt your mercy and love nor hesitate to seek you with
confident trust in order to obtain the gifts, graces, and daily provision I
need to live as your beloved child and constant friend."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Ask by praying, seek by proper living, knock
by persevering, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"Desiring that we
arrive at the joys of the heavenly kingdom, our Lord and Savior taught us to
ask these joys of him and promised that he would give them to us if we asked
for them. 'Ask,' he said, 'and it will be given to you, seek and you will find,
knock and it will be opened to you.' Dearly beloved..., we earnestly and with
our whole heart must ponder these words of our Lord. He bears witness that the
kingdom of heaven is not given to, found by and opened to those who are idle
and unoccupied but to those who ask for it, seek after it and knock at its gates.
The gate of the kingdom must be asked for by praying. It must be sought after
by living properly. It must be knocked at by persevering." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
2.51.20)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, LUKE
11:5-13
Weekday
(Malachi 3:13-20b; Psalm 1)
Weekday
(Malachi 3:13-20b; Psalm 1)
KEY VERSE: "Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (v 9).
TO KNOW: After Jesus taught his followers the prayer that we call the "Lord's Prayer," he told them a parable on persevering in prayer. This parable sheds light upon Jesus' petition "Give us each day our daily bread" (Lk 11:3). In the story, a man came at night to ask his neighbor for bread to feed a friend who had just arrived. Although the neighbor's family was asleep, he gave in to the request because of the man's persistence. Jesus asked, if a friend was moved to give favors, how much more would the heavenly Father grant whatever his children needed? Would human parents give something harmful to their children when they asked for something to eat? And if they, with all their sinfulness, are good to their children, how much greater is God's generosity? Luke changed Matthew's "good gifts" (Mt 7:11) to the best gift that the heavenly Father can give ̶ the "holy Spirit" (Lk11:13).
TO LOVE: Do I trust that God is a good "Father" who will give what is best for me?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to ask, seek and knock on the door of your heart and not to become discouraged.
Thursday 12
October 2017
Malachi 3:13-20. Psalm 1. Luke
11:5-13.
Happy are
they who hope in the Lord — Psalm 1.
‘Persevere
in prayer.’
You say harsh things against me,
says the Lord. You say, ‘It is useless to serve God.’
Forgive me, Lord, if at times I
feel that way. Sometimes it can seem as if my daily cares have increased to the
point where I can no longer cope. I feel abandoned. I try not to hold you
responsible for my problems. But I do wonder why my path could not have been
made lighter.
I don’t want to see you as a
harsh, demanding God. My deep desire is to imitate Jesus in the constant trust
he placed in your loving care. Through Jesus give me a sharing in that trust he
had in you even when going to his passion and death. With him let me see you as
a forgiving father, a caring shepherd and a faithful friend. Above all, I ask,
in his name, the gift of perseverance in prayer.
NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL PILAR (OUR LADY OF THE
PILLAR)
The
first Marian apparition in history appeared to Saint James the Apostle, the
brother of Saint John the Evangelist, on the bank of the river Ebro in
Saragossa, Spain. Unlike every other recorded apparition, this one took place
during the earthly life of the Mother of God.
According
to tradition, she had promised Saint James that when he needed it most in his
difficult mission to the pagans in today's Spain, she would appear to him
to encourage him.
In
the year 40 A.D., while praying one night on the tobrt bank, the Virgin
appeared with the Child Jesus standing on a pillar and asked Saint James and
his eight disciples to build a church on the site, promising that “it will
stand from that moment until the end of time in order that God may work
miracles and wonders through my intercession for all those who place themselves
under my patronage.”
The
church of Our Lady of the Pilar in Zaragoza, is the first church dedicated to
Mary in history and it remains standing to this day, having survived invasions
and wars – in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 three bombs were dropped on
the church and none of them exploded.
Our
Lady is also said to have given the small wooden statue of the apparition to
Saint James which now stands on a pillar in the church.
Nuestra
Señora del Pilar is the patron of Spain and all Hispanic peoples. October 12,
1492, the feast of the Virgin of the Pillar, is the day Christopher Colombus
first sighted American land, and when the first Mass in the Americas was
celebrated.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 11,5-13
Lectio Divina:
Thursday, October 12, 2017
1) Opening prayer
Father,
your love for us
surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings,
keep us in your peace
and lead us in the way of salvation.
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.
your love for us
surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings,
keep us in your peace
and lead us in the way of salvation.
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 11,5-13
Jesus said to his disciples, 'Suppose
one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say,
"My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels
has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him;" and the man
answers from inside the house, "Do not bother me. The door is bolted now,
and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up to give it to you." I
tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake,
persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?
If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'
'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?
If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'
3) Reflection
● The Gospel today continues to speak
about the theme of prayer, which began with the teaching of the Our Father (Lk
11, 1-4). Today, Jesus teaches that we should pray with faith and insistence
without giving up. For this He uses a provocative parable.
● Luke 11, 5-7: The parable that provokes. As always when Jesus has an important thing to teach, He has recourse to a comparison, a parable. Today, He tells us a strange story which ends with a question. He addresses the question to the people who listened to Him and also to us who today read or listen to the story. "Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say: My friend, lend me three loaves because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him; and the man answers from inside the house: “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now and my children are with me in bed: I cannot get up to give it to you". Before Jesus himself gives the answer, He wants our opinion. What would you answer: yes or no?
