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Reflections on the Daily Readings

August 31 - September 6, 2008.

Twenty-second Week of Ordinary Time. Psalter Week II.

Sunday Cycle A; Weekday Cycle II.

Sunday 31:  The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 62; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27

The Prophet Jeremiah in our first reading today is weary of proclaiming God’s word because all he gets for doing so is insult and derision. This is not because the words he speaks are foolish but because the people are stubborn and are too fond of doing their own thing without giving any thought to God, from whom all things come. Almost as a support to Jeremiah, St Paul in the second reading to the Romans urges his readers to offer their very lives to God and to live as God wants them to live. He calls on them not to live as those around them do but to live lives worthy of God. In the Gospel from St Matthew, Christ tells those closest to him that he is soon to die. Peter tries to change their path but the Lord is not happy with this for the disciples have failed to understand what his mission is all about. He tells them that his true followers must be prepared to suffer for him and to live according to his teaching and not according to the mores of their contemporary society. Those who are faithful to him will be rewarded by him.

Monday 1:  Of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

1Corinthians 2:1-5; Psalm 118; Luke 4:16-30

St Paul tells the Christians at Corinth today that he did not use big arguments and philosophy to prove that God exists. Instead he preached a crucified saviour and allowed the Holy Spirit to work in him. For the remainder of this liturgical year we read from St Luke’s Gospel and today we see Jesus preaching in his home synagogue in Nazareth (Nazara). Here he is rejected by the people because they think they know who he is and because they do not like his message. No matter who preaches or how they preach, the message of God is true and unchanging, but only with faith can the message have any impact in our lives.

Tuesday 2:  Of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

1Corinthians 2:10-16; Psalm 144; Luke 4:31-37

St Paul tells us that the message of Christ is for all people but unless we have faith and are disposed towards the Holy Spirit then the message will have no impact on us. The Holy Spirit will work in the Christian to reveal the mysteries of God and to bring understanding and acceptance of the message of the Good News. An important point in today’s Gospel passage concerns the authority of Christ. He has authority over all things including unclean spirits and the servants of Satan. Unlike many of those around him, the unclean spirits recognise his power and authority as the Son of God and so obey him. We too will be subject to his judgement on the last day and so we must make every effort to be found worthy through faith and right living.

Wednesday 3: Memorial of St Gregory the Great, Pope & Doctor of the Church*

1Corinthians 3:1-9; Psalm 32; Luke 4:38-44

We read in the first reading from St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians that no matter who first brings the faith to us or who later nourishes that faith within us that it is God who does the work. Those who bring the word to others and help them in their faith are fellow workers with God and we are all called to do this work. So there should be no factions aligning themselves with different preachers. In the Gospel text, Jesus cures many people before going on to other towns which displeases the people for they wanted to keep him for themselves. However he tells them that his message is for all people. As Christians we have a duty to spread Christ’s message to those whom we meet by what we do and say and not simply keep it to ourselves – this is one precious treasure which only grows through sharing.

Thursday 4:  Of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

1Corinthians 3:18-23; Psalm 23; Luke 5:1-11

St Paul tells us today that when it comes to Christ’s message it is foolish to pretend to be wise or to understand it all. If we apply too much learning to the message or if we scrutinise it too much we will miss the message completely. We need to approach it with an open mind and complete trust and confidence in God. In our Gospel we read of the call of Simon Peter along with James and John. Simon, because he acknowledged himself to be a sinner, did not want the Lord with him. But Christ still called him because he knew Simon’s potential just as he knows the potential of each one of us. Only when we truly acknowledge our weaknesses can we be true disciples for Christ.

Friday 5:  Of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

1Corinthians 4:1-5; Psalm 36; Luke 33-39

In today’s first reading St Paul is addressing a group in Corinth who had been judging his work of spreading the Good News. Paul tells them that it is not for them to be his judge that is God’s role alone. He is happy that he has been God’s faithful servant and is happy to be judged by God. In the Gospel, the scribes and Pharisees rebuke Christ because his disciples did not fast. We fast in order to purify ourselves and bring ourselves closer to God. The disciples did not fast because they were in the presence of God.

Saturday 6: Of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

1Corinthians 4:6-15; Psalm 144; Luke 6:1-5

St Paul tells the community in Corinth in the first reading that status in life and material possessions are of no importance when compared with Christ’s message. He contrasts the selfish lives of some Christians in Corinth with the humiliating treatment of other Christians in Rome because of their belief in Christ. Paul’s treatment “as the scum of the earth” is something of joy for him because it comes from his steadfast faith in Christ. In the Gospel, the scribes and Pharisees are again questioning Jesus because his followers do not strictly observe the Sabbath and so he tells them that he is Master of the Sabbath. He is reminding us not to be so caught up with the minute details of the law that we miss the true reason for the Sabbath and so miss out on a lasting relationship with the Lord.

Memorials this Week:

September 3:   Memorial of St Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church. Born about the year 540, to St Sylvia and her patrician husband. He first became a monk and was later appointed papal legate to Constantinople. He was elected pope in 590. He was tireless in his defence of the primacy of Rome and in his encouragement of monasticism and the spread of Christianity. He died in 604.

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