Readings for Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Eph 2:12-22
(You) were at that time without Christ,
alienated from the community of Israel
and strangers to the covenants of promise,
without hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the Blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, he made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his Flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God,
in one Body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Eph 2:12-22
St. Paul addresses the former division between gentile and Jew (the uncircumcised and the circumcised). In the opening verses he refers to the gentiles as being cut off from God’s salvation (“alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise”).
This alienation was symbolized by the “dividing wall” in the temple beyond which gentiles could not pass on pain of death. The apostle uses this symbol, saying that through Christ’s sacrifice “he and broke down the dividing wall of enmity”. In essence he unified the Jew and gentile and brought peace to the community of faith. By removing the burden of the law (“abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims”) here referring to dietary and minor commandments) he brought them together in the spirit. (see also the commentary on the Feast of Simon and Jude - Oct. 28).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9ab-10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (see 9) The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
I will listen for the word of God;
surely the LORD will proclaim peace
Near indeed is his salvation
Near indeed is salvation for the loyal;
prosperity will fill our land
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
Love and truth will meet;
justice and peace will kiss.
Truth will spring from the earth;
justice will look down from heaven.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
The LORD will surely grant abundance;
our land will yield its increase.
Prosperity will march before the Lord,
and good fortune will follow behind.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 85:9ab-10, 11-12, 13-14
Psalm 85 is a communal lament that focuses on the woes of the nation. These strophes reflect the joy of salvation at the restoration of the land following the destruction of the temple and the Diaspora. Those faithful to God see the reward; a land restored, justice returned, and the salvation of God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 12:35-38
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 12:35-38
This selection from St. Luke’s Gospel emphasizes the need for fidelity and faithfulness to Christ’s teachings because the hour and the day of the Lord’s return are not known. The image used to describe this preparedness, “Gird your loins and light your lamps” instructs the faithful to be prepared for a journey from darkness into light.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Of all the things the Lord came to do, unifying the human race through the gift of salvation was at once the most tremendous gift and the most difficult thing ever attempted. It is still going on today – Christians themselves seem to be constantly trying to divide themselves in the face of God’s unifying love.
St. Paul addresses this issue in his letter to the Ephesians above. He points out that before Christ, Gentiles and Jews were separated by a barrier. It was a barrier made by Mosaic Law which said that only the “Chosen People” might participate in the salvation of God which they grounded in the ritual of the inner temple. Based upon the injunction of the law that said the people were to remain apart from foreigners, there was a dividing wall, a physical barrier built and only the Jewish faithful could go beyond that wall, to come into the presence of God. A gentile found violating this law was subject to the death penalty.
When Jesus came (fulfilling the Law) that barrier was removed. Jesus invited all people to come to him. The revelation of God’s love was now not meant only for the Jews. In rejecting Jesus they had lost their primacy in the eyes of God. They thought to be elitist, reserving access to God to themselves and creating intricate and difficult obstructions to those who might wish to enter. Jesus removed that wall – washed it away with his blood. The love of God brought all who sought Him together. St. Paul makes this case eloquently.
And were does this heroic action performed by our Lord lead us? Where does God’s invitation to come to him bring the people of faith today? The spirit of ecumenism is alive in the Church but even our most strenuous efforts of the past have run into differences of doctrine. Old hurts, scriptural interpretations and varying traditions raise their own barriers. The Church as an institution has a long and difficult task of reunification.
However, it is much easier for us as individuals to reach out to others. At the one-on-one level we do not need to be worried about things like belief in predestination (a Calvinist slant) or justification by faith alone (a Lutheran tenant of faith). We can ignore the issue of Papal allegiance when we are face to face saved by and in love with the same savior, Christ Jesus.
