|
September
2 - Monday
22nd
Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: TODAY
IS THE TIME OF GRACE
Readings:
1 Cor 2:1-5; Lk
4:16-30
Introduction
Additional
Commentaries / Daily Gospel: Sept.
2, 2002 from our Bible Diary
Opening Prayer
God, Father of mercy and love,
you let your Son announce to us
that today is the time of grace.
Let his Spirit be upon us today,
that in the poverty of our own hearts
we may hear Jesus' stirring message,
that blind as we are, he may give us eyes of faith,
and that he may set us free
from the captivity of our fears and selfishness.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
Paul
reminds his Corinthians that he had preached them the simple, uncomplicated
message of the crucified Christ. That was a message of faith, not
of human wisdom.
First
Reading: 1 Cor 2:1-5
When
I came to reveal to you he mystery of God's plan I did not count
on eloquence or on a show of learning. I was determined not to know
anything among you but Jesus, the Messiah, and a crucified Messiah.
I myself came weak, fearful and trembling; my words and preaching
were not brilliant or clever to win listeners. It was, rather, a
demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might be a
matter, not of human wisdom, but of God's power.
Responsorial
Psalm: Psalms 119:97-102
Oh,
how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long.
Your
commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with
me.
I
have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are
my meditation.
I
understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.
I
hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.
I
do not turn away from your ordinances, for you have taught me.
Gospel
Introduction:
From
now on until Advent begins, we shall read the gospel of Luke, the
evangelist who pays special attention to the Holy Spirit, the mercy
of God, Jesus' special concern for the poor, the role of women in
the life of Jesus, and the liturgy. Luke presents his gospel in the
form of a journey from Nazareth in Galilee to Jerusalem. Today we
hear about the beginning of the so-called public life of Jesus, his
program set for him by the Spirit. He announces salvation as starting
"today" with his teaching and working among the people.
For us too, the time of grace is today, in our time, with the Lord
working and living among us now.
Gospel
Reading: Lk 4:16-30
When
Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, he entered
the synagogue on the sabbath as he usually did. He stood up to read
and they handed him the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Jesus
then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to bring
good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight
to the blind; to free the oppressed and announce the Lord's year
of mercy."
Jesus
then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down,
while the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he
said to them, "Today these prophetic words come true even as
you listen."
All
agreed with him and were lost in wonder, while he kept on speaking
of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, "Who is this
but Joseph's son?" So he said, "Doubtless you will quote
me the saying: Doctor, heal yourself! Do here in your town what
they say you did in Capernaum."
Jesus
added, "No prophet is honored in his own country. Truly, I
say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah,
when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and
a great famine came over the whole land. Yet Elijah was not sent
to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon.
There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the
prophet, and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian."
On
hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose
up and brought him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which
Nazareth is built, intending to throw him down the cliff. But he
passed through their midst and went his way.
(Commentary)
General Intercessions
· Lord, give eloquence and courage to our
leaders and all teachers in the Church, that they may understand
it and proclaim it as good news of liberation to all, we pray:
· Lord, open our eyes to the miseries of
people; make us concerned about those imprisoned in their fears
and the grip of injustice, we pray:
· Lord, make us receptive to your word. Free
us from banality and fear, our self-security and certainties, we
pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
it is perhaps easier for us
to accept your Son as our Savior and Lord
than the people who knew him
as the son of Joseph and Mary.
Help us to recognize him here in our midst
in these signs of bread and wine.
Accept this offering of our faith
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
through his words and his body
your Son Jesus Christ is alive among us.
Fill us with his Holy Spirit,
that we too, with him and in his name,
may bring his good news to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives,
open the eyes of the blind
and set the downtrodden free.
Let this be to all the time of the grace
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Today, with Jesus alive among us in our community,
we should also be ready to say with Jesus: "The Spirit of the
Lord is upon us. He sends us to bring good news to the poor."
May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.
Top
Gospel
Commentary
(Monday)
With
this passage Luke presents the inauguration of Jesus' ministry:
it is the fulfillment of the jubilee when all relations are to be
set aright once again. "Today this writing is fulfilled in
your hearing!" This is one of those three occasions in the
third Gospel when we hear Jesus stating the beginning of a new reality
(cf. Lk 19:9; 23:43). In Jesus' life and ministry the new age has
dawned. His compatriots who wanted extraordinary feats were taken
aback by Jesus' ordinariness: "Is not this man the son of Joseph?"
