Readings for Thursday of the Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Philemon 7-20
Beloved:
I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love,
because the hearts of the holy ones
have been refreshed by you, brother.
Therefore, although I have the full right in Christ
to order you to do what is proper,
I rather urge you out of love,
being as I am, Paul, an old man,
and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.
I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,
whose father I have become in my imprisonment,
who was once useless to you but is now useful to both you and me.
I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the Gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother,
beloved especially to me, but even more so to you,
as a man and in the Lord.
So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
And if he has done you any injustice
or owes you anything, charge it to me.
I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay.
May I not tell you that you owe me your very self.
Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord.
Refresh my heart in Christ.
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Commentary on Phmn 7-20
This reading contains a majority of St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon. It is a short letter, written by the apostle during his imprisonment (probably in Rome between 61 and 63 A.D.). He writes to Philemon, the owner of a slave named Onesimus who apparently ran away and possibly stole something along the way. St. Paul has converted Onesimus, and now sends him back with this letter to his owner.
While the apostle does not attack slavery as a social structure, he clearly deals it a death blow in the Christian community by describing the relationship he has with Onesimus, and by setting this slave as an equal to all who are brothers in Christ Jesus (“no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord”). This testimony by St. Paul is an important addition to the Church’s understanding of unity in faith, and the dignity of all persons.
CCC: Phmn 16 2414
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:7, 8-9a, 9bc-10
R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 146:7, 8-9a, 9bc-10
Psalm 146 is a hymn of praise. The psalmist provides a litany of attributes, showing how God provides salvation. This psalm is often quoted, and the litany it contains is also assigned to the Messiah who comes fulfilling the Law and Prophets. Used in that sense, the psalm itself is prophetic, establishing the divine relationship between Christ and the God of Jacob.
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Gospel: Luke 17:20-25
Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
Then he said to his disciples,
“The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”
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Commentary on Lk 17:20-25
In this selection from St. Luke’s Gospel, the Pharisees ask Jesus to tell them when the kingdom of God will come. Throughout Luke, Jesus has been denying that the messianic age will come simply by following Mosaic Law and the Prophets (even the greatest of them – John the Baptist).[24] He is now confronted with the question: “Where is the Kingdom of God?” He answers that it is already among them (referring to his own ministry and the effect it has on his followers).
Jesus’ description of the “coming days” is also a reference to the coming destruction of Jerusalem.”(1) Many of the sayings collected here appear in the Olivet Discourse, where they more explicitly refer to the doom that awaits the city and the temple (Matthew 24-25; Mark 13). (2) Mention of the days of the Son of man (17:22) is echoed later in Luke when reference is made to the “days” when foreign armies will besiege the city (Luke 19:43) and the “days” when the temple will be devastated (Luke 21:6).” [4]
To his disciples, Jesus makes it clear that his coming passion will cause them to flee, and that doubt will assail them. He reassures them of his eternal presence as he tells them that, once he has gone from them, he will not be coming back, but at the same time he will always be with them (“just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be [in his day]”).
CCC: Lk 17:19-31 2463
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Reflection:
If the Pharisees were confronting Jesus in modern times, one might think they would have asked: “Show us a link to the map of the kingdom of God. Oh, and is there a Google street view?” They were more likely thinking of the time promised by the prophets when the Messiah would return, and the Roman invaders would be driven out allowing Israel to return to the glory of King David’s rule.
Their question, however, does give the Lord a bit of a problem. How can he change their understanding of the true nature of the kingdom of God? St. Luke recounts his attempt to describe something that is metaphysical (that is, not of this physical existence) using terms that can only describe the physical world.
How difficult it must have been for them, as it is for us, to understand what he meant when he told them: “For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.” It would be like one of us saying to a church full of non-Catholics, in all sincerity, that Jesus was right there with them. They would look around at the people sitting around the church and wonder which person it was. They would not understand that we were, of course, referring to the Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle. Even if we took it out and showed it to them, they would not understand or believe us. When we announce Jesus is here to most Christian denominations, they would be thinking of the Rapture, the Second Coming.
In the same way, the Pharisees were totally confused. How could the kingdom of God be among them? How could something that would be instantly apparent be hidden from them? For many of us, that might even be true to this day. The kingdom of God is among us as well. The promise of eternity is in the tabernacle and will be made manifest on the altar shortly.
There is no time to go to great lengths about the creation of the kingdom of God on earth, and how we are called to participate in that transformation. Nor is there time to speak about the kingdom of Heaven and eternal life.
Today we simply pray that we see Christ and his kingdom around us and experience the peace of that kingdom in our hearts.
Pax
[1] The picture is
“Philemon and Bacucis” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1650’s.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press,
San Francisco, CA. p.140.
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