Saint Antony Mary Claret, Bishop
Biographical Information about St. Antony Mary Claret[1]
Readings for Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Rom 6:12-18
In the first part of this selection, St. Paul exhorts the Romans to remain faithful to teachings of Christ and to avoid sin. He uses the unique existential argument that the Law defines sin and therefore Christians are not under the Law but under the Grace of Christ. In the second part he defends the argument that obedience to Christ sets his audience on the road to salvation since obeying Christ’s commandments leads to righteousness and frees them from sin.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Psalm 124 is a song of thanksgiving. In these verses God is praised for rescuing his chosen from their enemies and natural disasters so they could live in the freedom he had promised in his covenant.
Gospel Lk 12:39-48
Following the Lord’s initial exhortation to his audience about the need to remain faithful even if it seemed the hour was getting late St. Peter asks the Lord if that message is for everyone or just for the disciples. The Lord responds with a parable similar to that which was used in the previous verses (Luke 12:35-38) and then punctuates it with a special injunction for the disciples. He uses the analogy of a servant entrusted with the master’s property concluding with “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” The final verse in this passage answers St. Peter’s question clearly.
Reflection:
One of the big objections to Catholicism in the world at large is its apparent overly strict and idealistic stand against things like birth control, premarital sex, cohabitation of couples, and overall critical view of the hedonistic lifestyle so prevalent in much of the developed world.
Many of these critics say the leadership is unrealistic and the Church’s position on these issues is so provincial that her stance makes her irrelevant to large numbers of peoples and cultures. At the heart of this apparent unbending moral doctrine is that last line in St. Luke’s Gospel “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
Through St. Peter, Christ gave the Church the “Keys to the Kingdom of God.” He told St. Peter that whatever he loosed on earth (what ever standards he approved on earth) would be loosed in heaven. In essence, what was entrusted to the Church and its leaders was nothing less than the teaching and moral authority of the Lord Himself. In keeping and holding that trust, the leaders of the Church must take the highest moral standard, no matter how unpopular, and cling to it. Think of the consequences if they should fail. There is a reason that when a new Pontiff is elected he goes immediately to “the room of tears”, so much rests on Peter.
Today we pray that we are able to accept our share in mantel of Christ placed upon our shoulders at the time of our Baptism and Confirmation. Much has been given to us as well and we are assured that much will be expected in return. We give thanks that the yoke is light with the support given in the Holy Spirit and we shoulder it gladly in Christ’s name.
Pax
[1] The picture used is St. Antony Mary Claret, Artist and Date UNKNOWN
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Biographical Information about St. Antony Mary Claret[1]
Readings for Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Rom 6:12-18
In the first part of this selection, St. Paul exhorts the Romans to remain faithful to teachings of Christ and to avoid sin. He uses the unique existential argument that the Law defines sin and therefore Christians are not under the Law but under the Grace of Christ. In the second part he defends the argument that obedience to Christ sets his audience on the road to salvation since obeying Christ’s commandments leads to righteousness and frees them from sin.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Psalm 124 is a song of thanksgiving. In these verses God is praised for rescuing his chosen from their enemies and natural disasters so they could live in the freedom he had promised in his covenant.
Gospel Lk 12:39-48
Following the Lord’s initial exhortation to his audience about the need to remain faithful even if it seemed the hour was getting late St. Peter asks the Lord if that message is for everyone or just for the disciples. The Lord responds with a parable similar to that which was used in the previous verses (Luke 12:35-38) and then punctuates it with a special injunction for the disciples. He uses the analogy of a servant entrusted with the master’s property concluding with “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” The final verse in this passage answers St. Peter’s question clearly.
Reflection:
One of the big objections to Catholicism in the world at large is its apparent overly strict and idealistic stand against things like birth control, premarital sex, cohabitation of couples, and overall critical view of the hedonistic lifestyle so prevalent in much of the developed world.
Many of these critics say the leadership is unrealistic and the Church’s position on these issues is so provincial that her stance makes her irrelevant to large numbers of peoples and cultures. At the heart of this apparent unbending moral doctrine is that last line in St. Luke’s Gospel “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
Through St. Peter, Christ gave the Church the “Keys to the Kingdom of God.” He told St. Peter that whatever he loosed on earth (what ever standards he approved on earth) would be loosed in heaven. In essence, what was entrusted to the Church and its leaders was nothing less than the teaching and moral authority of the Lord Himself. In keeping and holding that trust, the leaders of the Church must take the highest moral standard, no matter how unpopular, and cling to it. Think of the consequences if they should fail. There is a reason that when a new Pontiff is elected he goes immediately to “the room of tears”, so much rests on Peter.
Today we pray that we are able to accept our share in mantel of Christ placed upon our shoulders at the time of our Baptism and Confirmation. Much has been given to us as well and we are assured that much will be expected in return. We give thanks that the yoke is light with the support given in the Holy Spirit and we shoulder it gladly in Christ’s name.
Pax
[1] The picture used is St. Antony Mary Claret, Artist and Date UNKNOWN
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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