All men and women are brothers and sisters. Each person is precious and priceless.
We must treat each other as we would treat God.
This is the teaching of Jesus.
This is our belief.
I saw a huge number impossible to count from every people, nation, race and tribe.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand inhis holy place?
What we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed: we shall be like him.
How happy are the poor in spirit, theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:1-12.
1 Seeing the crowds, he went onto the mountain. And when he was seated his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them: 3 How blessed are the poor in spirit: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth as inheritance. 5 Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness: they shall have their fill. 7 Blessed are the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be recognised as children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 'Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.
Fruits of his Cross.
We are weak but strong in Christ. Our confidence in the Kingdom is our trust in Jesus. At the Last Supper Jesus said: without me you can do nothing. This is the secret of our strength and confidence. Of ourselves we can do nothing and nothing means what it says. We cannot earn heaven. It is when we think that we can avoid sin by our prayers, penances and pilgrimages that we have become a victim of Satan’s wiles. Jesus alone is our Saviour. Blessed, he says, are those who realise that they have nothing of their own, God’s Kingdom is theirs.
Holiness and salvation come from our being united to Christ as the branch is united to the vine. We need to remain in Christ and Christ will remain in us. We will grow like him even now.
We experience great joy today with the feast of all saints when we read in the first reading that a number impossible to count and from every race, tribe and people surround the Lamb. These are saved not by their efforts but by Christ. In life they belonged to Jesus and he saved them for eternity. They have become the image of Jesus. The saints in heaven are raised to the level of God as Jesus has been. Today we celebrate and praise God for working out his saving plan despite all appearances.
We are saved by faith and not by good works. This is true but what is faith? It isn’t just a notional assent to the truths of our religion. It is to accept Jesus and welcome him into our lives as Lord and Saviour. To become a saint we need to humbly and sincerely approach Jesus day by day in personal prayer. Heaven is full of repentant sinners who approached the Good Physician in sincerity and truth and he healed them. We come to him lead by the Spirit and we need to pray in the Spirit and be docile to his inspirations. Then Jesus will work out our salvation and through the power he gives us, we will produce the fruits of the Spirit. Good works do not produce faith. Faith produces good works.
Our life is a response to the love that God has shown us in Christ Jesus. He called you by name and chose you in Christ before the foundation of the world to be his child. In Christ you are heir to all that is God’s, even becoming like him. Having given his Son for you, there is nothing he will refuse. We are given this life so that we can respond freely in love to his love. We do it by turning to him in humble prayer and by surrendering ourselves to him so that he can love us and prepare us to live forever with him. How are you responding?
Father, may sing your praises forever because all I am and have is yours in Christ.
In your sight the whole world is like a grain of dust.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
The name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you and you in him.
Zacchaeus, hurry, because I must stay at your house today.
Luke 19:1-10
He entered Jericho and was going through the town 2 and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. 3 He kept trying to see which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd; 4 so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.' 6 And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. 7 They all complained when they saw what was happening. 'He has gone to stay at a sinner's house,' they said. 8 But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, 'Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.' 9 And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'
Meet Jesus
The Gospel is not a biography of Jesus. It is the means to meet Jesus. Using our imagination we can be part of the Gospel scene. Furthermore Jesus who was there is here today. You could relive the scene:
“Jesus, I remember Jericho. I was at your side as you walked along and the apostles were just behind. I wanted to be next to you, to be your special disciple. I didn’t notice how you moved towards the tree and then you suddenly stopped and looked up. I could see this little man sitting on a branch. I didn’t know him but you were amused and smiling. Then you called him – I was amazed you knew his name and you called him as if you had known him for years. His face lit up – he never dreamt you would notice him and with a smile on your face too. Then you said “Zacchaeus, I want to stay in your house today”. He was really excited. He had never expected anything like this.
