CCC Cross Reference:
Eph 4:32 2842; Eph 5:1 1694; Eph 5:2 616; Eph 5:3-5 1852; Eph 5:4 2204; Eph 5:5 2113; Eph 5:8 1216, 1695
Lk 13:15-16 582
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Reading 1
Eph 4:32–5:8
Brothers and sisters:
Be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.
Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you,
as is fitting among holy ones,
no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place,
but instead, thanksgiving.
Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person,
that is, an idolater,
has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no one deceive you with empty arguments,
for because of these things
the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient.
So do not be associated with them.
For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (see Eph. 5:1) Behave like God as his very dear children.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
Gospel
Lk 13:10-17
Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
“Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
“There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.”
The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?”
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Ephesians 4:32 - 5:8
Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.
Try, then, to imitate God as children of his that he loves and follow Christ loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. Among you there must be not even a mention of fornication or impurity in any of its forms, or promiscuity: this would hardly become the saints! There must be no coarseness, or salacious talk and jokes-all this is wrong for you; raise your voices in thanksgiving instead. For you can be quite certain that nobody who actually indulges in fornication or impurity or promiscuity-which is worshipping a false god-can inherit anything of the kingdom of God. Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments: it is for this loose living that God’s anger comes down on those who rebel against him. Make sure that you are not included with them. You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 1:1-4,6
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind.
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Gospel Luke 13:10 – 17
One sabbath day Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright. When Jesus saw her he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity’ and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God.
But the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, and he addressed the people present. ‘There are six days’ he said ‘when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the sabbath.’ But the Lord answered him. ‘Hypocrites!’ he said ‘Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his adversaries were covered with confusion, and all the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked.
Readings and Commentary from Navarre
Monday of the 30th Week In Ordinary Time
From: Ephesians 4:32-5:8
Christian Virtues (Continuation)
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[32] And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Purity of Life
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[1] Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. [2] And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. [3] But immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints. [4] Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving. [5] Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. [6] Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. [7] Therefore do not associate with them.
Walking in the Light
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[8] For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.
Commentary:
32. Forgiveness is one of the virtues which characterize the "new nature", for it leads a person to treat his neighbor as Jesus taught: "If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother" (Mt 5:23-24). Our Lord has shown by his own example what really forgiving one's neighbor involves. Even in the midst of his suffering on the cross he asked his father to forgive those who condemned him and those who nailed him to the wood so violently and sadistically.
"Force yourself, if necessary, always to forgive those who offend you, from the very first moment. For the greatest injury or offense that you can suffer from them is as nothing compared with what God has pardoned you" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 452).
1. A good child tries to please his parents and to follow their good example. Christians are adopted children of God and therefore should be guided in their behavior by the way God treats people (cf. Mt 6:12; etc.); we have in fact a very accessible way to follow -- that given us by Jesus.
If we wish our actions to be very pleasing to God our Father, we should learn from his Son made man. However, it "is not enough to have a general idea of Jesus; we have to learn the details of his life and, through them, his attitudes. And, especially, we must contemplate his life, to derive from it strength, light, serenity, peace.
"When you love someone, you want to know all about his life and character, so as to become like him. That is why we have to meditate on the life of Jesus, from his birth in a stable right up to his death and resurrection" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 107).
2. Christ gave himself up to death of his own free will, out of love for man. The words "a fragrant offering and sacrifice", recalling the sacrifices of the Old Law, underline the sacrificial character of Christ's death and emphasize that his obedience was pleasing to God the Father.
Jesus Christ "came to show us the immense love of his heart, and he gave himself to us entirely," St Alphonsus teaches, "submitting himself first to all the hardships of this life, then to the scourging, the crowning with towns and all the pain and ignominy of his passion; finally he ended his life forsaken by all on the infamous wood of the cross" ("Shorter Sermons", 37, 1, 1).
The founder of Opus Dei says in this connection: "Reflect on the example that Christ gave us, from the crib in Bethlehem to his throne on Calvary. Think of his self-denial and of all he went through -- hunger, thirst, weariness; heat, tiredness, ill-treatment, misunderstandings, tears [...]. But at the same time think of his joy at being able to save all mankind. And now I would like you to engrave deeply on your mind and on your heart -- so that you can meditate on it often and draw your own practical conclusions -- the summary St Paul made for the Ephesians when he invited them to follow resolutely in our Lord's footsteps: [Eph 5:1-2 follows]" ("Friends of God", 128).
3. Like the early Christians in Asia Minor, many Christians today find themselves in a somewhat paganized society marked by immoral practices (cf. Rom 1:24-27), including fornication and impurity in general (cf. Col 3:5). However, no matter how corrupt public morality may be, it should be vigorously resisted, especially bymeans of that upright living which befits those who aspire to holiness because they are temples of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 6:19) and members of Christ's body (cf. 1 Cor 6:15).
