Memorial of Saint Ignatius
of Antioch, bishop and martyr
Lectionary: 469
Lectionary: 469
Reading
Brothers and sisters:
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 And 6
R. (see Jn 8:12) Those who follow you,
Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Gospel Lk
11:42-46
The Lord said:
"Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk."
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
"Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too."
And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.
"Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk."
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
"Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too."
And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.
Meditation: "You load burdens hard to
bear"
Why does Jesus single out the religious teachers and
lawyers for some rather strong words of rebuke? The word woe can
also be translated as alas. It is as much an expression of
sorrowful pity as it is of anger. Why did Jesus lament and issue such a stern
rebuke? Jesus was angry with the religious leaders because they failed to
listen to God's word and they misled the people they were supposed to guide in
the ways of God.
God's commandments are rooted in his love and care for
us
The scribes devoted their lives to the study of the Law of Moses and regarded themselves as legal experts in it. They divided the ten commandments and precepts into thousands of tiny rules and regulations. They were so exacting in their interpretations and in trying to live them out, that they had little time for anything else. By the time they finished compiling their interpretations it took no less than fifty volumes to contain them! In their misguided zeal, they required unnecessary and burdensome rules which obscured the more important matters of religion, such as love of God and love of neighbor. They were leading people to Pharisaism rather than to God.
The scribes devoted their lives to the study of the Law of Moses and regarded themselves as legal experts in it. They divided the ten commandments and precepts into thousands of tiny rules and regulations. They were so exacting in their interpretations and in trying to live them out, that they had little time for anything else. By the time they finished compiling their interpretations it took no less than fifty volumes to contain them! In their misguided zeal, they required unnecessary and burdensome rules which obscured the more important matters of religion, such as love of God and love of neighbor. They were leading people to Pharisaism rather than to God.
Do not lay heavy burdens on others
Jesus used the example of tithing to show how far they had missed the mark. God had commanded a tithe of the first fruits of one's labor as an expression of thanksgiving and honor for his providential care for his people (Deuteronomy 14:22; Leviticus 27:30). The scribes, however, went to extreme lengths to tithe on insignificant things (such as tiny plants) with great mathematical accuracy. They were very attentive to minute matters of little importance, but they neglected to care for the needy and the weak. Jesus admonished them because their hearts were not right. They were filled with pride and contempt for others. They put unnecessary burdens on others while neglecting to show charity, especially to the weak and the poor. They meticulously went through the correct motions of conventional religion while forgetting the realities.
Jesus used the example of tithing to show how far they had missed the mark. God had commanded a tithe of the first fruits of one's labor as an expression of thanksgiving and honor for his providential care for his people (Deuteronomy 14:22; Leviticus 27:30). The scribes, however, went to extreme lengths to tithe on insignificant things (such as tiny plants) with great mathematical accuracy. They were very attentive to minute matters of little importance, but they neglected to care for the needy and the weak. Jesus admonished them because their hearts were not right. They were filled with pride and contempt for others. They put unnecessary burdens on others while neglecting to show charity, especially to the weak and the poor. They meticulously went through the correct motions of conventional religion while forgetting the realities.
Why does Jesus also compare them with "unmarked
graves"? According to Numbers 19:16 contact with a grave made a person
ritually unclean for seven days. Jesus turns the table on the Pharisees by
declaring that those who come into contact with them and listen to their
self-made instruction are likewise defiled by their false doctrine. They infect
others with wrong ideas of God and of his intentions. Since the Pharisees are
"unmarked", other people do not recognize the decay within and do not
realize the danger of spiritual contamination. The Pharisees must have taken
Jesus' accusation as a double insult: They are not only spiritually unclean
themselves because they reject the word of God, but they also contaminate
others with their dangerous "leaven" as well (see Luke 12:1).
Love lifts the burdens of others
What was the point of Jesus' lesson? The essence of God's commandments is love - love of the supreme good - God himself and love of our neighbor who is made in the image and likeness of God. God is love (1 John 4:8) and everything he does flows from his love for us. God's love is unconditional and is wholly directed towards the good of others. True love both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given us" (Romans 5:5). Do you help your neighbors carry their burdens? God gives each of us sufficient grace for each day to love as he loves and to lift the burdens of others that they, too, may experience the grace and love of Jesus Christ.
What was the point of Jesus' lesson? The essence of God's commandments is love - love of the supreme good - God himself and love of our neighbor who is made in the image and likeness of God. God is love (1 John 4:8) and everything he does flows from his love for us. God's love is unconditional and is wholly directed towards the good of others. True love both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given us" (Romans 5:5). Do you help your neighbors carry their burdens? God gives each of us sufficient grace for each day to love as he loves and to lift the burdens of others that they, too, may experience the grace and love of Jesus Christ.
"Lord Jesus, inflame my heart with your love that
I may always pursue what matters most - love of you, my Lord and my God, and
love of my fellow neighbor whom you have made in your own image and likeness.
