Tuesday of the
Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 480
Lectionary: 480
Brothers and sisters:
Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.
For the husband is head of his wife
just as Christ is head of the Church,
he himself the savior of the Body.
As the Church is subordinate to Christ,
so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ loved the Church
and handed himself over for her to sanctify her,
cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,
that he might present to himself the Church in splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might be holy and without blemish.
So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one hates his own flesh
but rather nourishes and cherishes it,
even as Christ does the Church,
because we are members of his Body.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
This is a great mystery,
but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church.
In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself,
and the wife should respect her husband.
Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.
For the husband is head of his wife
just as Christ is head of the Church,
he himself the savior of the Body.
As the Church is subordinate to Christ,
so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ loved the Church
and handed himself over for her to sanctify her,
cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,
that he might present to himself the Church in splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might be holy and without blemish.
So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one hates his own flesh
but rather nourishes and cherishes it,
even as Christ does the Church,
because we are members of his Body.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
This is a great mystery,
but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church.
In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself,
and the wife should respect her husband.
Responsorial PsalmPS 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
R. (1a) Blessed are those who
fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
AlleluiaSEE MT 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 13:18-21
Jesus said, "What is the
Kingdom of God like?
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and 'the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.'"
Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened."
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and 'the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.'"
Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened."
Meditation: "What
God's kingdom is like"
What can mustard seeds and
leaven teach us about the kingdom of God? The tiny mustard seed literally grew
to be a tree which attracted numerous birds because they loved the little black
mustard seed it produced. God's kingdom works in a similar fashion. It starts
from the smallest beginnings in the hearts of men and women who are receptive
to God's word. And it works unseen and causes a transformation from
within.
The transforming power
of the Holy Spirit within us
Leaven is another powerful agent of change. A lump of dough left to itself remains just what it is, a lump of dough. But when the leaven is added to it a transformation takes place which produces rich and wholesome bread when heated - the staple of life for humans. The kingdom of God produces a transformation in those who receive the new life which Jesus Christ offers. When we yield to Jesus Christ, our lives are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Paul the Apostle says, "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Do you believe in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit?
Leaven is another powerful agent of change. A lump of dough left to itself remains just what it is, a lump of dough. But when the leaven is added to it a transformation takes place which produces rich and wholesome bread when heated - the staple of life for humans. The kingdom of God produces a transformation in those who receive the new life which Jesus Christ offers. When we yield to Jesus Christ, our lives are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Paul the Apostle says, "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Do you believe in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit?
"Lord Jesus, fill me
with your Holy Spirit and transform me into the Christ-like holiness you
desire. Increase my zeal for your kingdom and instill in me a holy desire to
live for your greater glory."
Daily Quote from the early
church fathers: The Word of
God operates in us like leaven, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"The leaven is small in
quantity, yet it immediately seizes the whole mass and quickly communicates its
own properties to it. The Word of God operates in us in a similar manner. When
it is admitted within us, it makes us holy and without blame. By pervading our
mind and heart, it makes us spiritual. Paul says, 'Our whole body and spirit
and soul may be kept blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1
Thessalonians 5:23). The God of all clearly shows that the divine Word is
poured out even into the depth of our understanding... We receive the rational
and divine leaven in our mind. We understand that by this precious, holy and
pure leaven, we may be found spiritually unleavened and have none of the
wickedness of the world, but rather be pure, holy partakers of
Christ." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 96)
TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 30, LUKE 13:18-21
Weekday
(Ephesians 5:21-33 or 5:2a, 25-32; Psalm 128)
Weekday
(Ephesians 5:21-33 or 5:2a, 25-32; Psalm 128)
KEY VERSE: "What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it?" (v. 18).
TO KNOW: In Jesus' time, Israel had neither king nor kingdom. Some people hoped for a leader with political power to rid them of Roman occupation and restore the rule to Israel. Others hoped for a priestly leader who would bring about spiritual transformation. Jesus announced that the kingdom of God had begun in him. He used images to show that God's reign would not be manifested in sudden or dramatic ways, but in hidden, mysterious ways. When a tiny mustard seed was planted in a garden, it grew to be nine to twelve feet high. A few grains of yeast could alter the whole mass of dough. Although God's reign had insignificant beginnings, it had the capability to become great and powerful, and be the means whereby the whole world would be renewed.
TO LOVE: What are the seemingly unimportant things in my life that have potential for growth?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to trust that all things will be brought to fulfillment in your time.
Tuesday 30 October 2018
Ephesians
5:21-33. Psalm 127(128):1-5. Luke 13:18-21.
Happy
are those who fear the Lord – Psalm 127(128):1-5.
‘What
shall I compare the kingdom of heaven with?’
The
tiny mustard seed and the homely yeast, of themselves, can produce life only
with the right conditions to nurture that life. We are challenged to look at
the potentially creative forces within humans, only productive through the
climate of love.
Just
as the seed and the yeast need to be hidden and to go through a time of
gestation before they can produce life, so too do humans. During life, we pass
through times of darkness, often insurmountable challenges, tests of our love
and patience, before we can grow to be fully human and to become more deeply
loving. We, the people who are ‘church’, must pass through such processes to
become Christ’s life-giving force.
Saint
Alphonsus Rodriguez
Saint
of the Day for October 30
(1533
– October 30, 1617)
 |
| Detail | Vision of Alphonsus Rodriguez | Francisco de Zurbarán |
Saint
Alphonsus Rodriguez’s Story
Tragedy
and challenge beset today’s saint early in life, but Alphonsus Rodriguez found
happiness and contentment through simple service and prayer.
