St. Matthew, the Evangelist
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
You call Your children
to walk in the light of Christ.
Free us from darkness
and keep us in the radiance of Your truth.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 9:9-13
As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."
3) Reflection
• The Sermon on the Mountain takes chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew. The purpose of the narrative part of chapters 8 and 9 is to show how Jesus put into practice what He had just taught. In the Sermon on the Mountain, He teaches acceptance (Mt 5:23-25. 38-42.43). Now He puts it into practice accepting the lepers (Mt 8:1-4), the foreigners (Mt 8:5-13), the women (Mt 8:14-15), the sick (Mt 8:16-17), the possessed (Mt 8:28-34), the paralytics (Mt 9:1-8), the tax collectors (Mt 9:9-13), the unclean persons (Mt 9:20-22), etc. Jesus breaks the norms and the customs which excluded and divided persons, that is with the fear and the lack of faith (Mt 8:23-27) the laws on purity (9:14-17), and He clearly says which are the requirements for those who want to follow Him. They should have the courage to abandon many things (Mt 8:18-22). In the same way in the attitudes and in the practice of Jesus we see in what the Kingdom and the perfect observance of the Law of God consists.
• Matthew 9:9: The call to follow Jesus. The first people called to follow Jesus are four fishermen, all Jewish (Mt 4:18-22). Now Jesus calls a tax collector, considered a sinner and treated as an unclean person by the community of the most observant of the Pharisees. In the other Gospels, this tax collector is called Levi. Here, his name is Matthew, which means gift of God or given by God. The communities, instead of excluding the tax collector and of considering him unclean, should consider him a Gift of God for the community, because his presence makes the community become a sign of salvation for all! Like the first four who were called, in the same way also Matthew, the tax collector, leaves everything that he has and follows Jesus. The following of Jesus requires breaking away from many things. Matthew leaves the tax office, his source of revenue and follows Jesus!
• Matthew 9:10: Jesus sits at table with sinners and tax collectors. At that time the Jews lived separated from the tax collectors and sinners and they did not eat with them at the same table. The Christian Jews should break away from this isolation and sit at table with the tax collectors and with the unclean, according to the teaching given by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mountain, the expression of the universal love of God the Father (Mt 5:44-48). The mission of the communities was that of offering a place to those who did not have it. But this new law was not accepted by all. In some communities, persons coming from paganism, even if they were Christians, were not accepted around the same table (cf. Ac 10:28; 11:3; Ga 2:12). The text of today’s Gospel shows us Jesus who sits at table with tax collectors and sinners in the same house, around the same table.
• Matthew 9:11: The question of the Pharisees. Jews were forbidden to sit at table with the tax collectors and with sinners, but Jesus does not follow this prohibition. Rather He becomes a friend to them. The Pharisees seeing the attitude of Jesus, ask the disciples: “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” This question may be interpreted as an expression of their desire to know why Jesus acts in that way. Others interpret the question like a criticism of Jesus’ behavior, because for over five hundred years, from the time of the slavery in Babylon until the time of Jesus, the Jews had observed the laws of purity. This secular observance became a strong sign of identity. At the same time it was a factor of their separation in the midst of other peoples. Thus, because of the laws on purity, they could not nor did they succeed to sit around the same table to eat with tax collectors. To eat with tax collectors meant to get contaminated, to become unclean. The precepts of legal purity were rigorously observed, in Palestine as well as in the Jewish communities of the Diaspora. At the time of Jesus, there were more than five hundred precepts to keep purity. In the years 70’s, at the time when Matthew wrote, this conflict was very actual.
• Matthew 9:12-13: “Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice. Jesus hears the question of the Pharisees to the disciples and He answers with two clarifications: the first one is taken from common sense: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick”. The second one is taken from the Bible: “Go and learn the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases Me, not sacrifice”. Through these clarifications, Jesus makes explicit and clarifies His mission among the people: “I have not come to call the upright but sinners”. Jesus denies the criticism of the Pharisees; He does not accept their arguments, because they came from a false idea of the Law of God. He Himself invokes the Bible: “Mercy is what pleases Me, not sacrifice”. For Jesus, mercy is more important than legal purity. He refers to the prophetic tradition to say that mercy has greater value for God than all sacrifices (Ho 6:6; Is 1:10-17). God has profound mercy, and is moved before the failures of His people (Ho 11:8-9).
4) Personal questions
• Today, in our society, who is marginalized and excluded? Why? In our community, do we have preconceptions or prejudices? Which? Which is the challenge which the words of Jesus present to our community?
• Jesus asks the people to read and to understand the Old Testament which says: “Mercy is what pleases Me and not sacrifice”. What does Jesus want to tell us with this today?
5) Concluding Prayer
Blessed are those who observe His instructions,
Blessed are those who observe His instructions,
who seek Him with all their hearts,
and, doing no evil, who walk in His ways. (Ps 119:2-3)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
guide us, as You guide creation
according to Your law of love.
May we love one another
and come to perfection
in the eternal life prepared for us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 8:16-18
Jesus said to the crowd: "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away."
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents three brief phrases pronounced by Jesus. They are phrases scattered in different places which Luke collected here after the parable of the seed (Lk 8:4-8) and of His explanation to the disciples (Lk 8:9-15). This literary context, in which Luke places the three phrases, helps us to understand how he wants people to understand these phrases of Jesus.
• Luke 8:16: The lamp which gives light. “No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed; no, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. This phrase of Jesus is a brief parable. Jesus does not explain, because all know what He is speaking about. This belonged to everyday life. At that time, there was no electric light. Just imagine this! The family meets at home. The sun begins to set. A person gets up, lights the lamp, covers it with a vase or places it under the bed. What will the others say? All will scream out: “Are you crazy... place the lamp on the table!” In a biblical meeting somebody made the following comment: The Word of God is a lamp which is necessary to light in the darkness of the night. If it remains closed up in the book of the bible, it will be like the lamp under a vase. But when it is placed on the table it gives light to the whole house, when it is read in community and is connected to life.
• In the context in which Luke places this phrase, he is referring to the explanation which Jesus gave about the parable of the seeds (Lk 8:9-15). It is as if he would say: the things which you have just heard you should not keep them only for yourselves, but you should share them with others. A Christian should not be afraid to give witness and spread the Good News. Humility is important, but the humility which hides the gifts of God given to edify the community is false (1Cor 12:4-26; Rom 12: 3-8).
• Luke 8:17: That which is hidden will be manifested. “There is nothing hidden which will not be manifested, nothing secret which will not be known and brought to light”. In the context in which Luke places this second phrase of Jesus, it also refers to the teachings given by Jesus particularly to the disciples (Lk 8:9-10). The disciples cannot keep these only for themselves, but they should share them, because they form part of the Good News which Jesus has brought.
• Luke 8:18: Attention to preconceptions. “So take care how you listen, anyone who has will be given more, anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he has”. At that time, there were many preconceptions on the Messiah which prevented people from understanding, in a correct way, the Good News of the Kingdom which Jesus announced. “For this reason, this warning of Jesus concerning preconceptions is quite actual. Jesus asks the disciples to be aware of the preconceptions with which they listen to the teaching that He presents. With this phrase of Jesus, Luke is saying to the communities and to all of us: “Be attentive to the ideas with which you look at Jesus!” Because if the color of the eyes is green, everything will seem to be green. If it were blue, everything would be blue! If the idea that I have when I look at Jesus is mistaken, erroneous, everything which I receive and teach about Jesus will be threatened by error! If I think that the Messiah has to be a glorious King, I will not want to hear anything which Jesus teaches about the Cross, about suffering, persecution and about commitment, and to lose even what I thought I possessed. Joining this third phrase to the first one, I can conclude what follows: anyone who keeps for himself what he receives and does not distribute it to others, loses what he has, because it becomes corrupt.
4) Personal questions
• Have you had any experience of preconceptions which have prevented you from perceiving and appreciating in their just value, the good things that persons have?
• Have you perceived the preconceptions which are behind certain stories, accounts and parables which certain persons tell us?
5) Concluding Prayer
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the Law of Yahweh!
Blessed are those who observe His instructions,
who seek Him with all their hearts. (Ps 119:1-2)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
our creator and guide,
may we serve You with all our hearts
and know Your forgiveness in our lives.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 8:4-15
When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold." After saying this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear." Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. He answered, "Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand. "This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance."
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel, we will meditate on the parable of the seed. Jesus had a very popular word to teach by means of parables. A parable is a comparison which uses the visible things of life that are known to explain the invisible and unknown things of the Kingdom of God. Jesus had an enormous capacity to find very simple images to compare the things of God with the things of life which people knew and experienced in their daily struggle to survive. This presupposes two things: to be within the things of life, and to be within the things of God, of the Kingdom of God. For example, the people of Galilee understood all about seeds, of land, of rain, of the sun, of salt of flowers, of the harvest, of fishing, etc. Now, there are exactly these known things that Jesus uses in the parables to explain the mystery of the Kingdom. The farmer who listens says: “The seed in the ground, I know what this means. Jesus says that this has something to do with the Kingdom of God. What could this ever be?” It is possible to imagine the long conversations with the people! The parable enters into the heart of the people and urges them to listen to nature and to think about life.
• When He finishes telling the parable, Jesus does not explain it, but He usually says: “Who has ears to hear, let him hear” This means: “This is: you have heard and so now try to understand!” From time to time He would explain to the disciples: People like this way of teaching, because Jesus believed in the personal capacity to discover the sense of the parables. The experience which people had of life was for Him a means to discover the presence of the mystery of God in their life and to have courage not to be discouraged along the way.
• Luke 8:4: The crowds follow Jesus. Luke says: a large crowd got around Him and people from all the towns ran to Him from all the towns. So then He tells them this parable. Mark describes how Jesus told the parable. There were so many people that He, in order not to fall, went into a boat and sitting down He taught the people who were on the seashore (Mk 4:1).
• Luke 8:5-8: The parable of the seed is a mirror of the life of the farmers. At that time, it was not easy to live from agriculture. The ground was full of rocks; there was little rain, and much sun. Besides, many times, people, to shorten the way, passed through the fields and stepped on the plants (Mk 2:23). But in spite of that, every year the farmer sowed and planted, trusting in the force of the seed, in the generosity of nature.
• Luke 8:8b: Anyone who has ears to hear let him hear! At the end, Jesus says: “Anyone who has ears to hear, let him hear!” The way to be able to understand the parable is to search: “Try to understand!” The parable does not say everything immediately, but moves the person to think. It does it in such a way that the person discovers the message beginning from the experience which the person has of the seed. It urges the person to be creative and to participate. It is not a doctrine which is presented ready to be taught and decorated. The parable is not water in a bottle, it is the source.
• Luke 8:9-10: Jesus explains the parable to the disciples. At home, alone with Jesus, the disciples want to know the meaning of the parable. Jesus responds by means of a difficult and mysterious phrase. He says to the Disciples: “To you is granted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God, for the rest it remains in parables so that “they may look but not perceive, listen but not understand”. This phrase gives rise to a question in the heart of the people: What is the purpose of a parable? Is it to clarify or to hide things? Did Jesus uses the parables in order that people continue in their ignorance and would not convert themselves? Certainly not! In another place it is said that Jesus used the parables “according to what they could understand” (Mk 4:33). The parable reveals and hides at the same time” It reveals for those who are “inside, within” who accept Jesus Messiah Servant. It hides for those who insist in seeing in Him the Messiah the glorious King. These understand the images of the parable, but do not understand its meaning.
• Luke 8:11-15: The explanation of the parable, in its diverse parts. One by one, Jesus explains the parts of the parable, the seed, and the earth up to the harvest time. Some scholars think that this explanation was added afterwards; that it would not be from Jesus, but from one of the communities. This is possible! It does not matter! Because in the bud of the parable there is the flower of the explanation. Buds and flowers, both of them have the same origin, that is, Jesus. This is why we also can continue to reflect and to discover other beautiful things in the parable. Once, a person in a community asked: “Jesus says that we have to be salt. For what does salt serve?” The people gave their opinion starting from the experience which each one had regarding salt! And they applied all this to the life of the community and discovered that to be salt is difficult and demanding. The parable functioned well! The same thing can be applied to the seeds. All have a certain experience.
4) Personal questions
• The seed falls in four different places: on the road side, among the rocks, among the thorns and in the good earth. What does each one of these four places mean? What type of earth am I? Sometimes, people are rock; other times thistles; other roadside, other times good ground. Normally, what are we in our community?
• What are the fruits which the Word of God is producing in our life and in our community?
5) Concluding Prayer
Your kingship is a kingship for ever,
Your reign lasts from age to age.
