Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 472
Lectionary: 472
Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
Responsorial
Psalm PS 105:6-7, 8-9, 42-43
R. (8a) The
Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Alleluia JN 15:26B, 27A
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 12:8-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you,
everyone who acknowledges me before others
the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever denies me before others
will be denied before the angels of God.
"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.
When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how or what your defense will be
or about what you are to say.
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."
"I tell you,
everyone who acknowledges me before others
the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever denies me before others
will be denied before the angels of God.
"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.
When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how or what your defense will be
or about what you are to say.
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."
Meditation: "The
Holy Spirit will teach you what to say"
What is
the unforgivable sin which Jesus warns us to avoid? Jesus knows that his
disciples will be tested and he assures them that the Holy Spirit will give
them what they need in their time of adversity. He warns them, however, that
it's possible to reject the grace of God and to fall into apostasy (giving up
the faith) out of cowardice or disbelief. The scriptural expression to deny
someone means to disown them. Jesus also speaks
against blaspheming the Holy Spirit. What is blasphemy and why is it
reprehensible? Blasphemy consists in uttering against God, inwardly or
outwardly, words of hatred, reproach, or defiance. It's contrary to the respect
due God and his holy name. Jesus speaks of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit
as theunforgivable sin. Jesus spoke about this sin immediately after the
scribes and Pharisees had attributed his miracles to the work of the devil
instead of to God.
A sin can
only be unforgivable if repentance is impossible. If someone repeatedly closes
his heart to God and shuts his ears to his voice, he comes to a point where he
can no longer recognize God even when God makes himself known. Such a person
ends up perceiving evil as good and good as evil (Isaiah 5:20). To fear such a
sin, however, signals that one is not dead to God and is conscious of the need
for God's grace and mercy. There are no limits to the mercy of God, but we can
reject his mercy by refusing to ask God's pardon for our wrongdoing and by
refusing to accept the help he gives us to turn away from sin and from whatever
would keep us from doing his will for our lives. God gives grace and help to
all who humbly call upon him. Giving up on God and refusing to turn away from
sin and disbelief results from our own sinful pride and the loss of hope in
God.
What is
the basis of our hope and confidence in God? John the Evangelist tells us that
"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes
in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Jesus' death
on the cross won for us our salvation and adoption as the children of God. The
love and mercy of Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the
Holy Spirit are freely given to those who acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and
Savior. Is your hope securely placed in Christ and his victory on the cross?
"Lord
Jesus, you are my hope and salvation. May I trust you at all times and rely on
your grace in times of testing and temptation. Let the fire of your Holy Spirit
burn in my heart and fill me with a consuming love for you."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The
Holy Spirit will inspire martyrs and teach believers, by Cyril of
Jerusalem, 430-543 A.D.
"You must also know that the Holy Spirit empowers the
martyrs to bear witness... A person cannot testify as a martyr for Christ's
sake except through the Holy Spirit. If 'no man can say "Jesus is
Lord" except in the Holy Spirit' (1 Corinthians 12:3), will any man give
his life for Jesus' sake except through the Holy Spirit?" (excerpt
from CATECHETICAL LECTURES 16.21)
SATURDAY,
OCTOBER 21, LUKE 12:8-12
Weekday
(Romans 4:13, 16-18; Psalm 105)
Weekday
(Romans 4:13, 16-18; Psalm 105)
KEY VERSE: "For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say" (v 12).
TO KNOW: Jesus encouraged his disciples to be fearless in their proclamation of the gospel. The disciples need not worry about how they should defend themselves when brought before the authorities. The Holy Spirit would enlighten and strengthen them as they bore witness to their faith. Jesus did not promise to save them from suffering, or even death, but he did guarantee that he would testify to their fidelity before God. Jesus warned his followers of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. These are sins that despair of salvation, presume on God's mercy, envy another's spiritual good, resist known truths of faith, and are obstinate in sin and impenitent at death. Although each sin put an obstacle in the way of God's mercy, God's grace could overcome even these sins. But if the unrepentant refused God's power to save them, they also denied the possibility of mercy and forgiveness by Jesus.
