DAILY READING and REFLECTIONS For Monday, October 20, 2014 29th Week in Ordinary Time - Psalter Week 1 (Green/White) Optional Memorial: St. Paul of the Cross, Priest Optional Memorial: St. Hedwig, Religious Optional Memorial: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin Readings: Eph 2:1-10; Ps 100:1-5; Lk 12:13-21 Response: The Lord made us, we belng to him. Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Verse: Be on your guard against avarice of any kind. SAINT OF THE DAY: Saint St. Paul of the Cross, Priest Birth: 1694 - Death: 1775 St. Paul of the Cross was born at Ovada in the Republic of Genoa, January 3, 1694. His infancy and youth were spent in great innocence and piety. He was inspired from on high to found a congregation; in an ecstacy he beheld the habit which he and his companions were to wear. After consulting his director, Bishop Gastinara of Alexandria in Piedmont, he reached the conclusion that God wished him to establish a congregation in honor of the Passion of Jesus Christ. On November 22, 1720, the bishop vested him with the habit that had been shown to him in a vision, the same that the Passionists wear at the present time. From that moment the saint applied himself to repair the Rules of his institute; and in 1721 he went to Rome to obtain the approbation of the Holy See. At first he failed, but finally succeeded when Benedict XIV approved the Rules in 1741 and 1746. Meanwhile St. Paul built his first monastery near Obitello. Sometime later he established a larger community at the Church of St. John and Paul in Rome. For fifty years St. Paul remained the indefatigable missionary of Italy. God lavished upon him the greatest gifts in the supernatural order, but he treated himself with the greatest rigor, and believed that he was a useless servant and a great sinner. His saintly death occurred at Rome in the year 1775, at the age of eighty-one. He was canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1867. FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, Ephesians 2:1-10 1 And you were dead, through the crimes and the sins 2 which used to make up your way of life when you were living by the principles of this world, obeying the ruler who dominates the air, the spirit who is at work in those who rebel. 3 We too were all among them once, living only by our natural inclinations, obeying the demands of human self-indulgence and our own whim; our nature made us no less liable to Gods retribution than the rest of the world. 4 But God, being rich in faithful love, through the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our sins, brought us to life with Christ -- it is through grace that you have been saved- 6 and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus. 7 This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how extraordinarily rich he is in grace. 8 Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; 9 not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. 10 We are Gods work of art, created in Christ Jesus for the good works which God has already designated to make up our way of life. RESPONSORIAL PSALM, Psalms 100:2, 3, 4, 5 2 serve Yahweh with gladness, come into his presence with songs of joy! 3 Be sure that Yahweh is God, he made us, we belong to him, his people, the flock of his sheepfold. 4 Come within his gates giving thanks, to his courts singing praise, give thanks to him and bless his name! 5 For Yahweh is good, his faithful love is everlasting, his constancy from age to age. GOSPEL, Luke 12:13-21 13 A man in the crowd said to him, Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance. 14 He said to him, My friend, who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims? 15 Then he said to them, Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in possessions, even when someone has more than he needs. 16 Then he told them a parable, There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, 17 thought to himself, What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops. 18 Then he said, This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, 19 and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time. 20 But God said to him, Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then? 21 So it is when someone stores up treasure for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God. REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) OPENING PRAYER: Almighty and everlasting God, our source of power and inspiration, give us strength and joy in serving you as followers of Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ON READING 1: Ephesians 2:1-10 (Salvation As a Free Gift) St. Paul moves on to consider those who make up the Church -- Jews and Gentiles. Despite the sinful situation in which both found themselves (vv. 2-3), God in is great mercy (vv. 4-5) has acted on them and made them to be like Christ, now victorious and seated in heaven (vv. 6-7); this he has done through the unmerited gift of faith (vv. 8-10). You: he is referring to Christians of Gentile origin, in contrast with we (v. 3), Christians of Jewish background. Prior to his conversion to Christ a pagan was, as it were, en route to death, that is, liable to condemnation on account of