Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 488
Lectionary: 488
Brothers and sisters:
We are the circumcision,
we who worship through the Spirit of God,
who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence in flesh,
although I myself have grounds for confidence even in the flesh.
If anyone else thinks he can be confident in flesh, all the more can I.
Circumcised on the eighth day,
of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,
a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage,
in observance of the law a Pharisee,
in zeal I persecuted the Church,
in righteousness based on the law I was blameless.
But whatever gains I had,
these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ.
More than that, I even consider everything as a loss
because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
We are the circumcision,
we who worship through the Spirit of God,
who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence in flesh,
although I myself have grounds for confidence even in the flesh.
If anyone else thinks he can be confident in flesh, all the more can I.
Circumcised on the eighth day,
of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,
a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage,
in observance of the law a Pharisee,
in zeal I persecuted the Church,
in righteousness based on the law I was blameless.
But whatever gains I had,
these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ.
More than that, I even consider everything as a loss
because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (3b) Let
hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
R. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
R. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaMT 11:28
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 15:1-10
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.
"Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.'
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents."
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.
"Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.'
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents."
Meditation: Sinners were drawn to
Jesus
Do you ever feel resentful or get upset when someone
else gets treated better than you think they deserve? The scribes and Pharisees
took great offense at Jesus because he went out of his way to meet with sinners
and he treated them like they were his friends. The Pharisees had strict
regulations about how they were to keep away from sinners, lest they incur
ritual defilement. They were not to entrust money to sinners or have any
business dealings with them, nor trust them with a secret, nor entrust orphans
to their care, nor accompany them on a journey, nor give their daughter in
marriage to any of their sons, nor invite them as guests or be their
guests.
Do you judge others with mercy or disdain - with
kindness or harshness?
The Pharisees were shocked when they saw Jesus freely meeting with sinners and even going to their homes to eat with them. Many sinners and outcasts of society were drawn to Jesus to hear him speak about the mercy of God and the offer of new life and friendship in the kingdom of God. When the Pharisees began to question Jesus' motive and practice of associating with sinners and outcasts, Jesus responded by giving them two parables about a lost sheep and a lost coin to challenge their way of judging sinners and shunning contact with them.
The Pharisees were shocked when they saw Jesus freely meeting with sinners and even going to their homes to eat with them. Many sinners and outcasts of society were drawn to Jesus to hear him speak about the mercy of God and the offer of new life and friendship in the kingdom of God. When the Pharisees began to question Jesus' motive and practice of associating with sinners and outcasts, Jesus responded by giving them two parables about a lost sheep and a lost coin to challenge their way of judging sinners and shunning contact with them.
Finding and restoring what has been lost
What is the point of Jesus' story about a lost sheep and a lost coin? In Jesus' time shepherds normally counted their sheep at the end of the day to make sure all were accounted for. Since sheep by their very nature are very social, an isolated sheep can quickly become bewildered and even neurotic. The shepherd's grief and anxiety is turned to joy when he finds the lost sheep and restores it to the fold.
What is the point of Jesus' story about a lost sheep and a lost coin? In Jesus' time shepherds normally counted their sheep at the end of the day to make sure all were accounted for. Since sheep by their very nature are very social, an isolated sheep can quickly become bewildered and even neurotic. The shepherd's grief and anxiety is turned to joy when he finds the lost sheep and restores it to the fold.
The housewife who lost a coin faced something of an
economic disaster, since the value of the coin would be equivalent to her
husband's daily wage. What would she say to her husband when he returned home
from work? They were poor and would suffer greatly because of the loss. Her
grief and anxiety turn to joy when she finds the coin.
Bringing the lost to the community of faith
Both the shepherd and the housewife "search until what they have lost is found." Their persistence pays off. They both instinctively share their joy with the whole community. The poor are particularly good at sharing in one another's sorrows and joys. What was new in Jesus' teaching was the insistence that sinners must be sought out and not merely mourned for. God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to friendship with God. Seekers of the lost are much needed today. Do you persistently pray and seek after those you know who have lost their way to God?
Both the shepherd and the housewife "search until what they have lost is found." Their persistence pays off. They both instinctively share their joy with the whole community. The poor are particularly good at sharing in one another's sorrows and joys. What was new in Jesus' teaching was the insistence that sinners must be sought out and not merely mourned for. God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to friendship with God. Seekers of the lost are much needed today. Do you persistently pray and seek after those you know who have lost their way to God?
