CCC Cross Reference:
Phil 1:3-4 2636; Phil 1:9-11 2632
Lk 14:1 575, 588; Lk 14:3-4 582
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Reading 1
Phil 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.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 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.
Gospel
Lk 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.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Philippians 1:1-11
From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, together with their presiding elders and deacons. We wish you the grace and peace of God our Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God whenever I think of you; and every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present. I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes. It is only natural that I should feel like this towards you all, since you have shared the privileges which have been mine: both my chains and my work defending and establishing the gospel. You have a permanent place in my heart, and God knows how much I miss you all, loving you as Christ Jesus loves you. My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception. so that you can always recognize what is best. This will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of Christ, when you will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 110:1-6
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord,
to be pondered by all who love them.
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Majestic and glorious his work,
his justice stands firm for ever.
He makes us remember his wonders.
The Lord is compassion and love.
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
He gives food to those who fear him;
keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He has shown his might to his people
by giving them the lands of the nations.
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 14:1-6
On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. ‘There in front of him was a man with dropsy, and Jesus addressed the lawyers and Pharisees. ‘Is it against the law’ he asked ‘to cure a man on the sabbath, or not?’ But they remained silent, so he took the man and cured him and sent him away. Then he said to them, ‘Which of you here, if his son falls into a well, or his ox, will not pull him out on a sabbath day without hesitation?’ And to this they could find no answer.
Readings and Commentary from Navarre
Friday, October 29, 2010
30th Week In Ordinary Time
From: Philippians 1:1-11
Greeting
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[1] Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: [2] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
------------------------------------
[3] I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, [4] always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, [5] thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. [6] And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. [7] It is right for me to feel thus about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. [8] For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. [9] And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, [10] so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruits of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Commentary:
1-2. The epistle begins with the normal words of greeting. St Paul calls the Philippians "saints", which was the usual way Christians referred to one another, because they had been consecrated or sanctified by Baptism (cf. note on Eph 1:1). This description underlines, for one thing, the fact that they have been chosen by God, an election which is signified by the ceremony of anointing or consecration that forms part of the baptismal rite whereby they become members of the holy people of God, the Church. The term "saints" also recalls the privilege their God-given vocation involves, and their consequent duty to respond faithfully to the personal call to holiness which each has received.
The entire epistle has the tone of a family letter with dogmatic and moral teachings alternating with personal news. The Apostle's deep affection for his readers makes his words especially convincing. When identifying himself at the start of the letter, he simply gives his name, without adding any reference to his authority -- as Apostle of Jesus Christ (cf. Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 1:1, 2 Cor 1:1; Gal 1: 1; Eph 1:1, Col 1:1); there is no need to do so, so obedient is the community at Philippi, so much at one with him.
Timothy, whose name appears alongside Paul's in the heading of the letter, had worked with the Apostle in the evangelization of the Philippians and accompanied him on one of his apostolic journeys (cf. Acts 16:1, 3 10ff; 20:4) and acted as his envoy (cf. Acts 19:22). The church at Philippi, then, knew him well and loved him.
In the Old Testament certain outstanding people -- Moses (Ex 14:31), Joshua (Josh 24:29), David (2 Sam 3:18), etc. -- whom God used to advance his plans, were described as "servants of Yahweh". Paul and Timothy are "servants of Christ Jesus", that is, people who serve God by preaching his Gospel.
Our Lord Jesus Christ chose twelve Apostles with Peter at their head and commissioned them to make disciples of all nations, whom they were to sanctify and govern. Certain others were invited to assist them in this ministry; and because it had to last until the end of time, the Apostles appointed people to succeed them in their role in the Church, which is a hierarchically structured institution (cf. Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 20). Within a few years of their receiving their commission the Apostles already had a number of helpers in the ministry: the Apostle describes them here as "bishops and deacons". The Greek word "episkopos" means "watchman, guardian, overseer" and "diakonos" "servant, keeper". Although in this period these names did not carry the exact meaning they now have, they do indicate that the local church already had a form of hierarchical structure (cf. note on Acts 11:30). At the time this letter was written, "deacons" or servants seem to have been regarded, already, as sacred ministers, helpers of the bishops (cf. Acts 6:1ff).
It is worth pointing out that the names of the various forms of Church office always have to do with service, ministry. The bishops are men chosen "to take charge of the community, presiding in God's stead over the flock of which they are the shepherds in that they are teachers of doctrine, ministers of sacred worship and holders of office in government" ("Lumen Gentium", 20). And deacons, for their part, "strengthened by sacramental grace, are dedicated to the people of God, in conjunction with the bishop and his body of priests, in the service of the liturgy, of the Gospel and of works of charity" ("Lumen Gentium", 29).