Yahweh is trustworthy in all His words,
and upright in all His deeds. (Ps 145:12-13)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
our creator and guide,
may we serve You with all our hearts
and know Your forgiveness in our lives.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 8:1-3
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel we have the continuation of yesterday’s episode which spoke of the surprising attitude of Jesus with regard to women, when He defends the woman who was known in the town as a sinner, against the criticism of the Pharisee. Now at the beginning of chapter 8, Luke describes Jesus who goes through the villages and towns of Galilee, and the novelty is that He was not only accompanied by the disciples, but also by the women disciples.
• Luke 8:1: The Twelve who follow Jesus. In one phrase alone, Luke describes the situation: Jesus goes through towns and villages preaching and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God and the Twelve are with Him. The expression “to follow Jesus” (cf. Mk 1:18; 15:41) indicates the condition of the disciple who follows the Master, twenty-four hours a day, trying to imitate His example and to participate in His destiny.
• Luke 8:2-3: The women follow Jesus. What surprises is that along with the men there are also women “together with Jesus”. Luke places both the men and the women disciples at the same level because all of them follow Jesus. Luke has also kept some of the names of some of these women disciples: Mary Magdalene, born in the town of Magdala. She had been cured and delivered from seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, steward of Herod Antipas, who was Governor of Galilee; Suzanne and several others. It is said that they “served Jesus with their own goods” Jesus allows a group of women “to follow” Him (Lk 8:2-3; 23:49; Mk 15:41). The Gospel of Mark when speaking about the women at the moment of Jesus’ death says, “There were some women who were observing at a distance and among them Mary of Magdala, Mary, the mother of James the younger and Joses, and Salome, who followed Him and served Him when he was still in Galilee, and many others who had gone up with Him to Jerusalem (Mk 15:40-41). Mark defines their attitude with three words: to follow, to serve, to go up to Jerusalem. The first Christians did not draw up a list of these women disciples who followed Jesus as they had done with the twelve disciples. But, in the pages of the Gospel of Luke the name of seven of these women disciples are mentioned: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, wife of Chuza, Suzanne (Lk 8:3), Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38), Mary, the mother of James (Lk 24:10) and Anna, the prophetess (Lk 2:36), who was eighty-four years old. Number eighty-four is seven times twelve: the perfect age! The later Ecclesiastical tradition does not value this fact about the discipleship of women with the same importance with which it values the following of Jesus on the part of men. It is also important to remember that women held a particular discipleship apart from the men chosen by Jesus for the Twelve.
The Gospel of Luke has always been considered as the Gospel of women. In fact, Luke is the Evangelist who presents the largest number of episodes in which he underlines the relationship of Jesus with the women, and the novelty is not only in the presence of the women around Jesus, but also and, above all, in the attitude of Jesus in relation to them. Jesus touches them and allows them to touch Him without fear of being contaminated (Lk 7:39; 8:44-45,54). This was different from the teachers of that time, Jesus accepts women who follow Him and who are His disciples (Lk 8:2-3; 10: 39). The liberating force of God, which acts in Jesus, allows women to rise and to assume their dignity (Lk 13:13). Jesus is sensitive to the suffering of the widow and is in solidarity with her sorrow (Lk 7:13). The work of the woman who prepares the meal is considered by Jesus like a sign of the Kingdom (Lk 13:20-21). The insistent widow who struggles for her rights is considered the model of prayer (Lk 18:1-8), and the poor widow who shares the little that she has with others is the model of dedication and donation (Lk 21:1-4). At a time when the witness of women is not accepted as something valid, Jesus accepts women and considers them witnesses of His death (Lk 23:49), of His burial (Lk 22:55-56) and of His resurrection (Lk 24:1-11, 22-24).
4) Personal questions
• How are women considered in your community, in your country, in your Church?
• Does this consider the unique gifts each gender is given, or does it treat each as just a "plug-in-replacement" for the other?
• Compare the attitude of our Church with the attitude of Jesus, but not in a superficial or politically motivated way.
5) Concluding Prayer
God, examine me and know my heart,
test me and know my concerns.
Make sure that I am not on my way to ruin,
and guide me on the road of eternity. (Ps 139:23-24)
Ordinary Time
John 19:25-27
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
our creator and guide,
may we serve You with all our hearts
and know Your forgiveness in our lives.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - John 19:25-27
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
3) Reflection
• Today, feast of Our Sorrowful Mother, the Gospel of the day presents the passage in which Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple, meet at Calvary before the Cross. The Mother of Jesus appears two times in the Gospel of John: at the beginning at the wedding feast in Cana (Jn 2:1-5), and at the end, at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19: 25-27). These two episodes, only present in John’s Gospel, have a very profound value. The Gospel of John, compared to the synoptics, is like an x-ray of the other three, while the other three are only a photograph of what has taken place. The x-rays of faith help us to discover in the events dimensions which the human eye does not perceive. The Gospel of John, besides describing the facts, reveals the symbolical dimension which exists in them. Thus, in both cases, at Cana and at the foot of the Cross, the Mother of Jesus represents symbolically the Old Testament waiting for the New Testament to arrive, and in the two cases, she contributes to the arrival of the New Testament. Mary appears like the step between what existed before and what will arrive afterwards. At Cana she symbolizes the Old Testament; she perceives the limits of the Old Testament and takes the initiative so that the New one may arrive. She tells her Son, “They have no wine!” (Jn 2:3). And on Calvary? Let us see:
• John 19:25: The women and the Beloved Disciple, together at the foot of the Cross. This is what the Gospel says: “Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.” The “photograph” shows the mother together with the Son, standing up, a strong woman, who does not allow herself to be discouraged. “Stabat mater dolorosa!” Hers is a silent presence which supports the Son in His gift of self unto death, death on a cross (Phil 2:8). But the “x-ray” of faith shows how the passage from the Old Testament to the New Testament takes place. As happened in Cana, the Mother of Jesus represents the Old Testament, the new humanity which is formed beginning from the lived experience of the Gospel of the Kingdom. At the end of the first century, some Christians thought that the Old Testament was no longer necessary. In fact, at the beginning of the second century, Marcionites rejected the Old Testament and remained with only a part of the New Testament. This is why many wanted to know what was Jesus’ will regarding this.
• John 19:26-28: The Testament or the Will of Jesus. The words of Jesus are significant. Seeing His Mother, and at her side the beloved disciple, Jesus says, “Woman, this is your son.” Then He says to the disciple, “This is your mother.” The Old and the New Testament must walk together. At the request of Jesus, the beloved disciple, the son, the New Testament, receives the mother in his house. In the house of the Beloved Disciple, in the Christian community, the full sense of the Old Testament is discovered. The New Testament cannot be understood without the Old one, nor is the Old one complete without the New one. Saint Augustine said, “Novum in vetere latet, Vetus in Novo patet.” (The New one is hidden in the Old one. The Old one blooms in the New one). The New one without the Old one would be a building without a foundation. And the Old one without the New one would be like a fruit tree which could not bear fruit.
• Mary in the New Testament. The New Testament speaks very little about Mary, and she says even less. Mary is the mother of silence. The bible only contains seven utterances of Mary. Each one of those is like a window which allows one to see inside Mary’s house and to discover how her relationship with God was. The key to understanding all this is given by Luke: “Blessed are those who receive the word of God and put it into practice” (Lk 11: 27-28).
1st: “How can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?” (Lk 1:34).
2nd: “You see before you the Lord’s servant; let it happen to me as you have said.” (Lk 1:38).
3rd: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior (Lk 1: 46-55).”
4th: “My child, why have You done this to us? Your father and I were worried looking for you” (Lk 2: 48).
5th: “They have no wine!” (Jn 2: 3.)
6th: “Do whatever He tells you!” (Jn 2:5).
7th: The silence at the foot of the Cross, more eloquent than a thousand words! (Jn 19: 25-27).
4) Personal questions
• Mary at the foot of the Cross. A strong and silent woman. What is my devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, like?
• In the Pieta of Michelangelo, Mary seems to be very young, younger than the crucified Son, yet she must have been about fifty years old. Asked why he had sculptured the face of Mary as a young girl, Michelangelo replied, “People who are passionate for God never age!” Passionate for God! Is that passion for God in me?
5) Concluding Prayer
Yahweh, how abundant is the goodness You have in store
for those who fear You,
and bestow on those who make You their refuge,
for all humanity to see!
Safe in Your presence You hide them,
far from human plotting. (Ps 31:19-20)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God of wisdom and love,
source of all good,
send Your Spirit to teach us Your truth
and guide our actions
in Your way of peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 5:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil One."
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel, Jesus rereads the commandment: “Do not commit perjury.” And here also He surpasses the letter, concerning the spirit of the law, and seeks to indicate the ultimate goal of this commandment: to attain total transparency in relationships among people. Here we can apply what we said concerning the two commandments “Do not kill” and “Do not commit adultery.” It is a question of a new way of interpreting and setting into practice the law of Moses, starting from the new experience of God the Father which Jesus has brought to us. He rereads the law beginning with the intention that God had in proclaiming it centuries ago on Mount Sinai.
• Matthew 5:33: It was said to our ancestors: you must not swear. The Law of the Old Testament said, “Do not commit perjury” and it added that the person should swear for the Lord. In the Psalms it is said that “one can go up to the Mountain of Yahweh and reach the holy place, if he has innocent hands and a pure heart, and does not confide in idols, nor swear in order to deceive”(Ps 24:4). The same thing is said in other parts of the Old Testament (Eccl 5:3-4), because one must be able to trust the words of others. In order to promote this reciprocal trust, tradition had invented the help of the oath. In order to strengthen one’s own word, the person would swear on someone or on something which was greater than he and who could punish him if he did not do what he had promised. Things continue to be like this up to the present time. Whether in the Church or in society, there are some moments and occasions which demand a solemn oath from people. In the final analysis, the oath is the expression of the conviction that nobody can completely trust the word of another.
• Matthew 5:34-36: But I say to you: do not swear. Jesus wants to heal this defect. It is not enough “not to swear.” He goes beyond and affirms: “But I say to you: do not swear at all: either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by earth, since that is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need to say is ‘Yes’ if you mean yes, and ‘No’ if you mean no. Anything more than this comes from the Evil One.”
They would swear on heaven and on earth, on the city of Jerusalem, on their own head. Jesus shows that all that does not cure the pain and suffering from the lack of transparency and trust among people. What is the solution which He proposes?
• Matthew 5:37: Let your speech be yes, yes; no, no. The solution which God proposes is the following: Let your speech be yes, yes; no, no; anything more than this comes from the Evil One. He proposes a radical and total honesty. Nothing more. Anything more that you say comes from the Evil One. Here again, we are confronted with an objective which will always remain in our mind and which we will never succeed in fulfilling completely. It is another expression of the new ideal of justice which Jesus proposes: “to be perfect like the Heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). Jesus uproots any attempt to create the conviction that I am saved because I observe the law. Nobody can merit God’s grace, because otherwise it would not be a grace. We observe the Law, not in order to merit salvation, but in order to thank with all our heart for the immense gratuitous goodness of God, who accepts us and saves us without any merit on our part.
4) Personal questions
• How honest is my speech? How honest am I with myself as I answer that?
• Is Jesus addressing intent in this instruction, to be trustworthy without external aids?
• Or is He addressing the hypocrisy of having one truth when speaking and another when under oath?
• Or is He giving instructions to not do a physical act, as one might be asked to do in a modern courtroom?
5) Concluding Prayer
I bless Yahweh who is my counselor,
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep Yahweh before me always,
for with Him at my right hand, nothing can shake me.
(Ps 16:7-8)
Jesus the King of the Jews
A King different from the kings of the earth
Luke 23:35-43
Opening prayer
Holy One, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of Your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavor of the holy memory.
1. LECTIO
a) The text :
The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
b) A moment of silence:
Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us.
2) MEDITATIO
a) Questions:
- The people stayed there watching. Why do you never take a stand concerning the events? Everything that you have lived, listened to, seen… you cannot just throw it away only because an obstacle seems to make it difficult! Move, do something!
“If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself”. How many attempts and threats do we make with God in prayer? If You are God why do You not intervene? There are so many innocent people who suffer. If You love me, do what I tell You and I will believe You… When will you ever stop dealing with the Lord as if you knew more than He what is good and what is not?