sin--both original sin and sin caused by worldly behavior, that is, actions opposed to God. That is what the Apostle means here by this world--a world which is under the power of the devil (cf. note on Jn 1:10). The description of the devil as prince of the power of the air reflects the notion, widely held in ancient times, that demons dwelt in the earths atmosphere, from where they exercised a baneful influence over mankind (cf. Mt 12:24; Jn 12:31). St. Paul uses the language of his time without taking on board the cosmology it implies. He is teaching theology, and the devil he identifies as the one who is at work in the sons of disobedience, the rebels--an apposite description, for Satan is characterized by his rebellion against God, and his influence on men leads them into rebellion to seek their fulfillment in created things or in things of their own fashioning, thereby refusing to give God his primary place. St. Paul could see this happening in the pagan world around him (cf. Rom 1:18-23); and in fact it happens in all periods of history when man refuses to recognize God: Although set by God in a state of rectitude, man, enticed by the evil one, abused his reedom at the very start of history. He lifted himself up against God, and sought to attain his goal apart from him. Although they had known God, they did not glorify him as God, but their senseless hearts were darkened, and they served the creature rather than the Creator (cf. Rom 1:21-25) Often refusing to acknowledge God as his source, man has also upset the relationship which should link him to his last end; and at the same time he has broken the right order that should reign within himself as well as between himself and other men and all the rest of creation (Vatican II, Gaudium Et Spes, 13). Before the coming of Christ, those who were Jews were likewise guilty of sin and merited denunciation. St Paul has already discussed this in his Letter to the Romans (cf. Rom 2:1 - 3:10); now he sketches out the same ideas, to emphasize that everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, obtains salvation through Christ (v. 5). The Jews know the true God and have the benefits of the Law; therefore, their sinfulness derives not so much from the seductions of the world and the devil as from human passion. The desires of the body and mind does not refer simply to the weakness of human nature (cf. Jn 1:14) or lustful desires but to all the desires and appetites of human nature when it does not obey God--to mans tendency to do whatever he wants, even when he knows that it conflicts with Gods law (cf. Rom 7:5; 2 Cor 7:1; Col 2:13). The Jews also were subject to this power of the flesh, for they were children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Children of wrath: this expression of mans state of enmity towards God; it does not imply that God sees man as his enemy but that by sinning man incurs divine punishment. It has this effect for Jews and Gentiles alike. In this verse the Apostle is referring to the behavior of both Jews and Gentiles; thus, the words by nature do not exactly mean the weakness of human nature as such but rather refer to the fact that man, if left to his own devices, cannot avoid sin and therefore cannot escape Gods wrath. St John Chrysostom, St. Jerome and other Fathers read by nature as opposed to by grace. This would mean that by nature refers to human existence considered on its own, that is, unaided by grace--life in a state of sin, which would mean it merited Gods wrath. But the reason why this is so is that human nature has been debilitated by original sin; some Fathers in fact, including St. Augustine, read this passage as a recognition of the fact of original sin. Certainly St Paul is at least implying that there is such a thing as original sin, as St. Thomas Aquinas explains: He says that we were (children of wrath) by nature, that is, by our natural origin, but not meaning nature as such, for (sheer) nature is good and comes from God: he is referring to nature in its vitiated form (Commentary on Eph, ad loc.). Gods mercy is the greatest expression of his love because it shows the total gratuitousness of Gods love towards the sinner, whereby instead of punishing him he forgives him and gives him life. The words God, who is rich in mercy have great theological and spiritual depth: they are a kind of summary of all St. Pauls teaching about Gods approach to people who are under the rule of sin, who are by nature children of wrath. St. John Paul II chose these words of Scripture, dives in misericordia, as the title of one of his encyclicals, an encyclical which explores the divine dimension of the mystery of Redemption. Here is how the Pope sums up biblical teaching on mercy: The concept of mercy in the Old Testament has a long and rich history. It is significant that in their preaching the prophets link mercy, which they often refer to because of the peoples sins, with the incisive image of love on Gods part. The Lord loves Israel with the love of a special choosing, much like the love of a spouse (cf. e.g. Hos 2:21-25 and 15; Is 54:6-8 ) and for this reason he pardons its sins and even its infidelities and betrayals. When he finds repentance and true conversion, he brings