TO LOVE: Do I thank God for the grace of faith?
TO SERVE: Holy Spirit, strengthen me when I am too weak to defend myself.
OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF THE BLESSED
VIRGIN MARY
Chapter V of the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, issued by the Holy See in December 2001, describes the Church's traditional dedication of Saturday to the Virgin Mary. "Saturdays stand out among those days dedicated to the Virgin Mary. These are designated as memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (218). The chapter also describes the importance of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in Catholic devotional life, in the Liturgy, and reflections on popular devotions to Mary, her feast days, and the Rosary.
Saturday 21
October 2017
Romans 4:13, 16-18. Psalm
104(105):6-9, 42-43. Luke 12:9-12
The Lord
remembers his covenant for ever — Psalm 104(105):6-9, 42-43.
‘The Lord
remembers his covenant forever.’
Faith is unfashionable in our
modern society. These days it seems there is a rational, logical explanation
for just about everything. We like to think we have complete control over our
destinies. Today’s readings remind us of the value of hope, faith and trust in
God’s plan for us.
Abraham’s story is just one of
many stories in our tradition where one person’s faith leads to the most
unlikely of outcomes. Do we believe in a God who calls into existence things
that do not exist? A God who gives life to the dead? Do we trust that the Holy
Spirit will always teach us what we need to know?
Dare we imagine a future beyond
our own dreams? What might God’s dream be for me?
BLESSED CHARLES OF AUSTRIA
Charles was born in 1887 in Lower Austria to Archduke Otto and
Princess Maria Josephine of Saxony. He grew up in a Catholic family, received a
solid Catholic education, and developed a strong devotion to both the Eucharist
and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
As
a young man he took for his personal motto: “I strive always in all
things to understand as clearly as possible and follow the will of God, and
this in the most perfect way.” In 1911, at age 24, he married Princess Zita of
Bourbon and Parma, and together they had eight children.
The
assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 triggered World
War I. At this point, Charles became the presumptive heir to the throne of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. Two years later, upon the death of his great-uncle,
Emperor Francis Joseph, Charles became emperor and king of Hungary. He saw
his office as a mandate from God and as a way to implement Christian charity
and social reform.
He
worked to end the war and was the only leader to support Pope
Benedict XV's efforts for peace. In March 1919, he was exiled to Switzerland.
From there, he tried to prevent the rise of Communism in Central Europe. He
also tried to return to power twice in 1921, but gave up at the risk of a civil
war. He never gave up his crown, even when exiled to the island of Madeira,
Portugal, where he lived in prayerful poverty until his death from pneumonia
one year later.
Charles
was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2004.
LECTIO: LUKE 12,8-12
Lectio Divina:
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Ordinary
Time
1)
Opening prayer
Lord,
our
help and guide,
make
your love the foundation of our lives.
May
our love for you express itself
in
our eagerness to do good for others.
You
live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2)
Gospel Reading - Luke 12,8-12
Jesus said to his disciples: 'I tell you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, the Son of man will declare himself for him in the presence of God's angels. But anyone who disowns me in the presence of human beings will be disowned in the presence of God's angels.
Jesus said to his disciples: 'I tell you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, the Son of man will declare himself for him in the presence of God's angels. But anyone who disowns me in the presence of human beings will be disowned in the presence of God's angels.
'Everyone
who says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven, but no one who
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven. 'When they take you before
synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how to defend
yourselves or what to say, because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will
teach you what you should say.'
