First Reading –
Ecclesiasticus 3:19-21, 30-31 ©
Responsorial Psalm –
Psalm 67(68):4-7, 10-11 ©
Second Reading – Hebrews
12:18-19,22-24 ©
Gospel Acclamation – John
14:23
Alternative Acclamation –
Matthew 11:29
The Gospel According to Luke
14:1 & 7 - 14 ©
(NJB)
Listen
to the prophet!
Do
as he commends; love justice, be merciful, walk humbly; this is the way Jesus instructed us in.
The
greater your power in the world, the larger your fortune, the more mindful you
must be to follow in the way.
Do
not fear; God’s favor will find you, not as a reward for your humility, your
mercy or your attention to justice, but as is natural like the bee coming to
the flower.
Do
not follow in the way of the psalmist, the psalmist took the path of vanity.
Know
this!
God,
the creator of the universe, God does not dwell on Earth.
God
does not hand out victories.
God
does not dwell on a mountain top
God
regards the just and the unjust alike, with the same compassion, the same
dignity, and the same demand.
Be
Mindful!
There
is much to unpack in the words of the Apostle.
Consider
this:
The
garden of the living God is not a place of this world, though we are called on
to live our lives as if we were already there.
The
Apostle points to Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, and its peak is beyond
the summit, hidden in the cloud of unknowing, that is where the garden lies.
We
enter the garden with a spirit of humility and in that green space we come to
the final understanding of justice, we learn that it is in inseverable from
mercy, we wait on it humbly.
In
God’s garden we approach the divine as both the chosen and the choosing, each
of us in the fullness of our person, as first born daughters and sons of God. In
that moment we will have been made perfect, and we will join with Jesus in an
unceasing prayer for the restoration of the whole.
We
will wait for it with the patience of the divine.
Be
Mindful and remember the grace of God is not transactional. Love fosters love,
but there is always love, and God is always with you.
The
teachings of Jesus cannot be treated like a shell game, though they are, and
have been since the beginning, as Matthew’s Gospel illustrates.
The
way of Jesus is not a long can, it is not a bait and switch, it is a simple
teaching that cannot be controlled or owned by any one group of people.
God,
the creator of the universe, God has hidden nothing. The truth is in the open
for anyone to see.
The
wise and the powerful, the learned and the clever, the weak and the meek,
everyone has access to the same truth, to the knowledge of God, to the
experience of justice, of hope and love.
Who
are the wise and powerful, who are the learned and the clever, who are the
faithful and childlike. In every generation, you will see a new group labeling
the elder group as out of touch, blind, privileged, in the dark, corrupt.
This
is an endless cycle, and the truth remains the same; we are called on to love
justice, be merciful, walk humbly do good and serve God; to serve God through
the loving service we provide to one another: to our families, our friends, our
neighbors, the stranger, even our enemy when they are in need.
Just
because a person is wise and powerful, learned and clever, or a child of the
church, does not mean they recognize the truth when they see it, or act upon
when they do.
It
is not your station in society, it is not how other people regard you, it is
not the titles you have earned, or the ways that you have been marginalized
that give us the tell on how you will fulfill the calling to follow Jesus. What
matters is what is in your heart, and your willingness to trust in the content
of your hope.
Be
mindful, because this changes from day to day.
Remember
yourself, you too are a sinner. No matter how great you think you are, or how
virtuous and humble, no matter how pious you may be; you are still a sinner and
will remain one for the rest of your life.
This
is the human condition.
Therefore
be patient, with yourself and with others, be mindful of this at all times.
Be
watchful for the opportunities to serve that come your way.
Behold
the stranger, the alien, the poor, the diseased, the criminal, and especially
the threat; behold them, and see the divinity that lies within them, the seed
of the word of God that animates them, just as it does you. Yield to their
divinity with a contrite heart, asking forgiveness for all of the pain and the
hurt you have caused.
This
is the way of God.
First Reading – Ecclesiasticus
3:19-21, 30-31 ©
Behave Humbly, and You Will
Find Favour with the Lord
My
son, be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be better loved than
a lavish giver.
The
greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find
favour with the Lord; for great though the power of the Lord is, he accepts the
homage of the humble.
There
is no cure for the proud man’s malady, since an evil growth has taken root in
him.
The
heart of a sensible man will reflect on parables, an attentive ear is the
sage’s dream.
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm
67(68):4-7, 10-11 ©
In your goodness, O God,
you prepared a home for the poor.
The
just shall rejoice at the presence of God,
they shall exult and dance for joy.
O
sing to the Lord, make music to his name;
rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence.
In your goodness, O God,
you prepared a home for the poor.
Father
of the orphan, defender of the widow,
such is God in his holy place.
God
gives the lonely a home to live in;
he leads the prisoners forth into freedom:
In your goodness, O God,
you prepared a home for the poor.
You
poured down, O God, a generous rain:
when your people were starved you gave them
new life.
It
was there that your people found a home,
prepared in your goodness, O God, for the
poor.
In your goodness, O God,
you prepared a home for the poor.
Second Reading – Hebrews 12:18-19,22-24
©
You Have Come to Mount
Zion and to the City of the Living God
What
you have come to is nothing known to the senses: not a blazing fire, or a gloom
turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice
speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to
them. But what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the
festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a
citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been
placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the
mediator who brings a new covenant and a blood for purification which pleads
more insistently than Abel’s.
Gospel Acclamation – John
14:23
Alleluia, alleluia!
If
anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and
my Father will love him,
and
we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
Alternative Acclamation –
Matthew 11:29
Alleluia, alleluia!
Shoulder
my yoke and learn from me,
says
the Lord,
for
I am gentle and humble in heart.
Alleluia!
The Gospel According to Luke
14:1 & 7 - 14 ©
Everyone Who Exalts Himself
Shall Be Humbled
On
a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading
Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable,
because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this,
‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the
place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited,
and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to
this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the
lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and
sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up
higher.” In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself
will be exalted.’
Then
he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your
friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your
courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor,
the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you
are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise
again.’
22nd Sunday in
Ordinary Time (Year C)
No comments:
Post a Comment
I am very interested in your commentary, please respond to anything that interests you.