Jesus, remember me. When will you see in Christ the only TODAY who gives you life?
b) Key for the reading:
Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe. We would expect a passage of the Gospel of those which are more luminous, and instead we find ourselves before one of the darkest passages… The amazement of the unexpected is the most suitable sentiment to enter into the heart of today’s feast, the amazement of the one who knows that he cannot understand the infinite mystery of the Son of God.
v. 35. The people stayed there watching, as for the leaders, they jeered at Him with these words: “He saved others, let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” Around the Cross are gathered together many of those who have met Jesus during the three years of His public life. And, here, before a Word nailed on the wood, are revealed the secrets of the heart. The people who had listened to and followed the Rabbi of Galilee, who had seen miracles and wonders, are there watching: the perplexity on the faces, thousands of questions in the heart, the disillusionment and the perception that everything ends like this! The leaders go through all that has happened while they say the truth concerning the person of Jesus: the Christ of God, the Chosen One. They ignore God’s logic even if they are faithful observers of the Hebrew law. That very despicable invitation: Let Him save Himself… indicates the hidden purpose of their actions: salvation is won by oneself by the observance of the commandments of God.
vv. 36-37. The soldiers mocked Him too, coming up to Him, offering Him vinegar, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself”. The soldiers, who have nothing to lose in the religious field, get fierce against Him. What do they have in common with that man? What have they received from Him? Nothing. The possibility to exercise, even if for a short time, power over someone cannot be allowed to fall! The power of possession is intertwined with evil and they claim the right of derision. The other one, defenseless, becomes the object of their enjoyment.
v. 38. Above Him was an inscription: This is the King of the Jews. Truly, a mockery of their own guilt: Jesus is guilty for being the King of the Jews, a guilt which in reality is no guilt. In spite of what the leaders had intended, in all their ways, to crush the royalty of Christ, the truth is written by itself: This is the King of the Jews! This one, not any other! It is a royalty which goes across the centuries and asks those going by to stop and fix their thought on the novelty of the Gospel. Man needs someone to govern him, and this someone can be only a man crucified out of love, capable to stand on the wood of condemnation so as to be found alive at the dawn of the eighth day: A King without a scepter, a King capable of being considered by all a criminal but without rejecting His love for man.
v. 39. One of the criminals hanging there abused Him: Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us as well!” One can be on the cross for various reasons just as one can be with Christ for various reasons. Being near to the cross divides or unites. One of the two who were near Christ insults, provokes, ridicules or derides. The objective is always the same: Save yourself and us as well! Salvation is invoked as a flight from the cross. A sterile salvation, deprived of life, already dead in itself. Jesus is nailed to the cross, this criminal is hung on the cross. Jesus has become one same thing with the wood, because the cross is for Him the scroll of the book which unfolds to narrate the wonders of the divine life which is surrendered, given without any conditions. The other one is hung as a fruit, rotten by evil and ready to be thrown away.
v. 40. But the other spoke up and rebuked him: “Have you no fear of God at all? You got the same sentence as He did.” The other one, being close to Jesus, acquires again the holy fear and makes a judgment. Can the one who lives next to Jesus reproach one who is there, two steps away from life and does not see it, and continues to waste it to the end? Everything has a limit, and in this case the limit is not fixed by Christ who is there, but by His companion. Christ does not respond; the other one responds in His place, recognizing his responsibility and helping the other one to read the present moment as an opportunity for salvation.
v. 41. “In our case, we deserve it. We are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong”. Evil leads to the cross, the serpent had guided to the forbidden fruit hanging on the tree. But which cross: the cross of one’s own “reward” or the cross of the good fruit? Christ is the fruit which every man or woman can get from the tree of life, which is in the middle of the garden of the world, the just one who has never done any evil except love until ad finem.
v. 42. And then he said: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom”. It is a life which is fulfilled and is enclosed in an invocation incredibly dense in significance. A man, a sinner, conscious of his own sin and of the just condemnation, accepts the mystery of the cross. At the feet of that throne of glory he asks to be remembered in the Kingdom of Christ. He sees an innocent who is crucified and he recognizes and sees beyond what appears exteriorly, the life of the eternal Kingdom. What an acknowledgement! The eyes of the one who has known, in one instant, to get the life which was passing by and which was proclaiming a message of salvation even if in a shocking way. That culprit, criminal deserving death, insulted and ridiculed by all those who had had the possibility of knowing Him closely and for a long time, receives His first subject, the first one He wins over. The scripture says, damned is the one hanging on the wood. The damned innocent becomes blessing for the one who deserved condemnation. A political and earthly tribunal, that of Pilate, a divine tribunal, that of the cross, where the one condemned is saved in virtue of the consuming love of the innocent Lamb.
v. 43. He answered him: “In truth I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise”. Today: the only word which bursts into the new life of the Gospel. Salvation has been accomplished; it is no longer necessary to wait for any Messiah to save the people from their sins. Today, salvation is here, on the cross. Christ does not enter into His Kingdom alone. He takes with Him the first one who has been saved: the same humanity, the same judgment, the same luck, the same victory. Jesus is not jealous of His filial prerogatives, immediately He has pulled away from the distance separating Him from the Father and from the death which could not escape nor had a way out. Wonderful the kingdom which was inaugurated on Golgotha. Someone has said that the good thief committed the last robbery of his life; he robbed salvation. And so it is, for those who move with the things of God! How much truth, instead, in contemplating the gift which Christ gives to His companion of the cross. No robbery, no theft! All is a gift: the presence of God is not bargained or traded! Faith is what opens the door of the Kingdom to the good thief. Good because he knew how to name justly what his existence had been and saw the Savior in Christ. Was the other one evil? Neither more nor less than the other one perhaps, but he remained beyond faith: he was looking for the strong and powerful God, the powerful God in battle, a God who places things in their place and he did not know how to recognize him in the eyes of Christ, he stopped at his powerlessness.
c) Reflection
Christ dies on the Cross. He is not alone. He is surrounded by the people, by the strangest persons, the hostile ones who throw on Him their responsibility of lack of understanding, the indifferent ones who do not get involved except for personal interest, those who do not understand as yet but who, perhaps, are better disposed to allow themselves to be questioned, since they think they have nothing to lose, like one of the two criminals. If death is to fall into nothingness, then human time becomes anguish. If, instead, it is to wait for the light, then human time becomes hope, and the space of the finite opens a passage to tomorrow, to the new dawn of the Resurrection. I am the way, the truth and the life. How true are these words, the words of Jesus, words which enlighten the darkness of death. The way does not stop, the truth is not turned off. Life does not die. In those words “I AM” is enclosed the royalty of Christ. We journey toward a goal, and to attain it cannot mean to lose it… I am the way… We live from truth, and truth is not an object, but something which exists: “Truth is the splendor of reality – says Simon Weil – and to desire truth is to desire a direct contact with reality in order to love it”. “I am the truth… Nobody wants to die, we feel deprived of something which belongs to us: life, and then, if life does not form part of us, it can not hold us to itself… I am the life… Jesus has said it: “He who wants to save his life, will lose it, but the one who loses his life for Me, will find it”. Is there some contradiction in the terms or rather secrets hidden to be revealed? Do we remove the veil from what we see in order to enjoy what we do not see? Christ on the cross is the object of everybody’s attention. Many think of Him or are even at His side. But this is not sufficient. The closeness which saves is not that of those who are there to deride or to mock. The closeness which saves is that of the one who humbly asks to be remembered not in the fleeing time but in the eternal Kingdom.
3. ORATIO
Psalm 145
I shall praise You to the heights, God my King,
I shall bless Your name for ever and ever.
Day after day I shall bless You,
I shall praise Your name for ever and ever.
Great is Yahweh and worthy of all praise,
his greatness beyond all reckoning.
Each age will praise Your deeds to the next,
proclaiming Your mighty works.
Your renown is the splendor of Your glory,
I will ponder the story of Your wonders.
They will speak of Your awesome power,
and I shall recount Your greatness.
They will bring out the memory of Your great generosity,
and joyfully acclaim Your saving justice.
Yahweh is tenderness and pity,
slow to anger, full of faithful love.
Yahweh is generous to all.
His tenderness embraces all His creatures.
All Your creatures shall thank You, Yahweh,
and Your faithful shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingship
and tell of Your might,
making known Your mighty deeds to the children of Adam,
the glory and majesty of Your kingship.
Your kingship is a kingship forever,
Your reign lasts from age to age.
Yahweh is trustworthy in all His words,
and upright in all His deeds.
Yahweh supports all who stumble,
lifts up those who are bowed down.
All look to You in hope
and You feed them with the food of the season.
And, with generous hand,
You satisfy the desires of every living creature.
Upright in all that He does,
Yahweh acts only in faithful love.
He is close to all who call upon Him,
all who call on Him from the heart.
He fulfills the desires of all who fear Him,
He hears their cry and He saves them.
Yahweh guards all who love Him,
but all the wicked He destroys.
My mouth shall always praise Yahweh,
let every creature bless His holy name for ever and ever.
4. CONTEMPLATIO
Lord, it sounds strange to call You King. One does not get close to a King easily. And, instead, today I find You sitting beside me, in the ditch of sin, here, where I would never have thought to find You. Kings are in palaces, far from the difficulties of the poor people. You, instead, live Your Lordship wearing the worn out clothes of our poverty. What a great feast for me to see You here where I went to hide myself so as not to feel the indiscreet looks of human judgment. On the edge of my failures, whom have I found if not You? The only one who could reproach me for my incoherence comes to look for me to sustain me in my anguish and in my humiliation! What great illusion when we think that we should come to You only when we have attained perfection… I would want to think that You do not like what I am, but perhaps, it is not exactly like that: I do not like what I am, but for You, I am all right, because Your love is something special which respects everything in me and makes of every instant of my life a space of encounter and of gift. Lord, teach me not to get down from the cross with the absurd pretension of saving myself! Grant that I may know how to wait, at Your side, the TODAY of Your Kingdom in my life.
The discourse of Jesus on the end of time
Luke 21:5-19
1. Opening prayer
Lord, You who have made sky and earth and sea, and everything in them; it is You who said through the Holy Spirit and speaking through our ancestor David, Your servant:
Why this uproar among the nations,
this impotent muttering of the peoples?
Kings of earth take up position,
princes plot together
against the Lord and His Anointed”.
... Stretch out your hand to heal and to work miracles and marvels through the name of Your holy servant Jesus (Acts 4:24-25,30)”. Fill us with Your Spirit as You gave it to the Apostles after this prayer, in the time of trial, so that we can also proclaim the Word openly and give witness as prophets of hope.
2. Lectio
a) The context :
The passage concerns the beginning of Jesus’ discourse on the end of the world. The passage Luke 21:5-36 is a whole literary unit. Jesus is in Jerusalem, at the entrance to the temple, the Passion is near. The Synoptic Gospels (also see Mt 24; Mk 13) have the so called “eschatological” discourse precede the account of the Passion, Death and Resurrection. These are events to be read in the light of the Passover. The language is the “apocalyptic” one. Attention is not placed on each word, but on the announcement of the total overturn. The community of Luke already knew about the events concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. The Evangelist universalizes the message and makes evident the intermediate time of the Church waiting for the coming of the Lord in glory. Luke refers to the end of time also in other parts (12:35-48;17: 20;18:18).
b) A possible division of the text:
Luke 21:5-7: introduction.
Luke 21:8-9: initial warning.
Luke 21:10-11: the signs.
Luke 21:12-17: the disciples put to the test.
Luke 21:18-19: protection and trust.
c) The text:
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here-- the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky. "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
3. A moment of prayerful silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. A few questions
- Which sentiments prevail in me: anguish, fear, trust, hope, doubt...?
- Where is the Good News in this discourse?
- Do we love what we expect and do we conform ourselves to its demands?
- How do I react to trials in my life of faith?
- Can I make a connection with the present historical events?
- What place does Jesus have in history today?
5. Meditatio
a) A key for reading:
Let us not allow ourselves to be attracted by the exterior upheavals, typical of the apocalyptic language, but by the interior ones, which are necessary, which pre-announce and prepare the encounter with the Lord. Even being aware that today also, in different parts of the world, “apocalyptic” situations are being lived, it is possible to make a personalized reading, not an evasive one, which shifts the attention to personal responsibility. Luke, regarding the other Evangelists, underlines that the end has not come, that it is necessary to live the waiting with commitment. Let us open our eyes to the tragedies of our time, not to be prophets of misfortune, but courageous prophets of a new order based on justice and peace.
b) Comment:
[5] “When some were talking about the temple remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings”, He said: Jesus was probably at the entrance to the temple, considering the reference to the votive offerings. Luke does not specify who the listeners are. It is directed to all. He universalizes the eschatological discourse. This discourse can refer to the end of time, but also to our personal end, the proper time of life. In common there is the definitive encounter with the Risen Lord.
[6] “All these things you are staring at now, the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed”. Jesus introduces a language of misfortune (17:22; 19:43) and repeats the admonitions of the prophets concerning the temple (Micah 3:12; Jer 7:1-15; 26:1-19). It is also a consideration on the fragility of every human achievement, no matter how marvelous. The community of Luke already knew about the destruction of Jerusalem (year 70). Let us consider our attitude towards the things that end with time.
[7] They asked Him: “Master, when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that it is about to take place?” The listeners are interested in the external upheavals which characterize this event. Jesus does not respond to this specific question. The “when” is not placed by Luke in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem. He underlines that the end “will not be immediately” (v. 9) and “that before all this...” (v. 12) others things will happen. He questions us on the relation between the historical events and the fulfillment of the history of salvation: the time of man and the time of God.
