September 24, 2025
Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 451
Reading I
At the time of the evening sacrifice, I, Ezra, rose in my
wretchedness,
and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees,
stretching out my hands to the LORD, my God.
I said: “My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my
face to you,
O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads
and our guilt reaches up to heaven.
From the time of our fathers even to this day
great has been our guilt,
and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered up,
we and our kings and our priests,
to the will of the kings of foreign lands,
to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace,
as is the case today.
“And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the
LORD, our God,
who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place;
thus our God has brightened our eyes
and given us relief in our servitude.
For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us;
rather, he has turned the good will
of the kings of Persia toward us.
Thus he has given us new life
to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins,
and has granted us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem.”
Responsorial Psalm
Tobit
13:2, 3-4a, 4befghn, 7-8
R. (1b) Blessed be God, who lives
for ever.
He scourges and then has mercy;
he casts down to the depths of the nether world,
and he brings up from the great abyss.
No one can escape his hand.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Praise him, you children of Israel, before the Gentiles,
for though he has scattered you among them,
he has shown you his greatness even there.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
So now consider what he has done for you,
and praise him with full voice.
Bless the Lord of righteousness,
and exalt the King of ages.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
In the land of my exile I praise him
and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones,
and may all of you praise his majesty.
Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092425.cfm
Commentary on Ezra
9:5-9
In our last reading from the Book of Ezra, it is Ezra
himself who speaks. It is both a deeply felt prayer and an exhortation to his
people. He is deeply upset because they have been so unfaithful. He is
particularly disturbed that many have intermarried with the unbelieving and
idolatrous people around them.
He tells us that at the evening sacrifice, he came out of a
stupor. Just before this Ezra has been told that many of the people, including
even priests and Levites, have intermarried with women from the non-Jewish (and
non-believing) tribes. The result is that the ‘holy race’ has become
contaminated and hence liable to fall into the idolatrous practices of their
wives.
Actually, in ancient Israel inter-ethnic marriages were not
forbidden (see one example in Gen 41:45, where Joseph marries an Egyptian
woman), but were later forbidden by Deuteronomy in order to combat idolatry,
which gentile women tended to bring with them into the home. The danger
increased after the Exile because the majority of the returning exiles were
men. The reason for the separation is still religious, but a second reason now
emerges here, concern for racial purity.
On hearing all this, Ezra tears his clothes, pulls the hair
from his head and beard, and sits down in horror. All who felt the same way
about the infidelity shown to God gathered round him in sympathy and support,
while Ezra remained sitting there in horror until the evening sacrifice.
At the evening sacrifice, he comes out of his wretched state
and, in his torn clothes, falls on his knees, stretches out his hands to Yahweh
and begins to pray. The prayer of Ezra, which is also a sermon, is inspired by
Deuteronomy and the prophets. It may be compared with those of Nehemiah
(9:5-37) and Daniel (9:4-19).
In the name of his people, he tells God how ashamed he is,
how he blushes even to lift his face to God. He is ashamed for the terrible
sins of his people which are now “higher than our heads” and whose guilt has
reached right up to heaven.
This is nothing new for God’s people. From the days of their
ancestors until now they have been deeply guilty. The Israelites had a strong
sense of their corporate solidarity with their ancestors.
Because of their iniquities, they, together with their kings
and priests, have been handed over to the kings of other countries, have died
by the sword, been taken away into captivity, been pillaged and looted—and
reduced to shame. This is still the case. Much of this suffering was the result
of their sins and infidelities. In Ezekiel (21:19) “the sword of the king of
Babylon” is described as an instrument of divine judgement.
In spite of all this, now, for a brief moment, the favour of
Yahweh their God has allowed a remnant to escape from exile and be given a
stable “stake in his holy place”, so that their God can raise their spirits and
revive them a little in their slavery. The literal reading of “stake” is a
‘nail’ or a ‘peg’, evoking the image of a nail driven firmly into a wall or a
peg driven well into the ground.
However, in spite of somewhat better times now, they are
still slaves under a foreign ruler. But God has not forgotten them in their
slavery. He has extended his faithful love for them even under the kings of
Persia and revived them to rebuild the Temple of our God, restore its ruins and
provide them with a refuge in Judah and Jerusalem.
The Achaemenid Persian kings were favourably disposed to
Jews (as they were to other religions): Cyrus (539-530 BC) gave them permission
to return (Ezra 1); his son Cambyses (530-522), though not named in the
Scriptures, also favoured the Jews, as we learned from Elephantine papyri;
Darius I (522-486) renewed the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 6); his son Xerxes
(486-465) granted privileges and protection to Jews (Esther 8-10); his son
Artaxerxes (465-424) gave authorisations to Ezra (Ezra 7) and to Nehemiah (Neh
2).
In God’s strange providence, it was the enlightened policy
of the pagan Persian emperors which had made it possible for God’s sinful
people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. In many ways, it was
this exile which helped them appreciate what they had lost. God, too, can make
strange and unlikely people be the agents of his bringing us back to him.
In our lives, too, there can be painful experiences. They
can either embitter us and drive us deeper into ourselves or we can go through
them and see that God in his love and compassion is present there. We then turn
such experiences into opportunities for personal growth and deepening our
sensitivity for the sufferings of others.
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Commentary on Luke
9:1-6
As we move on to chapter 9, we have left out a number of
stories in chapter 8—the calming of a storm on the lake, the healing of a demoniac,
the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the healing of a woman with a haemorrhage.
However, these are dealt with elsewhere in our readings from the other Gospels.
We are now moving into a turning point in the public life of Jesus and in his
relationship with his disciples.
This is, in fact, the third tour of Galilee by Jesus. On the
first tour he was accompanied just by the four fishermen he had called
first—Peter, Andrew, James and John. On the second, all the Twelve were with
him and on the third, he was alone after sending out the Twelve on their own
mission.
We begin the reading today with Jesus sending his chosen
Twelve on their mission. It is the first time he has sent them out on their own
without his being with them. Basically, they are to do exactly as their Master
does. They are given power over evil forces and to heal sicknesses. They are
also to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.
They are to travel in total freedom and so are not to bring
anything with them which would make traveling more difficult:
Take nothing for your journey: no staff, nor bag, nor
bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic.
It is understood that the people will support them in return
for the services they render. It is expected that hospitality will be extended
to them in the traditional way of the Middle East.
And they are not to be choosy about where they are received:
Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from
there.
And, in places where they and their message and their
services are not welcome:
…as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your
feet as a testimony against them.
This was a symbolic act which the Pharisees practised when
they left an ‘unclean’ gentile area. In this case, the act signifies that
people are rejecting not just the disciples, but God himself, whom they bring
with their message and their healing.
So they departed and went through the villages, bringing
the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
It really was the beginning of the Church. And it was the
work of making the Kingdom a reality, God’s will being done on earth.
The same mission is entrusted to each one of us, although it
will obviously be adapted to our life situation. We are called, individually
and in community, to proclaim the Gospel by word and lifestyle. We are called
to help liberate people from negative forces and addictions of all kinds that
can enslave. We are called to be sources of healing and wholeness, and for this
we do not need to be part of the medical profession. We are called to live
lives of simplicity, using only those things which we need for life and work
and rejecting all superfluity and luxury. As we have already noted: the really
rich are those whose needs are the least. It is a message our consumer world
needs to hear and see.
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Wednesday,
September 24, 2025
Ordinary Time
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.
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.
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: 112; 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.
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?
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)
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