Sunday, 10 October 2010

Reflections for the weekdays of 28th week in Ordinary Time




I am the resurrection.
Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live,
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full


October 11, 2010
Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The son of the slave woman was born naturally,
the son of the freeborn through a promise.
Now this is an allegory.
These women represent two covenants.
One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;
this is Hagar.
But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.
For it is written:
Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;
break forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than of her who has a husband.
Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we are children not of the slave woman
but of the freeborn woman.
For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
Ps 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5a and 6-7
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 2) Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
Paul is writing in the context of Christian preachers who want the Galatians to go back to the Law of Moses. These preachers believed in Jesus but still revered the Law of Moses and taught that the observation of the Law was also necessary for salvation. Paul opposed this with all his strength. He teaches that in Christ there is only one law and that is to love. In Christ we are called to love with all our heart and soul. This has profound implications for our practice of the Faith. We do not live by law but by love. We should never even give the impression that the Church is an organization of laws. It is a community of love.

Lk 11:29-32
Gospel
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
Jonah was a prophet with weaknesses of his own. He disobeyed the command of God. He was a reluctant preacher and would prefer the Ninevites to perish than be saved. Yet when he preached the people of Nineveh repented because they recognized they were sinners. The message is important and not the messenger. Jesus, sinless Servant of Yahweh, preached but the Jews in their self-righteousness would not listen. He is wisdom in person but still they would not listen to his message. We listen to the preaching of Jesus constantly for every time the Scriptures are read in church Jesus speaks to us. Do we open our hearts to his Word and live our lives according to it? We may not be self-righteous like the Pharisees but do we take the Word of God seriously? Do you reflect daily on his Word and examine your life in accordance with it?
 October 12, 2010
Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
It is I, Paul, who am telling you
that if you have yourselves circumcised,
Christ will be of no benefit to you.
Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised
that he is bound to observe the entire law.
You are separated from Christ,
you who are trying to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith working through love.
Ps 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
Responsorial Psalm
R. (41a) Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Let your mercy come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise.
True Christianity is to fall in love with Jesus. Anyone in love does not live by law but by love for the other. So it is with the true believer. We are called to the freedom of love which will indeed sacrifice everything joyfully for the beloved, Jesus, as he has sacrificed everything joyfully for us, his beloved. When love is imperfect we need law. Further, we cannot win salvation by “good works”. Salvation is offered to us freely by the One who loves us. The one who responds will always do the will of the beloved out of love for him.
Gospel
After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
The washing was not hygienic but a ritual to wash away “the sin” caused by touching the unclean. Jesus does not see sin as something external. Washing the body without ‘washing the heart’ is like cleaning a vessel externally while inside it stinks with rotting material. Our inner spirit must be consecrated to God in love. Then we will be full of justice and love for others, as God is. We hate to part with out material possessions because we love them and cling to them. ‘Where your treasure is, there is your heart’. Giving our treasures away to those in need purifies our heart of greed. We are able to love God and our brothers and sisters. Without a heart of pure love external religious practices, prayers and fasting have no value. To have a heart for God have you given away all you do not need.
October 13, 2010
Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.
Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see Jn 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
The Holy Spirit is not limited to professed Christians. Like the wind he moves where he wills. All the good in the world comes from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. By belief in Jesus we explicitly receive the Holy Spirit. We are no longer to live our lives according to law but according to the Spirit who lives within us. This needs a mature spirituality. We need to listen to the Spirit and summit ourselves to him. Then within us will be produced the fruits of the Spirit that Paul enumerates. They are caused by the Spirit in us in as far as we surrender ourselves to him. Without the Spirit we fall into the slavery of self-indulgence. The fruits of this are also very clear as Paul explains. They bring self-destruction.
Gospel
Luke 11:42-46
The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
The Pharisees were so religious, yet Jesus does not approve of them. Fasting, saying prayers and observing the law was their life. But why were they doing this? Were they interested in what God thought of them.? St. Paul will say, I am not concerned about what men think of me. It is what judgement the Lord makes that counts. God is interested in a life of justice, of doing what is right towards people, of love for others and service. How many of us are faithful to church but do not practice justice and love in our lives? How many of us love to have the seats of honour and positions of power and authority in the Church only to satisfy our egos. It is not our external membership or our position in the Church but a religion of internal dedication, mercy, humility and love that God wants.
October 14, 2010
Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
to the holy ones who are in Ephesus
and faithful in Christ Jesus:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In Christ we have redemption by his Blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
This is a letter written long after the death of Paul, but through reflection and prayer on the development of the Church applies and develops Paul’s thought under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Though not from the hand of Paul, it is a Pauline document. Since God chose you before creation, he knew you and desired you as a dear child in Christ his only begotten Son. The goal of life is then to become in every way like Jesus. Adopted by the Father and sharing his life through the Spirit each of us is to become in every way a ‘true child of God’. Through Christ we can be “holy and without blemish before him” and true members of his divine Family. This is our dignity and destiny..
Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6
Responsorial Psalm
R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.