No mention is made in this letter of the "priests" or "elders" referred to in other Pauline letters (cf. 1 Tim 5:17, Tit 1:5). In the Apostle's time the terminology used did not clearly distinguish the various grades of holy order. It is possible that the "bishops" referred to here belong to the same level of the hierarchy as the "elders" (priests) of other letters -- sacred ministers on a lower level than the Apostles and their co-workers (Timothy, Titus, etc.), who presided over the Christian communities. Their role would have been similar to that which parish priests later fill.
On the greeting "grace and peace", see the note on Eph 1:2.
2. See the second part of the note on Rom 1:7.
3-5. "Your partnership": in the original this reads "your communion". In the New Testament this term has a wide meaning, mainly denoting closeness of thought, action and lifestyle. It is sometimes used in connection with collections made in favor of the needy (cf. Rom 15:26; 2 Cor 9:13).
Despite the fact that the faithful at Philippi were in general people of modest means and were themselves experiencing hardship (cf. 2 Cor 8:2), they never spared any effort when others were in need, and always did what they could to help the spread of the Church, by both almsgiving (cf. 2 Cor 8:3-4) and personal commitment (cf. 2 Cor 8:5), prayer and help to the ministers of the Gospel, as the Apostle knew from personal experience (cf. Phil 4:14-16).
St Paul recognizes their difficulties are due to their generous response to the demands of the faith -- a gift from God (cf. v. 29); that is why he continually prays that they may always have the grace they need.
4. "With joy": the Apostle's joy is one of the outstanding features of this epistle; the good spirit of the Philippians makes him particularly happy: the very thought of them brings him joy. Further on, in 3:1, he tells them to rejoice in the Lord; and in 4:4 he twice repeats this exhortation to a joy that comes from closeness to the Lord (cf. notes on Phil 4:4; 4:5-7).
The same exhortation to true joy is very often to be found in early Christian writings: "Clothe yourself with cheerfulness, which always finds favor with God and is acceptable to him. Take all your delight in this, for every cheerful man does good, has good thoughts, and despises melancholy" ("The Pastor of Hermas", X, 3, 1).
Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22) and a virtue intimately connected with supernatural charity, from which it derives (cf. "Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 23, a. 4). It is a gift a soul in grace experiences, irrespective of its personal situation or circumstances. It comes from union with God and recognition of his loving Providence towards all creation and especially towards his children. Joy gives the Christian peace and objectivity in everything he does.
6. The Old Testament teaches that God is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Ex 34:6; Ps 119:137). His faithfulness means that he always is true to his word, always keeps the promises he makes to his people (cf. Deut 34:4); therefore man can abandon himself into God's hand without fear, for there he will find a safe refuge (cf. Ps 31:5-6). God, who initiated the work of salvation by giving Christians the gift of faith and filling them with sanctifying grace, will continue to enrich them with his grace until they at last encounter Christ in heaven (cf. 1 Cor 1:4-9).
On the basis of this verse of Scripture, the Church's Magisterium, in reaction to the Pelagian heresy, taught that the beginnings of faith, as also increase of faith and the act of faith whereby we believe, are all the result of grace and man's free response to that gift (cf. Second Council of Orange, can. 5). Centuries later, the Council of Trent repeated this teaching: just as God began this good work, he will bring it to completion, if we for our part cooperate (cf. "De Iustificatione", chap. 13).
By reflecting on this truth, St. Francis de Sales tells us, we shall come to realize how much we ought to trust in God: "Our Lord is ever watchful of the actions of his children; he gets them to walk ahead of him and gives them a helping hand if they meet up with difficulty. He said as much through Isaiah: 'For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, Fear not, I will help you" (Is 41: 13). So, in addition to having good morale, we should put all our trust in God and in his help, for, provided we don't lose the state of grace, he will complete in us the good work of our salvation which he has already begun" ("Treatise on the Love of God", 3. 4).
To this trust in divine help must be added a personal effort to respond to grace, for, in the words of St. Augustine, "God who created you without your cooperation will not save you without your cooperation" ("Sermon 169", 13).
"The day of Christ Jesus": see the note on 1 Cor 1:8-9.
7. St Paul's calling to the apostolate was entirely a matter of the grace of God (cf. Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 1:1; Col 1:25; etc.); however, staying faithful to this vocation meant that he had to work very hard and cope with all kinds of difficulties. He spared no effort to spread Christ's teaching, defend it from its enemies, and strengthen the faith of his converts (cf. 2 Cor 11:23-33).
