Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 431
Reading 1
When I came to you, brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.
Responsorial Psalm
PS 119:97,
98, 99, 100, 101, 102
R. (97) Lord, I love your commands.
How I love your law, O LORD!
It is my meditation all the day.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Your command has made me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more understanding than all my teachers
when your decrees are my meditation.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more discernment than the elders,
because I observe your precepts.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said,
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083120.cfm
Meditation: No
Prophet Is Acceptable in His Own Country
How
would you react if Jesus spoke this message from the pulpit of your church? It
was customary for Jesus to go weekly to the synagogue to worship and on
occasion to read the Scriptures and comment on them to the people. His hometown
folks listened with rapt attention on this occasion because they had heard
about the miracles he had performed in other towns. What sign would he do in
his hometown?
Jesus startled them with a seeming rebuke that no prophet or servant of God can
receive honor among his own people. He then angered them when he complimented
the Gentiles who seemed to have shown more faith in God than the "chosen
ones" of Israel. They regarded Gentiles as "fuel for the fires of
hell." Jesus' praise for "outsiders" caused them offense because
they were blind-sighted to God's mercy and plan of redemption for all nations.
The word "gospel" literally means "good news". Isaiah had
prophesied that the Messiah would come in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring
freedom to those oppressed by sin and evil (see Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus came to
set people free from the worst tyranny possible - the tyranny of slavery to sin
and the fear of death, and the destruction of both body and soul. God's power
alone can save us from emptiness and poverty of spirit, from confusion and
error, and from the fear of death and hopelessness. The Gospel of salvation is
"good news" for us today. Do you know the joy and freedom of the
Gospel?
Lord
Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and desires. Your Holy Spirit
brings us grace, truth, life, and freedom. Fill me with the joy of the Gospel
and inflame my heart with love and zeal for you and for your will
Daily
Quote from the Early Church Fathers: By reading Isaiah, Jesus shows he is
God and Man, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"Now
it was necessary that he should manifest himself to the Israelites and that the
mystery of his incarnation should now shine forth to those who did not know
him. Now that God the Father had anointed him to save the world, he very wisely
orders this also [that his fame should now spread widely]. This favor he grants
first to the people of Nazareth, because, humanly speaking, he had grown up
among them. Having entered the synagogue, therefore, he takes the book to read.
Having opened it, he selects a passage in the Prophets which declares the
mystery concerning him. By these words he himself tells us very clearly by the
voice of the prophet that he would both be made man and come to save the world.
For we affirm that the Son was anointed in no other way than by having become
like us according to the flesh and taking our nature. Being at once God and
man, he both gives the Spirit to the creation in his divine nature and receives
it from God the Father in his human nature. It is he who sanctifies the whole creation,
both by shining forth from the Holy Father and by bestowing the Spirit. He
himself pours forth his own Spirit on the powers above and on those who
recognized his appearing. (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY
12)
https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2020&date=aug31
MONDAY, AUGUST 31, LUKE 4:16-30
Weekday
(1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor" (v. 18).
TO KNOW: Jesus' reputation had spread throughout the land, and he was often called upon to teach in the synagogue. On one occasion, Jesus read from the text of Isaiah (61:1-2), announcing that the prophet’s words were fulfilled in his own person. God's Spirit had anointed Jesus to proclaim the good news of liberation, and bring healing and salvation to all who believed in him. Jesus declared a "Jubilee," a year of favor from the Lord in which all wrongdoings were redressed, and all oppressed were set free through the power of God (Lv. 25:10). The people were amazed by Jesus' words, but they had trouble accepting his claim. Jesus compared his own ministry to that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha who were sent to the Gentiles after their mission was rejected by their own people. This story embodies the entire gospel in miniature. Jesus is first met with praise and approval, but this response sours until his own people are seeking his life.
TO LOVE: Do I practice the justice that Jesus proclaimed?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to make known your good news by the way I live my life.
http://www.togetherwithgodsword.com/commentaries-on-the-daily-gospel-of-the-mass.html
Saint Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
Saint of the Day for August 31
(1st century)
Monastery Church: Altar of the crucifixion, Mecklenburg | Gaston Lenthe | (Longinus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus)
Saint Joseph of Arimathea’s and Nicodemus’ Story
The actions of these two influential Jewish leaders give insight
into the charismatic power of Jesus and his teachings—and the risks that could
be involved in following him.
Joseph was a respected, wealthy civic leader who had become a
disciple of Jesus. Following the death of Jesus, Joseph obtained Jesus’ body
from Pilate, wrapped it in fine linen and buried it. For these reasons, Joseph
is considered the patron saint of funeral directors and pallbearers. More
important is the courage Joseph showed in asking Pilate for Jesus’ body. Jesus
was a condemned criminal who had been publicly executed. According to some
legends, Joseph was punished and imprisoned for such a bold act.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and, like Joseph, an important
first-century Jew. We know from John’s Gospel that Nicodemus went to Jesus at
night—secretly—to better understand his teachings about the kingdom. Later,
he spoke up for Jesus at the time of his arrest and assisted in Jesus’
burial. We know little else about Nicodemus.
Reflection
Celebrating these two contemporaries of Jesus who played
significant roles in Jesus’ life, reminds us of the humanity of Jesus and how
he related to his fellow men and women. His gentleness to these two and his
acceptance of their help remind us that he treats us in the same gentle way.
Saint Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are the Patron Saints
of:
Funeral Directors
Pallbearers
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saints-joseph-of-arimathea-and-nicodemus/
Lectio Divina: Luke 4:16-30
Lectio Divina
Monday, August 31, 2020
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
every good thing comes from You.
