Tuesday of the Thirty-second Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 492
Lectionary: 492
God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own nature he made them.
But by the envy of the Devil, death entered the world,
and they who are in his possession experience it.
But the souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
the image of his own nature he made them.
But by the envy of the Devil, death entered the world,
and they who are in his possession experience it.
But the souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19
R. (2a) I will
bless the Lord at all times.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R. I will bless the Lord at all times.
AlleluiaJN 14:23
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 17:7-10
Jesus said to the Apostles:
"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"
"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"
Meditation: "We have only done our
duty"
Are you ready to give the Lord your best, regardless
of what it might cost you? Perhaps we are like the laborer in Jesus' parable
who expected special favor and reward for going the extra mile? How unfair for
the master to compel his servant to give more than what was expected! Don't we
love to assert our rights: "I will give only what is required and no
more!" But who can satisfy the claims of love?
We are called to serve God and neighbor selflessly and generously
Jesus used this parable of the dutiful servant to explain that we can never put God in our debt or make the claim that God owes us something. We must regard ourselves as God's servants, just as Jesus came "not to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 20:28). Service of God and of neighbor is both a voluntary or free act and a sacred duty. One can volunteer for service or be compelled to do service for one's country or one's family when special needs arise. Likewise, God expects us to give him the worship and praise which is his due. And he gladly accepts the free-will offering of our lives to him and to his service. What makes our offering pleasing to God is the love we express in the act of self-giving. True love is sacrificial, generous, and selfless.
Jesus used this parable of the dutiful servant to explain that we can never put God in our debt or make the claim that God owes us something. We must regard ourselves as God's servants, just as Jesus came "not to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 20:28). Service of God and of neighbor is both a voluntary or free act and a sacred duty. One can volunteer for service or be compelled to do service for one's country or one's family when special needs arise. Likewise, God expects us to give him the worship and praise which is his due. And he gladly accepts the free-will offering of our lives to him and to his service. What makes our offering pleasing to God is the love we express in the act of self-giving. True love is sacrificial, generous, and selfless.
The love of God compels us to give our best
How can we love others selflessly and unconditionally? Scripture tells us that God himself is love (1 John 4:16) - he is the author of life and the source of all true relationships of love and friendship. He created us in love for love, and he fills our hearts with the boundless love that gives whatever is good for the sake of another (Romans 5:5). If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us (1 John 4:12).
How can we love others selflessly and unconditionally? Scripture tells us that God himself is love (1 John 4:16) - he is the author of life and the source of all true relationships of love and friendship. He created us in love for love, and he fills our hearts with the boundless love that gives whatever is good for the sake of another (Romans 5:5). If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us (1 John 4:12).
God honors the faithful servant who loves and serves
others generously. He is ever ready to work in and through us for his glory. We
must remember, however, that God can never be indebted to us. We have no claim
on him. His love compels us to give him our best! And when we have done our
best, we have simply done our duty. We can never outmatch God in doing good and
showing love. God loves us without measure. Does the love of God compel you to
give your best?
"Lord Jesus, fill my heart with love, gratitude
and generosity. Make me a faithful and zealous servant for you. May I
generously pour out my life in loving service for you and for others, just as
you have so generously poured yourself out in love for me."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: We are called to humble service, by
Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"You do not say to your servant, 'Sit down,' but
require more service from him and do not thank him. The Lord also does not allow
only one work or labor for you, because so long as we live we must always work.
"Know that you are a servant overwhelmed by very much obedience. You must not set yourself first, because you are called a son of God. Grace must be acknowledged, but nature not overlooked. Do not boast of yourself if you have served well, as you should have done. The sun obeys, the moon complies (Joshua 10:12-13; Baruch 6:60), and the angels serve... Let us not require praise from ourselves nor prevent the judgment of God and anticipate the sentence of the Judge but reserve it for its own time and Judge." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 8.31–32)
"Know that you are a servant overwhelmed by very much obedience. You must not set yourself first, because you are called a son of God. Grace must be acknowledged, but nature not overlooked. Do not boast of yourself if you have served well, as you should have done. The sun obeys, the moon complies (Joshua 10:12-13; Baruch 6:60), and the angels serve... Let us not require praise from ourselves nor prevent the judgment of God and anticipate the sentence of the Judge but reserve it for its own time and Judge." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 8.31–32)
TUESDAY,
NOVEMBER 14, LUKE 17:7-10
Weekday
(Wisdom 2:23―3:9; Psalm 34)
Weekday
(Wisdom 2:23―3:9; Psalm 34)
KEY VERSE: "We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do" (v 10).