Like Jesus' contemporaries, we Christian believers are challenged
to discern in the ordinariness of our lives, while setting relations
aright according to God's vision, the very signs of the inaugurated
reign of God
September
3 - Tuesday
22nd
Week in Ordinary Time
Theme:AUTHORITY
OF JESUS
Readings:
1 Cor 2:10-16; Lk
4:31-37
Note.
September 3 - Feast of ST. GREGORY
the Great - see
also Celebration of Saints
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we say that authority means service,
but we experience that it is very hard
to make this beautiful principle work.
Keep always before our eyes
the example of your Son Jesus Christ.
His authority was healing and saving,
respectful of people and yet committing us
to get out of our mediocrity.
May all authority among us
be humble, dedicated, self-effacing,
willing to serve to the end,
and patterned after that of Jesus,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
Divine wisdom
is a gift from the Spirit. The Spirit gives us discernment. Wisdom
does not come from the human reasoning of gnosis and initiation in
mystery religions. We should be spiritual people, men and women of
the Spirit.
First
Reading: 1 Cor 2:10-16
God
has revealed it to us, through his Spirit, because the Spirit probes
everything, even the depth of God.
Who
but his own spirit knows the secrets of a person? Similarly, no
one but the Spirit of God knows the secrets of God. We have not
received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from
God and, through him, we understand what God in his goodness has
given us.
So
we speak of this, not in terms inspired by human wisdom, but in
a language taught by the Spirit, explaining a spiritual wisdom to
spiritual persons. The one who remains on the psychological level
does not understand the things of the Spirit. They are foolishness
for him and he does not understand because they require a spiritual
experience. On the other hand, the spiritual person judges everything
but no one judges him. Who has known the mind of God so as to teach
him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Responsorial
Psalm: Psalms 145:8-14
The
LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast
love.
The
LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has
made.
All
your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your faithful
shall bless you.
They
shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power,
to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious
splendor of your kingdom.
Your
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout
all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious
in all his deeds.
The
LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed
down.
Gospel
Introduction:
The
people and Jesus' own disciples were often struck by the authority
of Jesus. Here was someone higher than a mere human being. There was
authority in his teaching - he had something to say that challenged
men and confronted them with themselves and with God. He had authority
over the law, which he wanted to trim from its man-made trappings.
By his authority he overcame the powers of evil and sin. He claimed
to judge people. He used his authority for the good of people - it
was a power of salvation. Yet it was a power that came in humility
and weakness, an authority of service that brought faith, that gave
hope, that expressed and created love. And when the time came, he
used it to lay down his life and to take it up again, to pass it on
to his disciples, and then to leave.
Gospel
Reading:
Lk 4:31-37
Jesus
went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and began teaching the
people at the sabbath meetings. They were astonished at the way
he taught them, for his word was spoken with authority.
In
the synagogue there was a man possessed by an evil spirit who shouted
in a loud voice, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us? I recognize you: you are the Holy One
of God." Then Jesus said to him sharply, "Be silent and
leave this man!" The evil spirit then threw the man down in
front of them and came out of him without doing him harm.
Amazement
seized all these people and they said to one another, "What
does this mean? He commands the evil spirits with authority and
power. He orders, and you see how they come out!" And news
about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding area.
(Commentary)
General Intercessions
- That the Church may speak with authority about
Jesus because it knows him by living his life, we pray:
- That we may be close to Jesus because we try to
respond deeply to his challenge of loving people, we pray:
- That the world may be a little better because
we try to live according to the good news of Jesus, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
by the authority you gave to your Son,
this bread and wine will become for us
his body and blood, our food and drink.
Let him share his power with us
that our cowardice may turn into courage
and that we may become liberated people
free to serve and to love
and to verify with our lives the truth
of the good news that he is our Lord for ever.
Prayer after
Communion
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus Christ left his authority
to his apostles and disciples
as a unifying bond and a legacy of service.
Grant that your Church may use his power
to bind people together and to heal their wounds,
to speak in the name of those without voice,
and to lead us forward to the genuine freedom
that you brought us in Christ our Lord.