[8] He answered, “Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using My name and saying: ‘I am the one’ and ‘the time is near at hand’. Refuse to join them”. In regard to the other Evangelists, Luke adds the reference to time. The community of the first Christians is overcoming the phase of an immediate coming of the Lord and prepares itself for the intermediate time of the Church. Jesus recommends that they not allow themselves to be deceived, or better, to be seduced by impostors. There are two types of false prophets: those who pretend to come in the name of Jesus saying “I am the one” and those who affirm that the time is near at hand, that the day is already known (10:11; 19:11).
[9] “When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once”. Even the war events, and today we would say, the terrorist acts, are not the beginning of the end. All this happens but it is not a sign of the end. Luke wants to warn them about the illusion of the imminent end of time with the consequent disillusionment and abandonment of faith.
[10] “Then He said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
[11] There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines in various places; there will be terrifying events and great signs from heaven‘”. The words “and then He said” is a repetition of the discourse after the initial warnings. This is fully apocalyptic language, which means revelation (Isa 19:2; 2Cor 15:6) and at the same time concealment. Traditional images are used to describe the rapid changes of history (Isa 24:19-20; Zech 14:4-5; Ezek 6:11-12, etc.). The imaginary catastrophe is like a curtain which hides the beauty of the scene which is behind: the coming of the Lord in glory (v. 27).
[12] “But before all this happens, you will be seized and persecuted; you will be handed over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and governors for the sake of My name.”
[13] “and that will be your opportunity to bear witness”. The Christian is called to conform himself to Christ. They have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. Luke recalls the scene of Paul before King Agrippa and Governor Festo (Acts 25:23-26, 32). Behold the time of trial. Not necessarily under the form of persecution. Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus suffered the absence of God for eighteen months, when she discovered her illness. A time of purification which prepares for the encounter. It is the normal condition of the Christian, that of living in a healthy tension which is not frustration. Christians are called to give witness to the hope which animates them.
[14] “Make up your minds not to prepare your defense;
[15] because I Myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict”. The time has come to place our trust completely in God, God alone suffices. It is that same wisdom with which Stephen confused his enemies (Acts 6:10). The capacity to resist to persecution is guaranteed for the believer.
[16] “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death”.
[17] “You will be hated universally on account of my name. The radical following of Christ implies also the overcoming of blood relations, those which we affectionately believe to be more secure. There is the risk of remaining alone, like Jesus in His Passion.
[18] “But not a hair of your head will be lost”. Luke repeats the preceding verse (12:7) to remind us of the divine protection which is assured at the moment of trial. The believer is also guaranteed the care of his physical integrity.
[19] “Your perseverance will win you your lives.” Perseverance (cf. Acts 11:23; 13: 43; 14:22) is indispensable in order to bear fruit (8:15), in the daily trials and in persecutions. It means the same as the “remain in Christ” of John. The final victory is certain: the Kingdom of God will be established by the Son of Man. Therefore, it is necessary to be persevering, vigilant and in prayer (v. 36 and 12:35-38). The life-style of the Christian has to be a sign of the future which will come.
6. Oratio: Psalm 98
Sing a new song to the Lord
Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,
burst into shouts of joy!
Play to Yahweh on the harp,
to the sound of instruments;
to the sound of trumpet and horn,
acclaim the presence of the King.
Let the sea thunder, and all that it holds,
the world and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
and the mountains shout for joy together,
at Yahweh's approach,
for He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with saving justice
and the nations with fairness.
7. Contemplatio
Good God, whose Kingdom is all love and peace, You Yourself create in our soul that silence that You need to communicate Yourself to it.
Peaceful acting, desiring without passion, zeal without agitation: all that can only come from You, Eternal Wisdom, Infinite activity, unalterable repose, principle and model of true peace.
You have promised us by Your prophets this peace. You have given it by Jesus Christ. You have given us the guarantee with the effusion of Your Spirit.
Do not permit that the envy of the enemy, the anxiety of passion, the scruples of conscience make us lose this heavenly gift, which is the pledge of Your love, the object of Your promises, the reward of the blood of Your Son. Amen. (Teresa of Avila, 38:9-10).
Jesus answers to the Sadducees
who ridicule faith in the Resurrection
Luke 20:27-40
Initial prayer
Oh infinite Mystery of Life,
We are nothing,
And still we can praise You
With the voice itself of Your Word
Who became the voice of our whole humanity.
Oh, my Trinity, I am nothing in You,
But You are all in me
And then my nothingness is life… it is eternal life.
Maria Evangelista of the Holy Trinity, O.Carm.
1. Lectio
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out 'Lord, ' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Some of the scribes said in reply, "Teacher, you have answered well." And they no longer dared to ask him anything.
2. Meditatio
a) Key for the Reading:
• Context
We can say that the passage proposed to us for our reflection forms a central part of the text which goes from Luke 20:20 to 22:4, and deals with the discussions with the chief priests of the people. Already in the beginning of chapter 20, Luke presents us with some conflicts which arose between Jesus, the priests, and the scribes (vv. 1-19). Here Jesus finds Himself facing some conflict with the philosophical school of the Sadducees, who have taken their name from Zadok, the priest of David (2 Sam 8: 17). They accepted as revelation only the writings of Moses (v. 28), denying the gradual development of biblical revelation. In this sense one can better understand the expression “Moses prescribed for us” repeated by the Sadducees in this malicious debate which they use it as a trap to get Jesus and “to catch Him in a fault” (see: 20:2; 20:20). This philosophical school disappeared with the destruction of the temple.
• The law of the levirate
The Sadducees precisely deny the resurrection from the dead because, according to them, this object of faith did not form part of the revelation handed down to them from Moses. The same thing can be said concerning faith in the existence of angels. In Israel, faith in the resurrection of the dead appears in the book of Daniel written in the year 605 – 530 B.C. (Dan 12:2-3). We also find it in 2 Macc 7:9,11,14,23. In order to ridicule the faith in the resurrection of the dead, the Sadducees quote the legal prescription of Moses on the levirate (Deut 25:5) concerning the ancient traditions of the Semitic peoples (including the Hebrews), according to which, the brother or a close relative of a married man who died without sons, had to marry the widow, in order: a) to assure to the deceased descendants (the sons would have been legally considered sons of the deceased man), and b) a husband to the woman, because women depended on the man for their livelihood. Cases of this type are recalled in the Old Testament in the Books of Genesis and Ruth.
In the Book of Genesis (38:6-26) it is said how “Judah took a wife, whose name was Tamar, for his first born son Er. But, Er, the first born of Judah, offended the Lord and the Lord killed him. Then Judah tells Onan, “Take your brother’s wife, and do your duty as her brother-in-law to maintain your brother’s line” (Gen 38:6-8). But Onan was also punished by God and he died (Gen 38:10), because Onan, knowing that the line would not count as his, spilt his seed on the ground every time he slept with his brother’s wife, to avoid providing offspring for his brother” (Gen 38:9). Judah, seeing this, sent Tamar to her father’s house so as not to give her his third son, Shelah, as a husband (Gen 38:10-11). Tamar then, disguising herself as a prostitute or a harlot, slept with Judah himself and conceived twins. Judah, on discovering the truth, defended Tamar, recognizing “She was right and I was wrong” (Gen 38:26).
In the book of Ruth the same story is told about Ruth herself, Ruth the Moabitess, who remained a widow after having married one of the sons of Elimelech. Together with her mother-in-law Naomi, Ruth was obliged to beg for survival and to gather in the fields the ears of corn which fell from the sheaves behind the reapers, up to the time when she married Boaz, a relative of her deceased husband.
The case proposed to Jesus by the Sadducees reminds us the story of Tobias the son of Tobit who married Sarah the daughter of Raguel, the widow of seven husbands, all killed by Asmodeus, the demon of lust, at the moment that they slept together. Tobias has the right to marry her because she belonged to his tribe. (Tobit 7:9).
Jesus makes the Sadducees notice that the purpose of marriage is procreation, and therefore it is necessary for the future of the human species, since none of the “sons of this world” (v. 34) is eternal. But “those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world” (v. 35) neither take husband nor wife in so far as they can no longer die” (v. 35-36). They live in God: “they are the same as the angels and, being children of the resurrection, are sons of God” (v. 36). Both in the Old and in the New Testament, the angels are called sons of God (see for example, Gen 6:2; Ps 29:1; Lk 10:6; 16:8). These words of Jesus remind us also of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, where it is written that Jesus is the Son because of His Resurrection, He is the first risen from the dead and, par excellence, is Son of the Resurrection (Rom 1:4). Here we can also quote the texts of St. Paul on the resurrection of the dead as an event of salvation of a spiritual nature (1 Cor 15:35-50).
• I am: The God of the Living
Jesus goes on to confirm the reality of the resurrection by quoting another passage taken from Exodus, this time from the account of the revelation of God to Moses in the burning bush. The Sadducees make evident their point of view by quoting Moses. Jesus, at the same time, refutes their argument by quoting Moses as well: “That the dead resurrect has also been shown by Moses regarding the bush, when he calls the Lord: the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob” (v. 37). In Exodus we find that the Lord reveals Himself to Moses with these words: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Ex 3:6). The Lord then continues to reveal to Moses the divine name: “I AM” (Ex 3:14). The Hebrew word ehjej (also transliterated as ehyeh), from the root Hei-Yod-Hei, used for the divine name in Exodus 3:14, means I am he who is; I am the existing One. The root may also mean life, existence. And this is why Jesus can conclude, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (v. 38). In the same verse Jesus specifies that “all live for Him [God]”. This can also mean “all live in Him”. Reflecting on Jesus’ death, in the letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “For by dying, He is dead to sin once and for all, and now the life that He lives is life with God. In the same way, you must see yourselves as being dead to sin but alive for God in Jesus Christ” (Rom 6:10).
We can say that Jesus, once more, makes the Sadducees see that God’s fidelity, whether for His people, or for the individual, is not based on the existence of a political kingdom (in the case of God’s fidelity to His people), nor on having prosperity and descendants in this life. The hope of the true believer does not reside in the things of this world, but in the Living God. This is why the disciples of Jesus are called to live as children of the resurrection, that is, sons of life in God, as their Master and Lord, “having been regenerated not from any perishable seed but from imperishable seed, that is, of the living and enduring Word of God” (1 Pet 1:23).
b) Questions to help in the reflection
* What has struck you most in this Gospel? Some word? Which particular attitude?
* Try to reread the Gospel text in the context of the other biblical texts quoted in the key to the reading.
* How do you interpret the conflict which arose between the chief priests of the people and the Sadducees with Jesus?
* Stop and think on how Jesus confronted the conflict. What do you learn from His behavior?
* What do you think is the central point in the discussion?
* What does the resurrection from the dead mean for you?
* Do you feel like a son or daughter of the resurrection?
* What does it mean for you to live the resurrection beginning now at the present moment?
3. Oratio
Inspired by Psalm 17
We will be filled, Lord, by contemplating Your Face
Listen, Yahweh, to an upright cause,
pay attention to my cry,
lend an ear to my prayer,
my lips free from deceit.
My steps never stray from the paths You lay down,
from Your tracks; so my feet never stumble.
I call upon You, God, for You answer me;
turn Your ear to me, hear what I say.
Shelter me in the shadow of Your wings.
That I in my uprightness will see Your face,
and when I awake I shall be filled with the vision of You.
4. Contemplatio
From the mystical diary of
Sister Maria Evangelista of the Most Holy Trinity, O.Carm.
This earthly life is also filled with love, with gifts of “truth”, hidden gifts and at the same time, revealed by the sign… I feel an immense gratitude for every human value. To live in communion with creation, in friendship with the brothers, in openness toward the work of God and the work of mankind, in a continuous experience of the gifts of life, even if in the midst of suffering, even is simply only human, it is a continuous grace, a continuous gift.
The conversion of Zacchaeus
Luke 19:1-10
1. LECTIO
a) Opening prayer:
O God, creator and Father of all the children of Abraham, grant us the light of Your Spirit that we may serve You well and worthily, grant that we may follow in the footsteps of Your Word and that our actions may reflect that we are disciples of the one Master who became man for love of us and for our salvation.
b) A reading of the Gospel:
At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."
c) A moment of silence:
so that the Word of God may penetrate us and enlighten our life.