● Luke 11, 8: Jesus responds to the provocation. Jesus gives his response: "I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants". If not Jesus, would you have had the courage to invent a story which suggests that God expects our prayers to see himself free from blows? The response of Jesus strengthens the message on prayer: God always expects our prayer. This parable reminds us of another one, also found in Luke's Gospel: the parable of the widow who insists to obtain her rights before the judge who respects neither God nor justice. He pays attention to the widow only because he wants to free himself from her insistence(Lk 18, 3-5). Then Jesus draws a conclusion to apply the message of the parable to life.
● Luke 11, 9-10: the first application of the Parable. "So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, everyone who knocks will have the door opened". To ask, to search, to knock at the door. If you ask, you will receive. If you search, you will find. If you knock, the door will be opened for you. Jesus does not say how much time the request should last, this knocking at the door, but the result is certain.
● Luke 11, 11-12: the second application of the parable. "What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?" This second application allows us see this type of public listening to the words of Jesus and his way of teaching under the form of dialogue. He asks: "You who are a father, when your son asks you for a fish, would you give him a snake?" The people answer: "No!" "And if he asks you for an egg, would you give him a scorpion?" -"No!" Through dialogue, Jesus involves the people in the comparison and, from the responses He receives from them, the commitment to the message of the parable.
● Luke 11, 13: The message: to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "If you then evil as you are , know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!". The greatest gift that God has for us is the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we were created, He breathed his spirit into our nose and we became living beings (Gen 2, 7). In the second creation through Faith in Jesus, He gives us the Holy Spirit again. This is the same Spirit which made the Word become incarnate in Mary (Lk 1, 35). With the help of the Holy Spirit, the process of the Incarnation of the Word continues up to the hour of his death on the Cross. At the end, at the hour of death, Jesus commits the spirit to the Father: "Into your hands I commit my Spirit" (Lk 23, 46). Jesus promises us this Spirit as the source of truth and of understanding (Jn 14, 14-17; 16, 13) and a help in persecutions (Mt 10, 20; Ac 4, 31). This Spirit cannot be bought with money at the supermarket. The only way of obtaining it is through prayer. After nine days of prayer the abundant gift of the Spirit is obtained on the day of Pentecost (Ac 1, 14; 2, 1-4).
● Luke 11, 5-7: The parable that provokes. As always when Jesus has an important thing to teach, He has recourse to a comparison, a parable. Today, He tells us a strange story which ends with a question. He addresses the question to the people who listened to Him and also to us who today read or listen to the story. "Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say: My friend, lend me three loaves because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him; and the man answers from inside the house: “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now and my children are with me in bed: I cannot get up to give it to you". Before Jesus himself gives the answer, He wants our opinion. What would you answer: yes or no?
● Luke 11, 8: Jesus responds to the provocation. Jesus gives his response: "I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants". If not Jesus, would you have had the courage to invent a story which suggests that God expects our prayers to see himself free from blows? The response of Jesus strengthens the message on prayer: God always expects our prayer. This parable reminds us of another one, also found in Luke's Gospel: the parable of the widow who insists to obtain her rights before the judge who respects neither God nor justice. He pays attention to the widow only because he wants to free himself from her insistence(Lk 18, 3-5). Then Jesus draws a conclusion to apply the message of the parable to life.
● Luke 11, 9-10: the first application of the Parable. "So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, everyone who knocks will have the door opened". To ask, to search, to knock at the door. If you ask, you will receive. If you search, you will find. If you knock, the door will be opened for you. Jesus does not say how much time the request should last, this knocking at the door, but the result is certain.
● Luke 11, 11-12: the second application of the parable. "What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?" This second application allows us see this type of public listening to the words of Jesus and his way of teaching under the form of dialogue. He asks: "You who are a father, when your son asks you for a fish, would you give him a snake?" The people answer: "No!" "And if he asks you for an egg, would you give him a scorpion?" -"No!" Through dialogue, Jesus involves the people in the comparison and, from the responses He receives from them, the commitment to the message of the parable.
● Luke 11, 13: The message: to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "If you then evil as you are , know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!". The greatest gift that God has for us is the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we were created, He breathed his spirit into our nose and we became living beings (Gen 2, 7). In the second creation through Faith in Jesus, He gives us the Holy Spirit again. This is the same Spirit which made the Word become incarnate in Mary (Lk 1, 35). With the help of the Holy Spirit, the process of the Incarnation of the Word continues up to the hour of his death on the Cross. At the end, at the hour of death, Jesus commits the spirit to the Father: "Into your hands I commit my Spirit" (Lk 23, 46). Jesus promises us this Spirit as the source of truth and of understanding (Jn 14, 14-17; 16, 13) and a help in persecutions (Mt 10, 20; Ac 4, 31). This Spirit cannot be bought with money at the supermarket. The only way of obtaining it is through prayer. After nine days of prayer the abundant gift of the Spirit is obtained on the day of Pentecost (Ac 1, 14; 2, 1-4).
4) Personal questions
● How do I respond to the provocation of
the parable? A person who lives in a small apartment in a large city, how will
she answer? Would she open the door?
● When you pray, do you pray convinced that you will obtain what you ask for?
● When you pray, do you pray convinced that you will obtain what you ask for?
5) Concluding prayer
I give thanks to Yahweh with all my
heart,
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them. (Ps 111,1-2)
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them. (Ps 111,1-2)
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