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| “Christ with the Chalice” by Juan de Juanes,1560’s |
Readings for Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Philippians 1:1-11
Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus,
to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,
with the bishops and deacons:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,
praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the Gospel
from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right that I should think this way about all of you,
because I hold you in my heart,
you who are all partners with me in grace,
both in my imprisonment
and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.
For God is my witness,
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.
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Commentary on Phil 1:1-11
St. Paul opens his letter to the Philippians with his usual combination of Greco-Roman traditional greeting coupled with a Semitic/Christian practice of identifying his apostolic mission. He uses the phrase “slaves of Christ Jesus” to describe his complete obedience and dedication to the Gospel mission he and his companions have undertaken. We note that the terms “overseers and ministers” are translated for the Lectionary into “bishops and deacons” taking the Greek words “episkopos” (one who oversees) and “diakonos” (one who serves or ministers to).
The evangelist immediately launches into praise and thanksgiving for the faith and fidelity of his foundling Christian community. He adds his own blessing and prayer that the good work Christ has started in them will continue and grow. The language used by St. Paul gives us insight into the affection he holds for this community and the love he shares with them.
CCC: Phil 1:3-4 2636; Phil 1:9-11 2632
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 111:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (2) How great are the works of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
He has made known to his people the power of his works,
giving them the inheritance of the nations.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 111:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Psalm 111 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. In this selection we find the singer giving thanks for God’s guidance, and the Lord's works of creation and salvation. References to the covenant in these strophes relate directly to the promises made to Abraham and his descendants. The hymn professes God’s greatness, revealed in creation, and revered by all that live and have being.
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Gospel: Luke 14:1-6
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.
Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,
“Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”
But they kept silent; so he took the man and,
after he had healed him, dismissed him.
Then he said to them
“Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?”
But they were unable to answer his question.
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Commentary on Lk 14:1-6
The miracle of the cure of the man with dropsy (a condition in which there is severe swelling caused by the retention of water) is unique to St. Luke’s Gospel. The issue he addresses at the banquet, however, is also taken up in a different context in Mark 3:1-6 and Matthew 12:9-14. The point (logion) expounded upon here is that fanatical observance of Mosaic Law is not serving God. Rather, the spirit of God’s law is love and compassion which he demonstrates by curing the man.
There is also a pun used in the language Jesus uses. When he says “if your son or ox falls into a well,” the words in Aramaic are be’îrā (“ox”) and berā (“son”) followed by bērā (“well”) giving us insight into Jesus' sense of humor.
CCC: Lk 14:1 575, 588; Lk 14:3-4 582
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Reflection:
Heavenly Father, we humbly pray that those suffering from the coronavirus be returned quickly to full health by the power of your Son’s healing presence, and those in fear be calmed through the Holy Spirit.
In Christ’s name we pray. – Amen.
St. Luke’s Gospel reminds us that we must make sure to temper our zeal for defending the faith with a caution not to get fanatical about the rules but remember the spirit of the commandments the Lord asks us to follow.
We have seen Jesus go after the Pharisees on numerous occasions for being what he calls “hypocrites.” He takes them to task because they have gotten so hung up on the minutia of following the 613 distinct laws found in Mosaic Law that they had forgotten that the whole purpose of that law was God’s desire for the happiness of his chosen people.
In the story St. Luke gives us today (which differs from the setting in which Sts. Matthew and Mark make the same point), Jesus is at the home of a leader of the local Jewish community. The Gospel says that, “the people there were observing him carefully,” meaning they were probably trying to set him up in such a way that he would violate Mosaic Law and they could call him out on charges of blasphemy.
Jesus was never one to shy away from doing the compassionate thing, so he walks knowingly into their trap by first asking them to define their interpretation of doing work on the sabbath. When they say nothing to his question, Luke tells us, “so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him.” He then came back and gave them his interpretation of the situation, and at the same time defining to them, in not too subtle terms, his relationship to God, whose adopted sons they were as a consequence of their relationship to Abraham. Then he punned them with the question; “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” (see the commentary above for an explanation of the pun used). The relationship he describes between those who would run to aid the son or ox (one of blood relationship or ownership), by analogy, implies the one he cured was his adopted son, his possession.
The point he makes, and the one we take away with us today is that we must always look to the spirit of our law of love, and never become so fanatical that we ignore the spirit of that law for the scrupulous letter of the law. Our prayer today is that we always find that balance, following the law and applying it in ways of which Jesus would approve.
In this strange year where many of us will not be able to receive the Blessed Sacrament or celebrate as a community in our houses of worship, we must be prepared to receive spiritual communion in prayer:
My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Christ with the Chalice” by Juan de Juanes,1560’s.
[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.
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