2. MEDITATIO
a) A key to the reading:
In the Gospel story, Luke likes to show the mercy of the Master towards sinners, and Lk 19:1-10 is one example. The story of the conversion of Zacchaeus tells us that no human condition is incompatible with salvation: “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham”, (Lk 19:9) says Jesus. The opening text of chapter 19 comes after the teachings and attitudes that Jesus presents to us in chapter 18. In that chapter we find the parable of the Pharisee who judges and the publican who humbles himself before God and begs for pardon (Lk 18:9-14). Then there is the scene where Jesus welcomes the children, warning the disciples that it is to anyone who is a child such as these that the kingdom of God belongs… anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it (Lk 18:16-17). Immediately after this, Jesus tells the rich aristocrat who wishes to obtain eternal life (Lk 18:18) of the need to sell everything and distribute the money to the poor in order to follow Jesus and obtain treasure in heaven (Lk 18:22). Then comes the teaching of Jesus on riches that are an obstacle to salvation and the promise of a reward for those who renounce all for the sake of the Kingdom of God (Lk 18:24-30). These parts of chapter 18 seem to lead us to the story of the conversion of Zacchaeus. Before the story of Zacchaeus we have two texts which contain important details:
1. The third prophecy of the passion where Jesus reminds us that now we are going up to Jerusalem (Lk 18:31). It would seem that Luke wishes to place everything within the context of following Christ;
2. The healing of the blind man of Jericho, who called Jesus, even though the crowd stopped him from going to the Master (Lk 18:35-39). Once more, Jesus gives light to darkened eyes and says that faith has saved this blind man (Lk 18:42). After regaining his sight, the blind man was able to follow Jesus whilst praising God (Lk 18:43).
These two texts together with the previous ones shed light on the story of the conversion of Zacchaeus. In this story we find surprising details that are already present in the aforementioned texts:
1. Zacchaeus is a rich man and chief of the Publicans – Lk 19:2.
2. He sought to see Jesus, but was not able because of the crowd – Lk 19:3.
3. He was short – Lk 19:3.
4. The crowd’s judgment that stamps Zacchaeus: a sinner - Lk 19:7.
5. The distribution of goods to the poor – Lk 19:8.
6. Jesus’ proclamation that salvation has come to the house of Zacchaeus – Lk 19:9.
Zacchaeus, a short man, one who is rich and chief of the tax collectors, welcomes the Kingdom of God like a child. He humbles himself and repents of his past and thus finds the salvation that comes from God in Jesus Christ, who comes to us to seek out and save what was lost (Lk 19:10). This is a theme that is dear to Luke and we find it in other parts of his Gospel as well (e.g., Lk 15:11-31).
b) A time for personal reflection:
Place yourself silently before the word of God and reflect on the texts presented in this key to the reading. Ask yourself:
1. What is the connection between these texts?
2. What does salvation mean to you?
3. Zacchaeus, a short man, shows his availability to welcome the Lord by climbing a sycamore tree. His curiosity was rewarded with Jesus’ visit. What do you do to show your availability to welcome the salvation of God?
4. Zacchaeus’ action reminds us of the curiosity of Moses that urges him towards the burning bush. There, too, Moses found salvation. Do you approach the Lord? Do you feel attracted to Him?
5. Jesus goes to Zacchaeus in his sinfulness and in the house He brings him salvation. How attached are you to sin? Do you allow the Master to come to you, in that dark house?
3. ORATIO
a) The prayer of the community:
O God, who in Your Son have come to seek and save the lost, make us worthy of Your call. Bring to fulfillment our every wish for good, so that we may know how to welcome You joyfully into our house to share the goods of the earth and of heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
b) A moment of silence:
for personal prayer.
4. CONTEMPLATIO
You will reveal the path of life to me,
and at Your right hand everlasting pleasures.
(Psalm 16:11)
More...
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax collector
Where do I base my security?
Luke 18:1-14
1. Opening prayer
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us to read the scriptures with the same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the bible, You helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.
Create silence in us so that we may listen to Your voice in creation and in the scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A key to the reading:
The Gospel of this Sunday places us before the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax collector (Lk 18:9-14). We have added the parable of the widow and the judge (Lk 18: 1-8), because both of these form a small unity, the purpose of which is to help us discover what our prayerful attitude should be before God. The two parables show us that Jesus had another way of seeing the things of life and prayer. He perceived a revelation of God where others saw only the ruins. He sees something positive in the tax collector, of whom everybody said, “He does not know how to pray!” And in the poor widow, of whom society said, “She disturbs and bothers even the judge!” Jesus lived so united to the Father through prayer, that for Him everything became an expression of prayer.
Today, the simple people of the town who say that they do not know how to pray, know how to speak with Jesus, they speak with God all the time. Do you know any such people? The people have many ways to express their devotion and their prayer.
During the reading let us try to pay attention to the two following things: What is the objective and who are those to whom the two parables are addressed? What are the attitudes of the people who are mentioned in the parables?
b) A division of the text to help in the reading:
Luke 18:1: The objective of the first parable.
Luke 18:2: Description of the attitude of the judge.
Luke 18:3: Attitude of the widow before the judge.
Luke 18:4-5: Reaction of the judge before the widow.
Luke 18:6-8: Jesus applies the parable.
Luke 18:9: Those to whom the second parable is addressed.
Luke 18:10: Introduction to the theme of the parable.
Luke 18:11-12: It describes how the Pharisee prays.
Luke 18:13: It describes how the Tax Collector prays.
Luke 18:14: Jesus gives His opinion on both.
c) Text:
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity -- greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
3. A moment of prayerful silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
a) Which point pleased you the most in both of these parables? Why?
b) Which is the attitude of the widow and of the judge? What is it that strikes you most in the attitude of the each one of them? Why?
c) What are the attitudes of the Pharisee and of the Tax Collector? What strikes us the most in the attitude of each one of them? Why?
d) How does Jesus apply this parable?
e) What do these two parables teach us concerning prayer?
5. For those who wish to deepen more into the theme
a) The context of yesterday and of today
The context of the time of Jesus and of Luke is expressed in the two phrases of introduction which speak about the “need to pray continually and not lose heart” (Lk 18:1) and of “some who boasted of being just and despised others” (Lk 18:9). The context of today continues to be the same as before, because today it is necessary to pray always, while today there are also people who boast of being just and who despise others.
b) Comment on the text:
Luke 18:1: The objective of the first parable.
Luke introduces this parable with the phrase: “on the need to pray continually and never lose heart”. In other passages he insists in the same way on perseverance in prayer and on the need to believe that God hears our prayer and responds to our petitions. Faith in God which responds to our petitions is the red thread which pervades the whole bible, where, from Exodus it is ceaselessly repeated that “God hears the cry of His People” (Ex 2:24; 3:7).
Luke 18:2: Description of the attitude of the judge.
Jesus wishes to clarify for those who listen to Him, which is the attitude of God before our prayer. For this, in speaking of the judge, he thinks of God the Father who is the end of the comparison which he is making. If it were not Jesus, we would not have the courage to compare God with a judge “who neither has fear of God nor respect for anyone”. This audacious comparison, made by Jesus Himself, strengthens, on the one hand, the importance of perseverance in prayer and, on the other, the certainty of being heard by God the Father.
Luke 18:3: The attitude of the widow before the judge.
In the attitude of the widow before the judge we have the situation of the poor in society at the time of Jesus. Widows and orphans had no one to defend them and their rights were not respected. The fact that Jesus compares our attitude with that of the poor widow, without anyone to defend her, who seeks to claim her rights before a judge who has no human sensibility, shows Jesus’ sympathy for poor people, who insistently struggle to claim their rights.
Luke 18:4-5: The reaction of the judge before the widow.
The judge ends by giving in before the insistence of the widow. He does justice not out of love for justice, but in order to free himself from the widow who continually pesters him.
Luke 18:6-8: Jesus applies the parable.
Jesus draws the conclusion: If an atheistic and dishonest judge pays attention to a widow who insists on her petition, how much more will God, the Father, listen to those who pray to Him night and day, even if He makes them wait. This is the central point of the parable, confirmed by Jesus’ final question: “When the Son of man comes, will He find any faith on earth?” That is, will our faith be as persistent as that of the widow, who resists without losing heart, until she obtains God’s answer? Because, as Ecclesiasticus says, “It is difficult to resist the expectation of God!”
Luke 18:9: Those to whom the second parable is addressed.
This second parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is introduced in the second sentence: “He spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being upright and despised everyone else!” Luke’s sentence refers simultaneously to the time of Jesus and to the time of Luke. Then, in the communities of the years 80’s, to whom Luke addressed his Gospel, there were some holding fast to the ancient tradition of Judaism which despised those who lived in paganism (cf. Acts 15:1, 5).
Luke 18:10: This introduces the theme of the parable.
Two men went up to the temple to pray: one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. There could be no greater contrast between these two. In the opinion of the people of that time, a tax collector was worth nothing and could not address himself to God, because he was an impure person, in so far as a tax collector, while the Pharisee was an honored person and a very religious one.
Luke 18:11-12: It describes how the Pharisee prays.
The Pharisee prays standing up and thanks God because he is not like others: thieves, dishonest, adulterous. His prayer is nothing else than praising himself and the things he does: he fasts and pays tithes on all he gets. It is an exaltation of his good qualities and the contempt of others, whom he despises, especially the tax collector who is together with him in the same place. He does not consider him as his brother.
Luke 18:13: It describes how the tax collector prays.
The tax collector does not dare to even raise his eyes, but he beats his heart and says, “My God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” He takes his place before God.
Luke 18:14: Jesus gives His opinion on both parables.
If Jesus had asked the people, who returned home justified, all would have answered, “The Pharisee!” But Jesus thinks differently. The one who returns justified (in a good relationship with God) is not the Pharisee, but rather the tax collector. Once again, Jesus turns everything the other way round. Perhaps this application made by Jesus of the parable did not please many people.
c) Extending the information:
i) The first Christians present us with an image of Jesus praying, who lived in permanent union with the Father. The breathing of the life of Jesus was to do God’s will (Jn 5:19). Jesus prayed very much and insisted so that the people and His disciples also pray. Because it is in our relation with God that truth emerges and that the person finds herself in all reality and humility.
ii) The two parables reveal something of the prayerful attitude of Jesus before the Father. They reveal that even for Him it was not always easy. Like the widow, you must insist very much, as it is also seen in the prayer made in the Garden of Olives (Lk 22:41-42). He insisted up until death, He did not lose heart and He was heard (Heb 5:7). The two parables also reveal His experience and intimacy with God as Father who accepts all and whose love has gratuity as a central mark. God’s love for us does not depend on what we do for Him. He has loved us first. He accepts the tax collector.
iii) Luke is the Evangelist who gives us more information about Jesus’ life of prayer. He presents Jesus in constant prayer. The following are some moments in which Jesus appears in prayer in the Gospel of Luke:
* When He is twelve years old, He goes to the Temple, to the house of the Father (Lk 2: 46-50).
* At the moment of being baptized and of assuming His mission, He prays (Lk 3:21).
* When He begins His mission, He spends forty days in the desert (Lk 4:1-2).
* In the hour of temptation, He faces the Devil with the texts from scripture (Lk 4:3-12).
* Jesus usually participates in the celebrations in the synagogue on Saturday (Lk 4: 16).
* He seeks solitude in the desert to pray (Lk 5:16; 9:18).
* Before choosing the twelve apostles, He spends the night in prayer (Lk 6:12).
* He prays before meals (Lk 9:16; 24: 30).
* Before speaking about reality and of His passion, He prays (Lk 9:18).
* In time of crisis, on the mountain to pray and He is transfigured while He prays (Lk 9, 28).
* In revealing the Gospel to the little ones, he says: “Father, I thank You!” (Lk 10:21).
* In praying, He awakens in the Apostles the will to pray (Lk 11:1).
* He prays for Peter so that he may be strong in faith (Lk 22:32).
* He celebrates the Passover Supper with His disciples (Lk 22:7-14).
* In the Garden of Olives, He prays, and sweat becomes drops of blood (Lk 22:41-42).
* In the anguish of the agony He asks His friends to pray with Him (Lk 22:40,46).
* At the hour of being nailed to the cross, He asks pardon for those who do not know what they are doing (Lk 23:34).
* In the hour of death, He says, “Into Your hands I commend My spirit!” (Lk 23:46; Ps 31:6).
iv) This long list indicates everything which follows. For Jesus, prayer was intimately united to life, to concrete facts, to the decisions which He had to make. In order to be faithful to the Father’s project, He tried to remain alone with Him. He listened to Him. In the difficult and decisive moments of His life, Jesus prayed the psalms. Just like any pious Jew, He knew them by heart. But the recitation of the psalms does not take away His creativity. Rather, Jesus Himself composed a psalm which He has transmitted to us. It is the Our Father. His life was a permanent prayer: “I always seek the will of the Father!” (Jn 5:19, 30). To Him is applied what the Psalm says, “I am in prayer!” (Ps 109:4).
6. Prayer of a Psalm
Psalm 146 (145): A Picture of our God
Alleluia! Praise Yahweh, my soul!
I will praise Yahweh all my life,
I will make music to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes, in any child of Adam,
who has no power to save.
When his spirit goes forth he returns to the earth,
on that very day all his plans come to nothing.
How blessed is he who has Jacob's God to help him,
his hope is in Yahweh his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
He keeps faith for ever,
gives justice to the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry;
Yahweh sets prisoners free.