"Lord Jesus, let your light dispel the darkness
that what is lost may be found and restored. Let your light shine through me
that others may see your love and truth and find hope and peace in you. May I
never doubt your love nor take for granted the mercy you have shown to me. Fill
me with your transforming love that I may be merciful as you are
merciful."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Joy over the fallen sinner restored in God's
image, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444
AD)
"This second parable compares what was lost to a
drachma (Luke 15:8-9). It is as one out of ten, a perfect number and of a sum
complete in the accounting. The number ten also is perfect, being the close of
the series from the unit upwards. This parable clearly shows that we are in the
royal likeness and image, even that of God over all. I suppose the drachma is
the denarius on which is stamped the royal likeness. We, who had fallen and had
been lost, have been found by Christ and transformed by holiness and
righteousness into his image... A search was made for that which had fallen, so
the woman lighted a lamp... By the light, what was lost is saved, and there is
joy for the powers above. They rejoice even in one sinner that repents, as he
who knows all things has taught us. They keep a festival over one who is saved,
united with the divine purpose, and never cease to praise the Savior's
gentleness. What great joy must fill them when all beneath heaven is saved and
Christ calls them by faith to acknowledge the truth? They put off the pollution
of sin and freed their necks from the bonds of death. They have escaped from
the blame of their wandering and fall! We gain all these things in
Christ." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE,
HOMILY 106)
THURSDAY,
NOVEMBER 8, LUKE 15:1-10
Weekday
(Philippians 3:3-8a; Psalm 105)
Weekday
(Philippians 3:3-8a; Psalm 105)
KEY VERSE: "There will be great rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (v. 10).
TO KNOW: The Pharisees and scribes charged Jesus with welcoming sinners and eating with them (Lk 15:2). The Pharisees refused to be dine in such persons’ homes or to have them as guests, nor, as far as possible, to have any business dealings with them. It was to these self-righteous leaders that Jesus directed his parables on the merciful love of God. The compassionate God was compared to a shepherd who hunted for his lost sheep and to a woman who searched for her lost coin, and their joy in finding what was lost. These parables have been called "the gospel within the gospel" as they contain the very essence of the good news that Jesus came to preach. The joy of a homemaker or a shepherd who lost their most precious possessions and then found them again, is the joy of God and of all the angels when one sinner returns home,
TO LOVE: Do I avail myself of God's mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
TO SERVE: Lord, Jesus thank you for forgiving me my sins and welcoming me back to the community.
Thursday 8
November 2018
Philippians 3:3-8. Psalm 104(105):2-7. Luke 15:1-10.
Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord –
Psalm 104(105):2-7.
‘Because of the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord, I count everything else as loss.’
After Peter’s confession and its confirmation in the
Transfiguration episode (9:28-36), the Lukan narrative takes a sharp turn with
the commencement of ‘The Journey to Jerusalem’ (9:51). From here on, Jesus is
instructing his disciples in ‘Kingdom behaviour’. One could call it ‘disciple
training’.
Chapter 15 marks a special section on relationships and
preferential options for the lost and overlooked. Two familiar instances of the
joy that comes with recovering lost property lead into the story of the lost
son. The two opening verses set the scene as the so-called ‘good people’ take
exception to mixing with ‘undesirables’. The kingdom mystery is that God
welcomes everyone and often gets a better reception from so-called no-hopers.
Blessed John Duns Scotus
Saint of the Day for November 8
(c. 1266 – November 8, 1308)
 |
| Detail | Stained glass in Franciscan Convent Chapel in Paris | Saints Bonaventure, John Duns Scotus, Anthony of Padua, and Paschal Baylon | André Pierre and P. Villette | photo by GFreihalter |
Blessed John Duns Scotus’ Story
A humble man, John Duns Scotus has been one of the most
influential Franciscans through the centuries. Born at Duns in the county
of Berwick, Scotland, John was descended from a wealthy farming family. In
later years, he was identified as John Duns Scotus to indicate the land of his
birth; Scotia is the Latin name for Scotland.
John received the habit of the Friars Minor at Dumfries, where
his uncle Elias Duns was superior. After novitiate, John studied at Oxford and
Paris and was ordained in 1291. More studies in Paris followed until 1297, when
he returned to lecture at Oxford and Cambridge. Four years later, he returned
to Paris to teach and complete the requirements for the doctorate.