Free my heart from selfish desires that I may only have room for kindness,
mercy, and goodness toward every person I know and meet."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Binding heavy burdens on others, by
Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"Just as the scribes and Pharisees wickedly sat
upon the throne of Moses, so do some in the church who sit upon the
ecclesiastical throne. There are some in the church who have the right
understanding of the law and pass it on correctly. They say what each person
needs to do, but they themselves do not do it. Some of them lay heavy burdens
upon the shoulders of men, but they won’t even lift a finger to help. These are
the ones the Savior is talking about when he says, 'Whoever then relaxes one of
the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in
the kingdom of God' (Matthew 5:19). There are others, however, who sit on the
throne, who act before they speak and speak wisely, restraining those who are
disordered. They place merciful burdens on the shoulders of others. They
themselves are the first to lift the heavy burden, for the exhortation of other
listeners. It is these of whom the Lord speaks when he says, 'He who does so
and teaches others to do so, this man will be called great in the kingdom of
heaven.'" (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON
MATTHEW 9)
WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 17, LUKE 11:42-46
(Galatians 5:18-25; Psalm 1)
(Galatians 5:18-25; Psalm 1)
Key Verse: "You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them" (v. 46).
TO KNOW: Jesus spoke stern words to the Pharisees and the scholars of the law (scribes) for oppressing the people with their impossible legal requirements, and doing nothing to lighten their burden. Whereas the law required people to pay a 10% tax on produce, the Pharisees taxed even the tiniest garden herbs and ignored the greater demands of the law, which was justice and charity. The Pharisees loved to be respected by the people in the synagogue and marketplace. Although they gave the appearance of being holy men, Jesus said that they were spiritually dead as the "unclean" bones in the graveyard. He accused the scribes of using the law as a rod to punish the people instead of interpreting it for them as a gift from God. They had taken away the means for true understanding of God and salvation, and, by misusing the law, were themselves misled. Every clash with the religious leaders moved Jesus a step closer to Calvary.
TO LOVE: In what areas of my life am I hypocritical in observing God's law?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to obey your laws of justice and love.
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of
Antioch, bishop and martyr
Ignatius was a convert from paganism to Christianity. He succeeded Peter as bishop of Antioch, Syria. During persecution, the Emperor Trajan ordered him to be taken to Rome. En route, Ignatius wrote six letters to the churches in the region and one to a fellow bishop, Polycarp, bishop of Smyna (also martyred). This correspondence is an example of early Christian theology. Important topics include ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops. In speaking of the authority of the church, he was the first to use the phrase "catholic church" (meaning universal), which is still in use to this day. Ignatius died a martyr c.107 at Rome, killed by wild animals. His relics are at Saint Peter's, Rome. St. Ignatius wrote: “I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not stand in my way. I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness. Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God. I am God's wheat and bread.”
Wednesday 17
October 2018
St Ignatius Of Antioch.
Galatians 5:18-25. Psalm 1:1-4, 6. Luke 11:42-46.
Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life – Psalm
1:1-4, 6.
‘You are like unmarked tombs!’
Jesus doesn’t mince his words when he addresses the importance
of the rituals of appearance and paying tithes, compared with basic justice and
love of God. He reminds these high-ranking people of the privilege their
education gives them. They know the law but they use it to place burdens and
obligations on people who cannot cope and then do nothing to help them.
Once again Jesus gives us a lesson on justice and on the
importance of being authentic. If we truly love God and want to follow Jesus, shouldn’t
we be ready to take a stand on justice and speak out as he did when it is
necessary?
Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Saint of the Day for October 17
(d. c. 107)
 |
| Detail | Saint Ignatius with Madonna and Child | Lorenzo Lotto |
Saint Ignatius of Antioch’s Story
Born in Syria, Ignatius converted to Christianity and eventually
became bishop of Antioch. In the year 107, Emperor Trajan visited Antioch and
forced the Christians there to choose between death and apostasy. Ignatius
would not deny Christ and thus was condemned to be put to death in Rome.
Ignatius is well known for the seven letters he wrote on the
long journey from Antioch to Rome. Five of these letters are to churches in
Asia Minor; they urge the Christians there to remain faithful to God and to
obey their superiors. He warns them against heretical doctrines, providing them
with the solid truths of the Christian faith.
The sixth letter was to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who was
later martyred for the faith. The final letter begs the Christians in Rome not
to try to stop his martyrdom. “The only thing I ask of you is to allow me to
offer the libation of my blood to God. I am the wheat of the Lord; may I be
ground by the teeth of the beasts to become the immaculate bread of Christ.”
Ignatius bravely met the lions in the Circus Maximus.
