Bishop and Martyr
Biographical Information about St. Ignatius of Antioch[i]
Readings for Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time[ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Ephesians 1:11-14
In him (Christ) we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Eph 1:11-14
Following his introduction and blessing, St. Paul quickly gets into doctrinal exhortations. In this passage, the evangelist announces the adoption of all who believe in him (“…we were chosen”, a reference to the Jewish people of whom St. Paul was one, and “…you also, who have heard the truth” meaning the gentiles who came to faith). St. Paul next refers to the indelible change – the transformation brought about in Baptism and Confirmation as he speaks about being “sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit” (first given in Baptism and sealed in Confirmation, see also Ezekiel 9:4-6, Revelations 7:4). In this adoption we share the inheritance of God’s children which is redemption.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Rejoice, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
on the ten-stringed lyre offer praise.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For the LORD'S word is true;
all his works are trustworthy.
The LORD loves justice and right
and fills the earth with goodness..
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Happy the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people chosen as his very own.
From heaven the LORD looks down
and observes the whole human race,
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
Psalm 33 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. In this selection the emphasis is on faithfulness to God who has saving power combined with hope, a central component of faith in God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 12:1-7
Meanwhile,
so many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
He (Jesus) began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 12:1-7
St. Luke continues to present us with a collection of sayings of Jesus passed on to his disciples. In this passage he first warns them about adopting the style and demeanor of the Pharisees whose “holier than thou” attitude was a veneer for their internal sin. The Lord tells them that there is nothing that can be hidden from God and that all will be made clear in the final judgment.
He goes on to encourage them, telling them that God will watch over them. He uses the analogy of the sacrificial animals (“…five sparrows sold for two small coins”) as a metaphor for the attacks they will encounter from the Jewish leadership and how God will uphold them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
What does it mean to be adopted by Christ; to be unified in our Baptism with the Lord and with each other? The adoption part of this question is what St. Paul speaks about in the first reading from Ephesians. He speaks of that remarkable sealing that took place, first in our baptism when we were anointed the oil of Chrism and became a new creation, a child of God. That anointing, done again at our confirmation (and yet again for those entering Holy Orders as Priests) sanctified us, made us holy – set apart for God.
Given that interior (indelible) transformation; given our adoption as children of God in Christ, what is expected of us? We have a pretty good idea, but there are some examples we can look at to drive the point home. Look, for instance at the child of an industry leader. That child has grown up with all the privileges and comforts money can buy; educated in the best schools, exposed to the best the world can offer. The parents of such a child expect that their son or daughter will accede to a place of high stature in society – is that not proper given the advantages with which they have grown up?
Look now at the child of God. That child has also been given advantages. The child of God receives gifts from the Heavenly Father; the seven fold gifts of the Holy Spirit. The mark of God is set upon them and the love of God infuses them. The foster parents of such a child (for that is what the biological parents of one who is baptized become) promise to insure the proper education and training of this gift of life, their child, in the practice of the faith.
As God’s adopted sons and daughters there is pressure placed upon us. Like one of noble birth in ages past, we are not free to pursue the ordinary and mundane things of the world but must reserve ourselves to our higher calling. In St. Luke’s Gospel Jesus explains one of those requirements to his disciples. Like them, we are called to have an attitude of humility in our adoption. After all, it is easy for us to look at Jesus’ example and see how we have failed to completely live up to the expectations of our Heavenly Father. We must never be condescending or patronizing, superior in our attitudes. How can we be with such lofty expectations placed upon us?
Today, as we reflect upon the blessing of our adoption, we pray that, at least today, we may live up to our Father’s expectations and that, in doing so, he will be proud that we have been a credit to His Holy Name.
