Readings for Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Ephesians 4:32–5:8
(And) be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.
Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you,
as is fitting among holy ones,
no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place,
but instead, thanksgiving.
Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person,
that is, an idolater,
has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no one deceive you with empty arguments,
for because of these things
the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient.
So do not be associated with them.
For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Eph 4:32–5:8
St. Paul continues to exhort the church at Ephesus to live as imitators of God in Christ. He lists the virtues of Christ’s love and excludes a litany of behaviors inappropriate for those who wish to be part of the community; insisting that such people have no share in the inheritance of the Kingdom of God (of Christ).
He concludes this section with a strong statement warning that those who turn away for God and embrace the darkness with receive God’s wrath. He then calls them to “Live as children of the light.” (Quoted in the Sacrament of Baptism as the newly baptized are presented with a candle lighted off the Easter Candle, the light of Christ).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (see Eph. 5:1) Behave like God as his very dear children.
Happy those who do not follow
the counsel of the wicked,
Nor go the way of sinners,
nor sit in company with scoffers.
Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy;
God's law they study day and night.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
They are like a tree
planted near streams of water,
that yields its fruit in season;
Its leaves never wither;
whatever they do prospers.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
But not the wicked!
They are like chaff driven by the wind.
Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment,
nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Psalm 1 serves as a preface to the whole book of the psalms. The psalmist here exalts those who follow the Lord’s commands and reflects upon the blessings they will receive. As is usual, this selection emphasizes the contrast between the salvation of the just and the punishment of the wicked
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 13:10-17
He (Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
“Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
“There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.”
The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?”
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 13:10-17
The story of the cure of the crippled woman is parallel to the story of Jesus curing the man with dropsy on the Sabbath (see Luke 14:1-6). He is challenged by the local Jewish leadership for doing “work” on God’s holy day. As before, he uses the need to tend to the necessities of life on the sabbath as parallel to his need to cure the woman.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“Live as children of the light.” We are all called to that reality and images of light and darkness fill our culture and myth. So ingrained has this analogy of good and evil become that we use it without thinking. We see those who embrace the “Goth” look (dressing in black, striving for a dark appearance) as seeking a persona that is intimidating because of its embrace of darkness. When we think of a “dark” place we automatically associate it with fear (afraid of the dark) and evil deeds (most crime is conducted at night- in the darkness).
On the other side we are called as “children of the light”, the antithesis of darkness. Our actions are to represent the goodness of one to another. St. Paul defines this understanding of children of the light with his exhortation to the church at Ephesus. He tells them to love one another, as Christ loved us. He calls them to be compassionate; that there is no place among them for greed, malice, or even suggestive behavior which leads to dehumanizing attitudes and detracts from the dignity which all deserve as children of the same God.
This last example is subtle. We might think that, even in polite company, friendly or suggestive banter is acceptable. What harm does it do? It generally injects humor into a conversation and that is a happy thing. We take St. Paul’s warning to heart though. To often the butt of this humor is hurtful (even innocently so) and while the person who is the target of this wit may even laugh with us, the intent can lead down a path that is destructive or may encourage inappropriate; even licentious behavior.
In essence, St. Paul warns about the slippery slope that can come through familiarity and familial fraternity. Where else is this type of interplay more prevalent than with friends, co-workers or classmates. We are called to be “children of the light” and as such we do not need to be condescending or critical of our peers, but we can choose to stand apart from these types of activities. Our lack of participation will mark us for what we hope to be and when it is appropriate and can be done in a loving way, we can gently chide our friends for their insensitivity to the dignity of the person.
Being “children of the light” is a call we dare not refuse; but it is difficult. We pray today for the strength and wisdom to find the lighted path and to always choose that way. And when we fail, we ask God and His Son to forgive us and show us the light once more.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture used today is “The Crippled Woman” by Alexandre Bida, c.1875
[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
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Ephesians 4:32–5:8
(And) be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.
Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you,
as is fitting among holy ones,
no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place,
but instead, thanksgiving.
Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person,
that is, an idolater,
has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no one deceive you with empty arguments,
for because of these things
the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient.
So do not be associated with them.
For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Eph 4:32–5:8
St. Paul continues to exhort the church at Ephesus to live as imitators of God in Christ. He lists the virtues of Christ’s love and excludes a litany of behaviors inappropriate for those who wish to be part of the community; insisting that such people have no share in the inheritance of the Kingdom of God (of Christ).
He concludes this section with a strong statement warning that those who turn away for God and embrace the darkness with receive God’s wrath. He then calls them to “Live as children of the light.” (Quoted in the Sacrament of Baptism as the newly baptized are presented with a candle lighted off the Easter Candle, the light of Christ).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (see Eph. 5:1) Behave like God as his very dear children.
Happy those who do not follow
the counsel of the wicked,
Nor go the way of sinners,
nor sit in company with scoffers.
Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy;
God's law they study day and night.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
They are like a tree
planted near streams of water,
that yields its fruit in season;
Its leaves never wither;
whatever they do prospers.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
But not the wicked!
They are like chaff driven by the wind.
Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment,
nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Psalm 1 serves as a preface to the whole book of the psalms. The psalmist here exalts those who follow the Lord’s commands and reflects upon the blessings they will receive. As is usual, this selection emphasizes the contrast between the salvation of the just and the punishment of the wicked
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 13:10-17
He (Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
“Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
“There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.”
The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?”
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 13:10-17
The story of the cure of the crippled woman is parallel to the story of Jesus curing the man with dropsy on the Sabbath (see Luke 14:1-6). He is challenged by the local Jewish leadership for doing “work” on God’s holy day. As before, he uses the need to tend to the necessities of life on the sabbath as parallel to his need to cure the woman.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“Live as children of the light.” We are all called to that reality and images of light and darkness fill our culture and myth. So ingrained has this analogy of good and evil become that we use it without thinking. We see those who embrace the “Goth” look (dressing in black, striving for a dark appearance) as seeking a persona that is intimidating because of its embrace of darkness. When we think of a “dark” place we automatically associate it with fear (afraid of the dark) and evil deeds (most crime is conducted at night- in the darkness).
On the other side we are called as “children of the light”, the antithesis of darkness. Our actions are to represent the goodness of one to another. St. Paul defines this understanding of children of the light with his exhortation to the church at Ephesus. He tells them to love one another, as Christ loved us. He calls them to be compassionate; that there is no place among them for greed, malice, or even suggestive behavior which leads to dehumanizing attitudes and detracts from the dignity which all deserve as children of the same God.
This last example is subtle. We might think that, even in polite company, friendly or suggestive banter is acceptable. What harm does it do? It generally injects humor into a conversation and that is a happy thing. We take St. Paul’s warning to heart though. To often the butt of this humor is hurtful (even innocently so) and while the person who is the target of this wit may even laugh with us, the intent can lead down a path that is destructive or may encourage inappropriate; even licentious behavior.
In essence, St. Paul warns about the slippery slope that can come through familiarity and familial fraternity. Where else is this type of interplay more prevalent than with friends, co-workers or classmates. We are called to be “children of the light” and as such we do not need to be condescending or critical of our peers, but we can choose to stand apart from these types of activities. Our lack of participation will mark us for what we hope to be and when it is appropriate and can be done in a loving way, we can gently chide our friends for their insensitivity to the dignity of the person.
Being “children of the light” is a call we dare not refuse; but it is difficult. We pray today for the strength and wisdom to find the lighted path and to always choose that way. And when we fail, we ask God and His Son to forgive us and show us the light once more.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture used today is “The Crippled Woman” by Alexandre Bida, c.1875
[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
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