TO KNOW: The demands of discipleship weighed heavily on Jesus' followers and they begged for an increase of faith. Jesus told them that they only needed a small amount of faith, the size of a tiny mustard seed, to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. Jesus told them that the road ahead would be difficult, but they must be faithful servants and follow him in obedience. A servant must not take advantage of his master's benevolence, expecting special favors or rewards. In discharging their duties, servants must do what was expected of them. A true servant perseveres in good times and in bad times. At the Last Supper, Jesus gave his disciples a model to follow. Although he was their teacher and master, he was among them "as the one who serves" (Lk 22:27).
TO LOVE: Am I a servant of the gospel, or do I expect others to serve me?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to "labor without reward save that of knowing I do your will" (St. Ignatius Loyola)
Tuesday 14
November 2017
St Joseph Pignatelli
Wisdom
2:23 – 3:9. Psalm 33(34):2-3, 16-19. Luke 17:7-10.
I will
bless the Lord at all times — Psalm 33(34):2-3, 16-19.
‘Their
hope was rich with immortality.’
Today’s first reading speaks of
hope, that virtue empowered by trust and courage. In the psalm the people rely
on God, knowing he will keep them alive in difficult times. In this reading we
hear of the suffering of the upright. God was testing them ‘like gold in a
furnace’. The upright will ‘shine out like sparks run through stubble’ and
their hope is ‘rich with immortality’.
Today too we see the upright being
tested in fire, struggling for a share of the world’s wealth—refugees escaping
the clutches of war, people in our cities and in developing countries just
trying to survive. They are being tested in fire.
Let us be the sowers of trust and
courage in them. Let us be their deliverers of hope.
St Joseph Pignatelli
Jesuit confessor and one of the restorers of the Society of Jesus after
its suppression in 1773. He was born in Saragossa, Spain, and became a Jesuit
at the age of fifteen. When the Jesuits were suppressed at the command of the
pope and under intense pressure from the European monarchs, he resided in Bologna,
Italy, for two decades. In 1799, he opened a new semiofficial novitiate for the
Jesuits, laying the foundation for the eventual restoration of the Society of
Jesus by Pope Pius VII in 1814. Pope Pius XI described him as a priest of
"manly and vigorous holiness," and Pius XII termed him the
"restorer of the Jesuits." Joseph was canonized in 1954.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 17,7-10
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Ordinary
Time
1) Opening prayer
God of power and mercy,
protect us from all harm.
Give us freedom of spirit
and health in mind and body
to do your work on earth.
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 17:7-10
Jesus said: "Which of you, with a
servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the
fields, ’Come and have your meal at once?’ Would he not be more likely to say,
’Get my supper ready. Fasten your belt and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You yourself can eat and drink afterwards’? Must he be grateful to the servant
for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been
told to do, say’We are useless servants. We have done no more than our duty.’”
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today narrates a parable
which is found only in Luke’s Gospel and has no parallel in the other Gospels.
The parable wants to teach that our life has to be characterized by an attitude
of service. It begins with three questions which are ultimately answered by
Jesus..
• Luke 17, 7-9: The three questions of Jesus. It asks three questions taken from daily life, and therefore the listeners have to think about each one with his own experience to give a response according to that experience. In the first question, Jesus asks “which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields Come and have your meal at once?” All will answer “No!” The second question asks would he not be more likely to say “Get my supper ready. Fasten your belt and wait on me while I eat and drink. You yourself can eat and drink afterwards?” All will answer: “Yes! Certainly!” Finally, the third question inquires “must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told?” All will answer “No!” The way in which Jesus asks the questions orientates people to his way of thinking . He wants us to be servants to one another.
• Luke 17, 10: The response of Jesus. At the end Jesus draws a conclusion which was already implicit in the questions: “So with you, when you have done all you have been told to do, say ‘We are useless servants, we have done no more than our duty”. This applies to all Christians, to serve the Master and to avoid pride in doing so. Jesus has told us what to do, and we must do it with the humility of one who sees himself as a useless servant, expecting to have our reward after doing the Master’s work. He has given us an example of service when He said: “The Son of Man has not come to be served, but to serve” (Mk 10, 45). Service is a theme which Luke likes. Service represents the form in which the poor in the time of Jesus, the anawim, were waiting for the Messiah. Not like a royal and glorious Messiah, high priest or judge, but rather as the Servant of Yahweh, announced by Isaiah (Is 42, 1-9). Mary, the Mother of Jesus, says to the angel: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word!” (Lk 1, 38). In Nazareth, Jesus presents Himself as the Servant described by Isaiah (Lk 4, 18-19 and Is 61, 1-2). In Baptism and in the Transfiguration, He was confirmed by the Father who quotes the words addressed by God to the Servant (Lk 3, 22; 9, 35 e Is 42, 1). Jesus asks His followers: “Anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave” (Mt 20, 27). Useless servants! This is the definition of the Christian. Paul speaks about this to the members of the community of Corinth when he writes “I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God gave the growth. In this, neither the planter nor the waterer counts for anything only God who gave growth” (1Co 3, 6-7). Paul and Apollos are nothing, only simple instruments. The only one who counts is God. He alone! (1Co 3, 7).