Born
in Spain in 1533, Alphonsus inherited the family textile business at 23. Within
the space of three years, his wife, daughter, and mother died; meanwhile,
business was poor. Alphonsus stepped back and reassessed his life. He sold the
business, and with his young son, moved into his sister’s home. There he
learned the discipline of prayer and meditation.
At the
death of his son years later, Alphonsus, almost 40 by then, sought to join the
Jesuits. He was not helped by his poor education. He applied twice before being
admitted. For 45 years he served as doorkeeper at the Jesuits’ college in
Majorca. When not at his post, he was almost always at prayer, though he often
encountered difficulties and temptations.
His
holiness and prayerfulness attracted many to him, including Saint Peter Claver,
then a Jesuit seminarian. Alphonsus’ life as doorkeeper may have been humdrum,
but centuries later he caught the attention of poet and fellow-Jesuit Gerard
Manley Hopkins, who made him the subject of one of his poems.
Alphonsus
died in 1617. He is the patron saint of Majorca.
Reflection
We
like to think that God rewards the good, even in this life. But Alphonsus knew
business losses, painful bereavement, and periods when God seemed very distant.
None of his suffering made him withdraw into a shell of self-pity or
bitterness. Rather, he reached out to others who lived with pain, including
enslaved Africans. Among the many notables at his funeral were the sick and
poor people whose lives he had touched. May they find such a friend in us!
Saint
Alphonsus Rodriguez is the Patron Saint of:
Majorca
LECTIO:
LUKE 13:18-21
Lectio
Divina:
Tuesday,
October 30, 2018
Ordinary
Time
1)
Opening prayer
Almighty and ever-living God,
Almighty and ever-living God,
strengthen
our faith, hope and love.
May
we do with loving hearts
what
you ask of us
and
come to share the life you promise.
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 13,18-21
Jesus went on to say, 'What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.'
Jesus went on to say, 'What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.'
Again
He said, 'What shall I compare the kingdom of God with? It is like the yeast a
woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all
through.'
3)
Reflection
•
Context. Along the road that leads Him to Jerusalem, Jesus is surrounded by
“thousands” of persons (11, 29) who crowd around him. The reason for such
attraction from the crowds is the Word of Jesus. In chapter 12 one can notice
how the people who listen to his Word alternate: the disciples (12, 1-12), the
crowd (vv.13-21), the disciples (vv.22-53), the crowds (vv.54-59). IThe scandal
of death is the dominating theme of Luke 13, 1-35. In the first part it is
spoken about as the death of all (vv.1-9), in the second part, the death of
Jesus (vv.31-35) and then to the death avoided by sinners because their
conversion is expected. But there is another theme together with the dominant
one: the salvation given to men. The cure of the woman who was bent, a daughter
of Abraham, whom Satan had held during eighteen years, is liberated by Jesus.
And in the center of this chapter 13 we find two parables that constitute the
overall theme: the Kingdom of God as compared to the “mustard seed” and to the
“leaven or yeast”.
• The
Kingdom of God is similar to a mustard seed. Such a seed is very common in
Palestine and particularly close to the Lake of Galilee. It is especially known
because it is particularly small. In Luke 17, 6, Jesus uses such an image to
express the hope that He has for the disciples that they have a at least a
small seed of faith: “If you had faith like a mustard seed...”. This parable,
which is very simple, confronts two diverse moments in the story of the seed:
the moment when it is sown in the earth (the modest beginnings) and when it
becomes a tree (the final miracle). Therefore, the purpose of this account is
to narrate the extraordinary growth of a seed that is thrown in one’s own
garden, and to this follows an amazing growth as it becomes a tree. Like this
seed, the Kingdom of God also has its story. The Kingdom of God is the seed
thrown into the garden, the place that in the New Testament is the place of the
agony and the burial of Jesus (Jn 18, 1.26; 19, 41). Then it follows the moment
of growth and concludes with becoming a tree open to all.
• The
Kingdom of God is similar to yeast. Yeast is put into three measures of flour.
In the Hebrew culture yeast was considered a factor of corruption so much so
that it was eliminated from their houses, in order not to contaminate the feast
at Passover which begins with the week of the unleavened dough. In the ears of
the Jews the use of this negative element, to describe the Kingdom of God, was
a reason to be disturbed. But the reader is able to discover the convincing
force: it is sufficient to put a very small quantity of yeast in three measures
of flour in order to get a big amount of dough. Jesus announces that this
yeast, hidden or that has disappeared in three measures of flour, after a
certain amount of time, leavens the whole dough.
• The
effects of the text on the reader. What do these two parables communicate to
us? The Kingdom of God, compared by Jesus to a seed that becomes a tree,
is close to the story of God as a story of his Word: it is hidden in human
history and it is growing; Luke thinks of the Word of God (the Kingdom of God
in our midst) is already developing but it has not as yet become a tree. Jesus
and the Holy Spirit are supporting this growth of the Word. The image of yeast
completes the frame of the seed. The yeast is the Gospel that is working in the
world, as in the ecclesial communities and in the individual believers.
4)
Personal questions
• Are
you aware that the Kingdom of God is present in our midst and that it grows
mysteriously and extends itself in the history of every person, and in the
Church?
• The
Kingdom is a humble reality, hidden, poor and silent, immersed between the
competition and pleasures of life. Have you understood from the two parables,
that you will not be able to get a glimpse of the Kingdom if you do not have an
attitude of humble and silent listening?
5)
Concluding Prayer
How
blessed are all who fear Yahweh,
who
walk in his ways!
Your
own labors will yield you a living,
happy
and prosperous will you be. (Ps 128,1-2)
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