his people back to grace (cf. Her 31:20; Ezek 39:25-29). In the preaching of the prophets mercy signifies a special power of love, which prevails over the sin and infidelity of the chosen people. The Old Testament encourages people suffering from misfortune, especially those weighed down by sin -- as also the whole of Israel, which had entered into the covenant with God -- to appeal for mercy, and enables them to count upon it (Dives In Misericordia, 4). In the New Testament also there are many references to Gods mercy, sometimes very touching ones, like the parable of the prodigal son (cf. Lk 15: 32); others take a more dramatic form, for example, Christs sacrifice, the supreme expression of the love of God, which is stronger than death and sin. The Cross of Christ, on which the Son, consubstantial with the Father, renders full justice to God, is also a radical revelation of mercy, or rather of the love that goes against what constitutes the very root of evil in the history of man: against sin and death (ibid., 8 ). The power of God works in the Christian in a way similar to that in which it worked in Christ. St Paul here uses almost the same language as he did earlier (cf. 1:20), to show how radical is the change produced in men by Christs salvation. Just as a dead person is unable to bring himself back to life, so those who are dead through sin cannot obtain grace, supernatural life, by their own effort. Only Christ, by means of the Redemption, offers us that new life which begins with justification and ends with resurrection and eternal happiness in heaven. The Apostle is speaking here of that life of grace, and therefore of our future resurrection and glorification with Christ in heaven; he refers to this as if it were an accomplished fact, and the reason he does so is this: Jesus Christ is our head and we form one body with him (cf. Gal 3:28 ), and therefore we share in the heads condition. Christ, after his resurrection, sits at the right hand of the Father. The body of Christ, which the Church is, St. Augustine comments, must be at the right hand, that is, in the glory of heaven, as the Apostle says: we have been raised up with him and made to sit with him in heaven. Even though our body is not yet there, our hope is already placed there (De Agone Christiano, 26). From the moment of our incorporation into Christ by Baptism, his resurrection and exaltation is something which is already present in us in an incomplete way: Thus by Baptism, Vatican II teaches, men are grafted into the paschal mystery of Christ; they die with him, are buried with him, and rise with him (cf. Rom 6:4; Eph 2:6; Col 3:1; 2 Tim 2:11f). They receive the spirit of adoption as sons in which we cry, Abba, Father (Rom 8:15) and thus become true adorers such as the Father seeks (cf. Jn 4:23) (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 6). The Redemption has already been accomplished, and man has available to him all the grace he needs for salvation: the gates of heaven are open wide; it is now the responsibility of every individual to make room for grace in his soul, to avail of grace to respond to our Lords call. Through Christ, we have been reborn spiritually, for through him we are crucified to the world, St. Zozimus comments. By his death that decree of death has been destroyed which Adam caused and which was passed on to every soul -- that sentence which we incur through our descent, from which absolutely no one is free prior to being set free by Baptism (Epist. Tractoria, Dz-Sch, 231). Salvation is the work of God, a gratuitous gift of God: it originates in Gods mercy. It acts in man by means of faith, that is, by mans acceptance of the salvation offered him in Jesus Christ. But even faith, St. Paul tells us, is a divine gift; man cannot merit it by his own efforts alone; it is not exclusively the outcome of human freedom; at all stages, from the very beginning, recognition and acceptance of Christ as Savior means that Gods grace is at work. On the basis of this passage in Ephesians and other passages of Scripture, the Church has taught: According to the passages of Sacred Scripture and the explanations of the Holy Fathers [specified] we, with Gods help must believe and preach the following: The free will of man was made so weak and unsteady through the sin of the first man that, after the Fall, no one could love God as was required, or believe in God, or perform good works for God unless the grace of divine mercy anticipated him. Even after the coming of Christ this grace of faith is not found in the free will of all who desire to be baptized but is conferred through the generosity of Christ, according to what has already been said and according to what the Apostle Paul teaches: It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake (Phil 1:29). And also: he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6). And again: By grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8). And the Apostle says of himself: As one who by the Lords mercy is trustworthy (1 Cor 7:25; cf. 1 Tim 1:13). And Scripture says further: What have you that you did not receive? (1 Cor 4:7). And again: Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (Jas 1:17). And again: No one can receive anything except what is given from heaven (Jn 3:27) (Second Council of Orange, De Gratia, conclusion). The Second Vatican Council provides the same teaching: By faith man freely commits his entire self to God; before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior help of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth (De Gratia, can . 