Lk 11:47-54
Gospel
The Lord said:
“Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute’
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.”
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
Not all Pharisees were bad but there were those who deserved the rebukes that Jesus gives. They may well have been the vocal ones in opposition to him. The Gospel is however not a history but a message for the believers of Jesus. Jesus demands that we be internally dedicated to God. It is not enough to go to church, on pilgrimages and be active members of the parish. Jesus demands a new heart which is sincere before God and man. He demands that our hearts be full of love for God. This love will manifest itself in love and service for others. We help others find the Kingdom by the lives we lead. We must be consciously the light of the world, not to attract attention to us but to God. Evangelisation is to share our experience of Jesus. Have you a burning desire to bring people to Jesus?
Friday October 15, 2010
Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church

Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
In Christ we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
Responsorial Psalm
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
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.

Lk 12:1-7

Gospel
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
The crowds are following Jesus to Jerusalem in their thousands. What they were seeking? They were not his disciples. They didn’t understand his message of the Cross and of suffering for all who want to follow him. He turns and speaks with his disciples. The Pharisees are implacable opponents and because of their mentality there can be no truce. Jesus once again condemns their hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is to pretend to be what one is not. It is in the context of hypocrisy that Jesus proclaims that everything will one day be revealed. Can I stand upright when all is revealed? Jesus speak of fear five times. We are not to fear men. At most they can only kill our bodies. They can’t touch ‘us’. We are not to fear Satan either, but resist him in faith. We are to fear the One who gives the final judgement on our lives.
October 16, 2010
Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
Hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus
and of your love for all the holy ones,
I do not cease giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers,
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the Church,
which is his Body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
Ps 8:2-3ab, 4-5, 6-7
Responsorial Psalm
R. (7) You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
O LORD, our LORD,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
You have exalted your majesty above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
you have fashioned praise because of your foes.
The author prays that we may receive the Spirit so that our eyes may be opened to understand the hope by which we live, and what is  the inheritance that will be given to all who believe in Jesus, and what is the immense power of God at work in all those who believe. It is the same power that raised the dead Jesus and made him head of the whole of creation and head of the universal Church which is his Body.
Lk 12:8-12
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
 “I tell you,
everyone who acknowledges me before others
the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever denies me before others
will be denied before the angels of God.
“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.
When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how or what your defense will be
or about what you are to say.
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”
We must have no fear in publicly acknowledging our faith in Jesus. Our salvation depends on publicly professing Jesus as Lord and Saviour. It is hypocrisy to hide our faith. God is active in the world bringing salvation through Jesus. If a person calls his work, which is manifestly from God, from the Devil he sins against the Spirit. He knowingly rejects the salvation which brings forgiveness. God is always ready to forgive but the person has cut himself off from the source of salvation. The Christian life is life in the Spirit. The children of God are lead by the Spirit at all times. He is the source of their power and wisdom to witness to Jesus even in extreme circumstances. We are not then to worry. Do you experience the courage given you by the Spirit in your Christian life among non believers.