Yahweh gives sight to the blind,
lifts up those who are bowed down.
Yahweh protects the stranger,
He sustains the orphan and the widow.
Yahweh loves the upright,
but He frustrates the wicked.
Yahweh reigns forever, your God, Zion,
from age to age.
7. Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice what Your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word, You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
A real prayer:
the widow’s example
Luke 18:1-8
1. Opening prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the scriptures with the same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the bible, You helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.
Create silence in us so that we may listen to Your voice in creation and in the scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A key to the reading:
This Sunday’s liturgy presents us with a text from Luke’s Gospel concerning prayer, a theme dear to the heart of Luke. This is the second time that this Evangelist quotes the words of Jesus to teach us how to pray. The first time (Lk 11:1-13) introduces the text of the Our Father and, by means of comparisons and parables, teaches us that we must pray always and tirelessly. Now, the second time (Lk 18:1-4), Luke has recourse once more to parables taken from everyday life to teach us how to pray: the parable of the widow and the judge (18:1-8) and that of the Pharisee and the publican (Lk 18:9-14). Luke tells the parables in quite a didactic form. Each parable begins with a brief introduction as a key to its reading. There follows the parable, and lastly, Jesus Himself applies the parable to life. This Sunday’s text only narrates the first parable of the widow and the judge (Lk 18:1-8). While reading, it would be good to keep in mind the following: “What is the attitude of each person involved in this parable?”
b) A division of the text to help us in our reading:
Luke 18:1: A key given by Jesus for an understanding of the parable.
Luke 18:2-3: The contrast between the judge and the widow.
Luke 18:4-5: The change in the judge and the reason for this change.
Luke 18:6-8a: Jesus applies the parable.
Luke 18:8b: A final provocative statement.
c) The text:
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
3. A moment of prayerful silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
a) What did you like most in this text?
b) What is the attitude of the widow? Or what strikes you most in what she does and says?
c) What strikes you most in the attitude and words of the judge? Why?
d) How does Jesus apply this parable?
e) What does this parable teach us concerning our manner of looking at life and people?
f) What does this parable teach us about our prayer life?
5. A key to the reading
for a deeper understanding of the theme.
a) The historical context:
When analyzing the historical context of Luke’s Gospel, we must always keep in mind this dual dimension: the time of Jesus in the 30’s, and the time of those for whom the Gospel is written in the 80’s. These two times influence, each in its own way, the writing of the text and must be present as we try to discover the meaning Jesus’ parables have for us today.
b) The literary context:
The immediate literary context presents us two parables on prayer: praying insistently and perseveringly (the widow and the judge) (Lk 18:1-8); praying humbly and realistically (the Pharisee and the publican) (Lk 18:9-14). Although they are different, these two parables have something in common. They tell us that Jesus saw the things of life in a different way. Jesus saw God’s revelation where others saw something negative. For instance, He saw something positive in the publican, when all said, “He does not know how to pray!” And in the poor widow of whom it was said, “She is so insistent that she even troubles the judge!” Jesus was so united to the Father that for Him everything was transformed into a source of prayer. Many are the ways we can express ourselves in prayer. There are those who say, “I do not know how to pray”, yet they speak to God all day. Have you come across anyone like this?
c) A commentary on the text:
Luke 18:1: The key to an understanding of the parable.
Luke introduces the parable thus: “Then He told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart”. The words “to pray and not lose heart” appear frequently in the New Testament (1 Thess 5:17; Rom 12:12; Eph 6:18; etc.). This was a feature of the spirituality of the early Christian communities. It is also a point on which Luke insists both in the Gospel and in Acts. If you are interested in discovering this dimension in Luke’s writings, carry out this exercise: read the Gospel and Acts and write down all the verses where Jesus or others are praying. You will be surprised!
Luke 18:2-3: The contrast between the widow and the judge.
Jesus presents us with two persons from real life: a judge who neither respects God nor persons, and a widow who will not stop fighting for her rights before the judge. The simple fact that Jesus presents these two persons reveals that He knows well the society of His time. Not only does the parable present poor people fighting in court to have their rights recognized, but it also shows us the violent contrast among social groups. On the one hand, an insensitive and irreligious judge, and on the other, the widow who knows which door to knock on to get what is owed to her.
Luke 18:4-5: The change in the judge and the reason for the change.
For a long time, asking the same thing every day, the widow gets nothing from the insensitive judge. Finally, the judge, even though “he had neither fear of God nor respect for man,” decided to pay attention to the widow and give her justice. The reason is: to be free of this constant nuisance, a rather self-interested reason! However, the widow gets what she wants! This is a fact of daily life and Jesus uses it to teach us how to pray.
Luke 18:6-8: An application of the parable.
Jesus applies the parable: “You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to His chosen who cry to Him day and night even when He delays to help them?” Then He adds that God will see justice done speedily. Were it not Jesus speaking, we would not have the courage to compare God to a judge with this moral attitude. What is important in the comparison is the widow, who, thanks to her insistence, finally gets what she wants.
Luke 18:8b: A statement on faith.
At the end, Jesus expresses some doubt: “But when the Son of Man comes, will He find any faith on earth?” Will we have the courage to wait, to be patient, even if God takes time to answer us? We need much faith to go on insisting and acting when we see no result. Anyone who expects immediate results will be disappointed. Many of the psalms speak of this hard and difficult insistence before God until He sees fit to respond (Ps 71:14; 37:7; 69:4; Lam 3:26). When quoting Psalm 80, Saint Peter says that one day for God is like a thousand years (2Pt 3:8; Ps 90:4).
d) A deepening: Prayer in Luke’s writings
i. Jesus prays in the Gospel
The Gospels present us with a Jesus who prays, who lives in continuous contact with the Father. Jesus’ only wish is to do the will of the Father (Jn 5:19). Luke is the one who speaks most of the prayer life of Jesus. He shows us a Jesus who prays always. Jesus prayed much and insistently, so that people and His disciples would do the same. It is when facing God in truth that the person sees him/herself in its reality and humility. Here are some of the moments when Jesus is praying in Luke’s Gospel:
Lk 2:46-50: When He is twelve, He goes to the temple, His Father’s house.
Lk 3:21: He prays at His baptism and when He takes on His mission.
Lk 4:1-2: At the beginning of His mission He spends forty days in the desert.
Lk 4:3-12: When He is tempted, He faces the devil with texts from scripture.
Lk 4:16: On Saturdays, Jesus goes to celebrate in the synagogue.
Lk 5:16; 9:18: He seeks solitude in the desert to pray.
Lk 6:12: He spends the night in prayer before choosing the Apostles.
Lk 9:16; 24:30: He prays before meals.
Lk 9:18: He prays before speaking of His passion.
Lk 9:28: In a crisis, on the mountain to pray, He is transfigured during prayer.
Lk 10:21: When the Gospel is revealed to little ones He says, “Thank You, Father...”.
Lk 11:1: As He prays, He inspires the apostles the desire to pray.
Lk 22:32: He prays for Peter, that he may have faith.
Lk 22:7-14: He celebrates the Paschal meal with His disciples.
Lk 22:41-42: He prays and sweats blood in the Garden of Olives.
Lk 22:40.46: In His agony, He asks His friends to pray with Him.
Lk 23:34: When He was being nailed to the cross, He asked pardon for His torturers.
Lk 23:46; Ps 31:6: At the moment of death He says, “Into Your hands I commend My spirit”.
Lk 23:46: Jesus dies with the cry of the poor on His lips.
This list of quotations shows us that for Jesus prayer was intimately connected with life, with concrete fact, with decisions to be taken. To be faithful to the Father’s plan, He sought to be alone with Him, to listen to Him. In difficult and decisive moments of His life, Jesus prayed the Psalms. Like every other devout Jew, He knew them by heart. Saying the Psalms did not quench His creative spirit. Rather, Jesus invented a psalm, that is, the Our Father. His life was a constant prayer: “At all times I do what the Father asks Me to do!” (Jn 5:19, 30). What the Psalm says applies to Jesus: “... all I had done was pray for them!” (Ps 109:4)
ii. The praying communities in the Acts of the Apostles
As in the Gospel, so also in the Acts, Luke often speaks of prayer. The first Christians are those who continue the prayer of Jesus. Here is a list, which in one way or another, speak of prayer. If you look carefully, you will find other texts again:
Act 1:14: The community perseveres in prayer with Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Act 1:24: The community prays so as to know who will take the place of Judas.
Act 2:25-35: Peter quotes from the Psalms in his homily.
Act 2:42: The first Christians are faithful in prayer.
Act 2:46-47: They go to the temple to praise God.
Act 3:1: Peter and John go to the temple to pray at the ninth hour.
Act 3:8: The healed lame man praises God.
Act 4:23-31: The community prays under persecution.
Act 5:12: The first Christians stay at Solomon’s gate (temple).
Act 6:4: The apostles devote themselves to prayer and the service of the word.
Act 6:6: They pray before imposing hands on the deacons.
Act 7:59: When he is dying, Stephen prays: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”.
Act 7:60: Then Stephen prays: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”.
Act 8:15: Peter and John pray that the converts may receive the Holy Spirit.
Act 8:22: The sinner is told, “Repent and pray that you may be forgiven”.
Act 8:24: Simon says, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves so that none of the things you have spoken about may happen to me”
Act 9:11: Paul is praying.
Act 9:40: Peter prays for the healing of Tabitha.
Act 10:2: Cornelius prayed constantly to God.
Act 10:4: Cornelius’ prayers are heard in heaven.
Act 10:9: At the sixth hour, Peter prays on the roof of the house.
Act 10:30-31: Cornelius prays at the ninth hour, and his prayer is heard.
Act 11:5: Peter tells the people of Jerusalem: “I was praying”!
Act 12:5: The community prays when Peter is in jail.
Act 12:12: Many people are gathered in prayer in Mary’s house.
Act 13:2-3: The community prays and fasts before sending Paul and Barnabas.
Act 13:48: The pagans rejoice and glorify the Word of God.
Act 14:23: The missionaries pray to appoint the coordinators of the communities.
Act 16:13: At Philippi, near the river, there is a place of prayer.
Act 16:16: Paul and Silas were going to prayer.
Act 16:25: At night, Paul and Silas sing and pray in prison.
Act 18:9: Paul has a vision of the Lord at night.
Act 19:18: Many confess their sins.
Act 20:7: They met to break bread (the Eucharist).
Act 20:32: Paul commends to God the coordinators of the communities.
Act 20:36: Paul prays on his knees with the coordinators of the communities.
Act 21:5: They kneel on the shore to pray.
Act 21:14: Before the inevitable, the people say, God’s will be done!
Act 21:20: They glorify God for all that Paul has done.
Act 21:26: Paul goes to the temple to fulfill a promise.
Act 22:17-21: Paul prays in the temple, he has a vision and speaks with God.
Act 23:11: In the prison in Jerusalem, Paul has a vision of Jesus.
Act 27:23ff: Paul has a vision of Jesus during the storm at sea.
Act 27:35: Paul takes the bread, gives thanks to God before arriving in Malta.
Act 28:8: Paul prays over Publius’ father, who had a fever.
Act 28:15: Paul gives thanks to God on seeing the brethren in Pozzuoli.
This list tells us two important things. On the one hand, the early Christians kept the traditional liturgy of the people. Like Jesus, they pray at home among the family, in community and in the synagogue and together with the people of the temple. On the other hand, apart from the traditional liturgy, there appears a new way of praying among them in community and with a new content. The root of this new prayer comes from the new experience of “God in Jesus and from a clear and deep awareness of the presence of God in midst of the community: “In Him we live, move and are!” (Acts 17:28)
6. Prayer: Psalm 63 (62)
A longing for God expressed in prayer
God, You are my God, I pine for You;
my heart thirsts for You, my body longs for You,
as a land parched, dreary and waterless.
Thus I have gazed on You in the sanctuary,
seeing Your power and Your glory.
Better Your faithful love than life itself;
my lips will praise You.
Thus I will bless You all my life,
in Your name lift up my hands.
All my longings fulfilled as with fat and rich foods,
a song of joy on my lips and praise in my mouth.
On my bed when I think of You,
I muse on You in the watches of the night,
for You have always been my help;
in the shadow of Your wings I rejoice;
my heart clings to You,
Your right hand supports me.
May those who are hounding me to death
go down to the depths of the earth,
given over to the blade of the sword,
and left as food for jackals.
Then the king shall rejoice in God,
all who swear by Him shall gain recognition,
for the mouths of liars shall be silenced.
7. Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice what Your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word, You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
The ten lepers:
Gratitude for the gratuitous gift of salvation
Luke 17:11-19
Opening prayer
Lord, while You are still crossing our land, today You have stopped here and have entered in my village, into my house, in my life. You have not been afraid, You have not disdained the profound illness of my sin; rather, You have even loved me more.