But then I could see and hear the reaction of the crowd. There was a sudden hush. People appeared stunned – did Jesus know who this man was? He was an extortioner. No one would speak to him. He wasn’t allowed even to set foot in the synagogue. He was lost, an outcast like a filthy rag. To them he stank. But you had called him from the tree and were going to be his guest! Then suddenly they all started talking and I could hear how they were grumbling about you. ‘How can he go to his house? He should have publicly condemned him, or simply passed by.” Zacchaeus could hear them too. Then suddenly he looked straight at you. ‘Yes’, he said, ‘what they are saying is true but you have touched my heart. Lord, I will give half of my property to the poor and yes I have done injustice. Let them all come. I will give them back four times as much as I took from them’.
Then I saw how you put one hand on his shoulder and turned to the crowd and said, ‘Zacchaeus is a son of Abraham too and today he and his family have been saved’. It was then that you shouted, “I have come to search for the lost and save them”. I wanted to cheer and shout when I heard this. So that is why you came to Jericho, - to search for Zacchaeus! It was then that I tapped you on the arm. You turned and looked at me. ‘Jesus’, I said, ‘I too live in Jericho. My house is not far away. I’m a sinner too. Will you come to my house?’ You said, ‘sure I will. I’d love to’. Jesus, that word made my day and not just my day, my life as well.
Brothers and sisters:
Be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.
Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you,
as is fitting among holy ones,
no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place,
but instead, thanksgiving.
Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person,
that is, an idolater,
has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no one deceive you with empty arguments,
for because of these things
the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient.
So do not be associated with them.
For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light.
God in Jesus is the model for us all: His attitude to sinners, his attitude to those who persecuted him, his forgiveness on the Cross. To be like him is to be a Christian. We must learn to feel his compassion for those who suffer. He gave his life on the Cross for those who hated him in order to save them. Why? Because his love was greater than their hate. To live in love is to live in the light. Obscenity in any form is darkness because it denies love.
R. (see Eph. 5:1) Behave like God as his very dear children.
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.
Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
“Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
“There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.”
The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?”
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.
Sickness is not God’s will. It isn’t from him. “Satan has bound (her) for eighteen years”. Sickness is not necessarily a direct result of sin either but we live in a world polluted by Satan. “She was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect”. Are we not all in some way like her? Jesus came to rid the world of Satan even though he is an obstinate enemy. Victory will one day be ours through him. “She at once stood up straight and glorified God”. Everything that comes from God is for the health and wellbeing of man. When we are “filled with all the fullness of God”(Eph3)then we will all stand erect and praise Him. Jesus worked this miracle in the synagogue and on the Sabbath. Everything in the Church should work towards the complete liberation of man.. Do you see Jesus at work in the Church?
October 26, 2010 Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
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.
Every family receives its name from God the Father in heaven (Eph3:14) and likewise every marriage receives its meaning from the ideal marriage of Jesus Son of God, with his Church. He loves his community and everyone in it with an indissoluble love. He sacrificed himself for his ‘Bride” on the Cross to make her holy and spotless. He will never abandon his community or any member of it. He is always ready to give his life for them. He longs for his community and for each member of it. He is the model for every Christian husband. Likewise the response of the Church in its faith and holiness to Christ is the model of every wife.
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.
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.”
The stress is not the smallness or greatness of the seed but the inner power that makes it grow from ‘nothing’. Likewise, the power of God makes the Kingdom grow from insignificance to the final state of the Parousia. Then it will embrace all peoples. The mustard seed grows in soil. How are we to plant it? The point is not the digging but being the mustard seed. We are to be the embodiment of the Kingdom. We need to be full of love for Jesus, and then we will be alive in the Spirit. As with Jesus our humanity must blossom and we will radiate the Kingdom through the Spirit-filled virtues of goodness, kindness, generosity, humility, self sacrifice for others and love for God and all his children. We may not see the effect but we will be the leaven influencing all around us. Are you the leaven?
October 27, 2010 Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on earth.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that each will be requited from the Lord
for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying,
knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven
and that with him there is no partiality.
