October 30, 2017

Oct. 30

October 30, 2017:  Monday, 30th week, Ordinary Time

  • Flesh-colored suspenders:  Don't live according to the flesh (1st reading)
  • 'Gun' pin:  Put to death the deeds of the body, and live (1st reading)
  • 'Dove' pin:  Those led by the Spirit of God are God's children (1st reading)
  • "I ♥ my dad" tie:  We received a spirit of adoption and cry Abba, Father!” (1st reading)
  • 'Bear' tie bar:  Blessed be the Lord who 'bears' our burdens (psalm)
  • 'Hands' pin:  Christ 'handed' himself over for us (1st reading); Jesus laid hands on the cripple (gospel)
  • Green shirt:  Ordinary Time season
Listen
For 1st reading

For Psalm 68
For gospel
  • Rom 8:12-17  We're not debtors to the flesh; if you live according to the flesh, you die, but if you put deeds of the body to death by the spirit, you live.  Those led by the Spirit of God are God's children.  You received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Papa!”  The Spirit bears witness that we're heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, if we suffer with and are glorified with him.
  • Ps 68:2, 4, 6-7ab, 20-21  "Our God is the God of salvation."  God arises; his enemies are scattered, but the just rejoice.  God, father of orphans and defender of widows, gives the forsaken a home.  The Lord, our salvation, bears our burdens and controls death's passageways.
  • Lk 13:10-17  Jesus, laying hands on crippled woman:  “You're set free of your infirmity.”  She stood and glorified God.  Leader (indignant he cured on the sabbath) / Jesus:  “Come another day to be cured.” / “Hypocrites!  You untie your ox on the sabbath.  Shouldn't she have been set free today?”  His adversaries were humiliated; the crowd rejoiced...
Reflect
  • Creighton:  Paul exults in his new identity in Christ.  “You didn't receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but a Spirit of adoption, through which we can cry ‘Abba, Father.’”  Vatican II drew attention to the “fruits of the Spirit” not in the lives of Christians and “all persons of good will in whom grace works in an unseen way.  The Holy Spirit offers to every person the possibility of being associated with the paschal mystery “(Gaudium et spes 22).  May we look with eyes of faith on all God's children, especially the displaced, marginalized, and disparaged.
  • One Bread, One Body:  "Arise, Lord":  Moses prayed when the Israelites prepared to set out with the Ark of the Covenant.  When the day's travel was finished, he prayed:  "Return, Lord, to the troops of Israel."  God led the Israelites through a cloud of fire; his assistance then is the model of all divine assistance.  Like Moses, the Church prays morning and evening in the Liturgy of the Hours that, as God called his people, we may go forth, trusting in the Lord's presence and action, and walk through the dangers of mission like the Israelites through the Red Sea.  As the Lord faced enemies when he healed the woman, we face enemies to the spread of the Gospel.  May we call on the Lord each morning and evening that he clear a path.
    Healing a woman on Sabbath/ Gerung
  • Passionist:  The synagogue chief, apparently healthy, criticized Jesus for curing on the Sabbath.  The self-righteous and proud Jesus need a cure too!  Today many are physically infirm, but many others are crippled by anger, fear, greed, hypocrisy, or prejudice, or starving for appreciation and love.  At Mass we ask the Spirit to transform bread and wine into Christ.  The bread and wine represent the whole world.  We place everyone on the altar and ask the Spirit to transform us all:  anger to forgiveness, fear to courage, greed to generosity, hypocrisy to truth, prejudice to understanding...  We ask the Spirit to transform all people with the spirit of adoption.  If we recognize we're all God's children, created by God, dependent on and loved by God, we have hope for the cure of peace and can stand and thank God.
  • DailyScripture.net:  "Freedom from bondage for 18 years":  What keeps you bound up or oppressed?  Jesus wants to set us free.  He demonstrates divine power and authority in healing the sick.  Jewish leaders were indignant that Jesus healed on the Sabbath; they lost sight of God's mercy and goodness.  God never rests from showing mercy and love....
    • St. Marcellus, martyr, proclaimed his Christian identity and refused to worship Roman gods
    • Blessed Martyrs of Winchester:  Roger Dicconson, “undercover priest”; John Slade, schoolmaster; Ralph Milner, convert; Laurence Humphreys, convert, catechist; James Bird

No comments:

Post a Comment