Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 451
Lectionary: 451
Every word of God is tested;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Add nothing to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver.
Two things I ask of you,
deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need;
Lest, being full, I deny you,
saying, "Who is the LORD?"
Or, being in want, I steal,
and profane the name of my God.
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Add nothing to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver.
Two things I ask of you,
deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need;
Lest, being full, I deny you,
saying, "Who is the LORD?"
Or, being in want, I steal,
and profane the name of my God.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 119:29, 72, 89, 101,
104, 163
R. (105) Your
word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Your word, O LORD, endures forever;
it is firm as the heavens.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Through your precepts I gain discernment;
therefore I hate every false way.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Falsehood I hate and abhor;
your law I love.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Your word, O LORD, endures forever;
it is firm as the heavens.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Through your precepts I gain discernment;
therefore I hate every false way.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Falsehood I hate and abhor;
your law I love.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
AlleluiaMK 1:15
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 9:1-6
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them."
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases everywhere.
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them."
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases everywhere.
Meditation: "Jesus gave them
authority over all demons and diseases"
What kind of power and authority does God want you to
exercise in your personal life and service? God's word has power to change and
transform our lives. Jesus gave his apostles both power and authority to speak
and to act in his name - to cast out evil spirits, to heal, and to speak the
word of God. When Jesus spoke of power and authority he did something unheard
of. He wedded power and authority with love and humility. The world and
the flesh seek power for selfish gain. Jesus teaches us to use
it for the good of our neighbor.
God gives power and strength to those who rely on him
alone
Why does Jesus tell the apostles to travel light with little or no provision? Poverty of spirit frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God's provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves. He wills to work in and through each of us for his glory. Are you ready to handle the power and authority which God wishes you to exercise on his behalf? The Lord entrusts us with his gifts and talents. Are you eager to place yourself at his service, to do whatever he bids you, and to witness his truth and saving power to whomever he sends you?
Why does Jesus tell the apostles to travel light with little or no provision? Poverty of spirit frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God's provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves. He wills to work in and through each of us for his glory. Are you ready to handle the power and authority which God wishes you to exercise on his behalf? The Lord entrusts us with his gifts and talents. Are you eager to place yourself at his service, to do whatever he bids you, and to witness his truth and saving power to whomever he sends you?
"Lord Jesus, make me a channel of your grace and
healing love that others may find life and freedom in you. Free me from all
other attachments that I may joyfully pursue the things of your heavenly
kingdom. May I witness to others the joy of the Gospel both in word and
deed."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Jesus gave power and authority to his
apostles, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444
AD)
"The grace bestowed upon the holy apostles is
worthy of all admiration. But the bountifulness of the Giver surpasses all
praise and admiration. He gives them, as I said, his own glory. They receive
authority over the evil spirits. They reduce to nothing the pride of the devil
that was so highly exalted and arrogant. They render ineffectual the demon's
wickedness. By the might and efficacy of the Holy Spirit, burning them as if
they were on fire, they make the devil come forth with groans and weeping from
those whom he had possessed... He glorified his disciples, therefore, by giving
them authority and power over the evil spirits and over sicknesses. Did he
honor them without reason and make them famous without any logical cause? How
can this be true? It was necessary, most necessary, that they should be able to
work miracles, having been publicly appointed ministers of sacred
proclamations. By means of their works, they then could convince men that they
were the ministers of God and mediators of all beneath the heaven. The apostles
then could invite them all to reconciliation and justification by faith and
point out the way of salvation and of life that is this
justification." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE,
HOMILY 47)
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 26, LUKE 9:1-6
Weekday
(Proverbs 30:5-9; Psalm 119)
Weekday
(Proverbs 30:5-9; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "Take nothing for the journey" (v. 3).
TO KNOW: Jesus summoned the twelve men he had chosen to be his disciples and empowered them with his authority, sending them forth to overcome the forces of evil by proclaiming the reign of God. Jesus advised his disciples to imitate him in his total dedication to God. On their journey, they were to trust in divine providence and depend on the hospitality and good will of the people they met. If the disciples were welcomed, they were to remain in that place to preach and heal. If Jesus' disciples were not received they were to shake the dust from their feet when they left the town. (A custom of Jews before entering the Holy Land after a journey to a Gentile land). Whoever did not receive Jesus' disciples were to be treated as a heathen. They had condemned themselves for refusing to hear God's Word. They were to be warned that there might not be another opportunity for them to hear the good news of salvation in Jesus.
TO LOVE: Do I assist missionaries in foreign lands?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to rely on your power to proclaim the Gospel by my words and deeds.