It may be a long time before we all come together to share Christ heavenly banquet, but between us and those we meet each day there can be a common bond of love and friendship. That will be our prayer for today, that we might reach out to others in faith as Christ reached out to us. May we be united in Him.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture used today is “Christ in the Garden” by Caravaggio, 1603
[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
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Eph 2:12-22
(You) were at that time without Christ,
alienated from the community of Israel
and strangers to the covenants of promise,
without hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the Blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, he made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his Flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God,
in one Body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Eph 2:12-22
St. Paul addresses the former division between gentile and Jew (the uncircumcised and the circumcised). In the opening verses he refers to the gentiles as being cut off from God’s salvation (“alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise”).
This alienation was symbolized by the “dividing wall” in the temple beyond which gentiles could not pass on pain of death. The apostle uses this symbol, saying that through Christ’s sacrifice “he and broke down the dividing wall of enmity”. In essence he unified the Jew and gentile and brought peace to the community of faith. By removing the burden of the law (“abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims”) here referring to dietary and minor commandments) he brought them together in the spirit. (see also the commentary on the Feast of Simon and Jude - Oct. 28).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9ab-10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (see 9) The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
I will listen for the word of God;
surely the LORD will proclaim peace
Near indeed is his salvation
Near indeed is salvation for the loyal;
prosperity will fill our land
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
Love and truth will meet;
justice and peace will kiss.
Truth will spring from the earth;
justice will look down from heaven.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
The LORD will surely grant abundance;
our land will yield its increase.
Prosperity will march before the Lord,
and good fortune will follow behind.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 85:9ab-10, 11-12, 13-14
Psalm 85 is a communal lament that focuses on the woes of the nation. These strophes reflect the joy of salvation at the restoration of the land following the destruction of the temple and the Diaspora. Those faithful to God see the reward; a land restored, justice returned, and the salvation of God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 12:35-38
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 12:35-38
This selection from St. Luke’s Gospel emphasizes the need for fidelity and faithfulness to Christ’s teachings because the hour and the day of the Lord’s return are not known. The image used to describe this preparedness, “Gird your loins and light your lamps” instructs the faithful to be prepared for a journey from darkness into light.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Of all the things the Lord came to do, unifying the human race through the gift of salvation was at once the most tremendous gift and the most difficult thing ever attempted. It is still going on today – Christians themselves seem to be constantly trying to divide themselves in the face of God’s unifying love.
St. Paul addresses this issue in his letter to the Ephesians above. He points out that before Christ, Gentiles and Jews were separated by a barrier. It was a barrier made by Mosaic Law which said that only the “Chosen People” might participate in the salvation of God which they grounded in the ritual of the inner temple. Based upon the injunction of the law that said the people were to remain apart from foreigners, there was a dividing wall, a physical barrier built and only the Jewish faithful could go beyond that wall, to come into the presence of God. A gentile found violating this law was subject to the death penalty.
When Jesus came (fulfilling the Law) that barrier was removed. Jesus invited all people to come to him. The revelation of God’s love was now not meant only for the Jews. In rejecting Jesus they had lost their primacy in the eyes of God. They thought to be elitist, reserving access to God to themselves and creating intricate and difficult obstructions to those who might wish to enter. Jesus removed that wall – washed it away with his blood. The love of God brought all who sought Him together. St. Paul makes this case eloquently.
And were does this heroic action performed by our Lord lead us? Where does God’s invitation to come to him bring the people of faith today? The spirit of ecumenism is alive in the Church but even our most strenuous efforts of the past have run into differences of doctrine. Old hurts, scriptural interpretations and varying traditions raise their own barriers. The Church as an institution has a long and difficult task of reunification.
However, it is much easier for us as individuals to reach out to others. At the one-on-one level we do not need to be worried about things like belief in predestination (a Calvinist slant) or justification by faith alone (a Lutheran tenant of faith). We can ignore the issue of Papal allegiance when we are face to face saved by and in love with the same savior, Christ Jesus.
It may be a long time before we all come together to share Christ heavenly banquet, but between us and those we meet each day there can be a common bond of love and friendship. That will be our prayer for today, that we might reach out to others in faith as Christ reached out to us. May we be united in Him.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture used today is “Christ in the Garden” by Caravaggio, 1603
[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
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