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Saturday, 9 October 2010

Reflections for the weekdays of 28th week in Ordinary Time



I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live,  
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 
I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time C

2 Kings 5:14-17, Psalm 97: 1-4. Rv. 2, 2 Tim 2: 8-13,

Your servant will no longer offer sacrifice to any god except the Lord.
Shout to the Lord all the earth, ring out your joy.
We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful.
Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?
Luke 17: 11-19

11 Now it happened that on the way to Jerusalem he was travelling in the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered one of the villages, ten men suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to meet him. They stood some way off 13 and called to him, 'Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.' 14 When he saw them he said, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests.' Now as they were going away they were cleansed. 15 Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice 16 and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. 17 This led Jesus to say, 'Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? 18 It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.' 19 And he said to the man, 'Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.'

Are you the one or the nine?
            When we hear of healing we normally think of physical healing. Today we meet the ten lepers. Though they were still alive, they were dead. Isolated and shunned they lived a life of cruel degradation. They were pariah beggars. These ten recognized Jesus and standing ‘some way off’ they called, “Jesus, Master!” They didn’t call him “Lord”. Master was just a title of respect that even his enemies used of Jesus. It was only disciples who would call him Lord. These ten did not know Jesus. Jesus tells them to go to the priests. The priests were the ones who could certify that they did not have leprosy and so could enter society again. On the way all ten were cured but how many were healed?
            Only one seeing that he was cured returned to Jesus praising God at the top of his voice and he threw himself down at the feet of Jesus. To this one Jesus said: “Stand up. Your faith has saved you”. This one man was saved. Of all of them he was the only one to meet Jesus. And so he worshiped him. It is in meeting Jesus that we come to know him as Lord and are saved. We have faith when we meet Jesus face to face.
            It is not enough to just go to church, we have to approach Jesus and meet him. Then we will be healed. We will receive peace and joy, be able to love and forgive. We will be able to offer sincere gratitude to Jesus for all the blessings that we have received. Since everything we are and have, is his gift, our thanksgiving will never end.
            The Samaritan realized that he had been healed by God and gave praise to him. Jesus was clearly disappointed that the other nine had not come back to praise God. He wasn’t disappointed that they hadn’t come back to offer thanks to him but that they didn’t give praise to God.
            When we look at ourselves and everything in our life we discover that everything is a gift of God. From our very existence, our family, friends and everything in the world, it is his entire gift to us. Our future as heirs with Christ is even more wonderful than what we have experienced so far and that is pure gift too.
            Have you taken it all for granted? Have you been struck by the wonder of your being, the wonder of the promises of God given to us by Jesus? Have you tried to count your blessings and give praise to God? Or like the nine gone off about your own business oblivious to the fact that God has given you everything you have.      

Father, may I realize all you have done for me out of love and praise you with a grateful heart.



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Sunday, 3 October 2010

Reflections for the weekdays of 27th week in Ordinary Time

 
I am the Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep.


I know my own and my own know me.


You are precious in my sight.

October 4, 2010
Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, religious

Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking
the one who called you by the grace of Christ
for a different gospel (not that there is another).
But there are some who are disturbing you
and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ.
But even if we or an angel from heaven
should preach to you a gospel
other than the one that we preached to you,
let that one be accursed!
As we have said before, and now I say again,
if anyone preaches to you a gospel
other than the one that you received,
let that one be accursed!
Am I now currying favor with human beings or God?
Or am I seeking to please people?
If I were still trying to please people,
I would not be a slave of Christ.
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that the Gospel preached by me is not of human origin.
For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it,
but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
The Galatians had been influenced by those Christians from Judaism who taught them that although we must believe in Jesus as the Christ still we must observe the Law of Moses if we want to be saved. We, today, cannot understand the love Jews had for the Law of Moses and how they wanted new converts from the gentiles to follow it also. Paul and his missionary companions were totally opposed to this and argued very strongly against it. He felt so strongly about how wrong this view was that sometimes his language is quite lacking in politeness. As he will argue, he had every right to be proud of his Jewish ancestry but he threw it all away as rubbish after he had come to know Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.
Ps 111:1b-2, 7-8, 9 and 10c
Responsorial Psalm
R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.


