Readings for Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 7:25-31
St. Paul gives his opinion (“Now in regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord”) as opposed to a definitive requirement. It is his feeling that the Christians are already living in the “end times” and that the Parousia, Christ’s second coming is eminent. The language he uses is quite similar to “the time of distress” mentioned in Zephaniah 1:15 and Luke 21:23. His comments about “virgins” refer to both male and female and scholars question whether St. Paul is aware of what Jesus said in Matthew 19:12 concerning the gift of the marital vocation. The Apostle therefore tells the Corinthians that they should moderate their behavior (not immerse themselves), anticipating the final resurrection.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
Psalm 45 is a Royal Psalm originally sung in honor of the King’s marriage to a queen (of foreign extraction). Placed against St. Paul’s instructions on virgins and marriage it emphasizes the beauty of the sacramental relationship.
Gospel: Luke 6:20-26
This passage is the introductory section of St. Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain”. Addressed primarily to a gentile audience, this discourse differs from St. Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” in that it addresses economic conditions of the day. It begins, as does St. Matthew’s sermon, with the Beatitudes but follows these with antithetical woe’s which contrasts those who are blessed with those who ignore the poor and hungry.
Reflection:
Jesus brings a message of hope to the world. His promise to all who are in distress is that their hope is in God. He tells us emphatically that anyone who suffers economic distress, hungers, is despondent or in mourning, or persecuted because of your faith in Christ will find hope in him. With the world in turmoil and economic conditions still in the process of bottoming out this is an important message today as it was at the time St. Luke first recorded it.
The poor, those who are destitute or without any financial support need to hear this message and in hearing it in the midst of a loving faith community they will find that they are indeed blessed with riches – for that community will be generous, supporting their own, helping them. The poor can also be those who have no hope – the poor in spirit. They too can find riches in God’s earthly kingdom which is composed of his faithful. God’s mercy and consolation are expressed through the modern disciples who offer their presence and spirit to those who are lost and alone.
The hungry will be fed again by those who follow Christ faithfully. The charity we offer has no strings or conditions. We do not require a person to sign hymns of praise or be otherwise beholden to the people of faith who offer to share their abundance. We are fools for Christ as St. Paul is fond of saying. And those who hunger for spiritual food will also find their fill in our midst as the true bread from heaven is offered to those who can accept it in the Eucharist.
Those whose pain forces them to tears will find with us Christ’s love embracing them and in our midst we pray with them and for them so that the darkness that envelops those who grieve may be lifted and hope and happiness might come to wash away the tears. Sharing the pain of those who grieve is our community’s gift. Christ’s consolation dispels the anguish of the weeping heart.
Ah, and those of us who take Christ into an unwelcoming world will find joy in the persecution we face. We simply remember that our savior was also despised by those he loved and had come to save. In that remembrance we share his glory and exalt in the knowledge that we join our savior who purchased us life through his great passion.
Today our hearts are lifted as we recall Christ’s promise of love and peace for the world. We pray for the strength to reflect the love he promised to those we meet today.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “Sermon on the Mount” by Cosimo Rosselli, 1481-1502
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 7:25-31
St. Paul gives his opinion (“Now in regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord”) as opposed to a definitive requirement. It is his feeling that the Christians are already living in the “end times” and that the Parousia, Christ’s second coming is eminent. The language he uses is quite similar to “the time of distress” mentioned in Zephaniah 1:15 and Luke 21:23. His comments about “virgins” refer to both male and female and scholars question whether St. Paul is aware of what Jesus said in Matthew 19:12 concerning the gift of the marital vocation. The Apostle therefore tells the Corinthians that they should moderate their behavior (not immerse themselves), anticipating the final resurrection.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
Psalm 45 is a Royal Psalm originally sung in honor of the King’s marriage to a queen (of foreign extraction). Placed against St. Paul’s instructions on virgins and marriage it emphasizes the beauty of the sacramental relationship.
Gospel: Luke 6:20-26
This passage is the introductory section of St. Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain”. Addressed primarily to a gentile audience, this discourse differs from St. Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” in that it addresses economic conditions of the day. It begins, as does St. Matthew’s sermon, with the Beatitudes but follows these with antithetical woe’s which contrasts those who are blessed with those who ignore the poor and hungry.
Reflection:
Jesus brings a message of hope to the world. His promise to all who are in distress is that their hope is in God. He tells us emphatically that anyone who suffers economic distress, hungers, is despondent or in mourning, or persecuted because of your faith in Christ will find hope in him. With the world in turmoil and economic conditions still in the process of bottoming out this is an important message today as it was at the time St. Luke first recorded it.
The poor, those who are destitute or without any financial support need to hear this message and in hearing it in the midst of a loving faith community they will find that they are indeed blessed with riches – for that community will be generous, supporting their own, helping them. The poor can also be those who have no hope – the poor in spirit. They too can find riches in God’s earthly kingdom which is composed of his faithful. God’s mercy and consolation are expressed through the modern disciples who offer their presence and spirit to those who are lost and alone.
The hungry will be fed again by those who follow Christ faithfully. The charity we offer has no strings or conditions. We do not require a person to sign hymns of praise or be otherwise beholden to the people of faith who offer to share their abundance. We are fools for Christ as St. Paul is fond of saying. And those who hunger for spiritual food will also find their fill in our midst as the true bread from heaven is offered to those who can accept it in the Eucharist.
Those whose pain forces them to tears will find with us Christ’s love embracing them and in our midst we pray with them and for them so that the darkness that envelops those who grieve may be lifted and hope and happiness might come to wash away the tears. Sharing the pain of those who grieve is our community’s gift. Christ’s consolation dispels the anguish of the weeping heart.
Ah, and those of us who take Christ into an unwelcoming world will find joy in the persecution we face. We simply remember that our savior was also despised by those he loved and had come to save. In that remembrance we share his glory and exalt in the knowledge that we join our savior who purchased us life through his great passion.
Today our hearts are lifted as we recall Christ’s promise of love and peace for the world. We pray for the strength to reflect the love he promised to those we meet today.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “Sermon on the Mount” by Cosimo Rosselli, 1481-1502
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