In an age when many people adopted whole systems of thought
without qualification, John pointed out the richness of the
Augustinian-Franciscan tradition, appreciated the wisdom of Aquinas, Aristotle,
and the Muslim philosophers—and still managed to be an independent thinker.
That quality was proven in 1303, when King Philip the Fair tried to enlist the
University of Paris on his side in a dispute with Pope Boniface VIII. John Duns
Scotus dissented, and was given three days to leave France.
In Scotus’s time, some philosophers held that people are
basically determined by forces outside themselves. Free will is an illusion,
they argued. An ever-practical man, Scotus said that if he started beating
someone who denied free will, the person would immediately tell him to stop.
But if Scotus didn’t really have a free will, how could he stop? John had a
knack for finding illustrations his students could remember!
After a short stay in Oxford, Scotus returned to Paris, where he
received the doctorate in 1305. He continued teaching there and in 1307 so ably
defended the Immaculate Conception of Mary that the university officially
adopted his position. That same year the minister general assigned him to the
Franciscan school in Cologne where John died in 1308. He is buried in the
Franciscan church near the famous Cologne cathedral.
Drawing on the work of John Duns Scotus, Pope Pius IX solemnly
defined the Immaculate Conception of Mary in 1854. John Duns Scotus, the
“Subtle Doctor,” was beatified in 1993.
Reflection
Father Charles Balic, O.F.M., the foremost 20th-century
authority on Scotus, has written: “The whole of Scotus’s theology is dominated
by the notion of love. The characteristic note of this love is its absolute
freedom. As love becomes more perfect and intense, freedom becomes more noble
and integral both in God and in man” (New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 4,
p. 1105).
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 15:1-10
Lectio Divina:
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Ordinary Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
God of power and mercy,
only with Your help
can we offer You fitting service and praise.
May we live the faith we profess
and trust Your promise of eternal life.
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.
only with Your help
can we offer You fitting service and praise.
May we live the faith we profess
and trust Your promise of eternal life.
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
15:1-10
The tax collectors and sinners were all
drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to
complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So
Jesus addressed this parable to them. "What man among you having a hundred
sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and
go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it
on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together
his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have
found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy
in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance. "Or what woman having ten coins and losing
one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she
finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and
neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that
I lost.' In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the
angels of God over one sinner who repents."
3) REFLECTION
• The Gospel today presents the first
one of three parables united by the same word. It is a question of three things
which were lost: the lost sheep (Lk 15:3-7), the lost drachma (Lk 15:8-10), and
the lost son (Lk 15:11-32). The three parables are addressed to the Pharisees
and to the doctors of the law who criticized Jesus (Lk 15:1-3). That is, they
are addressed to the Pharisee and to the scribe or doctor of the law which is
in each one of us.
• Luke 15:1-3: Those to whom the parables are addressed. The first three verses describe the context in which the three parables were pronounced: “At that time, the tax collectors and sinners were all crowding round to listen to Him. The Pharisees and scribes complained”. On one side there were the tax collectors and the sinners; on the other the Pharisees and the doctors of the law. Luke speaks, exaggerating somewhat: “The tax collectors and the sinners were all crowding round to listen to Jesus”. There was something in Jesus which attracted them. It is the word of Jesus which attracts them (cf. Isa 50:4). They want to listen to Him. This is a sign that they do not feel condemned, but rather they feel accepted by Him. The criticism of the Pharisees and the scribes is the following: "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” When sending out the seventy-two disciples (Lk 10:1-9), Jesus had ordered them to accept the excluded, the sick, the possessed (Mt 10:8; Lk 10:9) and to gather them for the banquet (Lk 10:8).
• Luke 15:4: The Parable of the lost sheep. The parable of the lost sheep begins with a question: “Which one of you, with a hundred sheep, if he lost one, would fail to leave the ninety-nine and go after the missing one until he found it?” Before giving a response, Jesus must have looked around to see who was listening to Him to see how they would have answered. The question is formulated in such a way that the response can only be a positive one: “Yes, he will go after the lost sheep!” And you, how would you answer? Would you leave the ninety-nine in the field to go and look for the only one which got lost? Who would do this? Probably, the majority would have answered, “Jesus, who among us? Nobody would do such an absurd thing. The proverb says: “Better one bird in the hand than one hundred flying around!”
