CCC Cross Reference:
Lk 9:2 551
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Reading 1
Prv 30:5-9
Every word of God is tested;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Add nothing to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver.
Two things I ask of you,
deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need;
Lest, being full, I deny you,
saying, “Who is the Lord?”
Or, being in want, I steal,
and profane the name of my God.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163
R. (105) Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Your word, O Lord, endures forever;
it is firm as the heavens.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Through your precepts I gain discernment;
therefore I hate every false way.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Falsehood I hate and abhor;
your law I love.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Gospel
Lk 9:1-6
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases everywhere.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Proverbs 30:5 – 9
Every word of God is unalloyed,
he is the shield of those who take refuge in him.
To his words make no addition,
lest he reprove you and know you for a fraud.
Two things I beg of you,
do not grudge me them before I die:
keep falsehood and lies far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches,
grant me only my share of bread to eat,
for fear that surrounded by plenty, I should fall away
and say, ‘the Lord – who is the Lord?’
or else, in destitution, take to stealing
and profane the name of my God.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 118(119):28,72,89,101,104,163
Your word is a lamp for my steps, O Lord.
My soul pines away with grief;
by your word raise me up.
The law from your mouth means more to me
than silver and gold.
Your word is a lamp for my steps, O Lord.
Your word, O Lord, for ever
stands firm in the heavens:
I turn my feet from evil paths
to obey your word.
Your word is a lamp for my steps, O Lord.
I gain understanding from your precepts
and so I hate false ways.
Lies I hate and detest
but your law is my love.
Your word is a lamp for my steps, O Lord.
Gospel Luke 9:1 – 6
Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Wednesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Proverbs 30:5-9
The Words of Agur
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[5] Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
[6] Do not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
[7] Two things I ask of thee;
deny them not to me before I die:
[8] Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
[9] lest I be full, and deny thee,
and say, "Who is the Lord?"
or lest I be poor, and steal,
and profane the name of my God.
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Commentary:
30:1-14. "The words of Agur son of Jakeh of Massa" is translated in the Vulgate as "The words of Gatherer the son of Vomiter", a reference, seemingly, to Solomon. St Bede comments: "Immediately afterwards come some words of Solomon, spoken by him in a different way. Perhaps because it is called 'Ecclesiastes' in Greek, the name in Latin is 'He who gathers together''' (In proverbial Salomonis, 30, 1). Verses 2-6 are reminiscent of the style and theme of the book of Job (cf. Job 17:6; 24:25), and after them comes a prayer (vv. 7-9) and some counsels (vv. 10-14). On Massa, see the note on 31:1-9.
30:8-9. "Feed me with the bread that is needful to me'' (v. 8). To have the necessary space to develop a relationship with God and cope with the ordinary affairs of life, a person needs a basic level of subsistence. Lack of the necessaries of life, and having too much of the good things -- both situations are an obstacle to serving God and other people (cf. v. 9). Our Lord taught us to ask in the Our Father, "Give us this day our daily bread'' (cf. Mt 6:11; Lk 11:3). The Roman Catechism sees these words as including ''the idea of a frugal and temperate life, for we should seek only what is needed to meet our natural requirements and not demand many, rich delicacies, […] In the same way, it says 'daily bread', for we eat it to recover our strength and the energy that we use up every day. […] We should often ask to be constant in our love and adoration of God, and to he wholly convinced of the truth that our life and health depends on God'' (4, 13, 13). The opposite would be the attitude of the rich person who draws comfort from the fact that he has wealth, yet it prevents him from seeking God and being concerned about his neighbor. This teaching can he seen, too, in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk 16:19-31).
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From: Luke 9:1-6
The Mission of the Apostles
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[1] And He (Jesus) called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, [2] and He sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal. [3] And He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. [4] And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. [5] And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." [6] And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the Gospel and healing everywhere.
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Commentary:
1-4. This is the first mission the Apostles were sent on. Jesus wants them to gain experience which will stand to them in the mission they will have after He ascends into Heaven. He charges them to do what He Himself did -- preach the Kingdom of God and heal the sick. This scene is commented on at greater length in notes on Matthew 10:7-8; 10:9-10; and Mark 6:8-9.
[Notes on Matthew 10:7-8 states:
7-8. Previously, the prophets, when speaking of the messianic times, had used imagery suited to the people's spiritual immaturity. Now, Jesus, in sending His Apostles to proclaim that the promised Kingdom of God is imminent, lays stress on its spiritual dimension. The power mentioned in verse 8 are the very sign of the Kingdom of God or the reign of the Messiah proclaimed by the prophets. At first (chapters 8 and 9) it is Jesus who exercises these messianic powers; now He gives them to His disciples as proof that His mission is divine (Isaiah 35:5-6; 40:9; 52:7; 61:1).]
[Notes on Matthew 10:9-10 states:
9-10. Jesus urges His disciples to set out on their mission without delay. They should not be worried about material or human equipment: God will make up any shortfall. This holy audacity in setting about God's work is to be found throughout the history of the Church: if Christians had bided their time, waiting until they had the necessary material resources, many, many souls would never have received the light of Christ. Once a Christian is clear in his mind about what God wants him to do, he should not stay at home checking to see if he has the wherewithal to do it. "In your apostolic undertakings you are right -- it's your duty -- to consider what means the world can offer you (2 + 2 = 4), but don't forget -- ever! -- that, fortunately, your calculations must include another term: God + 2 + 2 ..." (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 471).
However, that being said, we should not try to force God's hand, to have Him do something exceptional, when in fact we can meet needs by our own efforts and work. This means that Christians should generously support those who, because they are totally dedicated to the spiritual welfare of their brethren, have no time left over to provide for themselves: in this connection see Jesus' promise in Matthew 10:40-42.]
[Notes on Mark 6:8-9 states:
8-9. Jesus requires them to be free of any form of attachment if they are to preach the Gospel. A disciple, who has the mission of bringing the Kingdom of God to souls through preaching, should not rely on human resources but on God's Providence. Whatever he does need in order to live with dignity as a herald of the Gospel, he must obtain from those who benefit from his preaching, for the laborer deserves his maintenance (cf. Matthew 10:10).
"The preacher should so trust in God that he is convinced that he will have everything he needs to support life, even if he cannot himself obtain it; for he should not neglect eternal things through worrying about temporal things" (St. Bede, "In Marci Evangelium Expositio, in loc."). "By these instructions the Lord did not mean that the evangelists should not seek to live in any other way than by depending on what was offered them by those to whom they preached the Gospel; otherwise this very Apostle [St. Paul] would have acted contrary to this precept when he earned his living by the labor of his own hands" (St. Augustine, "De Consensu Evangelistarum", II, 30).]
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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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