CCC Cross Reference:
Eph 6:1-3 2196; Eph 6:1 2217; Eph 6:4 2223, 2286
Ps 145:9 295, 342
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Reading 1
Eph 6:1-9
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise,
that it may go well with you
and that you may have a long life on earth.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that each will be requited from the Lord
for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying,
knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven
and that with him there is no partiality.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
R. (13c) The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Gospel
Lk 13:22-30
Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.’
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Ephesians 6:1 – 9
Children, be obedient to your parents in the Lord – that is your duty. The commandment that has a promise attached to it is: Honor your father and mother, and the promise is: and you will prosper and have a long life in the land. And parents, never drive your children to resentment but in bringing them up correct them and guide them as the Lord does.
Slaves, be obedient to the men who are called your masters in this world, with deep respect and sincere loyalty, as you are obedient to Christ: not only when you are under their eye, as if you had only to please men, but because you are slaves of Christ and wholeheartedly do the will of God. Work hard and willingly, but do it for the sake of the Lord and not for the sake of men. You can be sure that everyone, whether a slave or a free man, will be properly rewarded by the Lord for whatever work he has done well. And those of you who are employers, treat your slaves in the same spirit; do without threats, remembering that they and you have the same Master in heaven and he is not impressed by one person more than by another.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 144(145):10-14
The Lord is faithful in all his words.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
The Lord is faithful in all his words.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down.
The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Gospel Luke 13:22 – 30
Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, ‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.
‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets” but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men !”
‘Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.
‘Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.’
Readings and Commentary from Navarre
Wednesday 30th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Ephesians 6:1-9
Advice to Children and Parent
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[1] Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. [2] "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), [3] "that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth." [4] Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Advice to Servants and Masters
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[5] Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ; [6] not in the way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, [7] rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men, [8] knowing that whatever good any one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. [9] Masters, do the same to them, and forbear threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
Commentary:
1-4. St Paul now goes on to deal with parent-children relationships. He recalls the fourth commandment (the first of the commandments to do with our neighbor) to which a promise of blessing is attached for those who keep it (cf. Ex 20: 12; Deut 5:16). Honoring one's parents means loving and obeying them, as is right, and caring for them spiritually and materially when their age or circumstances so require. To those who keep this commandment, the Lord promises happiness and a long life on earth.
"In the Lord": although these words are missing from some early codices, there is no doubt about their authenticity. They locate parent-children relationships on a supernatural plane. In the last analysis, obedience of children to parents is a divine commandment, which justice demands be kept. Parents, for their part, are called to be understanding with their children, and to educate them in a truly Christian way: discipline and instruction should always be motivated by a desire for their good.
"As it is the parents who have given life to their children, on them lies the gravest obligation of educating their family. They must therefore be recognized as being primarily and principally responsible for their education. The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute. It is therefore the duty of parents to create a family atmosphere inspired by love and devotion to God and their fellow-men which will promote an integrated, personal and social education of their children [...] which are necessary to every society. It is therefore above all in the Christian family, enriched by the grace and the responsibility of the sacrament of matrimony, that children should be taught to know and worship God and to love their neighbor, in accordance with the faith which they have received in earliest infancy in the sacrament of Baptism [...]. Finally it is through the family that they are gradually initiated into association with their fellow-men in civil life and as members of the people of God" (Vatican II, "Gravissimum Educationis", 3).
"Therefore the responsibility and consequently also the right of educating children comes to the family direct from the Creator. It is a right which cannot be surrendered, because it is combined with a very serious responsibility; it is therefore prior to any right of the civil society or the State and for that reason may not be infringed by any power on earth.
"The sacred character of this right is thus shown by St Thomas Aquinas: 'The son is by nature something of the father ...: and so the law of nature requires that until it reaches the use of reason the child shall be under the father's care. It would therefore be against natural justice if before reaching the use of reason the child were removed from the parents' charge or if any disposition were made concerning it against the parents' will' ("Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 10, a. 12). And since the parents' obligation to exercise this care persists until the offspring is capable of looking after itself, it is evident that their inviolable right to educate their offspring continues until that time. 'For nature', says St Thomas, 'intends not only the generation of offspring but also its development and progress to the state of man as man, that is, to the state of virtue' ("ibid.", "Supplement", q. 41, a. 1)" (Pius XI, "Divini Illius Magistri").
Parents must not abuse their authority nor should their children obey them if asked to do anything that is against the moral law. Therefore, parents may not make unreasonable demands. The Apostle warns about this when he says, "do not provoke your children to anger" (v. 4). Christian education, therefore, must be based on charity, on affection and on parents' sensitive respect of their children's freedom. 'The parents are the main persons responsible for the education of their children, in human as well as in spiritual matters. They should be conscious of the extent of their responsibility. To fulfill it, they need prudence, understanding, a capacity for teaching and loving and a concern for giving good example. Imposing things by force, in an authoritarian manner, is not the right way to teach. The ideal attitude of parents lies more in becoming their children's friends -- friends who will be willing to share their anxieties, who will listen to their problems, who will help them in an effective and agreeable way" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 27). See the note on Col 3:20-21.