Lk 10:25-37
Gospel
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,
“A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Who commanded us to love our mother who gave us birth, cared for us as a baby, child and loves us? Who commanded us to love our wife or husband or children? We know them, what they have done for us and how they look on us and love springs up in our hearts. Who commands us then to love God? Why do we not love him? Our problem is a lack of true knowledge. If we knew him, then we would love him. Jesus needs to open our eyes. Jesus brings religion out of the Temple and into daily life. Our love for God shows itself in our practical love for others. The Samaritan was the neighbour to the man lying half dead.  Am I a neighbour to those in my circle who have ‘fallen into the hands of robbers’?  Can others rely on me to be a neighbour?

October 5, 2010
Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
You heard of my former way of life in Judaism,
how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure
and tried to destroy it,
and progressed in Judaism
beyond many of my contemporaries among my race,
since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.
But when he, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart
and called me through his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me,
so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,
I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,
nor did I go up to Jerusalem
to those who were Apostles before me;
rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas
and remained with him for fifteen days.
But I did not see any other of the Apostles,
only James the brother of the Lord.
(As to what I am writing to you, behold,
before God, I am not lying.)
Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea
that are in Christ;
they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us
is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
So they glorified God because of me.
How necessary is the teaching authority in the Church, the Petrine Office. From the very beginning there were Christians who had their own ideas and proclaimed them as those of God. The first Christians were Jews. Their religion and culture were one. Many opposed Paul. They wanted the new gentile Christians to follow at least certain elements of the Law of Moses. Because Paul in no way demanded that they accused him of not being a true apostle commissioned by Jesus. They accused him too of watering down the faith. These people had great influence in Galatia and were encouraging the Christians to turn to Jewish cultural and religious practices. Paul defends his own authority and wants to keep the faith pure. Only Jesus is the source of Salvation. We are free of the restrictions of the Law.
Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15
Responsorial Psalm
R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.


Lk 10:38-42
Gospel
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.
Martha is anxious and worried. She is not at peace. She is working for Jesus but is she doing the work of Jesus? Mary has chosen the better part. She sits at his feet engrossed in what Jesus says. “Man does not live by bread alone”. ”My mother and my brethren are those who hear the Word of God and keep it”. We need to learn to sit at the feet of Jesus daily in quiet peace, concentrating on his presence. Silent awareness of his presence and resting there is prayer. We are to listen to him speaking in our hearts. His Word gives life, eternal life now. Then we can work as he did full of God’s presence doing his work. Our work will not drain us but we will experience his peace and closeness. Have you gone beyond the anxiety of prayers to the peace of his presence?

October 6, 2010
Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas,
taking Titus along also.
I went up in accord with a revelation,
and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles–
but privately to those of repute–
so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain.
On the contrary,
when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel to the uncircumcised,
just as Peter to the circumcised,
for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the circumcised
worked also in me for the Gentiles,
and when they recognized the grace bestowed upon me,
James and Cephas and John,
who were reputed to be pillars,
gave me and Barnabas their right hands in partnership,
that we should go to the Gentiles
and they to the circumcised.
Only, we were to be mindful of the poor,
which is the very thing I was eager to do.
And when Cephas came to Antioch,
I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.
For, until some people came from James,
he used to eat with the Gentiles;
but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,
because he was afraid of the circumcised.
And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him,
with the result that even Barnabas
was carried away by their hypocrisy.
But when I saw that they were not on the right road
in line with the truth of the Gospel,
I said to Cephas in front of all,
“If you, though a Jew,
are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,
how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
Ps 117:1bc, 2
Responsorial Psalm
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
We all inherit traditions and customs from our cultural background. Many Jewish Christians were loathe to part with the Law and circumcision. Many wanted to impose this on new converts who were gentiles. It is to Paul’s greatness that he recognized that salvation comes from faith in Jesus alone and that the Law and circumcision were now obsolete. The group from James in Jerusalem was made up of die-hard traditionalists. They even made Peter give up eating with gentile converts and only eat with Jewish Christians. Since Peter was the leader of the Church everyone followed suit. Paul was obliged to publicly point out his hypocrisy.  We are saved by Jesus alone. He forgives us our sins and fills us with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit in us who enables us to perform good works.