We don’t deserve any reward but Jesus will give us a reward for whatever we do. Paul specifies here in his society how we are to love others, which is the only command that Jesus has given us. Slavery in Roman society was not like the slavery we know from the oppression of peoples in different parts of the world. Slaves belonged to their masters but often held highly responsible posts and had the opportunity both to earn wealth and get their freedom.
R. (13c) The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.’
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”
What is the narrow door Jesus is speaking about? Surely it is Jesus himself. In John’s Gospel he says “I am the door”. This is a metaphor. It is through our personal relationship with Jesus that we gain entrance into the Life of God. Those who are the close friends of Jesus have a guaranteed entrance. How can he refuse his intimate friends? It is not by simply being a Catholic or whatever, merely keeping rules, going to Church, saying some prayers, being a member of the church choir etc that we gain entry. It is by loving Jesus and accepting his invitation to be his friend. How do we know if we are truly his friends? “If you love me, you will keep my Word”. His Word is that we love others in the way he loves them. By loving others we gain entrance. Will you be there?
October 28, 2010 Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Those who are in Christ Jesus are members of God’s family now and so heirs even now to all the Father’s blessings. Our community has been founded by the apostles and they were the ones who were the intimate friends and disciples of Jesus in his lifetime. Jesus himself is the head of his community. The community is one in the Spirit with Jesus and so is the dwelling place of God. But is this our experience? It should become a lived experience.
R. (5a) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Anyone who wants to do anything for God should learn to pray as Jesus did. He spent the whole night in silent union with his Father. This was the source of his strength. The apostles were conceived in his prayer to the Father. An apostle is called to live with Jesus and witness to the Resurrection. An apostle is an ambassador of Jesus, making him present and proclaiming his message to the world. The apostles have a special role in the Church but all in some way share in their vocation. This is the apostolate of each Christian. We too are called to be with Jesus and witness to his Resurrection. We are witnesses to this by being transformed ourselves and living with the fullness of life. Do you live a life of union with Jesus? Is the power of his Resurrection manifested in you?
October 29, 2010 Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus,
to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,
with the bishops and deacons:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,
praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the Gospel
from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right that I should think this way about all of you,
because I hold you in my heart,
you who are all partners with me in grace,
both in my imprisonment
and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.
For God is my witness,
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.
R. (2) How great are the works of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
This letter is one that has come to us directly from the hand of Paul. It reveals his great love for the Philippians. He is their founder and pastor and loves and cares for each member of the community. He writes with great joy and his life and theirs is centred on Christ Jesus. He himself, he says, is a slave of Christ Jesus. Their faith (and ours) is the work of God and he prays that God will bring his work to perfection. He is in prison and he longs for the people of Philippi. He prays that they will grow in love so that when the Lord comes and Paul thinks he will come soon they will be perfect. It is love based on true knowledge and understanding that fills us with righteousness.
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.
Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,
“Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”
But they kept silent; so he took the man and,
after he had healed him, dismissed him.
Then he said to them
“Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?”
But they were unable to answer his question.
The Sabbath was a day of rest - of renewal of the mind, spirit and body after the week of work. It was then a day of healing. It was a break to rejoice in all God’s gifts and offer thanks - a day of joy. There was time to listen to his Word and praise him – a day for prayer. Jesus fulfils this purpose in healing the man with dropsy. He did it despite the moralistic legalism of the Pharisees. Sunday, the Day of the Lord, is a day of joy in the Lord’s Salvation as we look forward to our perfect healing. It is break from our labours to be what we are, the children of God and we celebrate this in love for others. We celebrate the ever abiding presence of Jesus, Brother, Saviour and Lord. Is Sunday a day of holy and human celebration for you?
October 30, 2010 Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Brothers and sisters:
As long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is being proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,
for I know that this will result in deliverance for me
through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
My eager expectation and hope
is that I shall not be put to shame in any way,
but that with all boldness, now as always,
Christ will be magnified in my body,
whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.