Oh Master, I stop at a distance, together with my brothers and sisters who are walking together with me in this world. I raise my voice and I call You; I show You the wound of my soul. I beg You, heal me with the good ointment of Your Holy Spirit, give me the true medicine of Your Word; there is nothing else which can cure me, but only You, who are Love…
1. I read the Word
a) Text:
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
b) The context
This passage places us within the third stage of the road which Jesus is following toward Jerusalem; by now the goal is close at hand and the Master calls His disciples with even greater intensity, that is, us, to follow Him to the holy city, in the mystery of salvation, of love. The passage is fulfilled only through faith, nourished by an intense, unceasing, insistent, trusting prayer; we see this when we go over the chapters which precede and follow this account (17:6; 17:19; 18:7-8; 42). These words invite us to identify ourselves with the lepers, who become children (cf. Lk 18:15-17) and with the rich man who is converted and accepts salvation in his home (Lk 18:18 ff); if we truly accept them and guard them in such a way as to put them into practice, we will finally be able also to arrive in Jericho (19:1) and from there to begin to go up with Jesus (19:28), up to the joyful embrace with the Father.
c) The structure:
v. 11: Jesus is traveling and crossed Samaria and Galilee; little by little, He is getting close to Jerusalem, there is nothing which He does not visit, does not touch with His look of love and of mercy.
vv. 12 – 14a: Jesus enters one of the villages, which does not have a name, because it is the place, it is the life of all, and here He encounters the ten lepers, sick men, already eaten up by death, excluded and at a distance, marginalized and despised. Immediately He accepts their prayer, which is a cry coming from the heart and invites them to enter into Jerusalem and no longer to be at a distance, but to join the heart of the Holy City, the temple, the priests. He invites them to go back to the Father’s house.
v. 14b: The lepers had just begun the holy trip to Jerusalem, and they were healed. They become new men.
vv. 15-16: But only one of them turned back to thank Jesus: it seems that we can almost see him running and jumping with joy. He praises the Lord in a loud voice, and throws himself prostrate in adoration.
vv. 17-19: Jesus sees that of ten men, only one turns back, a Samaritan, one who does not belong to the chosen people: salvation, in fact, is for all, also for those who are far away, the strangers. No one is excluded from the love of the Father, who saves thanks to faith.
2. Meditate on the Word
a) I enter into silence:
This invitation is already clear to my heart: The love of the Father is waiting for me, like that only Samaritan who turned back, full of joy and of gratitude. The Eucharist of my healing is ready; the room in the upper room is already adorned, the table is set, the calf has been killed, the wine has been poured… my place is already prepared. I reread the passage attentively, slowly, stopping on the words, on the verbs; I look at the movement of the lepers, I repeat them, make them my own, I also move, toward the encounter with the Lord Jesus. I allow myself to be guided by Him, I listen to His voice, to His command. I also go toward Jerusalem, toward the temple, which is my heart and I in making this holy trip I think over all the love that the Father has had for me. I allow myself to be wrapped in His embrace, I feel the healing of my soul… And because of this, full of joy, I rise, turn back, run toward the source of true happiness which is the Lord. I prepare myself to thank Him, to sing to Him the new canticle of my love for Him. What will I give to the Lord for all He has given me?) I consider more deeply some terms:
During the traveling: Using his beautiful Greek, Luke tells us that Jesus is continuing His way toward Jerusalem and uses a very beautiful and intense verb, even if very common and very much used. In this pericope or passage alone, it appears three times:
v. 11: in the traveling
v. 14: go
v. 19. going
It is a verb of very strong movement, which fully expresses all the dynamic proper of the traveling; it can be translated with all these different nuances or tones: I go, I go to, I leave, I go from one part to the other, I go through, I follow. And even more, within it has the meaning of crossing over, of wading, of going beyond, overcoming the obstacles. And Jesus, the great traveler, the tireless pilgrim: He was the first one to leave His dwelling in the bosom of the Father, and descended down to us, fulfilling the eternal exodus of our salvation and liberation. He knows every path, every route of human experience; no part of the road remains hidden or impassable for Him. This is why He can invite us also to walk, to move ourselves, to cross, to place ourselves in a continuous situation of exodus. So that finally, we can also come back, together to Him, and in this way go to the Father.
Entering one of the villages: Jesus passes by, crosses, walks through, moves and reaches us; some times, then, He decides to enter, to stop for a longer time. As it happens in the account, Luke stops on some details and writes that Jesus entered a village. To enter, in the biblical sense, is to penetrate. It is the entrance into the depth, which implies sharing and participation. Once more, we find ourselves before a very common and very much used verb; in the Gospel of Luke alone it appears very many times and indicates clearly Jesus’ intention to get close to us, to become a friend and to show His love. He does not despise or spurn any entrance, any communion. He enters the house of Simon the leper (4:38), goes into the house of the Pharisee (7:36 and 11:37), then into the house of the president of the Synagogue (8:51) and of Zacchaeus the publican (19:7). He continually enters into the history of humanity and participates, eats together, suffers, weeps and rejoices, sharing everything. As He Himself says, it is sufficient to open the door to let Him in (Rev 3:20), for Him to remain (Lk 24:29)
Ten lepers: I ask myself what this human condition really means, this sickness which is called leprosy. I begin with the text itself of scripture which describes the stature of the leper in Israel. It says, “Anyone with a contagious skin disease will wear torn clothing and disordered hair; and will cover the upper lip and shout: ‘Unclean, unclean!’ As long as the disease lasts, such a person will be unclean and, being unclean, will live alone and live outside the camp”. (Lev 13:45-46). Therefore, I understand that the leper is a person struck, wounded, beaten: something has struck him with violence, with force and has left in him a sign of pain, a wound. He is a person in mourning, in great pain, as shown by his torn clothing and disordered hair; he is one who has to cover his mouth, because he has no right to speak, neither almost to breathe in the midst of others: he is like a dead person. He is one who cannot worship God. He cannot enter the Temple, nor touch the holy things. He is a person profoundly wounded, a marginalized person, excluded, one left aside, in solitude. Because of all this, the ten lepers who go to meet Jesus, stop at a distance and speak to Him from afar, shouting out their pain, their despair.
Jesus, the Master: This exclamation, this prayer of the lepers is beautiful. Above all, they call the Lord by name, as it is done with friends. It seems that they have known one another for some time, that they know about one another, that they have met before at the level of the heart. These lepers have already been admitted into the banquet of Jesus’ intimacy, to the wedding feast of salvation. After them, only the blind man of Jericho (Lk 18:38) and the thief on the Cross (Lk 23:42) will repeat this invocation with the same familiarity, the same love: Jesus! Only the one who recognizes himself to be sick, in need, poor, evil-doer, becomes favorite of God. Then they call Him “Master”, using a term which means more properly “the one who is on high” and which Peter also used, when on the boat, he was called by Jesus to follow Him (Lk 5:8) and he recognizes himself a sinner. Here we find ourselves in the very heart of truth. Here the mystery of leprosy is revealed as a sickness of the soul: that is sin, it is to live far away from God, the lack of friendship, of communion with Him. This dries up our soul and makes it die little by little.
He turned back: It is not a simple physical movement, a change of direction and of walking, but rather a true interior, profound upheaval or revolution. “To turn back” is the verb of conversion, of going back to God. It is to change something into something else (Rev 11:6); it is returning home (Lk 1:56; 2:43), after having gone away, as the prodigal son did, lost in sin. This is what this leper does: he changes his sickness into a blessing, his being a stranger, a foreigner, being far away from God into friendship, into a relationship of intimacy, like between father and son. He changes, because he allows himself to be changed by Jesus Himself, he allows himself to be reached by His love.
To thank Him: This verb is beautiful, in all languages, but in a particular way in Greek, because it bears within the meaning of Eucharist. Yes, it is exactly like that: the leper “does Eucharist”! He sits at the table of mercy, where Jesus allowed Himself to be hurt, wounded even before him; where He became the cursed one, the excluded, the one thrown out of the camp in order to gather us all together in His Heart. He receives the bread and the wine of love gratuitously, of salvation, of forgiveness, of the new life; finally he can once again enter into the temple and participate in the liturgy, in the worship. Finally, he can pray, getting close to God with full trust. He no longer wears torn clothing, but festive dress, the wedding dress; now he wears sandals on his feet, is shod and wears a ring on his finger. He no longer has to cover his mouth, but from now he can sing and praise God, he can smile and speak openly; he can get close to Jesus and kiss Him, like a friend does with a friend. The feast is complete, the joy overflowing.
Rise and go! This is Jesus’ invitation, the invitation of the Lord. Rise, that is, ”Resurrect” come back to life! It is the new life after death, the day after the night. For Saul also, on the road to Damascus, this same invitation was heard, this commandment of love: “Rise!” (Acts 22:10,16) and he was born anew, from the womb of the Holy Spirit; he recovered his sight and could see once again, he began to eat, he received Baptism and a new name. His leprosy had disappeared.
Your faith has saved you: I reread this expression of Jesus, I listen to it in His dialogues with the people whom He meets, with the sinner woman, the woman with the hemorrhage, the blind man…
• Jesus, turning around, saw her and said, “Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you”. And from that moment the woman was saved (Mt 9:22; Lk 8:48).
• And Jesus said, “Go, your faith has saved you” and immediately he regained his sight and he followed Him along the road (Mk 10:52).
• He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace” (Lk 7:50).
• And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you” (Lk 18:42).
Now I pray together with the apostles and I also say, “Lord, increase my faith!” (cf. Lk 17:6); “Help my lack of faith!” (Mk 9:24).
3. I pray with the Word
a) Confronting life:
Lord, I have gathered the good honey of Your Words from the divine scripture; You have given me light. You have nourished my heart. You have shown me the truth. I know that in the number of those lepers, of those sick persons, I am also there and I know that You are waiting for me, so that I come back, full of joy, to make the Eucharist with You, in Your merciful love. I also ask You for the light of Your Spirit in order to be able to see well, to know and to allow You to change me. Behold, Lord, I open my heart, my life, before You… look at me, question me, heal me.
b) Some questions:
• If at this moment, Jesus, passing by and crossing my life, stopped to enter my village, would I be ready to welcome, to accept Him? Would I be happy to let Him come in? Would I invite Him, would I insist, like the disciples of Emmaus? Behold, He is at the door and knocks… Will I get up to open the door to my Beloved? (Song 5: 5)
• How is my relationship with Him? Am I able to call Him by name, as the lepers have done, even if from a distance, but with all the strength of their faith? Does the invocation of the name of Jesus always spring from my heart, from my lips? When I am in danger, in suffering, weeping, which exclamation comes spontaneously from me? Could I not try to be more attentive to this aspect, which seems to be secondary, worth little, but which, instead reveals a very strong and profound reality? Why do I not begin to repeat the name of Jesus in my heart, even if only with my lips, like a prayer, or like a hymn? This could be my companion while I go to work, while I walk, while I do this or that…
• Do I have the courage to present my evil sincerely, my sin, which is the true sickness? Jesus invites the ten lepers to go to the priests, according to the Hebrew law, but also for me, today, it is important, indispensable to live this passage: to tell myself, to bring out to light what hurts me inside and prevents me from being serene, happy, in peace. If it is not before the priest, at least it is necessary that I place myself before the Lord, face to face with Him, without any masks, without hiding anything and to tell Him all the truth about me. It is only in this way that it will really be possible to heal.
• The salvation of the Lord is for all; He loves all with an immense love. But few are those who open themselves to accept His presence in their life. One out of ten. On which side do I place myself? Am I able to recognize all the good that the Lord has done to me in my life? Or do I continue only to complain, always to expect something more, to reproach and accuse, to protest and to threaten? Do I really know how to say thank you, sincerely, with gratitude, convinced that I have received everything, that the Lord always gives me a surplus? It would really be very nice to take some time to thank the Lord for all the benefits which He has showered in my life since I can remember up until now. I think that I would never be able to finish, because something else would always come to my mind, Then, the only thing I can do is like the leper, the only one among the ten: to turn back, to run up to the Lord and to throw myself at His feet, and praise Him in a loud voice. I can do it by singing a hymn, or only repeating my thanksgiving, or perhaps weeping for joy.
• And now I listen to Jesus’ invitation: “Rise and set out on the road” After this experience I cannot remain without moving, closing myself in my own world, in my peaceful beatitude and forget everything. I must rise, go out, and set out on the road. If the Lord has blessed me, it is in order that I may take His love to my brothers. The joy of the encounter with Him and of having been healed in my soul will never be true, if it is not shared and placed at the service of others. An instance is sufficient to bring to my mind so many friends, so many individuals, more or less close to me, who need some joy and hope. Then, why do I not start moving immediately? I can make a phone call, send a message, write if even just a brief note, or perhaps I can go and visit someone, keep him company and find the courage to announce the beauty and the joy of having Jesus as my friend, as doctor, as Savior. Now is the moment to do it.
c) I pray with a Psalm
I called out to You, Lord, and You healed me.