Lk 11:1-4
Gospel
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”
When Jesus prayed he would be carried away. He was rejected in a ‘foreign land’. In prayer with his Father he found peace. The disciples longed to pray like him. One of them asks him to teach them to pray like he does. He shares not a formula but his experience of being with his Father. As a man Jesus needed to pray. In prayer we receive enlightenment, strength and courage. Jesus needed all these. We talk to God with the confidence of a small child. We want most of all that all men and women will come to know him and love him as their Father. Trusting in him we expect him to look to all our needs. We must never forget that we are sinners. Our Father forgives us and we must forgive others. Is prayer an experience for you or a set of formulae?
October 7, 2010
Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

Reading 1
O stupid Galatians!
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?
Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
Responsorial Psalm
R. (68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

The Galatians had been wedded to the Law of Moses. On hearing the Gospel of Jesus they had left the Law and consecrated themselves to Christ Jesus. Now some false Christian teachers had persuaded them to go back to the Law. Paul insists that the observation of Law now brings no benefit. Everything comes from believing in Jesus. We may think we will earn God’s graces by doing good works or fasting and penances. We cannot earn anything. Everything is God’s gift. The Spirit is the greatest of all gifts. Good works follow from his indwelling, the do not cause it.
Lk 11:5-13
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”
We often think that prayer is about asking for things – good health, a good job, a loving wife or husband. Prayer is about all these things but they are secondary. The great desire of our God is to give us Himself in an intimate loving relationship. And so the Father sent his only Son to be one of us and invite us and he in his turn sends the Holy Spirit who is the Love of God in Person. We are invited to become divine and share in everything that belongs to God. Prayer is our answer. Prayer is to express our total trust in the goodness and love of Almighty God for us. We can surrender ourselves with the utmost confidence to the will of God. He loves us more than we do ourselves. Do you see prayer as an abiding relationship with explicit moments of communication?

October 8, 2010
Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
Realize that it is those who have faith
who are children of Abraham.
Scripture, which saw in advance that God
would justify the Gentiles by faith,
foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,
Through you shall all the nations be blessed.
Consequently, those who have faith are blessed
along with Abraham who had faith.
For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse;
for it is written, Cursed be everyone
who does not persevere in doing all the things
written in the book of the law.
And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear,
for the one who is righteous by faith will live.
But the law does not depend on faith;
rather, the one who does these things will live by them.
Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,
for it is written, Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,
that the blessing of Abraham might be extended
to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,
so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Ps 111:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
Responsorial Psalm
R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
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.

The purpose of the Law was restrain sin. It could not take it away. There were many rules regarding food, circumcision, following special days in the calendar and so many other requirements. But these are no longer necessary because Jesus has come. He has won for us forgiveness for all sin by being cursed on the Cross. Those who believe in him receive the Holy Spirit who sanctifies them.
Lk 11:15-26
Gospel
When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:
“By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”
Jesus has driven out a demon. Whatever he does there are those who oppose him. They are adamant in their refusal to accept him. They say he is in league with Satan and drives out evil spirits by Satan’s power. Jesus reveals the hollowness of this argument. Then he shows how Satan once master of this world, is no longer. Jesus has come to liberate mankind from his slavery. Satan has to yield because Jesus is stronger. He is now vanquished and powerless. Jesus heals us of sin, breaks evil habits and makes us clean within. The Spirit opens our ears to hear God’s Word. He loosens our tongue to call God “Father”. But if our heart is not filled with the Spirit of God and his Word, the evil spirit returns. We become slaves again to what possessed us before. Has Jesus healed you? What spirit fills your heart?
October 9, 2010
Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
Scripture confined all things under the power of sin,
that through faith in Jesus Christ
the promise might be given to those who believe.
Before faith came, we were held in custody under law,
confined for the faith that was to be revealed.
Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ,
that we might be justified by faith.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian.
For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person,
there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants,
heirs according to the promise.
Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Responsorial Psalm
R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!