• To serve and to be served. Here in this text, the servant serves the master and not the master the servant. But in the other text of Jesus the contrary is said: “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. In truth, I tell you, he will do up his belt, sit them down at table and wait on them” (Lk 12, 37). In this text, the master serves the servant and not the servant the master. In the first text, Jesus spoke in the present. In the second text, Jesus is speaking in the future. This contrast is simply another way of saying that the one who is ready to lose his life out of love for Jesus and the Gospel will find it (Mt 10, 39; 16, 25). Anyone who serves God in this present life will be served by God in the future life!
4) Personal questions
• Luke 17, 7-9: The three questions of Jesus. It asks three questions taken from daily life, and therefore the listeners have to think about each one with his own experience to give a response according to that experience. In the first question, Jesus asks “which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields Come and have your meal at once?” All will answer “No!” The second question asks would he not be more likely to say “Get my supper ready. Fasten your belt and wait on me while I eat and drink. You yourself can eat and drink afterwards?” All will answer: “Yes! Certainly!” Finally, the third question inquires “must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told?” All will answer “No!” The way in which Jesus asks the questions orientates people to his way of thinking . He wants us to be servants to one another.
• Luke 17, 10: The response of Jesus. At the end Jesus draws a conclusion which was already implicit in the questions: “So with you, when you have done all you have been told to do, say ‘We are useless servants, we have done no more than our duty”. This applies to all Christians, to serve the Master and to avoid pride in doing so. Jesus has told us what to do, and we must do it with the humility of one who sees himself as a useless servant, expecting to have our reward after doing the Master’s work. He has given us an example of service when He said: “The Son of Man has not come to be served, but to serve” (Mk 10, 45). Service is a theme which Luke likes. Service represents the form in which the poor in the time of Jesus, the anawim, were waiting for the Messiah. Not like a royal and glorious Messiah, high priest or judge, but rather as the Servant of Yahweh, announced by Isaiah (Is 42, 1-9). Mary, the Mother of Jesus, says to the angel: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word!” (Lk 1, 38). In Nazareth, Jesus presents Himself as the Servant described by Isaiah (Lk 4, 18-19 and Is 61, 1-2). In Baptism and in the Transfiguration, He was confirmed by the Father who quotes the words addressed by God to the Servant (Lk 3, 22; 9, 35 e Is 42, 1). Jesus asks His followers: “Anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave” (Mt 20, 27). Useless servants! This is the definition of the Christian. Paul speaks about this to the members of the community of Corinth when he writes “I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God gave the growth. In this, neither the planter nor the waterer counts for anything only God who gave growth” (1Co 3, 6-7). Paul and Apollos are nothing, only simple instruments. The only one who counts is God. He alone! (1Co 3, 7).
• To serve and to be served. Here in this text, the servant serves the master and not the master the servant. But in the other text of Jesus the contrary is said: “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. In truth, I tell you, he will do up his belt, sit them down at table and wait on them” (Lk 12, 37). In this text, the master serves the servant and not the servant the master. In the first text, Jesus spoke in the present. In the second text, Jesus is speaking in the future. This contrast is simply another way of saying that the one who is ready to lose his life out of love for Jesus and the Gospel will find it (Mt 10, 39; 16, 25). Anyone who serves God in this present life will be served by God in the future life!
4) Personal questions
• How do I define my life?
• Do I ask myself the three questions Jesus asks? Do I live like a useless servant?
5) Concluding prayer
• Do I ask myself the three questions Jesus asks? Do I live like a useless servant?
5) Concluding prayer
The lives of the just are in Yahweh's
care.
Their birthright will endure forever.
Yahweh guides a strong man's steps and keeps them firm
and takes pleasure in him. (Ps 37,18.23)
Their birthright will endure forever.
Yahweh guides a strong man's steps and keeps them firm
and takes pleasure in him. (Ps 37,18.23)
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