God's Word for 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sunday 9 June 2013

10^th Sunday in Ordinary Time C

1Kings 17:17-24, Psalm 29:2. 4-6. 11-13. Rv.2, Galatians 1:11-19, Luke 7:11-17.

Now I know you are a man of God and the word of the Lord is in your mouth.

The Lord listened and had pity. He came to my help.

Then God called me through His grace and chose to reveal his Son to me

A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.

First reading

1 Kings 17:17-24

The son of the mistress of the house fell sick; his illness was so severe that in the end he had no breath left in him. And the woman said to Elijah, ‘What quarrel have you with me, man of God? Have you come here to bring my sins home to me and to kill my son?’ ‘Give me your son’ he said, and taking him from her lap, carried him to the upper room where he was staying and laid him on his own bed. He cried out to the Lord, ‘O Lord my God, do you mean to bring grief to the widow who is looking after me by killing her son?’ He stretched himself on the child three times and cried out to the Lord, ‘O Lord my God, may the soul of this child, I beg you, come into him again!’ The Lord heard the prayer of Elijah and the soul of the child returned to him again and he revived. Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. ‘Look,’ Elijah said ‘your son is alive.’ And the woman replied, ‘Now I know you are a man of God and the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth itself.’

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Psalm

Psalm 29:2,4-6,11-13

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me

and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,

restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,

give thanks to his holy name.

His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.

At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

The Lord listened and had pity.

The Lord came to my help.

For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:

O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

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Second reading

Galatians 1:11-19

The Good News I preached is not a human message that I was given by men, it is something I learnt only through a revelation of Jesus Christ. You must have heard of my career as a practising Jew, how merciless I was in persecuting the Church of God, how much damage I did to it, how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors.

Then God, who had specially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb, called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans. I did not stop to discuss this with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were already apostles before me, but I went off to Arabia at once and later went straight back from there to Damascus. Even when after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days, I did not see any of the other apostles; I only saw James, the brother of the Lord.

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Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ep1:17,18

Alleluia, alleluia!

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

enlighten the eyes of our mind,

so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

Or

Lk7:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

A great prophet has appeared among us;

God has visited his people.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Luke 7:11-17

Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the gate of the town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.’ And this opinion of him spread throughout Judaea and all over the countryside.

Do you make Jesus present where you are?

We have listened to the story of Elijah today. The child of the woman in whose house he is staying has died. Elijah takes the dead boy and pleads with God to give him life again. God hears Elijah’s prayer. Notice what the woman says: Now I know you are a man of God.

Jesus meets the funeral procession of the young man of Nain. Unlike Elijah, he does not pray but speaks directly to the dead man. ‘Young man get up’ he says. The young man does so and then Jesus, like Elijah, gives him back to his mother. Notice what the people say: a great prophet has appeared among us. God has visited his people.

When she saw what Elijah had done and when the people saw what Jesus did, they praised God for visiting them through his prophets. Neither the woman of Elijah’s time nor the people of Nain would ever forget what they saw. It was an experience, which made a deep impression on them and they praised God.

Jesus is here today. Wherever you are, Jesus is there too. You are called to be the manifestation of Jesus. You have clothed yourself with Jesus Christ. You live by his life. He is in you and you in Him as a branch in the vine. He bears fruit through you. When people see what you do, do they say: God has visited his people? Now I know you are a man of God.

You may say, I cannot raise the dead either by prayer like Elijah or by command like Jesus. True!  However, just think, Jesus saw many funerals and dead bodies. He did not bring them all back to life. All the same, by what you do, by your very being, you are to attract others to Jesus. “We catch flies with honey and not with vinegar” St. Francis de Sales tells us. By your kindness, by your cheerful generosity by which you put yourself out for others, always at their service: these are the ways of attracting people. When people realize by your life that Jesus lives in you and you in him, the sweet perfume of your life, your words and your actions will bring them to Him.

Make it your aim as Elijah and then as Jesus to have a love for others, which shares their joys and sorrows and leads to actions of love for them. This is to preach the Gospel twenty-four hours a day. If you are on fire with love, the others will feel the heat and in this cold world be attracted to the warmth of Jesus in you. What are your attitudes and actions saying to people?

Father, it was Jesus human love that attracted people. May we manifest your love for others through our human warmth.

God's Word for 9th Week of Ordinary Time

Monday 3 June 2013

Gospel

Mark 12:1-12

Jesus went on to speak to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug out a trough for the winepress and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce from the vineyard. But they seized the man, thrashed him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another servant to them; him they beat about the head and treated shamefully. And he sent another and him they killed; then a number of others, and they thrashed some and killed the rest. He had still someone left: his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all. “They will respect my son” he said. But those tenants said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and make an end of the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this text of scripture:

It was the stone rejected by the builders

that became the keystone.

This was the Lord’s doing

and it is wonderful to see?

And they would have liked to arrest him, because they realised that the parable was aimed at them, but they were afraid of the crowds. So they left him alone and went away.