Blessing
May our authority as Christians consist
in doing good and serving people in love. May almighty God bless
you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Top
Gospel
Commentary (Tuesday)
Having
been rejected in his own hometown, Jesus makes Capernaum the "headquarters"
of his ministry. There he both taught and brought wholeness to people's
lives. Luke points out that whether in teaching or in doing miracles,
Jesus did things with authority. And the people's response to such
authoritative teaching and healing was that of awe and wonder. If
he was able to do so, it was because of an inner authority in him
- the conviction that what he was saying and doing was a way of
pointing to the reality of God's reign already breaking into our
times. That awe and wonder, therefore, he did not seek for himself.
He wanted to direct it to God and God's reign over us. Being a recipient
of God's reign through baptism, are our words and deeds a witness
to the reality of God's reign here and now?
Top
September
4 - Wednesday
22nd
Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: THE
GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM
Readings:
1 Cor 3:1-9; Lk 4:38-44
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we thank you today for Jesus, your Son.
He came to heal our wounds
and to set us going on the way
to you and to one another.
Help us in our fumbling, stumbling attempts
to continue looking for him
and to make his gospel of hope and love
come true among us as the good news
that your Son is alive among us
and that he is our Lord for ever.
Scripture Readings:
First
Reading Introduction:
We
are God's community, and therefore all division among us is a shame.
It shows that we have not yet grown up in the Spirit as "spiritual"
people. If we could only grow up!
First
Reading:1
Cor 3:1-9
I
could not, friends, speak to you as spiritual persons but as fleshly
people, for you are still infants in Christ. I gave you milk and
not solid food, for you were not ready for it and up to now you
cannot receive it for you are still of the flesh. As long as there
is jealousy and strife, what can I say but that you are at the level
of the flesh and behave like ordinary people.
While
one says: "I follow Paul," and the other: "I follow
Apollos," what are you but people still at a human level?
For
what is Apollos? What is Paul? They are ministers and through them
you believed, as it was given by the Lord to each of them. I planted,
Apollos watered the plant, but God made it grow. So neither the
one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who makes
the plant grow.
The
one who plants and the one who waters work to the same end, and
the Lord will pay each according to their work. We are fellow-workers
with God, but you are God's field and building.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalms 33:12-15, 20-21
Happy
is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen
as his heritage.
The
LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind.
From
where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth--he
who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds.
Our
soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield.
Our
heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
Gospel
Introduction:
Jesus
has preached his message of hope in the lake town of Capernaum and
confirmed it by liberating the poor and the sick from the powers of
evil. He has to bring the same good news to other places. The gospel
of hope in a new world is destined for all. With the people healed
by Jesus, let us in this eucharist thank the Lord for his good news.
 Gospel
Reading: Lk 4:38-44
Leaving
the synagogue, Jesus went to the house of Simon. His mother-in-law
was suffering from high fever and they asked him to do something
for her. Bending over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her.
Immediately she got up and waited on them.
At
sunset, people suffering from many kinds of sickness were brought
to Jesus. Laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Demons were
driven out, howling as they departed from their victims, "You
are the Son of God!" He rebuked them and would not allow them
to speak, for they knew he was the Messiah.
Jesus
left at daybreak and looked for a solitary place. People went out
in search of him and, finding him, they tried to dissuade him from
leaving. But he said, "I have to go to other towns to announce
the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to
do." So Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues of the
Jewish country.
(Commentary)
General Intercessions
- That the Church may continue with compassion the
task of healing of our Lord Jesus, that the sick may be comforted,
the downtrodden set free, and the poor and the weak be protected,
we pray:
- That the faith and the hope of the sick and the
dying may be firmly anchored in our Lord Jesus who is the resurrection
and the life, we pray:
- That we may learn more to heal one another by
forgiving each other and by uplifting the sad and the discouraged,
we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we need your Son Jesus Christ
to be with us today.
Give him to us in this bread and wine,
that, weak and fallible as we are,
we may not give up the hope
that your kingdom of justice and peace
can take shape among us.
Let it become the humble sign
of your goodness and justice
and of your joy that lasts for ever.
Prayer after
Communion
Lord our God,
in your power you care for the weak,
and so Jesus preferred the poor and the helpless.
Give us his Spirit of compassion and strength,
that we too may commit ourselves
to bring hope and justice
to the dispossessed and the lonely.
And take away our pride, Lord,
for we are perhaps weaker and poorer
than those we presume to uplift.
Count us among those in need of Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior for ever.
