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1 Thes 5:2-3 675; 1 Thes 5:2 673; 1 Thes 5:5 1216; 1 Thes 5:6 2849
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Reading 1
1 Thes 5:1-6, 9-11
Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters,
you have no need for anything to be written to you.
For you yourselves know very well
that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.
When people are saying, “Peace and security,”
then sudden disaster comes upon them,
like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,
and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,
for that day to overtake you like a thief.
For all of you are children of the light
and children of the day.
We are not of the night or of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do,
but let us stay alert and sober.
For God did not destine us for wrath,
but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep
we may live together with him.
Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up,
as indeed you do.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the Lord;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Gospel
Lk 4:31-37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 1 Thessalonians 5:1 – 11
You will not be expecting us to write anything to you, brothers, about ‘times and seasons’, since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. It is when people are saying, ‘How quiet and peaceful it is’ that the worst suddenly happens, as suddenly as labor pains come on a pregnant woman; and there will be no way for anybody to evade it.
But it is not as if you live in the dark, my brothers, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober. God never meant us to experience the Retribution, but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, alive or dead, we should still live united to him. So give encouragement to each other, and keep strengthening one another, as you do already.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Gospel Luke 4:31 – 37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil, throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all. Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Tuesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
From: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11
The Second Coming of the Lord (Continuation)
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[1] But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. [3] When people say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape. [4] But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief. [5] For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. [6] So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. [9] For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, [10] who died for us so that whether we wake or sleep we might live with him. [11] Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
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Commentary:
1-3. "The day of the Lord" is an expression used a number of times in Sacred Scripture to refer to that point at which God will intervene decisively and irreversibly. The prophets speak of the "day of Yahweh" sometimes fearfully (cf. Amos 5:18-20), sometimes hopefully (cf. Is 6:13). In his eschatological sermon (cf. Mt 24; Mk 13; Lk 21), Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem in a style very reminiscent of that used by the prophets (cf. Amos 8:9ff) when speaking of the "day of Yahweh". The destruction of the city brings to an end the Jewish era in the history of salvation and prefigures the second coming of Christ as Judge of all. In St Paul's letters, as in other New Testament writings, the "day of the Lord" is the day of the general judgment when Christ will appear in the fullness of glory as Judge (cf. 1 Cor 1:8; 2 Cor 1:14). The Apostle brings in some examples used by our Lord in his preaching about the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the world (the "thief in the night": cf. Mt 24:43; the pains of childbirth: cf. Mt 24:19) to warn people that that day will come unexpectedly, and to exhort them to be always ready.
The Christian, therefore, should always be on the watch, for he never knows for sure when the last day of his life will be. The second coming of the Lord will take people by surprise; it will catch them doing good or doing evil. So, it would be rash to postpone repentance to some time in the future.
4-6. A thief works by night because he thinks that darkness will find the householder unprepared. Our Lord also used this metaphor when he said that if the father of the family had known when the thief would come, he would have kept a look-out (cf. Mt 24:43)--in other words, we need to be always alert, in the state of grace, surrounded by light. So, "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 Jn 1:7).
On the same subject the Church teaches that our souls are "illumined by the light of faith" ("St Pius V Catechism", II, 2, 4).
We should therefore live a transparent life, with the divine light shining clearly through it; if we do, the "day of the Lord" (which can also be applied to the day each person dies) will not find us unprepared, even if it comes suddenly. "A true Christian is always ready to appear before God. Because, if he is fighting to live as a man of Christ, he is ready at every moment to fulfill his duty" (St. J. Escri- va, "Furrow", 875).
9-10. "Wrath" refers to the condemnation earned by those who die in sin; and "salvation", in the New Testament, means being protected from danger and able to live free from anxiety. Being saved from wrath means obtaining eternal salvation.
Salvation comes to us "through our Lord Jesus Christ". The name Jesus ("God saves") conveys this mission which Christ attributed to himself (cf. Mt 1:21): "The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost" (Lk 19:10). Christ is the Savior: "there is no salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). He will give us forgiveness of sins (cf. Acts 5:31); that was why he "died for us". "Through suffering" (Heb 2:10) he fulfilled the mission entrusted to him. By dying in obedience to the Father "he became the source of eternal salvation" (Heb 5:9). "There fore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted (Heb 2:17-18). So it is that Jesus intercedes for all believers until the end of time (cf. Heb 7:25).
When he receives the sacrament of Baptism, the Christian becomes identified with Christ, the eternal high priest, in a special way: the "character" or mark conferred by the sacrament indicates that he is destined to live with Christ. As he makes his pilgrim way through this life he is able to enjoy, through grace, a foretaste of that divine life which he will enjoy permanently and much more fully in heaven.
Verse 10 contains another of St Paul's plays on words. The word "sleep" here (unlike vv. 6-7) means "die", and "being awake" means "being alive". For a Christian, death is a step which enables him to "live with Christ" forever, in eternal beatitude.
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From: Luke 4:31-37
Jesus Preaches in Capernaum
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[31] And He (Jesus) went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And He was teaching them on the Sabbath; [32]and they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.
The Cure of the Demoniac
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[33] And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, [34] "Ah! What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are, the Holy One of God." [35] But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. [36]And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." [37] And reports of Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
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Commentary:
33-37. Jesus now demonstrates by His actions that authority which was evident in His words.
34. The demon tells the truth here when he calls Jesus "the Holy One of God", but Jesus does not accept this testimony from the "father of lies" (John 8:44). This shows that the devil usually says something partially true in order to disguise untruth; by sowing confusion in this way, he can more readily deceive people. By silencing and expelling the demon, Jesus teaches us to be prudent and not let ourselves by deceived by half-truths.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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