"Partakers with me of grace": every Christian is called to play a part in the apostolate. "To the apostles and their successors Christ has entrusted the office of teaching, sanctifying and governing in his name and by his power. But the laity are made to share in the priestly, prophetical and kingly office of Christ; they have therefore, in the Church and in the world, their own assignment in the mission of the whole people of God. In the concrete, their apostolate is exercised when they work at the evangelization and sanctification of men; it is exercised too when they endeavor to have the Gospel spirit permeate and improve the temporal order, going about it in a way that bears clear witness to Christ and helps forward the salvation of men. The characteristic of the lay state being a life led in the midst of the world and of secular affairs, laymen are called by God to make of their apostolate, through the vigor of the Christian spirit, a leaven in the world" (Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem", 2).
8. "With all the affection of Christ Jesus": St Paul is so identified with our Lord that he can say that he has the same sentiments towards them as Christ has. This supernatural love is quite compatible with human affection, but it raises it on to a higher level. This entire epistle is an excellent proof of how the two kinds of love -- human and divine -- interweave. Charity "joins closely to God those in whom it reigns", Leo XIII teaches, "and causes them to receive from God the life of the soul and to live with him and for him. Love of neighbor has to go hand in hand with charity and love of God, for (we must recognize that) all mankind share in God's infinite goodness and are made in his image and likeness" ("Sapientiae Christianae", 51-52).
Helping others is the surest sign of true love, for, writes St Teresa of Avila, "we cannot be sure if we are loving God, although we may have good reasons for believing that we are, but we can know quite well if we are loving our neighbor. And be certain that, the farther advanced you find you are in this, the greater the love you will have for God; for so dearly does His Majesty love us that He will reward our love for our neighbor by increasing the love which we bear to himself, and that in a thousand ways" ("Interior Castle", 5, 3, 8).
This love is the basis of apostolic effectiveness: "A sign of love will be the concern to give the truth and to bring people into unity. Another sign of love will be a devotion to the proclamation of Jesus Christ, without reservation or turning back" (Paul VI, "Evangelii Nuntiandi", 79).
9-11. "Discernment": a deeply Christian view of things, which enables one to see the events of everyday life in a supernatural light and therefore understand them properly -- very much the same idea as conveyed by the "wisdom" so often referred to in the Old Testament.
Up to this point St Paul's prayers and exhortations have had to do with steady growth in charity. Since charity is a supernatural virtue, "one needs to ask God to increase it, since God alone can bring that about in us" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on Phil, ad loc."). Growth in charity means our attaining greater "knowledge" of God. "The lover", St Thomas says, "is not satisfied with superficial knowledge of the beloved, but strives to gain an intimate knowledge of everything pertaining to him, so as to penetrate his very soul" ("Summa Theologiae", I-II, q. 28, a. 2). Eagerness to know God brings one closer and closer to Jesus Christ, in an effort to absorb his teachings and put into practice the saving truths they contain -- to act "with discernment", knowing what is the best thing to do in every situation.
A personal relationship with God through prayer, identification with Christ by frequent reception of the sacraments, and the action of the Holy Spirit indwelling in the soul in grace, give the Christian a special insight that enables him to distinguish good from evil in the concrete situations that arise. The gift of wisdom "allows us to know God and rejoice in his presence; it enables us to judge accurately the situations and events of this life [...].
"Not that the Christian should neglect to see all that is good in humanity, appreciate its healthy joys or participate in its enthusiasm and ideals. On the contrary, a true Christian will vibrate in unison with all the good he finds in the world. And he will live in the midst of it with a special concern, since he knows, better than anyone, the depth and the richness of the human spirit.
"A Christian's faith does not diminish his spirit or limit the noble impulses of his soul: rather it makes them grow with the realization of their true and authentic meaning" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 133).
From: Luke 14:1-6
Jesus Cures a Dropsical Man on the Sabbath
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[1] One sabbath when he (Jesus) went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. [2] And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. [3] And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?" [4] But they were silent. Then he took him and healed him, and let him go. [5] And he said to them, "Which of you, having an ass or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a sabbath day?" [6] And they could not reply to this.
Commentary:
1-6. Fanaticism is always evil. It often causes blindness and leads a person, as in this case, to deny the principles of justice and charity and even basic humanitarianism. We should never be fanatical about anything -- no matter how sacred it is.
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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