7; Dei Filius) (Dei Verbum, 5). When St. Paul says that faith does not come from works (v. 9), he is referring to things man can do on his own, without the help of grace. If faith did come from works, then man would have something to boast to God about, something which would bring salvation without dependence on Christ--which would be inadmissible, because then our Lords death would make no sense, nor would even the Incarnation of the Word, whom God has made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord (1 Cor 1:30-31). The Christian became a new creation--we are his workmanship-- when he was inserted into Christ at Baptism (cf. 2 Cor 5:17). Once justified by Baptism, he should live in a manner consistent with his faith, that is, with his new life. The life of grace in fact moves him to do those good works which God wishes to see performed (he had already laid down that this should be so) and which perfect the work of salvation. Deeds, works, prove the genuineness of faith: faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead (Jas 2:17). Without these works -- the practice of the theological and moral virtues--not only would faith be dead; our love for God and neighbor would be false. Having said that, it is also true that to bring about this renewal in man God counts on mans readiness to respond to grace and on his carrying out good works. Christian Tradition has always taught that the fruits of faith are a proof of its vitality. For example, this is what St Polycarp has to say: It does my heart good to see how the solid roots of your faith, which have such a reputation ever since early times, are still flourishing and bearing fruit in Jesus Christ. Many desire to share in your joy, well knowing that it is by the will of God that you are saved through Jesus Christ (Letter to the Philippians, chap. 1). ON THE GOSPEL: Luke 12:13-21 (Parable of the Rich Fool) The episode in today’s gospel is found only in the Gospel of Luke and does not have a parallel in the other Gospels. It forms part of the long description of Jesus’ trip from Galilee to Jerusalem ( Lk 9, 51 to 19, 28 ), in which Luke places most of the information which he succeeded to collect concerning Jesus and which is not found in the other three Gospels (cf. Lk 1, 2-3). The gospel today gives the response of Jesus to the person who asked him to be the mediator in the distribution of an inheritance. Luke 12, 13: A request to distribute an inheritance. “One from the crowd told Jesus: Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance”. Up until today, the distribution of an inheritance among the living relatives is always a delicate question and, many times, it is the occasion of disputes and of tensions without end. At that time, the inheritance also had something to do with the identity of the person (1 K 21, 1-3) and with the survival (Num 27,1-11; 36,1-12). The greatest problem was the distribution of the land among the sons of the deceased father. If the family was numerous, there was the danger that the inheritance would be divided into small pieces of land which would not have guaranteed survival of all. For this reason, in order to avoid the breaking up or disintegration of the inheritance and to maintain alive the name of the family, the firstborn or eldest received double of what the other sons received (Dt 21,17. cf. 2Rs 2, 11). This man is only interested in his own problems; he sees in Jesus only a teacher with authority and prestige who can help sort out his case (cf. Deuteronomy 21:17). He is a good example of those who approach religious authorities not to seek advice on the way they should go in their spiritual life, but rather to get them to solve their material problems. Jesus vigorously rejects the mans request -- not because He is insensitive to the injustice which may have been committed in this family, but because it is not part of His redemptive mission to intervene in matters of this kind. By His word and example the Master shows us that His work of salvation is not aimed at solving the many social and family problems that arise in human society; He has come to give us principles and moral standards which should inspire our actions in temporal affairs, but not to give us precise, technical solutions to problems which arise; to that end He has endowed us with intelligence and freedom. Luke 12, 14-15: Response of Jesus: attention to greed, to cupidity. “Jesus answers: My friend, who appointed me your judge or the arbitrator of your claims?” In the response of Jesus appears the knowledge which he has of the mission. Jesus does not feel sent by God to respond to the request to be arbitrator between the relatives who argue or quarrel among themselves concerning the distribution of the inheritance. But the request of this man leads him to the mission to orientate persons, because “Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in