Pax
[i] The picture used is “St. Ignatius of Antioch”, iconizer and date are UNKNOWN
[ii] ALTRE
[iii] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Psalm Response is from Printed source United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000
November 11, 2002 Copyright (c) by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Biographical Information about St. Ignatius of Antioch[i]
Readings for Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time[ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Ephesians 1:11-14
In him (Christ) we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Eph 1:11-14
Following his introduction and blessing, St. Paul quickly gets into doctrinal exhortations. In this passage, the evangelist announces the adoption of all who believe in him (“…we were chosen”, a reference to the Jewish people of whom St. Paul was one, and “…you also, who have heard the truth” meaning the gentiles who came to faith). St. Paul next refers to the indelible change – the transformation brought about in Baptism and Confirmation as he speaks about being “sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit” (first given in Baptism and sealed in Confirmation, see also Ezekiel 9:4-6, Revelations 7:4). In this adoption we share the inheritance of God’s children which is redemption.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Rejoice, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
on the ten-stringed lyre offer praise.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For the LORD'S word is true;
all his works are trustworthy.
The LORD loves justice and right
and fills the earth with goodness..
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Happy the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people chosen as his very own.
From heaven the LORD looks down
and observes the whole human race,
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
Psalm 33 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. In this selection the emphasis is on faithfulness to God who has saving power combined with hope, a central component of faith in God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 12:1-7
Meanwhile,
so many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
He (Jesus) began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 12:1-7
St. Luke continues to present us with a collection of sayings of Jesus passed on to his disciples. In this passage he first warns them about adopting the style and demeanor of the Pharisees whose “holier than thou” attitude was a veneer for their internal sin. The Lord tells them that there is nothing that can be hidden from God and that all will be made clear in the final judgment.
He goes on to encourage them, telling them that God will watch over them. He uses the analogy of the sacrificial animals (“…five sparrows sold for two small coins”) as a metaphor for the attacks they will encounter from the Jewish leadership and how God will uphold them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
What does it mean to be adopted by Christ; to be unified in our Baptism with the Lord and with each other? The adoption part of this question is what St. Paul speaks about in the first reading from Ephesians. He speaks of that remarkable sealing that took place, first in our baptism when we were anointed the oil of Chrism and became a new creation, a child of God. That anointing, done again at our confirmation (and yet again for those entering Holy Orders as Priests) sanctified us, made us holy – set apart for God.
Given that interior (indelible) transformation; given our adoption as children of God in Christ, what is expected of us? We have a pretty good idea, but there are some examples we can look at to drive the point home. Look, for instance at the child of an industry leader. That child has grown up with all the privileges and comforts money can buy; educated in the best schools, exposed to the best the world can offer. The parents of such a child expect that their son or daughter will accede to a place of high stature in society – is that not proper given the advantages with which they have grown up?
Look now at the child of God. That child has also been given advantages. The child of God receives gifts from the Heavenly Father; the seven fold gifts of the Holy Spirit. The mark of God is set upon them and the love of God infuses them. The foster parents of such a child (for that is what the biological parents of one who is baptized become) promise to insure the proper education and training of this gift of life, their child, in the practice of the faith.
As God’s adopted sons and daughters there is pressure placed upon us. Like one of noble birth in ages past, we are not free to pursue the ordinary and mundane things of the world but must reserve ourselves to our higher calling. In St. Luke’s Gospel Jesus explains one of those requirements to his disciples. Like them, we are called to have an attitude of humility in our adoption. After all, it is easy for us to look at Jesus’ example and see how we have failed to completely live up to the expectations of our Heavenly Father. We must never be condescending or patronizing, superior in our attitudes. How can we be with such lofty expectations placed upon us?
Today, as we reflect upon the blessing of our adoption, we pray that, at least today, we may live up to our Father’s expectations and that, in doing so, he will be proud that we have been a credit to His Holy Name.
Pax
[i] The picture used is “St. Ignatius of Antioch”, iconizer and date are UNKNOWN
[ii] ALTRE
[iii] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Psalm Response is from Printed source United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000
November 11, 2002 Copyright (c) by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
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