• Luke 15:5-7: Jesus interprets the parable of the lost sheep. Now, in the parable, the shepherd does what nobody would do: to leave everything and to go and look for the lost sheep. God alone can assume such an attitude! Jesus wants us to become aware, conscious of the Pharisee or the scribe which is in each one of us. The Pharisees and the scribes abandoned the sinners and excluded them. They would have never gone to look for the lost sheep. They would have allowed it to get lost in the desert. They preferred the ninety-nine. But Jesus places Himself in the place of the sheep which got lost, which in the context of the official religion, would fall into despair without the hope of being accepted. Jesus makes them and us know: “If you feel that you are a lost sinner, remember that for God you are worth more than the other ninety-nine sheep. And in the case that you are converted, know that there will be “greater joy in heaven for a sinner who is converted, than for ninety-nine just who do not need conversion.”
• Luke 15:1-3: Those to whom the parables are addressed. The first three verses describe the context in which the three parables were pronounced: “At that time, the tax collectors and sinners were all crowding round to listen to Him. The Pharisees and scribes complained”. On one side there were the tax collectors and the sinners; on the other the Pharisees and the doctors of the law. Luke speaks, exaggerating somewhat: “The tax collectors and the sinners were all crowding round to listen to Jesus”. There was something in Jesus which attracted them. It is the word of Jesus which attracts them (cf. Isa 50:4). They want to listen to Him. This is a sign that they do not feel condemned, but rather they feel accepted by Him. The criticism of the Pharisees and the scribes is the following: "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” When sending out the seventy-two disciples (Lk 10:1-9), Jesus had ordered them to accept the excluded, the sick, the possessed (Mt 10:8; Lk 10:9) and to gather them for the banquet (Lk 10:8).
• Luke 15:4: The Parable of the lost sheep. The parable of the lost sheep begins with a question: “Which one of you, with a hundred sheep, if he lost one, would fail to leave the ninety-nine and go after the missing one until he found it?” Before giving a response, Jesus must have looked around to see who was listening to Him to see how they would have answered. The question is formulated in such a way that the response can only be a positive one: “Yes, he will go after the lost sheep!” And you, how would you answer? Would you leave the ninety-nine in the field to go and look for the only one which got lost? Who would do this? Probably, the majority would have answered, “Jesus, who among us? Nobody would do such an absurd thing. The proverb says: “Better one bird in the hand than one hundred flying around!”
• Luke 15:5-7: Jesus interprets the parable of the lost sheep. Now, in the parable, the shepherd does what nobody would do: to leave everything and to go and look for the lost sheep. God alone can assume such an attitude! Jesus wants us to become aware, conscious of the Pharisee or the scribe which is in each one of us. The Pharisees and the scribes abandoned the sinners and excluded them. They would have never gone to look for the lost sheep. They would have allowed it to get lost in the desert. They preferred the ninety-nine. But Jesus places Himself in the place of the sheep which got lost, which in the context of the official religion, would fall into despair without the hope of being accepted. Jesus makes them and us know: “If you feel that you are a lost sinner, remember that for God you are worth more than the other ninety-nine sheep. And in the case that you are converted, know that there will be “greater joy in heaven for a sinner who is converted, than for ninety-nine just who do not need conversion.”
• Luke 15:8-10: Parable of the lost
drachma. The second Parable: "Or again, what woman with ten drachmas would
not, if she lost one, light a lamp and sweep out the house and search
thoroughly until she found it? Then, when she had found it, call together her
friends and neighbors saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, I have found the
drachma I lost. In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the
angels of God over one repentant sinner’”. God rejoices with us. The angels
rejoice with us. The parable serves to communicate hope to those who were
threatened with despair because of the official religion. This message recalls
what God tells us in the book of the prophet Isaiah: "Look, I have
engraved you on the palms of My hands!” (Isa 49: 16). “Since, I regard you as
precious, since you are honored and I love you!” (Isa 43: 4).
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Would you go out to look for the lost
sheep?
• Do you think that today the Church is faithful to this parable of Jesus?
• Do you think that today the Church is faithful to this parable of Jesus?
• Who are the lost sheep today? Are they
sinners? Are they non-believers? Are they those who are misled in their
beliefs?
• Is there a person responsibility
in looking for and finding lost sheep, or is it just an institutional one –
just for the Church and bishops and pastors?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Seek Yahweh and His strength,
tirelessly seek His presence!
Remember the marvels He has done,
His wonders, the judgments He has spoken. (Ps 105:4-5)
tirelessly seek His presence!
Remember the marvels He has done,
His wonders, the judgments He has spoken. (Ps 105:4-5)
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