possessions, even when someone has more than he needs”. It was part of his mission to clarify persons concerning the sense of life. The value of life does not consist in having many things, rather in being rich for God (Lk 12, 21). Because when gain occupies the heart, it does not know how to distribute the inheritance in an equitable way and with peace. After His statement in verse 15, Jesus tells the parable of the foolish rich man: what folly it is to put our trust in amassing material goods to ensure we have a comfortable life on earth, forgetting the goods of the spirit, which are what really ensure us -- through Gods mercy -- of eternal life. This is how St. Athanasius explained these words of our Lord: A person who lives as if he were to die every day -- given that our life is uncertain by definition -- will not sin, for good fear extinguishes most of the disorder of our appetites; whereas he who thinks he has a long life ahead of him will easily let himself be dominated by pleasures (Adversus Antigonum). Luke 12, 16-19: The parable that makes one think on the sense of life. Then Jesus told a parable to help persons to reflect on the sense of life: “There was a rich man who having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself: What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops”. The rich man was very obsessed by the concern of his goods which had increased in an unforeseen way because of an abundant harvest. He thinks only of accumulating in order to guarantee a life without worries. He says: This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them and I will say to my soul: My soul, now you have plenty of good things laid for many years to come, take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time”. This mans stupidity consisted in making material possession his only aim in life and his only insurance policy. It is lawful for a person to want to own what he needs for living, but if possession of material resources becomes an absolute, it spells the ultimate destruction of the individual and of society. Increased posses- sion is not the ultimate goal of nations nor of individuals. All growth is ambivalent. It is essential if man is to develop as a man, but in a way it imprisons man if he considers it the supreme good, and it restricts his vision. Then we see hearts harden and minds close, and men no longer gather together in friendship but out of self-interest, which soon leads to strife and disunity. The exclusive pursuit of possessions thus becomes an obstacle to individual fulfillment and to mans true greatness. Both for nations and for individual, avarice is the most evident form of underdevelopment (Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 19). Luke 12, 20: The first conclusion of the parable. “But God said to him: ‘Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul, and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” So it is when someone stores up treasures for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God”. Death is an important key to discover the true sense of life. It makes all things relative, because it shows what perishes and that which remains. Anyone who only seeks to have and forgets to be, loses everything at the hour of death. Here we have a thought which appears very frequently in the Books of wisdom: Why accumulate great quantities of goods in this life if you do not know what will become of them, if you do not know what the heirs will do with what you will leave them. (Qo 2, 12.18-19. 21). Luke 12, 21: second conclusion of the parable. “So it is with someone who stores up treasures for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God”. How can one become rich for God? Jesus gives several suggestions and advice: Anyone who wants to be first, let him be last (Mt 20, 27; Mk 9, 35; 10, 44); it is better to give than to receive (Ac 20, 35); the greatest is the smallest (Mt 18, 4; 23, 11; Lk 9, 48) he/she who loses his/her life will save it (Mt 10, 39; 16, 25; Mk 8, 35; Lk 9, 24). FINAL PRAYERS: Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth, serve Yahweh with gladness, come into his presence with songs of joy! (Ps 100,1-2) Good and gracious God, you share your ministry of healing with physicians and nurses, and with all those committed to healing patients and serving their families. Through the companionship of the great physician Luke, bless these professionals with discernment and wisdom for their healing of body and spirit. Give us all patience when we are tired, fortitude when we feel weak, and the grace of hospitality for everyone we meet. All glory and praise to you, our loving and healing God, forever. Amen. -- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University It is by God’s mercy that we are saved. May we never tire of spreading this joyful message to the world. -- Pope Francis Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. -- St. Jerome The Father uttered one Word; that Word is His Son, and He utters Him forever in everlasting silence; and in silence the soul has to hear it. -- St. John of the Cross
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 20:44:58 +0000
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