Optional
Memorial of Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, martyrs
Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers and early Christian physicians. They were born in Arabia, and practiced medicine in Cilicia, Asia Minor, and attained a great reputation. They accepted no pay for their services and were, therefore, called "the silverless." In this way they brought many to the Catholic faith. When the Emperor Diocletian’s persecution began, Cosmas and Damian were arrested, and ordered to renounce their faith. They remained constant under torture, and, in a miraculous manner suffered no injury. They were finally beheaded with the sword, probably in the year 287. The remains of the martyrs were buried in the city of Cyrus in Syria. Having been cured of a dangerous illness by the intercession of Cosmas and Damian, the Emperor Justinian I (527-565), rebuilt and adorned their church at Constantinople, and it became a celebrated place of pilgrimage. Cosmas and Damian are regarded as the patrons of physicians and surgeons and are sometimes represented with medical emblems.
NOTE: The Roman Emperor Diocletian's name is associated with the last and most terrible of all the ten persecutions of the early Church (called the Era of the Martyrs). This persecution was occasioned partly by the increasing number of Christians, and the hatred of Galerius, the adopted son of Diocletian. Encouraged by his mother, a bigoted pagan, he never ceased trying to persuade the emperor to continue the persecution, until he had accomplished his purpose.
Wednesday 26
September 2018
Proverbs 30:5-9. Psalm 118(119):29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163. Luke
9:1-6.
Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet—Psalm 118(119):29, 72,
89, 101, 104, 163.
‘Give me neither poverty nor riches, but only the food which is
necessary for me.’
Living as we do today in an affluent society, there are traps
all round which trick us into believing we need to acquire maximum possessions.
We want to be secure and successful and so we go on striving for more and more.
The writer from Proverbs warns us that when we are surrounded by
plenty there is a strong tendency to grow so independent of God that he becomes
a stranger to us. When Jesus instructed his disciples to take nothing for the
journey, neither staff nor bread nor money, he was stressing the importance of
vulnerability, of trusting in nothing but God.
Blessed Pope Paul VI
Saint of the Day for September 26
(September 26, 1897 – August 6, 1978)
 |
| Pope Paul VI | photo by Ambrosius007 |
Blessed Paul VI’s Story
Born near Brescia in northern Italy, Giovanni Battista Montini
was the second of three sons. His father, Giorgio, was a lawyer, editor, and
eventually a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. His mother, Giuditta,
was very involved in Catholic Action.
After ordination in 1920, Giovanni did graduate studies in
literature, philosophy, and canon law in Rome before he joined the Vatican
Secretariat of State in 1924, where he worked for 30 years. He was also
chaplain to the Federation of Italian Catholic University Students, where he met
and became a very good friend of Aldo Moro, who eventually became prime
minister. Moro was kidnapped by the Red Brigade in March 1978, and murdered two
months later. A devastated Pope Paul VI presided at his funeral.
In 1954, Fr. Montini was named archbishop of Milan, where he
sought to win disaffected workers back to the Catholic Church. He called
himself the “archbishop of the workers” and visited factories regularly while
overseeing the rebuilding of a local Church tremendously disrupted by World War
II.
In 1958, Montini was the first of 23 cardinals named by Pope
John XXIII, two months after the latter’s election as pope. Cardinal Montini
helped in preparing Vatican II and participated enthusiastically in its first
sessions. When he was elected pope in June 1963, he immediately decided to
continue that Council, which had another three sessions before its conclusion
on December 8, 1965. The day before Vatican II concluded, Paul VI and Patriarch
Athenagoras revoked the excommunications that their predecessors had made in
1054. The pope worked very hard to ensure that bishops would approve the
Council’s 16 documents by overwhelming majorities.
Paul VI had stunned the world by visiting the Holy Land in
January 1964, and meeting Athenagoras, the Ecumenical Patriarch of
Constantinople in person. The pope made eight more international trips,
including one in 1965, to visit New York City and speak on behalf of peace
before the United Nations General Assembly. He also visited India, Columbia,
Uganda, and seven Asian countries during a 10-day tour in 1970.
Also in 1965, he instituted the World Synod of Bishops, and the
next year decreed that bishops must offer their resignations on reaching age
75. In 1970, he decided that cardinals over 80 would no longer vote in papal
conclaves or head the Holy See’s major offices. He had increased the number of
cardinals significantly, giving many countries their first cardinal. Eventually
establishing diplomatic relations between the Holy See and 40 countries, he
also instituted a permanent observer mission at the United Nations in 1964.
Paul VI wrote seven encyclicals; his last one in 1968 on human life—Humanae
Vitae—prohibited artificial birth control.
Pope Paul VI died at Castel Gandolfo on August 6, 1978, and was
buried in St. Peter’s Basilica. He was beatified on October 19, 2014.