Reflection
Ignatius’s great concern was for the unity and order of the
Church. Even greater was his willingness to suffer martyrdom rather than deny
his Lord Jesus Christ. He did not draw attention to his own suffering, but to
the love of God which strengthened him. He knew the price of commitment and
would not deny Christ, even to save his own life.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 11:42-46
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
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.
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
11:42-46
The Lord said: "Woe to you
Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you
pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done,
without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of
honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like
unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk." Then one of the scholars
of the law said to him in reply, "Teacher, by saying this you are
insulting us too." And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one
finger to touch them."
3) REFLECTION
• In today’s Gospel the conflicting
relationship between Jesus and the religious authority of the time continues.
Today in the church we have the same conflict. In a certain diocese the Bishop
convoked the poor to participate actively. They accepted the request and
numerous began to participate. A great conflict arose. The rich said that they
had been excluded and some priests began to say, “the Bishop is doing politics
and forgets the Gospel.”
• Luke 11:42: Alas for you who do not
think of justice and love. “Alas for you, Pharisees, because your pay your
tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and neglect justice and the
love of God. These you should have practiced without neglecting the others.”
Jesus’ criticism of the religious leaders of the time can be repeated against
many religious leaders of the following centuries, even up until now. Many
times, in the name of God, we insist on details and we forget justice and love.
For example, Jansenism rendered arid the living out of faith, insisting on observance
and penance and leading people away from the path of love. Saint Therese of
Lisieux grew up in a Jansenistic environment which marked France at the end of
the XIX century. After a painful personal experience, she knew how to recover
the gratuity of the love of God with the force which has to animate the
observance of the norms from within because, without the experience of love,
observance makes an idol of God.
The final observation of Jesus: “You
should practice this, without neglecting the others.” This observation recalls
another observation of Jesus which serves as a comment: “Do not imagine that I
have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to
complete them. In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one
dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose
is achieved. Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of the least of these
commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in
the Kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be
considered great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you, if your uprightness
does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees you will never get into the
Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5:17-20).
• Luke 11:43: Alas for you, because you
like to take the seats of honor. “Alas for you, Pharisees, because you like to
take the seats of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted respectfully in the
market places.” Jesus calls the attention of the disciples to the hypocritical
behavior of some Pharisees. They like to go around the streets with long
tunics, and receive the greetings of the people, to occupy the first seats in
the synagogues and the seats of honor at banquets (cf. Mt 6:5; 23:5-7). Mark
says that they liked to enter the houses of widows to recite long prayers in
exchange for some money. Such people will be judged very severely (Mk
12:38-40). This also happens today in the Church.
• Luke 11:44: Alas for you, unmarked
tombs. “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, because you are like whitewashed
tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of
the dead and every kind of corruption” (Mt 23:27-28). The image of “whitewashed
tombs” speaks for itself and does not need any comments. Through this image,
Jesus condemns a fictitious appearance of persons who are correct, but
interiorly there is the complete negation of how they want to appear to be on
the outside. Luke speaks about unmarked tombs: Alas for you, because you are
like those unmarked tombs that people walked on without knowing it.”
Anyone who walks on or touches a tomb becomes impure, even if the tomb is
hidden under the ground. This image is very strong: on the outside the Pharisee
seems to be just and good, but this aspect is deceitful because inside there is
a hidden tomb that, without people being aware, spreads a poison that kills,
communicates a mentality that leads people away from God,suggests an erroneous
understanding of the Good News of the Kingdom. It is an ideology which makes
God a dead idol.
• Luke 11:45-46: Criticism of the
doctors of the Law and Jesus’ response. A lawyer then spoke up and said,
“Master, when You speak like this You insult us, too!" In His response
Jesus does not turn back, rather He shows clearly that the same criticism is
also for the scribes: “Alas for you lawyers as well, because you load on people
burdens that are unbearable, burdens that you yourselves do not touch with your
fingertips!” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expresses the same criticism
which serves as a comment: “The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of
Moses. You must, therefore, do and observe what they tell you, but do not be
guided by what they do, since they do not practice what they preach. They tie
up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but will they lift a
finger to move them?” (Mt 23:2-4).
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Hypocrisy maintains an appearance
which deceives. In what ways am I hypocritical? How far does the hypocrisy of
our Church go?
• How can I address this hypocrisy? How
have others in history addressed it? Is there guidance in their example for me?
• Jesus criticized the scribes who
insisted on the disciplinary observance of the minute points of the law, as,
for example, paying the tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and
forgetting the objective of the Law, which is the practice of justice and love.
How does this criticism also apply to me?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
How blessed is anyone who rejects the
advice of the wicked
and does not take a stand in the path that sinners tread,
nor a seat in company with cynics,
but who delights in the law of Yahweh
and murmurs His law day and night. (Ps 1:1-2)
and does not take a stand in the path that sinners tread,
nor a seat in company with cynics,
but who delights in the law of Yahweh
and murmurs His law day and night. (Ps 1:1-2)
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