Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Optional Memorial for Saint Callistus I, Pope and Martyr)
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Callistus I
 
Biographical information about St. Callistus I
 

“Illustration to Imre Madách's
The Tragedy of Man: In the Heaven (Scene 1)
by Mihály Zichy,  1887

Readings for Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Ephesians 1:11-14
 
Brothers and sisters:
In Christ we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Eph 1:11-14
 
This selection concludes St. Paul’s introduction and blessing. He quickly gets into doctrinal exhortations. Here the evangelist announces the adoption, by the Lord, of all who believe in him (“we were chosen,” a reference to the Jewish people of whom St. Paul was one, and “you also, who have heard the truth,” meaning the Gentiles who came to faith). St. Paul next refers to the indelible change, the transformation brought about in baptism and confirmation, as he speaks about being “sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit” (first given in baptism and sealed in confirmation, see also Ezekiel 9:4-6, Revelation 7:4). In this adoption we share the inheritance of God’s children which is redemption and justification.
 
CCC: Eph 1:13-14 706, 1274; Eph 1:13 693, 698, 1296; Eph 1:14 1107
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
 
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
 
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten‑stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
 
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
 
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
 
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
 
Psalm 33 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. In this selection the emphasis is on faithfulness to God, who has saving power, combined with hope, a central component of faith in God.
 
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 12:1-7
 
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
 
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 12:1-7
St. Luke continues to present us with a collection of sayings of Jesus passed on to his disciples. In this passage, he first warns them about adopting the style and attitude of the Pharisees, whose “holier than thou” attitude was a veneer for their internal sin. The Lord tells them that there is nothing that can be hidden from God, and that all will be made clear in the final judgment.
 
The Lord goes on to encourage his friends, telling them that God will watch over them. He uses the analogy of the sacrificial animals (“five sparrows sold for two small coins”) as a metaphor for the attacks they will encounter from the Jewish leadership, and how God will uphold them.
 
CCC: Lk 12:1-3 678; Lk 12:6-7 342
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
Have you ever wondered why wild animals run away, literally flee for their lives in fright when a human approaches?  What has taught them to be afraid of us?  This instinctive flight reflex is an inherited trait.  It was developed though the process of natural selection.  Animals without the instinct to flee from larger animals may have been fine for a while, but generally fell victim to predators before they reproduced.  The animals that had a strong flight reflex lived to have offspring that had the same natural instinct to flee, and the flight reflex became the norm.
 
Human babies are born without this natural defense.  They come into the world (like most top predators) without the flight reflex, in a sense, fearless.  Parents know this and teach their children to fear those things, situations, and people that could be dangerous to them.  They are taught not to reach for things that are hot, and they are taught not to talk to or go with strangers.  This process of teaching goes on even past the time when those children are willing to listen to what the parent tries to teach (a period known as adolescence).
 
Because our verbal skills are so highly developed, many of us forget that, at a very deep level, our children, much like mammalian young, learn by observing their parents or those set over them as guardians.  They watch us and observe what we do, accepting our behavior as valid teaching aids.  It is for this reason, for instance, if we are vehement about not smoking, but we ourselves smoke, our children will see the conflicting message and default to what they see us do, rather than what we say.  Similarly with drugs, if we say don’t do drugs and alcohol but we ourselves take pills and drink, our children will not fear addiction.
 
We come now, rather obviously, to Jesus' words in the Gospel.  He tells us and shows us whom to fear.  He states clearly: “do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more.”  The statement he makes goes against some basic instincts we have been taught, doesn’t it?  Not really.  What it does is gives us a more refined view of what constitutes a threat to us.  We already know that dangerous situations and physically dangerous people should be avoided (akin to animal instincts).  What the Lord tells us is we must learn to identify threats that can cause us spiritual death as well.  If a person, like a terrorist, is intent upon killing us with a gun or bomb, what can we do to protect ourselves?  We can try to be observant and alert, but we must not live in fear.  Our fear, we are told, should be: “of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna.” Our fear must be of displeasing or going against God.
 
Of all the lessons the Lord teaches, this one is most difficult for us.  Even his passionate example provides us with a teaching aid to that end.  The martyrs like St. Ignatius of Antioch show us emphatically what was meant by his words.  They seem to possess supernatural courage in the face of torture and death.  The teaching of God’s children goes on.  We see we still have much to learn and pray that we have the strength (and time) to learn what he teaches.
 
Pax
 

---

[1] The picture is “Illustration to Imre Madách's The Tragedy of Man: In the Heaven (Scene 1), by Mihály Zichy,  1887.
[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.