Reflection
Blessed Pope Paul’s greatest accomplishment was the completion
and implementation of Vatican II. Its decisions about liturgy were the first
ones noticed by most Catholics, but its other documents—especially the ones
about ecumenism, interfaith relations, divine revelation, religious liberty,
the Church’s self-understanding and the Church’s work with the entire human
family—have become the Catholic Church’s road map since 1965.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 9:1-6
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Ordinary Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Father,
guide us, as You guide creation
according to Your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
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.
guide us, as You guide creation
according to Your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
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
9:1-6
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them
power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to
proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, "Take
nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and
leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that
town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them." Then they set
out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and curing
diseases everywhere.
3) REFLECTION
• Today’s Gospel describes the mission
which the twelve received from Jesus. Later, Luke speaks about the mission of
the seventy-two disciples (Lk 10:1-12). The two Gospels complete one another
and reveal the mission of the Church.
• Luke 9:1-2: The sending out of the twelve on mission. “Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal”. In calling the Twelve, Jesus intensifies the announcement of the Good News. The objective of the mission is simple and clear: they received the power and authority to cast out devils, to cure the sick and to announce the Kingdom of God. Just as people were admired, astonished seeing Jesus’ authority over the unclean spirits, and seeing His way of announcing the Good News (Lk 4:32.36), the same thing should happen with the preaching of the twelve apostles.
• Luke 9:3-5. The instructions for the mission. Jesus sends them out with the following recommendations: “Take nothing for the journey, neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money and do not have a spare tunic”. Do not go from one house to another, but “Whatever house you enter stay there; and when you leave let your departure be from there”. “As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as evidence against them”. As you will see these recommendations, which seem strange to us, have a very important significance.
• Luke 9:6. The execution of the mission. They go. It is the beginning of a new stage. Now, not only Jesus, but the whole group goes to announce the Good News to the people. If the preaching of Jesus caused conflict, now, with the preaching of the whole group, there will be a greater conflict.
• The four fundamental points of the mission. At the time of Jesus, there were diverse movements of renewal: the Essenes, the Pharisees, and the Zealots. They also were seeking a new way to live in community and they had their own missionaries (cf. Mt 23:15). But when they went on mission, they were advised: to carry a staff, and a haversack to put in it their food. They did not trust the food which was literally not “pure”. Contrary to the other missionaries, the disciples of Jesus received diverse recommendations which help us to understand the fundamental points of the mission, to announce the Good News:
a) They should take nothing (Lk 9:3; 10:4). That means that Jesus obliges them to trust in the hospitality; because one who goes with nothing, goes because He trusts in the people and thinks that He will be welcomed, received. With this attitude they criticize the laws of exclusion taught by the official religion and they show, by means of a new practice, that they had other criteria in the community.
b) They should remain in the first house where they enter, until they leave the place (Lk 9:4; 10:7). That is, they should live together in a stable way and not go from one house to another. They should work with all and live from what they receive in exchange “because the laborer deserves his wages” (Lk 10:7). In other words, they should participate in the life and work of the people, and the people will receive them in their community and will share with them house and food. That means that they have to trust in sharing. This explains the severity of the criticism against those who reject the message: shake off the dust from the feet, as a protest against them (Lk 10:10-12), because they are not rejecting anything new but rather their past.
c) They should cure the sick and drive out the devils (Lk 9:1; 10:9; Mt 10:8). That is, they should carry out the function of “defenders” (goêl) and accept in the clan, in the community, the excluded. With this attitude they criticize the situation of disintegration of community life of the clan and they indicate concrete openings. The expulsion of the devils is a sign of the coming of the Kingdom of God (Lk 11:20).
d) They should eat what the people give them (Lk 10:8). They could not live separated having their own food, but they should accept the communion with others, eat with others. That means that in the contact with the people, they should not be afraid of losing the purity as it had been taught to them. With this attitude they criticize the laws of purity which were in force and indicate, by means of the new practice, that they possess another access to purity, that is, intimacy with God.
These were the four fundamental points of community living which should characterize the attitude of the missionaries who announce the Good News in the name of Jesus: hospitality, sharing, communion and acceptance of the excluded (defender, goêl). If there is a response to these four requirements, then it is possible to cry out all over to the four corners of the world: “The Kingdom has arrived!” (cf. Lk 10:1-12; 9:1-6; Mk 6:7-13; Mt 10:6-16). And the Kingdom of God which Jesus has revealed to us is not a doctrine, nor a catechism, nor a law. The Kingdom of God comes and becomes present when persons, motivated by their faith in Jesus, decide to live together in community to give witness and to reveal, in this way, to all, that God is Father and Mother and that we, the human beings, are brothers and sisters. Jesus wanted the local community to be a new expression of the Covenant of the Kingdom, of the love of God the Father, who makes us all brothers and sisters.