3)
Reflection
•
Context. While Jesus is on the way toward Jerusalem, we read in Luke, chapter
11, that precedes our passage, presenting Him as having the intention to reveal
the abyss of the merciful acting of God and at the same time the profound
misery hidden in the heart of man. Particularly in revealing this to those who
have the task of being witnesses of the Word and of the work of the Holy Spirit
in the world. Jesus presents such realities with a series of reflections which
provoke effects in the reader, such as to feel attracted by the force of his
Word to the point of feeling judged interiorly and detached from all desires of
greatness which shake and agitate man (9, 46). The reader identifies himself
with various attitudes that the teaching of Jesus arouses. Above all, he
recognizes himself as follower of Christ in the disciple and sent to precede him
in the role of messenger of the kingdom, in the one who hesitates somewhat in
following him, and in the Pharisee or doctor of the Law, a slave of their
interpretations and life style. In summary, the course of the reader in chapter
11 is characterized by this encounter with the teaching of Jesus who reveals to
him the intimacy of God, the mercy of God’s heart, and the truth of his being a
man. In chapter 12, Jesus opposes the perverted judgment of man to the goodness
of God who always gives with superabundance. Man’s life enters into play
here. It is necessary to be attentive to the perversion of the human
judgment and to the hypocrisy that distorts values in order to privilege only
one’s own interests and advantages more than being interested in life, that
life which is accepted gratuitously. The Word of God gives the reader an appeal
on how to face the question regarding life: man will be judged on his behaviour
at the time of threats. It is necessary to be concerned with the men who can
“kill the body” but rather to have at heart the fear of God who judges and
corrects. But Jesus does not promise the disciples that they will be free from
threats and persecutions, but He assures them that they will have God’s help at
the moments of difficulty.
•
To know how to recognize Jesus. The courageous commitment to recognize the
friendship of Jesus publicly implies as a consequence a personal communion with
Him at the moment of his return to judge the world. At the same time, the
betrayal in “who will deny me”, the one who is afraid to confess and recognize
Jesus publicly, condemns himself. The reader is invited to reflect on the
crucial importance of Jesus in the history of salvation. It is necessary to
decide to be either with Jesus or against Him and of his Word of Grace.
This decision, to recognize or to reject Jesus, depends is critical to our
salvation. Luke makes it evident that the communion that Jesus gives at the
present time to his disciples will be confirmed and will become perfect at the
moment of his coming in glory (“he will come in his glory and of the Father and
of the angels”: 9, 26). The call to the Christian community is very evident.
Even if it has been exposed to the hostility of the world, it is indispensable
not to cease to give a courageous witness of Jesus, of communion with him, to
value and not to be ashamed to show one is a Christian.
•
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Here Luke understands blasphemy as offensive
speaking or speaking against. This verb was applied to Jesus when in 5, 21 He
had forgiven sins. The question presented in this passage may give rise in the
reader to some difficulty: is blasphemy against the Son of man less grave or
serious than the one against the Holy Spirit? The language of Jesus may seem
rather strong for the reader of the Gospel of Luke. Through the Gospel he has
seen Jesus as showing the behaviour of God who goes to look for sinners, who is
demanding but who knows how to wait for the moment of return to Him, when the
sinner attains maturity. In Mark and Matthew blasphemy against the Spirit is
the lack of recognizing the power of God in the exorcisms of Jesus. But in Luke
it may mean the deliberate and known rejection of the prophetic Spirit that is
working in the actions and teaching of Jesus, that is to say, a rejection of
the encounter with the merciful acting of salvation with the Father. The lack
of recognition of the divine origin of the mission of Jesus, the direct
offenses to the person of Jesus, may be forgiven, but anyone who denies the
acting of the Holy Spirit in the mission of Jesus will not be forgiven. It is
not a question of an opposition between the person of Jesus and the Holy
Spirit, or of some contrasting symbol of two diverse periods of history, that
of Jesus and that of the community after the Passover, but rather, the
evangelist wants to definitively show that to reject the Holy Spirit in
the mission of Jesus is equal to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
4) Personal questions
•
Are you aware that to be a Christian requires the need to face difficulties,
deceit, dangers, and even to risk one’s own life to give witness of one’s own
friendship with Jesus?
•
Do you become embarrassed of being a Christian? Are you more concerned about
the judgments of men, their approval, are these more important for you or that
of losing your friendship with Christ?
5) Concluding Prayer
Yahweh
our Lord,
how
majestic is your name throughout the world!
Whoever
keeps singing of your majesty higher than the heavens,
even
through the mouths of children, or of babes in arms. (Ps 8,1-2)
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