That is why the Apostle warns that "immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you." The last part of the sentence could also be translated as "should not be mentioned in connection with you"; that is, Christians should be so refined in the practice of chastity and its associate virtues that non-Christians have no grounds whatever for accusing them of impurity. However, the main reason for practising this virtue is not fear of what others may say but rather love of God, who is our Father, and respect for one's own body, which is the dwelling-place of the Blessed Trinity. "Tell me," asks St Anastasius of Sinai, "if your hands were stained with manure, would you dare to use them to touch the king's garments? You would not even touch your own clothes with dirty hands; you would clean them first and then dry them carefully, and then touch things. Well then, why do you not give God the same honor as you show miserable clothes?" ("Sermon on the Holy Synaxis").
"Take special care of chastity and also of the other virtues which go with it -- modesty and refinement. They are as it were the safeguard of chastity. Don't take lightly those norms of conduct which help so much to keep us worthy in the sight of God: a watchful guard over our senses and our heart; the courage -- the courage to be a 'coward' -- to flee from occasions of sin; going to the sacraments frequently, particularly to the sacrament of Confession; complete sincerity in personal spiritual direction; sorrow, contrition and reparation after one's falls. And all this imbued with a tender devotion to our Lady to have her obtain for us from God the gift of a clean and holy life" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 185).
5-7. The Christian also has to fight against covetousness and greed, vices which make one a slave to power and money, which can become a kind of idol (cf. Mt 6:24). When using the things of this world, the Christian must avoid growing attached to them: "The Lord does not command us to demolish our house and have no truck with money. What he does desire is that we remove from our soul the priority given to possessions, uncontrolled greed and desire for riches, the cares, the thorns of this life, which smother the seed of the true life" (Clement of Alexandria, "Quis Dives Salvetur", 11). Economic affairs are in fact a channel whereby the spirit of the Gospel can exert an influence on private and public life. "Christians engaged actively in modern economic and social progress and in the struggle for justice and charity must be convinced that they have much to contribute to the prosperity of mankind and to world peace. Let them, as individuals and as members of groups, give a shining example to others. Endowed with the skill and experience so absolutely necessary for them, let them preserve a proper sense of values in their earthly activity in loyalty to Christ and his Gospel, in order that their lives, individual as well as social, may be inspired by the spirit of the Beatitudes, and in particular by the spirit of poverty.
"Anyone who in obedience to Christ seeks first the Kingdom of God will derive from it a stronger and purer love for helping all his brethren and for accomplishing the task of justice under the inspiration of charity. (For the right use of goods according to the teaching of the New Testament cf. Lk 3:11; 10:30ff; 11:41; Mk 8: 36; 12:29-31; 1 Pet 5:3; Jas 5:1-6; 1 Tim 6:8; Eph 4:28; 2 Cor 8:13; 1 Jn 3:17-18.)" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 72).
8-9. In contrast to the Christian's previous situation, which St Paul describes as "darkness", he now goes on to speak about the proper course for a believer, for someone enlightened by faith. The Christian is in a different position from that of a pagan; he knows our Lord Jesus Christ and he has a new way of thinking: he is a "child of light", because Christ has given him insight into the criteria which should govern his behavior. In his new life, he should be light; he has been reborn to be the "light of the world" (cf. Mt 5:14-16; Jn 1:5; 8:12), a pursuer of all that is good and right and true; this means that he has a new way of being and thinking and acting, and is an example and a help to those around him. There is no room for excuses when what is at stake is the salvation of souls to whom we could be giving a helping hand: "Do not say, I cannot help others," St John Chrysostom preached; "if you are truly a Christian, it is impossible for you not to be able to do so [...]. If we act properly, everything else will follow as a natural consequence. Christians' light cannot be hidden, a lamp so brilliant cannot fail to be seen" ("Hom. on Acts", 20).
From: Luke 13:10-17
Jesus Cures a Woman on the Sabbath
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[10] Now He (Jesus) was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. [11] And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. [12] And when Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." [13] And He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. [14] But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath Day." [15] Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? [16] And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath Day?" [17] As He said this, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him.
Commentary:
10-17. As was the custom, our Lord used to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Noticing this poor woman He uses His power and mercy to cure her. The ordinary people are delighted, but the ruler of the synagogue, apparently zealous about fulfilling the Law (cf. Exodus 20:8; 31:14; Leviticus 19:3-30), publicly upbraids our Lord. Jesus energetically censures this warped interpretation of the Law and stresses the need for mercy and understanding, which is what pleases God (cf. Hosea 6:6; James 2:13).
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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