Blessing
Jesus cured the many who came to him with all sorts
of diseases. Are we aware that we too can bring healing to others,
by showing them affection, compassion, forgiveness? May the Lord
make you attentive to the healing powers in you and may God bless
you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Top
Gospel
Commentary
(Wednesday)
God's
intent for humans is life in its fullness. Thus, where Jesus finds
life threatened or curtailed, he gives wholeness to people. Luke
shows Jesus to be a healer of body and of mind. Here he also shows
that such healing leads to a confession of Jesus as God's Son, which
is again a post-resurrection formulation. Are we, who nowadays repeat
such confession, equally intent in seeking wholeness of life for
people and nature around us?
Top
September
5 - Thursday
22nd
Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: FISHERS
OF PEOPLE
Readings:
1 Cor 3:18-21; Lk 5:1-11
Introduction
Additional
Commentaries / Daily Gospel: Sept.
5, 2002 from our Bible Diary
Opening Prayer
Holy God of our happiness,
you entrust your good news of life
to weak and fallible people.
Fill us with the strength of your Holy Spirit,
that we may be ready to speak your message
with the language of our life.
Let Jesus your Son work with us and in us,
that each of us may have the courage to say:
Here I am, Lord, send me as your messenger
to share your glad tidings of happiness
with all who are willing to listen.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Scripture Readings:
First
Reading Introduction:
Paul
warns again his people against relying on human wisdom rather than
on the "foolishness" of God and against giving in to division.
First
Reading: 1 Cor 3:18-23
Do
not deceive yourselves. If anyone of you considers himself wise
in the ways of the world, let him become a fool, so that he may
become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's
eyes. To this, Scripture says: God catches the wise in their own
wisdom. It also says: The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise,
that it is useless.
Because
of this, let no one become an admirer of humans, for everything
belongs to you, Paul, Apollos, Cephas-life, death, the present and
the future. Everything is yours, and you, you belong to Christ,
and Christ is of God.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalms 24:1-6
The
earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those
who live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
Who
shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy
place?
Those
who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls
to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
They
will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God
of their salvation.
Such
is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God
of Jacob. Selah
Gospel
Introduction:
Simon
Peter and his companions were amazed that an outsider could tell them
where to catch plenty of fish when they, fishermen by profession,
had been unsuccessful. This man with a striking message was indeed
extraordinary. They were caught in his spell and followed him. Later,
they would put out into deep water, that is, they would risk and dedicate
their life for Jesus and "catch people" to put them in the
spell of Jesus' message and life.
Gospel
Reading: Lk 5:1-11
One
day, as Jesus stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, with a crowd gathered
around him listening to the word of God, he caught sight of two
boats left at the water's edge by the fishermen now washing their
nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
and asked him to pull out a little from the shore. There he sat
and continued to teach the crowd.
When
he had finished speaking he said to Simon, "Put out into deep
water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon replied, "Master,
we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so,
I will lower the nets." This they did and caught such a large
number of fish that their nets began to break. They signaled their
partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and
filled both boats almost to the point of sinking.
Upon
seeing this, Simon Peter fell at Jesus' knees, saying, "Leave
me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" For he and his companions
were amazed at the catch they had made and so were Simon's partners,
James and John, Zebedee's sons.
Jesus
said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. You will catch people from
now on." So they brought their boats to land and followed him,
leaving everything.
(Commentary)
General Intercessions
- Lord, attract people to you by opening their eyes
and hearts to the beauty of your message of good news, we pray:
- Lord, attract people to you by your inspiring,
loving personality, we pray:
- Lord, let your Church with all its communities
attract people to you by serving them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
in these signs of bread and wine
we celebrate the central event
that sums up our faith
and gives meaning to what we are and do:
the death and resurrection of your Son.
Purify our lips and hearts with his body and blood
and send us to proclaim with our lives
that Jesus is our living Lord
and that you are our Father,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in your love you have called each of us
to a task in life and a place in your plan
which no one can fulfill for us;
you have chosen your Church, that is us,
to be the irreplaceable sign and witness
of the death and resurrection of your Son.
Make each and all of us
capable of our mission
and send us out into the deep
by the strength of the body and blood
of our unique Savior,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
The Lord entrusts to you his word and his body.
Go now, speak his word and be his body to the world. May the Lord
bless you, that you may be a blessing to all, in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Top
Gospel
Commentary
(Thursday)
The
very first disciples whom Jesus called according to Luke were fishermen,
who knew their trade well. They had fished in vain during the previous
night. But trusting in Jesus' word who would fish them, Peter and
his companions cast their nets and to their great surprise made
a very big catch. Awe - the same response which people had in the
experience of teaching and healing - overtook the first disciples.