Fill our hearts with love for You,
increase our faith,
and by Your constant care
protect the good you have given 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 4:16-30
Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went
according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to
read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and
found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to
proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the
oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up
the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of
all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this
Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke highly of
him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also
asked, "Is this not the son of Joseph?" He said to them, "Surely
you will quote me this proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here
in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'"
And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native
place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of
Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine
spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but
only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many
lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was
cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When the people in the synagogue
heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the
town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went
away.
3) Reflection
• Today we begin the meditation on the Gospel of Luke, which
will extend three months until the end of the liturgical year. Today’s Gospel
speaks about Jesus’ visit to Nazareth and the presentation of His program to
the people of the synagogue. At first the people were amazed. But
immediately, when they became aware that Jesus wanted to accept all, without
excluding anyone, people rebelled and wanted to kill Him.
• Luke 4:16-19: The proposal of Jesus. Urged by the Holy Spirit, Jesus returns
to Galilee (Lk 4:14) and begins to announce the Good News of the Kingdom of
God. He goes to the community, teaches in the Synagogue and arrives in
Nazareth, where He had grown up. He was returning to the community in which He
had participated since He was small and for thirty years. The following
Saturday, as was the custom, Jesus went to the synagogue to participate in the
celebration, and He stands up to read. He chooses the text of Isaiah which
speaks about the poor, of prisoners, of the blind and the oppressed (Is
61:1-2). This text is an image of the situation of the people of Galilee at the
time of Jesus. The experience which Jesus had of God, the Father of Love, gave
Him a new perspective to evaluate the reality. In the name of God, Jesus takes
a stand to defend the life of His people and, with the words of Isaiah, He
defines His mission: (1) to announce the Good News to the poor, (2) to proclaim
liberty to captives, (3) to give sight to the blind; (4) to release the
oppressed, and taking the ancient tradition of the prophets, (5) to proclaim “a
year of grace from the Lord.” He proclaims the Jubilee Year!
• In the Bible, the "Jubilee Year” was an important law. Every seven
years, at the beginning (Dt 15:1; Lev 25:3) it was necessary to restore the
land to the clan of origin. All had to be able to return to their own property;
and this way they prevented the formation of large estates, and families were
guaranteed their livelihood. It was also necessary to forgive their debts and
to redeem the people who were slaves. (Dt 15:1-18). It was not easy to have the
Jubilee Year every seven years (cf. Jer 34:8-16). After the exile, it was
decided to have it every fifty years (Lev 25:8-12). The objective of the Jubilee
was and continues to be to re-establish the rights of the poor, to accept the
excluded and to re-integrate them into the society to live together with
others. The Jubilee was a legal instrument to return to the original sense of
the Law of God. This was an occasion offered by God to make a revision of the
path being followed, to discover and to correct the errors and to start again
from the beginning. Jesus begins His preaching proclaiming a Jubilee: “A year
of grace from the Lord.”.
• Luke 4:20-22: To unite the Bible and Life. Having finished the reading, Jesus
comments on the text of Isaiah and says, “This text is being fulfilled today
even while you are listening!” Taking the words of Isaiah as His own, Jesus
gives them a full and definitive sense and He declares Himself Messiah who
comes to fulfill the prophecy. This way of interpreting the text provokes a
reaction of disbelief on the part of those who were in the synagogue. They were
scandalized and did not want to know anything about Him. They did not accept
that Jesus was the Messiah announced by Isaiah. They said, “Is He not the son
of Joseph?” They were scandalized because Jesus spoke about accepting the poor,
the blind and the oppressed. The people do not accept Jesus’ proposal. And,
thus when He presents the idea of accepting the excluded, He Himself is
excluded.
• Luke 4:23-30: To overcome the limits of race. In order to help the community
to overcome the scandal and to help them understand that His proposal formed
part of tradition. Jesus tells two stories known in the Bible, the story of
Elijah and the one of Elisha. Both stories criticize the narrow-mindedness of
the people of Nazareth. Elijah was sent to the widow of Zarephath (1 Kgs
17:7-16). Elisha was sent to take care of the Syrian (2 Kgs 5:14). Here arises
Luke’s concern, who wants to show that openness stems from Jesus. Jesus had the
same difficulty which the communities at the time of Luke were having. But the
call of Jesus did not calm people down. Quite the contrary! The stories of Elijah
and Elisha produced even greater anger. The community of Nazareth reaches the
point of wanting to kill Jesus. But He remains calm. The anger of others does
not succeed in drawing Him away from His own path. Luke tells us that it is
difficult to overcome the mentality of privilege and of narrow-mindedness.
• It is important to notice the details used in the Old Testament. Jesus quotes
the text of Isaiah up to the point where it says, “to proclaim a year of grace
from the Lord.” He does not quote the rest of the sentence which says, “and a
day of vengeance from our God.” The people of Nazareth throw stones at Jesus
because He pretends to be the Messiah, because He wants to accept the excluded
and because He has omitted the sentence about vengeance. They wanted the day of
Yahweh to be a day of vengeance against the oppressors of the people. In this
case, the coming of the Kingdom would not have been a true change or conversion
of the system. Jesus does not accept this way of thinking; He does not accept
vengeance (cf. Mt 5:44-48) His new experience of God the Father helped Him to
understand better the meaning of the prophecies.
4) Personal questions
• Jesus’ objective is to accept the excluded. Do we accept
everybody or do we exclude some? What are the reasons which lead us to exclude
certain people?
• Is the mission of Jesus truly our mission, my mission? Who are the excluded
whom we should accept better in our community? Who or what thing gives us the
strength to carry out the mission entrusted to us by Jesus?
5) Concluding Prayer
How I love Your Law, Lord!
I ponder it all day long.
You make me wiser than my enemies
by Your commandment which is mine for ever. (Ps 119:97-78)
https://ocarm.org/en/content/lectio/lectio-divina-luke-416-30
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