Everything we have and are is his gift. God doesn’t demand that we earn salvation and all we are to receive. He wants to give us everything freely. He is a Father who cares for his children in every way. He has given us the supreme gift of freedom. All he asks of us is that we freely turn to him with all our hearts. The more we can turn to him, the more he can give us. This is to have faith. God lives among us in the Person of Jesus. God lives within us in the Person of the Spirit. He is the source of all our “good works”. The more we receive him, the more “good works” we perform. We become the images of Jesus, Son of the Father for whom we live. We live in God.
Lk 11:27-28
Gospel
While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied, “Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.”
The woman impressed with Jesus recognized him as the Messiah. His mother must have been a blessed woman to produce such a Son. “Blessed is the womb”. Jesus does not deny this. He says, however, there is a greater blessing. It is to “hear the word of God and observe it”. Mary did this. To the Good News she responded,”I am the handmaid of the Lord”. She loved her Son. He was her life. Her one desire: that he should succeed in his life’s work. She learnt detachment. On Calvary she accepts the loss of her Son for the salvation of the world. Her joy at being his mother is annihilated. Instead she is pierced by the sword of sorrow. Her acceptance of God’s plan is the secret of her greatness. Can you accept his plan for you as ‘servant of the Lord’? Are you blessed along with his mother?




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Friday, 1 October 2010

Reflections for 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time C


 
I am the Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep.


I know my own and my own know me.


You are precious in my sight.



 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Habakkuk  1: 2-3; 2: 2-4, Psalm 94:1-2, 6-9 Rv.8, 2 Tim 1:6-8. 13-14,

The upright man will live by his faithfulness
O that today you would listen to his voice, harden not your heart.
Fan into flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you.
Were your faith the size of a mustard seed.

Luke 17:5-10
5 The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.' 6 The Lord replied, 'If you had faith like a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you. 7 'Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, "Come and have your meal at once"? 8 Would he not be more likely to say, "Get my supper ready; fasten your belt and wait on me while I eat and drink. You yourself can eat and drink afterwards"? 9 Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? 10 So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, "We are useless servants: we have done no more than our duty." '

Servant or Son?
Who are we before God? Everything I am is his gift. I was ‘no-thing’ until God conceived me in his heart before the world began. He chose me in Christ to be his own. He chose me to share in his divine life just as Jesus, the Son of God, shares in our human life. Everything about me is his gift - his gift of love for me and for the world.
            The apostles ask for an increase in faith. Is faith a commodity which can be added to? It is God who does everything and faith is to realize this. I must allow God to act through me, his child. Of myself I cannot do anything, even when I appear to be ‘gifted’. Of myself I am still ’nothing’ but by his grace he may do many things through me. How we desire to take the glory for the things he does through us! We want people’s accolades. Faith is to surrender to the goodness of God, allowing him to bring about his Kingdom through us and not stealing the glory that rightly belongs to him.
            God owes me nothing and I owe him everything. It is he who gives me the grace to serve him. I cannot earn heaven or indeed anything by my own efforts. My life is a response to his love. God loves me. My life and the world we live in are the proof that God is love. I respond by pleasing him in everything. It is not to earn heaven. Heaven is a gift. I am not in a commercial relationship with God but of love. He loves me and I respond to his love. So when I have done everything I can, what have I done? I have responded to his love but can never respond enough. Furthermore while on this earth my response is always tainted.
            I am not a servant but a son. As a son I will work for my Father out of love and respect for him. I do not work for a reward because I know that through his love for me ‘everything he has is mine’. My Father does not owe me a debt of gratitude for my loving him. I can do no more in return for everything he does for me. I must always trust in his love even though I can’t see him and indeed often cannot understand him. He may appear silent and even unconcerned but I know that this is only an appearance and one day when I am fully enlightened I will realize that his concern was ever with me. “Since my heart was embittered and my soul deeply wounded, I was stupid and could not understand: yet I am always with you; you take hold of my right hand…and at the end you receive me with honour” Ps.73:21.

Father, may I always trust in your goodness and allow you to work out your will through me.




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