Receiving the mission of becoming fishers of people, they left everything
and followed him. Those of us who are engaged in pastoral care in
one form or another, do we do it relying on God's Word or mainly
on our professional expertise?
Top
September
6 - Friday
22nd
Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: CREATED
ANEW IN CHRIST
Readings:
1
Cor 4:1-5; Lk 5:33-39
Opening Prayer
Faithful God of tenderness and mercy,
you want us to be your people
on the march with Jesus your Son
toward a new future of justice and love.
Do not allow us to suffocate in being contented
with old habits and sluggish ways.
Help us to accept the pain
of leaving the familiar behind us
and open us to the challenge of the gospel
to become more like your Son
who guides our faltering steps,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
We
will be trustworthy stewards of God's mysteries if we live according
to the gospel and serve God and people, rather than seek security
in outward observances and lip service.
First
Reading: 1 Cor 4:1-5
Let
everyone then see us as the servants of Christ and stewards of the
secret works of God. Being stewards, faithfulness shall be demanded
of us; but I do not mind if you or any human court judges me. I
do not even judge myself; my conscience indeed does not accuse me
of anything, but that is not enough for me to be set right with
God: the Lord is the one who judges me.
Therefore,
do not judge before the time, until the coming of the Lord. He will
bring to light whatever was hidden in darkness and will disclose
the secret intentions of the hearts. Then each one will receive
praise from God.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalms 37:3-6, 27-28, 39-40
Trust
in the LORD, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy
security.
Take
delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.
He
will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice
of your cause like the noonday.
Depart
from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever.
For
the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his faithful ones. The
righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked
shall be cut off.
The
salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their refuge
in the time of trouble.
The
LORD helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked,
and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
Gospel
Introduction:
We
are created anew in Christ, the Lord and the new beginning of all.
With Christ, we have to renounce all compromises with the old in us
and live in the new spirit of Christ. How well have we accepted the
renewal that Vatican II asks of us?
 Gospel
Reading: Lk 5:33-39
The
scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus, "The disciples of John fast
often and say long prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees.
Why is it that your disciples eat and drink?" Then Jesus said
to them, "You can't make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom
is with them. But later the bridegroom will be taken from them and
they will fast in those days."
Jesus
also told them this parable, "No one tears a piece from a new
coat to put it on an old one; otherwise the new will be torn and
the piece taken from the new will not match the old. No one puts
new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the
skins and be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed as well. But
new wine must be put into fresh skins. Yet no one who has tasted
old wine is eager to get new wine, but says: The old is good."
(Commentary)
General Intercessions
- For the Church, that the People of God and its
leaders may heed the promptings of the creative Spirit to speak
to the people of today the ever-new language of the gospel, we pray:
- For artists, poets and inventors, that they may
reveal to us the splendor of creation and the newness of life in
Christ, we pray:
- For this community, that we may not be afraid
of authentic change and draw from Christ the courage to start the
reform of the Church and the world with the renewal of ourselves,
we pray:
Prayer over
the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these signs of bread and wine
your Son Jesus Christ comes among us
to make with us a new beginning.
Create us anew in him.
Reconcile us with you and each other
and make us builders with him
of a new world
in which he is our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God of hope,
you have given us Jesus your Son
as our companion on the road
for understanding the old, familiar things
with new and young hearts.
Let him prod us on
when we try to compromise
by merely patching up the old here and there.
Let your Spirit blow on us
your vigorous breath of life
to renew us and our world
with your mercy and justice.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
We must ask ourselves from time to time how faithful
we are to the gospel. It is easy to become fossilized. The gospel
wants us to stay young and ever new. May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Top
Gospel
Commentary (Friday)
The
Lord had been preaching that the messianic times were already inaugurated
in him. He taught and did all things well and with authority. Fasting
and praying were two of the three pillars of Jewish piety which
people did in the belief that they would help usher in the messianic
times. If in Jesus such times are already here, a new way of being
and relating is thus possible. In fact, right before this passage,
Luke narrates the call of Levi to discipleship, drawing him out
from his old life of marginalization to the very circle of a new
reality. If we need to fast and pray, it is when we revert back
to our old life devoid of meaning not only for ourselves but also
for others.