5-9. In St Paul's time labor relations were largely based on slavery. He does not directly denounce slavery, but he uses this letter to establish the correct basis for the master-servant relationship. By emphasizing the dignity of the human person, the Apostle is clearly teaching that human relationships are to be raised to a supernatural level, that is, made to involve Christ. Hence masters must be just towards servants, not coercing them by threats, for all -- masters as well as servants -- have one and the same Lord on high, "with whom there is no partiality" (v. 9). On the other hand, slaves should work not merely because they expect a human reward or, as it were, are resigned to their fate: they should render "service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men" (v. 7). This teaching established conditions which, centuries later, would lead to the abolition of slavery when the spirit of Christianity imbued the whole gamut of human relationships, including those to do with work.
The Church's social teaching has projected the light of faith and charity onto the world of work, thereby fulfilling an essential role in the building of a more human and more Christian society. Thus, for example, the Magisterium teaches that "even though a state of things be pictured in which everyone will receive at last all that is his due, a wide field will always remain open for charity. For justice alone, however faithfully observed, though it can indeed remove the cause of social strife, can never bring about a union of hearts and minds [...]. Only when all sectors of society have the intimate conviction that they are members of one great family, and children of the same heavenly Father [...] will it be possible to unite all in harmonious striving for the common good [...]. Then the rich and others in power will change their former neglect of their poorer brethren into solicitous and effective love, will listen readily to their just demands, and will willingly forgive them the faults and mistakes they may possibly make. The workers too will lay aside all feelings of hatred or envy which the instigators of social strife exploit so skillfully. Not only will they cease to feel discontent at the position assigned them by divine providence in human society; they will become proud of it, well aware that they are working usefully and honorably for the common good, each according to his office and function and following more closely in the footsteps of him who, being God, chose to become a tradesman among men, and to be known as 'the son of the tradesman"' (Pius XI, "Quadragesimo Anno", 56).
More recently, John Paul II has reminded us that "work is a key, probably "the essential key", to the whole social question, if we try to see that question really from the point of view of man's good" ("Laborem Exercens", 3). In this connection he makes it clear that "work is a good thing for man -- a good thing for his humanity -- because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfillment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes 'more a human being'" ("ibid.", 9).
"It is time for us Christians to shout from the rooftops that work is a gift from God and that it makes no sense to classify people differently, according to their occupation, as if some jobs were nobler than others. Work, all work, bears witness to the dignity of man, to his dominion over creation. It is an opportunity to develop one's personality. It is a bond of solidarity with others..." (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 47).
From: Luke 13:22-30
The Narrow Gate
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[22] He (Jesus) went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. [23] And some one said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, [24] "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. [25] When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us.' He will answer you, 'I do not know where you are from.' [26] Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' [27] But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!" [28] There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. [29] And men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. [30] And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."
Commentary:
23-24. Everyone is called to form part of the Kingdom of God, for he "desires all men to be saved" (1 Tim 2:4). "Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience: those too may achieve eternal salvation. Nor shall divine providence deny the assistance necessary for salvation to those who, without any fault of theirs, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God, and who, not without grace, strive to lead a good life. Whatever good or truth is found among them is considered by the Church to be a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 16).
Certainly, only those who make a serious effort can reach the goal of salvation (cf. Lk 16:16; Mt 11:12). Our Lord tells us so by using the simile of the narrow gate. "A Christian's struggle must be unceasing, for interior life consists in beginning and beginning again. This prevents us from proudly thinking that we are perfect already. It is inevitable that we should meet difficulties on our way. If we did not come up against obstacles, we would not be creatures of flesh and blood. We will always have passions that pull us downwards; we will always have to defend ourselves against more or less self-defeating urges" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 75).
25-28. As at other times, Jesus describes eternal life by using the example of a banquet (cf., e.g., Lk 12:35ff; 14:15). Knowing the Lord and listening to his preaching is not enough for getting to heaven; what God judges is how we respond to the grace he gives us: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Mt 7:21).
29-30. Generally speaking, the Jewish people regarded themselves as the sole beneficiaries of the messianic promises made by the prophets; but Jesus proclaims that salvation is open to everyone. The only condition he lays down is that men freely respond to God's merciful call. When Christ died on the cross the veil of the temple was torn in two (Lk 23:45 and par.), a sign of the end of the distinction between Jews and Gentiles. St Paul teaches: "For he [Christ] is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall [...] that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end" (Eph 2:14-16). Therefore, "all men are called to belong to the new people of God. This people therefore, whilst remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world and to all ages in order that the design of God's will may be fulfilled: he made human nature one in the beginning and has decreed that all his children who were scattered should be finally gathered together as one" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 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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