How blessed are those to whom
Yahweh imputes no guilt,
whose spirit harbors no deceit.
I said not a word,
but my bones wasted away from groaning all the day;
I made my sin known to You,
did not conceal my guilt. I said,
“I shall confess my offense to Yahweh.”
And You, for Your part,
took away my guilt, forgave my sin.
That is why each of Your faithful ones
prays to You in time of distress.
Even if great floods overflow,
they will never reach Your faithful.
You are a refuge for me;
You guard me in trouble;
with songs of deliverance You surround me.
I (Yahweh) shall instruct you and teach you the way to go;
I shall not take my eyes off you.
Rejoice in Yahweh, exult all you upright,
shout for joy, you honest of heart.
4. I contemplate and I praise
Lord, I have come to You from solitude and isolation, with all the weight and the shame of my sin, of my sickness. I have cried out, I have confessed, I have asked You for mercy, You, who are Love. You have heard me even before I could finish my poor prayer; even from far You have known me and listened to me. You know everything about me, but You are not scandalized, You do not despise, You do not draw back. You have told me only not to fear, not to hide myself. And it has been sufficient to trust You, to open the heart and Your salvation has already reached me. I have already felt the balm of Your presence. I have understood that You have healed me. Then, Lord, I could not do any other thing than to turn back to You, to tell You at least thank You, to weep with joy at Your feet. I thought I did not have anyone, not to be able to bear it, not to come out any more and, instead, You have saved me, You have given me another possibility to begin anew.
Lord, thanks to You I am no longer a leper! I have thrown away my torn clothing and I have put on my festive dress. I have broken the isolation of shame, of harshness and I have begun to get out from myself, leaving behind my prison. I have risen, I have resurrected. Today, with You, I begin to live again.
The Lord increases our faith,
so that our lives may be
at the free service of God and of neighbor.
Luke 17:5-10
1. Opening prayer
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us to read the scriptures with the same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the bible, You helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.
Create silence in us so that we may listen to Your voice in creation and in the scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A key to the reading:
The text of this Sunday’s liturgy is part of a long section typical of Luke (Lk 9:51 to 19:28), which describes the slow ascent of Jesus towards Jerusalem, where He will be made prisoner, sentenced and die. A large part of this section is given to instructing the disciples. Our text is part of this instruction to the disciples. Jesus teaches them how to live in community (Lk 17:1).
b) A division of the text as a help to its reading:
Luke 17:5: The apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith.
Luke 17:6: Living one’s faith the size of a mustard seed.
Luke 17:7-9: Living one’s life at the free service of God and neighbor.
Luke 17:10: Application of the comparison with the useless servant.
c) The text:
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"
3. A moment of prayerful silence
that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
a) What part of this text did I like best or struck me most?
b) Faith in whom? In God? In the other? In oneself?
c) Faith the size of a mustard seed: is my faith like this?
d) To give one’s life in service without expecting any return: am I capable of living thus?
e) What does it mean: “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.”?
5. A key to the reading
in order to delve deeper into the theme.
a) The historical context of our text:
The historical context of Luke’s Gospel always has two dimensions: the time of Jesus in the 30’s, when the things described in the text took place, and the time of the communities to whom Luke addresses his Gospel, more than 50 years after the events. When Luke reports the words and actions of Jesus, he is not only thinking of what happened in the 30’s, but rather of the life of the communities of the 80’s with all their problems and concerns, and he tries to offer them some light and possible solutions (Lk 1:1-4).
b) A key to the reading: the literary context:
The literary context (Lk 17:1-21) within which is our text (Lk 17:5-10) helps us better understand Jesus’ words. In this text Luke brings together the words Jesus used to teach how one should live in community. Firstly (Lk 17:1-2), Jesus draws the attention of the disciples to the little ones, that is, those excluded from society. The communities must hold these dear. Second (Lk 17:3-4), He draws attention to the weak members of the communities. In their regard, Jesus wants the disciples to feel responsible for them and to take an attitude of understanding and reconciliation towards them. Third (Lk 17:5-6) (and here begins our text), Jesus speaks of faith in God that must be the driving force of the life of the communities. Fourth (Lk 17:7-10), Jesus says that the disciples must serve others with the greatest degree of self-denial and selflessness, considering themselves to be useless servants. Fifth (Lk 17:11-19), Jesus teaches them how to accept the service of others. They must show gratitude. Sixth (Lk 17:20-21), Jesus teaches them to look at reality around them. He tells them not to run after the deceitful propaganda of those who teach that the Kingdom of God, when it comes, will be able to be seen by all. Jesus says the opposite. The coming of the Kingdom, unlike that of earthly rulers, will not be able to be seen. For Jesus, the Kingdom of God is already here! It is already in our midst, independently of our efforts and merits. It is pure grace and only faith can perceive it.
c) A commentary on the text:
Luke 17:5: The apostles ask Jesus for an increase in faith.
The disciples are aware that it is not easy to possess the qualities that Jesus has just asked of them: care for the little ones (Lk 17:1-2) and reconciliation with the weakest of the brothers and sisters of the community (Lk 17:3-4), and to do so with much faith! Not just faith in God, but also faith in the possibility of regaining the brother and sister. That is why they go to Jesus and ask Him, “Increase our faith!”
Luke 17:5-6: ‘Living with faith the size of a mustard seed.
Jesus replies, “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would obey you”.’ This statement of Jesus raises two questions: (1) Is He suggesting that the apostles do not have faith the size of a mustard seed? The comparison used by Jesus is strong and insinuating. A grain of mustard seed is very small, as small as the smallness of the disciples, but with faith, they can become strong, stronger than the mountain or the sea! If Jesus was speaking today, He might say, “Were your faith the size of an atom, you could blow up this mountain.” That is, in spite of the inherent difficulty, reconciliation among brothers and sisters is possible, since faith can make what seems impossible come true. Without the central axle of faith, a broken relationship cannot be healed and the community desired by Jesus cannot be realized. Our faith must bring us to the point where we are able to move within ourselves the mountain of our preconceived ideas and throw it in the sea. (2) With this statement, was Jesus referring to faith in God or faith in the possibility of bringing back the weakest of the brothers and sisters? Most probably it refers to both. As the love of God is made concrete in the love of neighbor, so also faith in God must be made concrete in faith in the brothers and sisters, in reconciliation and in forgiving even up to seventy times seven! (Mt 18:22) Faith is the remote control of the power of God who acts and reveals Himself in the renewed human relationship lived in community!
Luke 17:7-9: Jesus points out how we must fulfill our obligations towards the community.
To teach that in the life of a community all must deny and be detached from their own selves, Jesus uses the example of the slave. In those days, a slave could not merit anything. The master, hard and demanding, wanted only their service. It was unusual to thank a slave. For God we are like a slave before his master.
It may seem strange that Jesus should use such a harsh example taken from an unjust social institution of His times, to describe our relationship with the community. He does this on another occasion when He compares the life of the Kingdom to that of a thief. What matters is the aim of the comparison: God comes like a thief, without any previous notice, when we least expect Him; like a slave before his master, so also we cannot and must not obtain merits before our brothers and sisters in the community.
Luke 17:10: Application of the comparison of the useless servant
Jesus applies this example to life in community: as a slave before his master, so also must our attitude be in community: we must not do things in order to earn support, approval, promotion or praise, but only to show that we belong to God! “So with you, when you have done all you have been told to do, say ‘We are merely servants; we have done no more than our duty’. Before God, we do not merit anything. Whatever we have received we have not merited. We give thanks to the gratuitous love of God.
d) A deepening on faith and service:
i) Faith in God is made concrete in bringing back brothers and sisters
First fact: During the Second World War in Germany, it happened that two Jews, Samuel and John were in a concentration camp. They were very badly treated and often tortured. John, the younger, was angry. He vented his anger by cursing and using bad language towards the German soldier who treated them badly and beat them. Samuel, the older one, kept calm. One day, in a distracted moment, John said to Samuel, “How can you keep calm when you are treated so brutally? Why is it that you have so much courage? You should react and show your opposition to this absurd regime!” Samuel replied, “It is more difficult to stay calm than to be courageous. I do not seek courage, because I am afraid that, due to my anger, he may switch off the last spark of humanity that lies hidden in this brutalized soldier”.
Second fact: During the Roman occupation of Palestine, Jesus was condemned to death by the Sanhedrin. Because of His faith in God the Father, Jesus welcomes all as brothers and sisters, and in acting thus, He challenges the system, which in the name of God, keeps so many people marginalized. The sentence of the Sanhedrin is ratified by the Roman Empire and Jesus is led to be tortured on Mount Calvary. The soldiers carry out the sentence. One of them pierces Jesus’ hands with nails. Jesus’ reaction is, “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do!” (Lk 23:34). Faith in God reveals itself in the pardon offered to those who are killing Him.
ii) The service to be offered to the people of God and to humanity
In Jesus’ time, there was a great variety of messianic expectations. According to the many interpretations of the prophecies, there were those who expected a Messiah King (Lk 15:9, 32), a Holy Messiah or High Priest (Mk 1:24), a Warrior Messiah (Lk 23:5; Mk 15:6; 13:6-8), a Doctor Messiah (Jn 4:25; Mk 1:22, 27), a Judge Messiah (Lk 3:5-9; Mk 1:8), a Prophet Messiah (Mk 6:4; 14:65). All, according to their own interests or social class, expected the Messiah according to their wishes and expectations. But it seems that no one, except The anawim, the poor of Yahweh, expected a Servant Messiah, proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah (Isa 42:1; 49:3; 52:13). The poor often recalled the messianic promise considered as a service offered to humanity by the people of God. Mary, the poor of Yahweh, said to the angel, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord!” It was from her that Jesus learned the way of service. “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve” (Mk 10:45).
The figure of the servant described in the four canticles of Isaiah (Isa 42:1-9; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13 to 53:12), did not point to an isolated individual, but to the people of the captivity (Isa 41:8-9; 42:18-20; 43:10; 44:1-2; 44:21; 45:4; 48:20; 54:17), described by Isaiah as a people “oppressed, disfigured, without the appearance of a person and without the least human condition, a people exploited, ill treated, reduced to silence, without grace or beauty, full of suffering, avoided by all like a leper, condemned like a criminal, without recourse or defense” (Cf. Isa 53:2-8). This is a perfect image of one third of humanity today! This servant people “does not cry out, does not raise its voice, will not be heard in the streets, will not break the crushed reed” (Isa 42:2). Persecuted but does not persecute; oppressed but will not oppress; trodden under foot but will not tread on others. This people will not enter into the abyss of violence of the empire that oppresses. This attitude of resistance of the Servant of Yahweh is the root of justice that God wishes to see planted in the whole world. That is why God asks the people to be His Servant with the mission of making such justice shine brightly throughout the world (Isa 42:2,6; 49:6).
Jesus knows these canticles and in fulfilling His mission He lets Himself be guided by them. At the time of His baptism in the Jordan, the Father entrusts Him with the mission of Servant (Mk 1:11). When, in the synagogue of Nazareth, He explains His program to His own people, Jesus publicly assumes this mission (Lk 4:16-21). It is in this attitude of service that Jesus reveals the face of God that attracts us and shows us the way back to God.
6. Prayer: Psalm 72 (71)
Hope for all that the Messiah Savior may come
God, endow the king with Your own fair judgment,
the son of the king with Your own saving justice,
that he may rule Your people with justice,
and Your poor with fair judgement.
Mountains and hills, bring peace to the people!
With justice He will judge the poor of the people,
He will save the children of the needy
and crush their oppressors.
In the sight of the sun and the moon He will endure,
age after age.
He will come down like rain on mown grass,
like showers moistening the land.
In His days uprightness shall flourish,
and peace in plenty till the moon is no more.
His empire shall stretch from sea to sea,
from the river to the limits of the earth.
The Beast will cower before Him,
His enemies lick the dust;
the kings of Tarshish and the islands will pay Him tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Saba will offer gifts;
all kings will do Him homage,
all nations become His servants.
For He rescues the needy who call to Him,
and the poor who have no one to help.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the needy from death.
From oppression and violence He redeems their lives,
their blood is precious in His sight.
Long may He live; may the gold of Sheba be given Him!
Prayer will be offered for Him constantly,
and blessings invoked on Him all day.
May wheat abound in the land,
waving on the heights of the hills,
like Lebanon with its fruits and flowers at their best,
like the grasses of the earth.
May His name be blessed for ever,
and endure in the sight of the sun.
In Him shall be blessed every race in the world,
and all nations call Him blessed.
Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,
who alone works wonders;
blessed for ever His glorious name.
May the whole world be filled with His glory! Amen! Amen!
7. Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice what Your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