Top
September
7 - Saturday
22nd
Week in Ordinary Time
Theme: THE
LAW HAS TO SERVE PEOPLE
Readings:
1 Cor 4:6-15; Lk 6:1-5
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
Jesus your Son came not to abolish the law
but to fill it with the dimensions of love.
Do not allow commandments and rules
to stand between you and us nor between people,
but let them lead us gently,
as good educators, to you and to our neighbor
and teach us to go beyond the law
in generosity and serving love.
Make us free with the freedom brought us
by your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Scripture Readings
First
Reading Introduction:
Paul
criticizes his Corinthians in an ironic way for their pretenses, but
he says he does so because he loves them. What do they have that they
have not received?
First
Reading:
1 Cor 4:6-15
Brothers
and sisters, you forced me to apply these comparisons to Apollos
and to myself. Learn by this example not to believe yourselves superior
by siding with one against the other. How then are you more than
the others? What have you that you have not received? And if you
received it, why are you proud, as if you did not receive it?
So,
then, you are already rich and satisfied, and feel like kings without
us! I wish you really were kings, so that we might enjoy the kingship
with you!
It seems to me that God has placed us, the apostles, in the last
place, as if condemned to death, and as spectacles for the whole
world, for the angels as well as for mortals.
We
are fools for Christ, while you show forth the wisdom of Christ.
We are weak, you are strong. You are honored, while we are despised.
Until now we hunger and thirst, we are poorly clothed and badly
treated, while moving from place to place. We labor, working with
our hands. People insult us and we bless them, they persecute us
and we endure everything; they speak evil against us, and ours are
works of peace. We have become like the scum of the earth, like
the garbage of humankind until now.
I
do not write this to shame you, but to warn you as very dear children.
Because even though you may have ten thousand guardians in the Christian
life, you have only one father; and it was I who gave you life in
Christ through the Gospel.
Responsorial
Psalm: Psalms 145:17-21
The
LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.
The
LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
He
fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry,
and saves them.
The
LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
My
mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh will bless
his holy name forever and ever.
Gospel
Introduction:
A
frequent sign of their own insecurity is that people seek security
in laws and traditions. The more they insist on these, the more they
try to bend people to these, the greater their insecurity. Laws are
supposed to be in the service of the community, not vice versa. They
may never become a block or a screen between people. They are not
absolutes but servants of people.
Gospel
Reading: Lk 6:1-5
One
sabbath, Jesus was going through the corn fields and his disciples
began to pick heads of grain crushing them in their hands for food.
Some of the Pharisees asked them, "Why do you do what is forbidden
on the sabbath?" Then Jesus spoke, "Have you never read
what David did when he and his men were hungry?" He entered
the house of God, took and ate the bread of the offering and even
gave some to his men, though only priests are allowed to eat that
bread." And Jesus added, "The Son of Man is Lord and rules
over the sabbath."
(Commentary)
General Intercessions
- That Christians may regard the commandments as
doors to freedom from sin and evil and ways to serve God and people,
we pray:
- That lawmakers everywhere make laws that are humane
and serve the good of all in the community, we pray:
- That we may seek security in love of God and the
service of people, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
in these signs, your gifts to us
and the fruit of our work,
we make ourselves available to you.
Do not allow us to seek false security
in observing the letter of the law
but help us to seek the insecurity and risk
of committing ourselves to you and people,
as Jesus did, your Son,
who lives with you and with us
now, and we hope and pray, for ever.
Prayer after
Communion
Lord our God,
in this eucharist we have celebrated
the memorial of your Son's death and rising.
He followed the law of the heart
and made love the heart of all laws.
Let the bread of life of your Son
make our love inventive and creative
in the service of people
and help us to follow the directives
of our hearts and consciences,
in the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Blessing
Christ has made us free. Let us not give up that
freedom by slavishly sticking to practices and traditions that do
not reflect the gospel. May almighty God bless you, the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Top
Gospel
Commentary
(Saturday)
Jesus'
action as a sign of the presence of God's reign is shown by Luke
to be done with authority even over Jewish institutions like the
Sabbath: "The Son of Man is Lord and rules over the sabbath."
The
Sabbath was one of the basic practices of Judaism, which eventually
became even a symbol of its identity as a people. Like an institution
in society or in any religion, the Sabbath serves a purpose only
if it promotes human life. Luke puts this saying between two interventions
of Jesus on a Sabbath; humans before institutions, no matter how
sacrosanct the institutions might be! Where are our priorities?
Top
Download
the Christian Community Bible
|