The Acceptable fruit of Your Life

Originally addressed to the chief priests, we can apply this parable to the Church. God demands fruits - justice, humility, simplicity and most of all sincerity in our love and service of one another. Let us apply to our own lives. Your life situation is the vineyard. Everything you have, your life, your family, your community, your work place, your neighbourhood, is the vineyard. God has given it to you on trust. It is not yours. It belongs to God and he demands his share of the vineyard. Are you producing the fruits acceptable to God? First, this is a life free from sin: deception, stealing, sexual immorality, bribery and corruption, oppression of others. Secondly, it is a life of love and responsibility for yourself, your spouse and family, for your community and neighbourhood. Do you fulfil the demands of God made through the Church and the Gospel?

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Gospel

Mark 12:13-17

The chief priests and the scribes and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees and some Herodians to catch him out in what he said. These came and said to him, ‘Master, we know you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in all honesty. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?’ Seeing through their hypocrisy he said to them, ‘Why do you set this trap for me? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.’ They handed him one and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they told him. Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ This reply took them completely by surprise.

Give to God what is God’s

The Pharisees and Herodians were mutual enemies but they come together against Jesus. Their question is highly sensitive in view of the Roman occupation and the hostility of the Jews towards them. Whatever answer Jesus gives, they think, he will meet aggression from either the people or the Romans. Jesus sees through their hypocrisy and their trickery. The coin is Caesar’s, then give it back, he says. He adds; give to God what belongs to God. Everything belongs to God. Through selfishness and sin, men have robbed the earth from him. Injustice, exploitation, poverty, sickness, and suffering of every kind are everywhere. Men have spoiled the earth through pollution. To give to God what is his, is to renew society through love, justice and peace and to preserve the beauty of creation for the next generation. Does renewal begin with you or are you part of the problem?

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Gospel

Mark 12:18-27

Some Sadducees – who deny that there is a resurrection – came to him and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife and then died leaving no children. The second married the widow, and he too died leaving no children; with the third it was the same, and none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman herself died. Now at the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be, since she had been married to all seven?’

Jesus said to them, ‘Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.’

Life in God’s family

Imagining that the future life is an extension of this one, the Sadducees wanted to make it look ridiculous. Jesus tells them and us that life with God is not like life on earth. He does not specify. It would be foolish to try to imagine it. “No eye has seen. No ear has heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man to imagine what things God has prepared for those who love him”(1Cor.2:9l). God, a loving Father like no father on earth, will bring his plan for us to perfection. We will be like his Son in every respect. It will be the family of God. We should prepare for it now by surrendering ourselves to the Father. He will work in us through his Spirit to make us, even now, the images of his Son. Does the image of Jesus shine in you?

Thursday 6 June 2013

Gospel

Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

As You Treat others, so You Treat of God

Christianity has grown out of Judaism. The answer to the scribe’s question is the prayer the Jews said daily. Jesus will bring this to fulfilment. God is one, but he is also three. God is the community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From this Triune God we have received everything. In the Spirit, we are recreated. We share the life of God in Jesus. Jesus has brought the second law to fulfilment. Love one another as I have loved you. He puts no limit to how we are to love others. He has identified himself with poorest and the least in the community. ‘I was hungry and you gave me to eat, thirsty and you gave me to drink’. Love of God comes first but we can only do this by loving our sister and brother. Do you realise that love of your neighbour is your love of God?

Friday 7 June 2013

Gospel

Luke 15:3-7

Jesus spoke this parable to the scribes and Pharisees:

‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.’

God’s Grief and Your Sin

We have heard this parable many times. However, we must begin to see how precious we are to the Good Shepherd. No shepherd wants to lose any of his sheep. Jesus doesn’t want to lose you either. It is not for any selfish motive but he considers you so highly. He knows what eternal life with God is like. He wants you to enjoy this life, at any cost – to himself. To walk away and sin will not make him angry but profoundly sad. This is because as he said on the Cross, “They do not know what they are doing.” The heart of Jesus like the parable is only an image of the reality, which is that Jesus wants you to enjoy life with God. He values you so much that he would rather die on a Cross, than that you lose life with God. What is your response?

Saturday 8 June 2013

Gospel

Luke 2:41-51

Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.

Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’

‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’  But they did not understand what he meant.

He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.

Discovering God’s Will in daily Life

We can easily live life on the surface. Life is a round of activities and we do them. Mary and Joseph had been to the feast in Jerusalem. They must have enjoyed it. Then after a day’s journey, they discover that Jesus isn’t with the group. They go back searching for him. Eventually they look in the Temple and there they find him. The boy Jesus is discovering his vocation. He must be in his Father’s house – which is in Jerusalem and not in Nazareth. He is as much as telling Mary and Joseph that he has another life apart from the one with them. Mary doesn’t understand. She ponders and prays. She wants to discover God’s hand and will in everything. This is the way to come to an understanding of the meaning of our life. Do you pray to discover God’s meaning in your life?