And this I know with confidence,
that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you
for your progress and joy in the faith,
so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me
when I come to you again.
There are problems in Philippi. There are other Christian preachers who teach differently from Paul and sometimes totally contradict him. He is concerned, but also happy that Jesus is being preached. Whatever their motives for preaching if people come to know Jesus better, Paul is happy. He makes the statement of his life: for me life is Christ. He is someone totally in love with the Lord Jesus and lives and breathes for him alone. This is the summit of the Christian life. However he submits his desire to be with Christ to his responsibility to give his life too in service to his community.
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus is not teaching us to make a name for ourselves. He is talking of the Kingdom. We are the children of a Father who loves us and is generous beyond our imagining. He is the one who has given us everything we have and wants to share with us everything he has. We don’t have to earn it. He longs to give it. All we need do to be “a first-born son” is to stretch out our hands in love humbly acknowledging that the Father is the source of everything. We are to realize with joy that he brought us into being from nothing and that we are totally dependent on him. When we do this we open the door for him to request us “to move up higher” even to the very throne of God (Rev.3:21). You are chosen. Do you rejoice in being humble and being human?
I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.
The man who humbles himself will be exalted.
Luke 18: 9-14
He spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being upright and despised everyone else, 10 'Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, "I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like everyone else, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get." 13 The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." 14 This man, I tell you, went home again justified; the other did not. For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, but anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.'
The truth about you
Jesus speaks to those who pride themselves on being virtuous and despise others. Pharisees were zealous keepers of the Law. This Pharisee is blameless in every respect, even giving ten per cent of all his income to God. He cannot be faulted. Whereas he considers others adulterers, thieves and swindlers, he is perfect. Jesus doesn’t condemn him. He says that he was not justified before God and His prayer was useless.
We should never forget that of ourselves we are nothing. You are not a worm but the truth is you could have been. That you are not is due not to you but to the kindness of the Father who created you. If you are not a grave sinner it is because God has preserved you. No one has a right to stand before God; ’if we say “we have no sin” the truth is not in us (1John 1:8). ‘Even the stars are not pure in God’s sight’ (Job 25:5). This Pharisee identifies virtue with keeping the law. He ticks off the laws one by one. He has kept them all and so is perfect! He is totally oblivious to his pride. He manifests this in his prayer itself as he judges others. He thanks God but he in no way feels he needs God. His prayer is all about himself. God should congratulate him for his virtue.
It is so difficult not to pride oneself on being better than others. We are not as blatant as the Pharisee but just as judgemental. How many who leave the Church pass judgement: ‘Catholics have deviated from the Bible’ ‘They are hypocrites’. Unconsciously they judge themselves to be better. When we condemn others for their crimes, do we not consider ourselves superior? The tax-collector on the other hand realizes his need for God. He realizes how imperfect he is and that he needs God’s mercy.
In the Mass we pray: keep us free from sin. Unless God keeps us free from sin, we will fall into the grossest of sins. Of ourselves we can do nothing. If we do great things, it is due to God’s grace. We are totally dependent on him. He wants us to share in his life – to become divine like him, as his Son became human like us. This is impossible for us. We can only receive it as a gift. To exalt ourselves is a lie because we have come from ‘nothing.’ We have received everything as a gift. Our prayer is Mary’s; ‘he has looked on the lowliness of his servant. He has done great things for me’.
Forgetting your origin do you consider yourself important? ‘Do you look down on others because of their social class or caste, or because of the crimes they have committed? Do realize you depend on God’s mercy?
Father, may I have the truth to realize that if it wasn’t for you I would in fact be the worst of sinners.
Beloved:
Demas, enamored of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke is the only one with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you,
for he is helpful to me in the ministry.
I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,
the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.
Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;
the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
You too be on guard against him,
for he has strongly resisted our preaching.
At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.
R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
Paul is coming to the end of his life. He is in prison and expects to be martyred soon. He has fought the good fight. He has kept the faith. He talks of his loneliness prison. This is the second time he is in prison. The first time 61-63 AD was liberal but this is severe. No one stood by him when brought to the court. But he received the ability to proclaim the truth of Jesus to the judges and all those present. He is now all alone. Demas must have left him for some personal work or to look to his own safety and comfort. Crescens and Tychicus must have gone on apostolic work. The differences Paul had with Mark are now resolved and he is a useful assistant in his work. Only Luke is no with him. Luke is the “beloved physician” (Col 4:14).
The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”
Our treasure is Jesus. We are to cultivate his friendship. While we live here we need to work but money is not an end in itself. The goal of life is Jesus. We are to rely on him to provide all we need. So Jesus sends his disciples telling them not to take anything for their journey. To be poor for his sake is to be rich. We are to concentrate all our efforts on being his witnesses. By our words, our behaviour and in all our dealings we should consciously act as his witnesses attracting people to him. We have no time for anything else; we “greet no one along the way”. As the ambassadors of Jesus we are to bring peace and without pride or arrogance share the life of others. Our presence will always be a healing presence. Can people experience the Kingdom of God through you?
Brothers and sisters:
You were at that time without Christ,
alienated from the community of Israel
and strangers to the covenants of promise,
without hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the Blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, he made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his Flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God,
in one Body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
In this passage Paul explains how the Church is one, holy and apostolic. Later he will explain how it is catholic. All divisions among believers are reconciled because Jesus has created “in himself one person” “thus establishing peace”. All believers form “on Body”. Those “who were far off” and “those who were near” both have access to the Father “in one Spirit”. All believers, from wherever they come, are “members of the household of God”. The Church is apostolic. It is founded on the apostles. The Church is the source of holiness as the members grow “into a temple sacred in the Lord”. The Church is “a dwelling place of God in the Spirit”.
R. (see 9) The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.”
The gift of faith is to focus on the coming of Jesus. Our whole life should be a preparation to receive him when he ‘knocks’. We are not to look forward to him with fear but with the eyes of a lover who gets everything ready for the return of the beloved. No one knows the time of the Lord’s coming in glory but he comes to each of us when he calls us from this world. This should the moment of the “master’s return from a wedding”. We should be ready to open for him immediately. This is to live a life of faith. Then everything is reversed. The Lord makes himself the servant of his servants who made themselves ready for him. Jesus is greatly affected by our attitude towards him. Are you preparing to be a servant who is blessed? Do you look forward to his coming?
October 20, 2010 Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation,
as I have written briefly earlier.
When you read this
you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
which was not made known to human beings in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit,
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same Body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.
Of this I became a minister by the gift of God’s grace
that was granted me in accord with the exercise of his power.
To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given,
to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ,
and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery
hidden from ages past in God who created all things,
so that the manifold wisdom of God
might now be made known through the Church
to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.
This was according to the eternal purpose
that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness of speech
and confidence of access through faith in him.
Paul is the one who has the task of teaching the mystery of Christ. The mystery is that through faith gentiles can become members of the Body of Christ, that is, share in the divine life. Through faith in Christ the believer shares in his immeasurable riches. Now in Christ we can confidently approach God.
R. (see 3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
Jesus is here speaking of those who are responsible for caring for others in his community. They must realize that they are stewards acting in the place of the Master. They are called to fidelity to the task given, whether it is to caring for children, the sick or the aged, for the spiritual needs of the community, to the duties of their state of life. We are to realize that we will have to give an account to the Master, one day. Those who prove themselves faithful will in the real world be given full authority. Those who willfully neglect their duties or abuse their charges will be severely punished. Life is not a game. It matters a great deal how we live. God is merciful, but in the reckoning He will be just. What are your responsibilities? How do you fulfil them? Can you face your Master today?
October 21, 2010 Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Brothers and sisters:
I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory
to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine,
by the power at work within us,
to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus
to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Paul prays that the Spirit will strengthen us in our inner selves, that we may have inner healing and be able to grow in self-esteem, courage and the ability to always do what is right with peace of mind. He prays that Christ will make his home in our hearts. May we live in his. The Love God has for us in Christ is beyond our comprehension. It is so great. Nonetheless he prays that we may grow in understanding it, even if eternity is insufficient. God can do and will do in us what we cannot even imagine. We will be filled with the very fullness of God. The Christian is called to spend his life in praising God for all he does for us.
R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten‑stringed lyre chant his praises.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Jesus came on a mission; to set men on fire with God’s Love. This is the Holy Spirit, the Love of God in person. He did it at Pentecost when there were tongues of fire above the heads of all his disciples. He continues to do it still with those who open themselves to him. They become transformed. Jesus won for us the fire of God’s love when he was plunged into the waters of suffering in his Passion and Crucifixion. He is the Prince of Peace and fills each of his disciples with a peace the world cannot give. Yet his disciples enjoy this peace in the midst of a world where others do not share the same faith and others are evil. They are like lambs among wolves. The radical choice for Jesus causes division. Have you made a radical choice for Jesus? How does it cause division?
October 22, 2010 Friday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace;
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
Paul sees the Church as the Body of Christ. Jesus came to give us the Life of God. He could do this because he is the Son of God and like a parent he hands on the Life he has through the Holy Spirit. All those who believe in him are to be one in mind and heart. This should not be just a theological truth but a daily reality in our homes and parish communities.
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
Jesus said to the crowds,
“When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny.”
Jesus tells us to read the signs of the times, that He is Lord of heaven and earth. We must recognize that everything in this life is transitory, including ourselves. But with the gift of freedom we are responsible for our lives. Life is a gift on trust. When it is over we have to account for how we lived it. We are all weak, but the Judge is merciful and calls us to be his friends. We should accept his invitation and become intimate with him while still on the way. He has a way of making good all our errors and failings before the final reckoning. It is easy to read the signs. They are obvious to everyone. But do we bother? If we reject the offer of friendship and healing now, then we will have to face the cost. How does your future look?
October 23, 2010 Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Brothers and sisters:
Grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Therefore, it says:
He ascended on high and took prisoners captive; he gave gifts to men.
What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended
into the lower regions of the earth?
The one who descended is also the one who ascended
far above all the heavens,
that he might fill all things.
And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood
to the extent of the full stature of Christ,
so that we may no longer be infants,
tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching
arising from human trickery,
from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.
Rather, living the truth in love,
we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ,
from whom the whole Body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament,
with the proper functioning of each part,
brings about the Body’s growth and builds itself up in love.
By the time this letter is written the Church community has developed. The apostles are gone. The Church needs to organise itself in order to survive and grow. Paul insists that the community is one Body in Christ. The whole community is to become the living Body of Christ. We are in some mysterious way all part of him, living by his life and forming one organic whole with him as the head. God through Christ the head builds up the Church by giving different gifts to the different members. We can rely on these gifts, but they must be exercised as the musical instruments in an orchestra. Each member too is in a living union with Christ and one with him growing “to the extent of the full stature of Christ”.
R. (1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
He said to them in reply,
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed
when the tower at Siloam fell on them–
do you think they were more guilty
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!”
And he told them this parable:
“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,
and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year also,
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.’”
There is a tendency to equate disasters with punishment. Jesus rejects this notion. In fact God lets his rain fall on evil people as well as on good. He is not a God of disasters but a God of love. There is no direct connection between catastrophes and sins, as if those who escape are less sinful. God wants us to turn away from sin and grow into the person he wants us to become. Repentance is the way to growth and happiness. In the parable of the fig tree Jesus reveals a God who is patient with our weakness. He is the vinedresser. By the nature of things our time is limited. We have to produce fruit now. One day our time will run out. God tries till the very end to help us bear fruit. Even then he doesn’t cut us down. Who does? Are you awake?
