Thursday, October 23, 2008

Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time


Saint John of Capestrano, Priest

Biographical Information about St. John Capestrano

Readings for Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:
[iii]

Reading 1:
Ephesians 3:14-21

(For the reason) I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory
to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine,
by the power at work within us,
to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus
to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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Commentary on
Eph 3:14-21

St. Paul has informed the Ephesians of the difficulties (imprisonment (see
Eph 3:1)) he is facing but has asked them to stay focused on their own spiritual growth rather that concern themselves over his “afflictions”. He offers the following: “The apostle prays that those he is addressing may, like the rest of the church, deepen their understanding of God's plan of salvation in Christ. It is a plan that affects the whole universe with the breadth and length and height and depth of God's love in Christ or possibly the universe in all its dimensions. The apostle prays that they may perceive the redemptive love of Christ for them and be completely immersed in the fullness of God. The prayer concludes with a doxology to God.” [iv]

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Responsorial Psalm:
Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19

R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
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. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
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. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever,
wise designs through all generations.
Happy the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people chosen as his very own.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
But the LORD'S eyes are upon the reverent,
upon those who hope for his gracious help,
Delivering them from death,
keeping them alive in times of famine.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

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Commentary on
Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19

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. It concludes almost in answer to St. Paul’s prayer for strength in the face of persecution.

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Gospel:
Luke 12:49-53

“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
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Commentary on
Lk 12:49-53

We see in this passage a glimpse of the passion and anguish the Lord feels for the message he is bringing. He sees the flame of faith igniting the whole world. He knows there will be those who accept the proclamation of the Kingdom of God and those who will reject both it and him. This disunion will result in friction and ill will, dividing even families.

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Homily:

Those who are most concerned about their own happiness and comfort look at the Christians who dare to live the faith in a public way as fools! They hear the message that is at the root of Christ’s teaching and reject it completely as being naiveté or as gullible. Ironically, the only reason they do not take more advantage of those of us who believe in Christ is there are those among us who are not sufficiently committed to “turning the other cheek”. As a consequence, the wolves must be cautious.

The message in the Gospel and tangentially in the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians is that Christ’s Gospel will not create harmony in the world. It will not even create peace in families. The commandment to love one another is not a requirement that everyone can accept. It is too difficult for some to overcome their need for self gratification, either physically or emotionally.

As a consequence, when we leave the comfort and support of the faith community, those with whom we share God’s love and grace, we enter mission territory. If we forgive a person in that often hostile environment, we must not expect understanding and should not be surprised at suspicion. When we offer compassion and understanding, as we are taught, we should not expect the same in return and should not be surprised if our love is met with fear.

As in all relationships, trust must be earned and we, the Christian Community must continue to reach out to others, in spite of the fact that we know our out-stretched hand may be bitten. Jesus tells us that he did not come to magically bring peace to the world, he came sending us, bring people back, one at a time.

Pax

[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture used today is “Peasants Fighting” by Adriaen Brouwer, 1631-35
[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
November 11, 2002 Copyright (c) by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
[iv] See NAB footnote on Ephesians 3:14-21

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