• Luke 9:1-2: The sending out of the twelve on mission. “Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal”. In calling the Twelve, Jesus intensifies the announcement of the Good News. The objective of the mission is simple and clear: they received the power and authority to cast out devils, to cure the sick and to announce the Kingdom of God. Just as people were admired, astonished seeing Jesus’ authority over the unclean spirits, and seeing His way of announcing the Good News (Lk 4:32.36), the same thing should happen with the preaching of the twelve apostles.
• Luke 9:3-5. The instructions for the mission. Jesus sends them out with the following recommendations: “Take nothing for the journey, neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money and do not have a spare tunic”. Do not go from one house to another, but “Whatever house you enter stay there; and when you leave let your departure be from there”. “As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as evidence against them”. As you will see these recommendations, which seem strange to us, have a very important significance.
• Luke 9:6. The execution of the mission. They go. It is the beginning of a new stage. Now, not only Jesus, but the whole group goes to announce the Good News to the people. If the preaching of Jesus caused conflict, now, with the preaching of the whole group, there will be a greater conflict.
• The four fundamental points of the mission. At the time of Jesus, there were diverse movements of renewal: the Essenes, the Pharisees, and the Zealots. They also were seeking a new way to live in community and they had their own missionaries (cf. Mt 23:15). But when they went on mission, they were advised: to carry a staff, and a haversack to put in it their food. They did not trust the food which was literally not “pure”. Contrary to the other missionaries, the disciples of Jesus received diverse recommendations which help us to understand the fundamental points of the mission, to announce the Good News:
a) They should take nothing (Lk 9:3; 10:4). That means that Jesus obliges them to trust in the hospitality; because one who goes with nothing, goes because He trusts in the people and thinks that He will be welcomed, received. With this attitude they criticize the laws of exclusion taught by the official religion and they show, by means of a new practice, that they had other criteria in the community.
b) They should remain in the first house where they enter, until they leave the place (Lk 9:4; 10:7). That is, they should live together in a stable way and not go from one house to another. They should work with all and live from what they receive in exchange “because the laborer deserves his wages” (Lk 10:7). In other words, they should participate in the life and work of the people, and the people will receive them in their community and will share with them house and food. That means that they have to trust in sharing. This explains the severity of the criticism against those who reject the message: shake off the dust from the feet, as a protest against them (Lk 10:10-12), because they are not rejecting anything new but rather their past.
c) They should cure the sick and drive out the devils (Lk 9:1; 10:9; Mt 10:8). That is, they should carry out the function of “defenders” (goêl) and accept in the clan, in the community, the excluded. With this attitude they criticize the situation of disintegration of community life of the clan and they indicate concrete openings. The expulsion of the devils is a sign of the coming of the Kingdom of God (Lk 11:20).
d) They should eat what the people give them (Lk 10:8). They could not live separated having their own food, but they should accept the communion with others, eat with others. That means that in the contact with the people, they should not be afraid of losing the purity as it had been taught to them. With this attitude they criticize the laws of purity which were in force and indicate, by means of the new practice, that they possess another access to purity, that is, intimacy with God.
These were the four fundamental points of community living which should characterize the attitude of the missionaries who announce the Good News in the name of Jesus: hospitality, sharing, communion and acceptance of the excluded (defender, goêl). If there is a response to these four requirements, then it is possible to cry out all over to the four corners of the world: “The Kingdom has arrived!” (cf. Lk 10:1-12; 9:1-6; Mk 6:7-13; Mt 10:6-16). And the Kingdom of God which Jesus has revealed to us is not a doctrine, nor a catechism, nor a law. The Kingdom of God comes and becomes present when persons, motivated by their faith in Jesus, decide to live together in community to give witness and to reveal, in this way, to all, that God is Father and Mother and that we, the human beings, are brothers and sisters. Jesus wanted the local community to be a new expression of the Covenant of the Kingdom, of the love of God the Father, who makes us all brothers and sisters.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Has participation in the community
helped you to accept and to trust persons, especially the simpler and poorer?
• Which is the point of the mission of the Apostles which for us today has greater importance? Why?
• Which is the point of the mission of the Apostles which for us today has greater importance? Why?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Lord, set me free from taunts and
contempt
since I observe Your instructions.
Though princes sit plotting against me,
Your servant keeps pondering Your will. (Ps 119:22-23)
since I observe Your instructions.
Though princes sit plotting against me,
Your servant keeps pondering Your will. (Ps 119:22-23)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét