Lectio Divina September 2021

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LECTIO DIVINA
SEPTEMBER 2021
Wednesday, September 1, 2021 3
Thursday, September 2, 2021 5
Friday, September 3, 2021 7
Saturday, September 4, 2021 9
Sunday, September 5, 2021 11
Monday, September 6, 2021 17
Tuesday, September 7, 2021 19
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Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty God,
every good thing comes from you. Fill our hearts with love for you, increase our faith,
and by your constant care protect the good you have given us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Luke 4: 38-44

Leaving the synagogue Jesus went to Simon‘s house. Now Simon‘s mother-in-law was
in the grip of a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. Standing over
her he rebuked the fever and it left her. And she immediately got up and began to
serve them.
At sunset all those who had friends suffering from diseases of one kind or another
brought them to him and laying his hands on each he cured them.
Devils too came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God.” But he warned
them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.
When daylight came, he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds
went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent
him leaving them, but he answered, I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of
God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.‘ And he continued
his proclamation in the synagogues of Judaea.
Reflection
The Gospel today narrates four different events: the cure of Peter‘s mother-in-law (Lk 4:
38-39), the cure of many sick people at night, after Saturday (Lk 4: 40-41), the prayer of
Jesus in a deserted place (Lk 4: 42) and his insistence on the mission (Lk 4: 43-44). With
small differences Luke follows and adapts the information taken from the Gospel of
Mark.
• Luke 4: 38-39: Jesus restores life for service. After having participated in the
celebration of Saturday, in the Synagogue, Jesus goes to Peter‘s house and cures
his mother-in-law. The cure causes her to render service immediately, already
standing. Having recovered her health and dignity, she places herself at the service
of the people. Jesus not only cures, but he cures in such a way that the person places
herself at the service of life.
• Luke 4: 40-41: Jesus accepts and cures the marginalized. At night, when the first stars
appear in the sky, after Saturday is over, Jesus accepts and cures the sick and those
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possessed who the people bring to him. The sick and the possessed were the most
marginalized persons at that time. They had no one to whom to go. They were
at the mercy of public charity; besides, religion considered them impure. They could
not participate in the community. It was as if God rejected and excluded them. Jesus
accepts and cures them, placing his hands oneach one of them. Thus, it is clear in
what the Good News of God consists of and what he wants to do in the life of persons:
to accept the marginalized and the excluded and to integrate them into the
community, to live with others.
• Devils came out of many persons shouting: “You are the Son of God!” But he warned
them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
At that time the title Son of God did not have as yet the density and depth that it has
for us today. Jesus did not allow the devils to speak. He did not want an easy
propaganda dictated by spectacular expulsions.
• Luke 4: 42a: To remain united to the Father by means of prayer. ―When daylight
came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look
for him, andwhen they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him from
leaving them‖. Here we see Jesus praying. He has to make an enormous effort to
have time available and a place suitable for prayer. He goes to a deserted place to
be able to stay alone with God. Manytimes, the Gospels speak about Jesus‘ prayer,
in silence (Lk 3: 21-22; 4: 1-2, 3-12; 5: 15-16; 6: 12; 9: 18; 10: 21; 5: 16; 9: 18; 11: 1; 9: 28; 23: 34; Mt
14: 22-23; 26: 38; Jn 11: 41-42; 17: 1-26; Mk 1: 35; Lk 3: 21-22). Through prayer, he maintains
alive the conscience of his mission.
• Luke 4: 42b-44: To maintain alive the conscience of one’s own mission and not think
about the result. Jesus becomes known. People follow him and they did not want
him to leave them. Jesus does not respond to this petition and says: “I must proclaim
the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is
what I was sent to do.” Jesus was very clear about his mission. He does not stop at
the result that he has already obtained, but he wishes to maintain very alive the
awareness if his mission. It is the mission received from the Father which orientates
him when he has to take a decision. I have been sent for this! And here in this text
this conscience which is so alive springs as fruit of his prayer.
Personal Questions
• Jesus spent much time in prayer and to be alone with the Father, and he looked for
this time. Do I dedicate time for prayer and to be alone with God?
• Jesus had a clear conscience of his mission. And I, a Christian, am I conscious that I
have a mission, or do I live without a mission?
Concluding Prayer
We are waiting for Yahweh; he is our help and our shield, for in him our heart rejoices,
in his holy name we trust. (Ps 33: 20-21)
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Thursday, September 2, 2021
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty God,

Now it happened that Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the
crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two
boats at the water‘s edge. The fishermen had got out of them and were washing their
nets.
He got into one of the boats - it was Simon‘s - and asked him to put out a little from
the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and pay
out your nets for a catch.” Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard all night long and
caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.” And when they had done this
they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signaled
to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they
filled both boats to sinking point.
When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, “Leave me, Lord; I am a
sinful man.” For he and all his companions were completely awestruck at the catch
they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon‘s
partners. But Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will be
catching.”
Then, bringing their boats back to land they left everything and followed him.
Reflection
In today‘s Gospel we have the call of Jesus to Peter. The Gospel of Mark places the call
of the first disciples after the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus (Mk 1: 16-20).
Luke afterthat the fame of Jesus was already extended across the whole region (Lk 4:
14). Jesus had cured many people (Lk 4: 40) and had preached in the Synagogues of all
the country (Lk 4: 44). The people looked for him and the crowds pushed him on all
sides to hear the Word of God (Lk 5: 1). Luke makes more understandable the call. In the
first place, Peter canlisten to the words of Jesus to the people. And then he is a witness
of the miraculous catch of fish. It is only after this double surprising experience that he
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understands the call of Jesus. Peter responds, he abandons everything and becomes a
―fisherman of men.
• Luke 5: 1-3: Jesus teaches from the boat. People look for Jesus in order to listen to the
Word of God. Many persons get together around Jesus, they make a throng around
him. And Jesus seeks help from Simon Peter and from some of his companions who
had just returned from fishing. He goes into the boat with them and responds to the
expectation of the people, communicating to them the Word of God. Sitting down,
Jesus takes the attitude of a Teacher and speaks from a fisherman‘s boat. The novelty
consists in the fact that he teaches, not only in the Synagogue for a choice public but
in any place, where there are people who wish to listen, even on the seashore.
• Luke 5: 4-5: “But if you say so, I will pay out the nets.” When he had finished speaking,
he addresses himself to Simon and encourages him to fish again. In Simon‘s
response there is frustration, tiredness, and discouragement: “Master, we worked
hard all night long and caught nothing!” But trustful in Jesus‘ word, they throw in
the nets again and continue the struggle. The word of Jesus has greater force for
them than the experience of frustration of that night!
• Luke 5: 6-7: The result is surprising. The catch is so abundant that the nets are about
to tear and the boat begins to sink. Simon needs the help of John and of James who
are in the other boat. Nobody is complete in himself, alone. One community has to
help the other. The conflict among the communities, both at the time of Luke as well
as today, should be overcome to attain a common objective, which is the mission.
The experience of the force of the word of Jesus which transforms is the axis around
which the differences are embraced and overcome.
• Luke 5: 8-11: “Be fishermen of men.” The experience of the closeness of God in Jesus
makes Peter understand who he is: “Leave me Lord, I am a sinful man!” Before God
we are all sinners. Peter and his companions are afraid and, at the same time, they
feel attracted to Jesus. Jesus drives away fear: “Do not be afraid!” He calls Peter
and commits him to the mission, ordering him to be a fisherman of men. Peter
experiences, quite concretely, that the word of Jesus is like the word of God. It is
capable to bring about what it affirms. In Jesus those rough and tough laborers will
have an experience of power, of courage, of trust. And so then, they will abandon
everything and follow Jesus!” Up until now it was only Jesus who announced the
Good News of the Kingdom. Now other persons will be called and involved in the
mission. This way in which Jesus works, in equipe‘, in a team is also Good News for
the people.
The episode of the catch of fish along the lake indicates the attraction and the force of
the Word of Jesus. He attracts people (Lk 5: 1). He urges Peter to offer his boat to Jesus
to be able to speak (Lk 5: 3). The word of Jesus is so strong that it overcomes the
resistance in Peter, it convinces him to throw the nets into the sea again and there is
the miraculous catch (Lk 5: 4-6). It overcomes in him the will to leave Jesus and attracts
him to become a fisherman of men‖ (Lk 5: 10). This is the way the Word of God acts in
us, up until now!
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Personal Questions
• Where and how does the miraculous catch of fish take place today; the one which
takesplace paying attention to the word of Jesus?
• And they leaving everything followed Jesus. What do I have to leave to follow
Jesus?
Concluding Prayer
Who shall go up to the mountain of Yahweh? Who shall take a stand in his holy place?
The clean of hands and pure of heart, who does not swear an oath in order to deceive.
(Ps 24: 3-4)
Friday, September 3, 2021

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty God,

The disciples said to Jesus, “John‘s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and
the disciples of the Pharisees, too, but yours go on eating and drinking.”
Jesus replied, “Surely you cannot make the bridegroom’s attendants fast while the
bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken
away from them; then, in those days, they will fast.”
He also told them a parable, “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old
cloak; otherwise, not only will the new one be torn, but the piece taken from the new
will not match the old. And nobody puts new wine in old wineskins; otherwise, the new
wine will burst the skins and run to waste, and the skins will be ruined. No; new wine
must be put in fresh skins. And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new.
The old is good,” he says.
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Reflection
In today‘s Gospel we witness closely a conflict between Jesus and the religious
authority of the time, the Scribes and the Pharisees (Lk 5: 3). This time the conflict is
concerning the practice of fasting. Luke narrates diverse conflicts concerning the
religious practice of the time: forgiveness of sins (Lk 5: 21-25), to eat with sinners (Lk 5:
29-32), fasting (Lk 5: 33-36), and two conflicts on the observance of Saturday, the
Sabbath (Lk 6: 1-5 and Lk 6: 6-11).
• Luke 5: 33: Jesus does not insist on the practice of fasting. The conflict here is
concerning the practice of fasting. Fasting is a very ancient use, practiced by almost
all religions. Jesus Himself followed it during forty days (Mt 4: 2). But he does not
insist with the disciples that they do the same. He leaves them free. This is why, the
disciples of John the Baptist and of the Pharisees, who were obliged to fast, want to
know why Jesus does not insist on fasting.
• Luke 5: 34-35: When the bridegroom is with them they are not obliged to fast. Jesus
responds with a comparison. When the bridegroom is with the friends of the
bridegroom, that is, during the wedding feast, they should not fast. Jesus considers
himself the bridegroom. During the time when Jesus is with the disciples, it is the
wedding feast. One day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from
them, and then if they wish they can fast. Jesus refers to his death. He knows and he
is aware that if he wants to continue along this path of liberty, the authority will want
to kill him.
Several times, in the Old Testament, God presents himself as the bridegroom of the
people (Is 49: 15; 54: 5, 8; 62: 4-5; Os 2: 16-25). In the New Testament, Jesus is
considered the bridegroom of his people (Ep 5: 25). The Apocalypses speaks of the
celebration of the marriage of the Lamb with his spouse, the Heavenly Jerusalem (Rv
19: 7-8; 21: 2, 9).
• Luke 5: 36-39: New Wine in new skins! These words pronounced concerning the new
pieceof cloth on an old cloak and about new wine in old skins should be understood
like a light which gives clarity on diverse conflicts, narrated by Luke, first and after
the discussions concerning fasting. They clarify the attitude of Jesus concerning all
the conflicts with the religious authority. Today, these would be conflicts such as:
marriage between divorced persons, friendship with prostitutes and homosexuals,
to receive communion without being married by the Church, not to go to Mass on
Sunday, not to fast on Good Friday, etc.
A piece of new cloth is not sewed on an old cloak; because when it is washed the
new piece of cloth shrinks and tears the old cloak more. Nobody puts new wine in
old skins, because the new wine when it is fermented makes the old skins burst. New
wine in new skins! The religion diffused by the religious authority was like an old
cloak, like an old skin. It is not necessary to want to combine the novelty brought by
Jesus with old customs or uses. Either one or the other! The new wine which Jesus
brings bursts the old skins. It is necessary to know how to separate both of these
things. Very probably, Luke gives these words of Jesus to orientate the communities
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of the years 80. There was a group of Christian Jews who wanted to reduce the
novelty of Jesus to the Judaism of the beginning. Jesus is not against what is
ancient. But he does not want the ancient to be imposed on the new, preventing it
from manifesting itself. It would be as if the Catholic Church reduced the message
of Vatican Council II to the Church before the Council, like many persons today seem
to want to do it.
Personal Questions
• Which are the conflicts about religious practices which cause suffering to persons
today and are the cause of much discussion and polemics? Which is the subjacent
image of God in all these preconceptions, norms, and prohibitions?
• How can we understand today the phrase of Jesus: “Do not put a new piece of
cloth on an old cloak”? Which is the message which you can draw from this for
your life and for the life of the community?
Concluding Prayer
Commit your destiny to Yahweh, be confident in him, and he will act, making your
uprightness clear as daylight, and the justice of your cause as the noon. (Ps 37: 5-6)
Saturday, September 4, 2021

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty God,
every good thing comes from you.Fill our hearts with love for you, increase our faith,

It happened that one Sabbath Jesus was walking through the cornfields, and his
disciples were picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and eating them.
Some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing something that is forbidden on the
Sabbath day?”
Jesus answered them, “So you have not read what David did when he and his followers
were hungry- how he went into the house of God and took the loaves of the offering
and ate them and gave them to his followers, loaves which the priests alone are
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allowed to eat?”
And he said to them, “The Son of man is master of the Sabbath.”
Reflection
The Gospel today speaks about the conflict concerning the observance of the Sabbath
– Saturday. The observance of the Sabbath was a central law, one of the Ten
Commandments. This was a very ancient Law the value of which was stressed after
the Exile. During the Exile, the people had to work seven days a week from morning
until evening, without any conditions to meet and meditate on the Word of God, to
pray together and to share faith, their problems, and their hopes. Therefore, there was
an urgent need to stop at least one day a weekto get together and encourage one
another during the very difficult situation of the exile. Otherwise, they would have lost
their faith. It was then that faith was reborn, and the observance of Saturday was re-
established.
• Luke 6: 1-2: The cause of the conflict. On Saturday the disciples were walking across
the cornfields and they were picking ears of corn. Matthew 12: 1 says that they were
hungry (Mt 12: 1). The Pharisees invoke the Bible to say it was a transgression of the
Law of Saturday: “Why do you do this which is not permitted to do on Saturday?” (cf.
Ex 20: 8-11).
• Luke 6: 3-4: The response of Jesus. Immediately Jesus responds recalling that David
himself also did things which were prohibited, because he took the sacred bread
from the Temple and gave it to the soldiers to eat because they were hungry (I S 21:
2-7). Jesus knew the Bible and referred to it to show that the arguments of others
had no foundation. In Matthew, the response of Jesus is more complete. He not only
recalls the story of David, but also quotes the Legislation which permits the priests
to work on Saturday and he quotes Prophet Hosea: “Mercy is what pleases me, not
sacrifice.” He quotes a Biblical text or a historical text, a legislative text, and a
prophetic text (cf. Mt 12: 1-18). At that time there was no printed Bible as we have it
today. In each community there was only one Bible, handwritten, which remained
in the Synagogue. If Jesus knew the Bible so well, it means that in the 30 years of his
life in Nazareth he participated intensely in the life of the community, where every
Saturday the Scriptures were read. We still lack very much to have the same
familiarity with the Bible and the same participation in the community.
• Luke 6: 5: The conclusion for all of us. And Jesus ends with the following phrase: The
Son of Man is Master of the Sabbath! The Lord of Saturday! Jesus, Son of Man, who
lives in intimacy with God, discovers the sense of the Bible not from outside, from
without, but from inside, that is, discovers the sense starting at the roots, beginning
from his intimacy with the author of the Bible who is God himself. Because of this,
he calls himself Master of Saturday. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus revitalizes the law
of Saturday saying: “Saturday was instituted for man and not man for Saturday.”
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Personal Questions
• How do you spend Sunday, which is our Sabbath? Do you go to Mass because it
is an obligation, to avoid sin or to be with God?
• Jesus knew the Bible almost by heart. What does the Bible represent for me?
Concluding Prayer
My mouth shall always praise Yahweh, let every creature bless his holy name for ever
and ever. (Ps 145: 21)
Sunday, September 5, 2021

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that
you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written
in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events
of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope
became for them thesource of life and of resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the
Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word
guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force
of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of
fraternity, justice, and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us
the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
Reading
A key to the reading:
This Sunday‘s liturgy shows us Jesus healing a deaf and dumb person in the land of
Decapolis and praised by the people thus: “He has done all things well; he even makes
the deaf hear and the dumb speak!” This praise is inspired by some passages in Isaiah
(Is 29: 8- 9; 35: 5-6; 42: 7) and shows that the people saw in Jesus the coming of the
messianic times. Jesus himself had used this same expression in reply to the disciples
of John: “Go back and tell John what you hear and see: the blind see again, and … the
deaf hear” (Mt 11: 4-5).
The early Christians used the Bible to clarify and interpret the actions and attitudes of
Jesus. They did this so as to express their faith that Jesus was the Messiah, the One who
was to fulfilthe promise, and so as to be able to understand better that which Jesus did
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and said during those few years that he spent in their midst in Palestine.
A division of the text as an aid to the reading:
• Mark 7: 31: a geographical description: Jesus is somewhere outside Judea.

• Mark 7: 32: the man‘s condition: deaf and dumb.
• Mark 7: 33-34: Jesus‘ movements in healing the man. Mark 7:35: the result of the
healing action of Jesus.
• Mark 7:36: the recommendation of silence is not obeyed.
• Mark 7: 37: the praise of the people.
The Text:
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of
31
Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who
was deaf andhad an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hand
upon him. 33 And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into
his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue; 34 and looking up to heaven, he sighed,
and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 35 And his ears were opened, his
tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And he charged them to tell no one; but
the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were
astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well; he even makes the
deaf hear and the dumb speak."
A Moment of Prayerful Silence

so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
Some Questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
• What is the attitude of Jesus towards the deaf and dumb person and towards the
people? How do you understand the actions of Jesus: he places his finger in the
man‘s ears and with his saliva touches the man‘s tongue, then, looking up to
heaven, he sighs and says: “Ephphatha»?
• How can we understand Jesus‘ concern for taking the man away from the crowd?
• Why does Jesus forbid the spreading of the news? How do we understand the
people‘s disobedience of Jesus‘ command?
• What other New Testament and Old Testament texts are connoted or form the basis
of this text?
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Further Information on Mark’s Gospel
• Mark 7: 31: Jesus in the land of Decapolis
The episode of the healing of the deaf and dumb man is little known. Mark does not
state clearly where Jesus is. It is understood that he is somewhere outside Palestine,
in the land of the pagans, across a region called Decapolis. Decapolis literally means
Ten Cities. This was, in fact, a region of ten cities, southeast of Galilee, where people
were pagan and influencedby Greek culture.
• Mark 7: 32: They brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech.
Even though he is not in his native land, Jesus is known as someone who heals the
sick. Thus,the people bring him a deaf man who has difficulty with his speech. This
is someone who cannot communicate with others. He reflects many who today live
as a mass in large cities in complete solitude, without the possibility of any
communication.
• Mark 7: 33-34: A different kind of healing
The manner of healing is different. The people thought that Jesus would simply
place his hands on the sick person. But Jesus goes beyond their request and takes
the man away from the crowd, places his finger in the man‘s ears and with his spittle
touches the man‘s tongue, then looking up to heaven sighs deeply and says:
«Ephphatha» which means ―Be opened!‖ The finger in the ear recalls the magicians‘
exclamation in Egypt: “This is the finger of God!”(Ex 8:15) and also the expression of
the Psalmist: “You…opened my ear!” (Ps 40:7). The touching of the tongue with
spittle gives back the faculty of speech. In those days, people thought that spittle
had medicinal value. Looking up to heaven says that the healing is from God. The
sigh is an attitude of supplication.
• Mark 7: 35: The result of the healing
All at once, the ears of the deaf man were opened, his tongue was loosed, and the
man began to speak correctly. Jesus desires that people might open their ears and
loosen their tongues! Today too! In many places, because of an authoritarian attitude
on the part of religious powers, people have been silenced and do not speak. It is
very important that people regain the power of speech within the Church in order
to express their experience of God and thus enrich all, including the clergy.
• Mark 7: 36: Jesus does not want any publicity
Jesus commands that no one tell of that which took place. However, there is an
exaggerated importance attached to Mark‘s Gospel‘s prohibition to spread the news
of the healing, as if Jesus had a secret that had to be kept. In fact, sometimes Jesus
tells people not to spread newsof a healing (Mk 1: 44; 5: 43; 7: 36; 8: 26). He asks for
silence, but gets the opposite effect. The more he forbids, the more the Good News
is spread (Mk 1: 28, 45; 3: 7-8; 7: 36-37). On the other hand, many times, in most cases,
Jesus did not ask for silence concerning a miracle. Once he even asked for publicity
(Mk 5: 19).
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• Mark 7: 37: The praise of the people
All were in admiration and said: “He has done all things well!” (Mk 7: 37). This
statement recalls the creation: ―God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very
good.” (Gen 1: 31). Despite the prohibition, those who had witnessed the healing
began to proclaim that which they had seen, expressing the Good News in the brief
form: “He has done all things well!” It is useless to prohibit them talking. The inner
power of the Good News is such that it spreads itself! Whoever has experienced
Jesus, has to tell others, whether s/he likes it or not!
Information on the Internal Divisions of Mark’s Gospel
1st Key: Mark‘s Gospel was written to be read and listened to in community.
When one reads a book alone, one can always stop and go back so as to connect one
thing with another. But when one is in community and someone else out in front is
reading the Gospel, one cannot shout: “Stop! Read that again! I did not understand it
well!” For a book to be listened to in community celebrations, it must be divided
differently from other books meant for personal reading.
2nd Key: Mark‘s Gospel is a narrative.
A narrative is like a river. Going down a river in a boat, one is not aware of divisions in
the water. The river has no divisions. It is a single flow, from beginning to end. The
divisions are made on the banks not in the river. For instance, one may say: “The
beautiful part of the river that goes from that house on the bend up to the palm tree
three bends down river.” But one does not see any division in the water itself. Mark‘s
narration flows like a river. Listeners come across divisions along its banks, that is, in the
places where Jesus goes, in the people he meets, in the streets he walks down. These
marginal indications help listeners not to get lost in the midst of so many words and
actions of Jesus and concerning Jesus. The geographical setting helps the reader to
walk along with Jesus, step by step, from Galilee to Jerusalem, from the lake to
Calvary.
3rd Key: Mark‘s Gospel was written in order to be read all in one go.
That is how the Jews read the small books of the Old Testament. For instance, on the
eve of Easter, they read the complete Canticle of Canticles. Some scholars are of the
opinion that Mark‘s Gospel was written to be read in its entirety on the eve of Easter.
Now, so that the listeners might not get tired, the reading had to have divisions,
pauses. For, when a narrativeis long, such as is Mark‘s Gospel, the reading needs to
be interrupted from time to time.There must be some pauses. Otherwise, the
listeners get lost. The author of the narrative provided for these pauses. These were
marked by summaries between one long reading and the next. These summaries were
like hinges that gathered what was read before and opened the way to what was to
come. They allow the narrator to stop and start again without interrupting the flow of
the narrative. They help the listeners to take their bearing within the river of the flowing
narrative. Mark‘s Gospel has several of these pauses that allow us to discover and follow
the course of the Good News of God that Jesus revealed and that Mark narrates. In all
there are six longer blocks of readings, interspersed with summaries or hinges,where it
is possible to take a small pause.
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Based on these three keys, we now present a division of Mark‘s Gospel. Others divide
this Gospel in different ways. Each way has its distinctive character and its value. The
value of any division is that it opens several ways of going into the text, of helping us to
discover something about the Good News of God and to discern the how Jesus opens a
way for us to God and the neighbor.
• Introduction: Mk 1:1-13:
Beginning of the Good News
Preparing the proclamation
• Summary: 1: 14-15
• 1st reading: Mk 1: 16-3: 16:
Growth of the Good News
Conflict appears
• Summary: 3: 7-12
• 2nd reading: Mk 3: 13-6: 6:
Growth of the conflict
The Mystery appears
• Summary: 6: 7-13
• 3rd reading: Mk 6: 14-8: 21:
Growth of the Mystery
Misunderstanding appears
• Summary: 8: 22-26
• 4th reading: Mc 8: 27-10: 45:
Growth of the misunderstanding
The dark light of the Cross appears
• Summary: 10: 46-52
• 5th reading: Mk 11: 1-13: 32:
Growth of the dark light of the Cross
Appearance of rupture and death
• Summary: 13: 33-37
• 6th reading: Mk 14: 1-15: 39:
Growth of the rupture and death
Victory over death appears
• Summary: 15: 40-41
• Conclusion: Mk 15: 42-16: 20:
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Growth of the victory over death
Reappearance of the Good News.
In this division the headings are important. They point to where the Spirit is blowing, to
the inspiration that runs through the whole Gospel. When an artist feels inspired, he
tries to express this inspiration in a work of art. The poem or image that is the result
carries within it this inspiration. Inspiration is like the electric power that runs invisibly
through the wires and lights the lamps in our houses. So also, inspiration runs invisibly
in the words of the poem or in the form of the image to reveal and light up within us a
light equal or almost equal to that which shone in the artist. That is why works of art
attract us so much. The same occurs when we read and meditate the Gospel of Mark.
The same Spirit or Inspiration that moved Mark to write his text remains present in the
thread of the words of his Gospel. By our attentive and prayerful reading of his Gospel,
this Spirit begins to act and operate within us. Thus, gradually, we discover the face of
God revealed in Jesus and that Mark communicates to usin his book.
Psalm 131
Filial Surrender
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high.
I do not occupy myself with things toogreat and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother's breast;like a
child that is quieted is my soul.
O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of
the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice
that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only
listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity
of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
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Monday, September 6, 2021
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father, you redeem us and make us your children in Christ. Look upon us, give
us true freedom and bring us to the inheritance you promised.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who lives and reigns with you and

On a Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a man was
present, and his right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching
him to see if he would cure somebody on the Sabbath, hoping to find something to
charge him with. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man with the
withered hand, 'Get up and stand out in the middle!'
And he came forward and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them, 'I put it to you: is it permitted on the Sabbath to do good, or to
do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?' Then he looked round at them all and said to the
man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He did so, and his hand was restored.
But they were furious and began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.
Reflection
• Context: This passage presents Jesus who cures a man with a withered hand.
Different from the context of chapters 3 and 4 in which Jesus is alone, now here he
is surrounded by his disciples and the women who go around with him. Therefore,
here we have Jesus always moving. In the first stages of this journey the reader finds
different ways of listening to the Word of Jesus on the part of those who follow
him and which, definitively, it could be summarized in two experiences, which
recall, in turn, two types of approaches: that of Peter (5,1-11) and that of the centurion
(7: 1-10). The first one encounters Jesus who invites him after the miraculous catch to
become a fisherman of men; then he falls on his knees before Jesus: “Leave me, Lord,
I am a sinful man” (5: 8). The second one does not have any direct communication
with Jesus: he has heard people speak very well about Jesus and he sends his envoys
to ask for the cure of one of his servants who is dying; he is asking for something not
for himself, but for a person who was a favorite of his.
The figure of Peter expresses the attitude of the one who, discovering himself a
sinner, places all his acts under the influence ofthe Word of Jesus. The centurion,
showing solicitude for the servant, learns to listen to God. Well, between these
itineraries or attitudes which characterize the itinerant journey of Jesus,is placed
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the cure of the man who presents the withered hand. This event of the miracle takes
place in a context of debate or controversy: the ears of corn picked on the Sabbath
and on the act of curing on a Saturday, precisely the withered hand. Between the
two discussions there isthe crucial role played by the Word of Jesus: “The Son of
man is master of the Sabbath” (6: 5). Continuing with this passage we ask ourselves
which is the sense of this withered hand? Itis a symbol of the salvation of man who
is taken back to the original moment, that of creation. The right hand, then,
expresses human acting. Jesus then, gives back to this day of the week, Saturday,
the deepest significance: it is the day of joy, of the restoration and not of limitation.
What Jesus shows is the Messianic Saturday and not the legalistic one: the cures that
he does are signs of the Messianic times, of restoration, of the liberation of man.
• The dynamic of the miracle. Luke places before Jesus a man who has a withered
hand, dry, paralyzed. Nobody is interested in asking for his cure and much less the
one concerned. And just the same, the sickness was not only an individual problem
but its effects have repercussion on the whole community. But in our account we do
not have so much the problem of the sickness as that of the aspect that it was done
on Saturday. Jesus is criticized because he cured on Saturday. The difference with
the Pharisees is in the fact that they on Saturday do not act based on the
commandment of love which is the essence of the Law. Jesus, after having ordered
man to get in the middle of the assembly, formulates a decisive question: “Is it
permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil?” The space for the answer is
restricted: to cure or not to cure, or rather, to cure or to destroy (v. 9).
Let us imagine the difficulty of the Pharisees: it is excluded that evil can be done
on Saturday or lead man to damnation, and even less to cure because help was
permitted only in case of extreme need. The Pharisees feel provoked, and this causes
aggressiveness in them. But it is evident that the intention of Jesus in curing on
Saturday is for the good of man and in the first place, for the one who is sick. This
motivation of love invites us to reflect on our behavior and to found it on that of Jesus
who saves. Jesus is not only attentive to cure the sick person but is interested also in
the cure of his enemies: to cure them from their distorted attitude in their
observance of the Law; to observe Saturday without freeing their neighbor from their
misery and sickness is not in accordance with the will of God. According to the
Evangelist, the function of Saturday is to do good, to save, like Jesus has done during
his earthly life.
Personal Questions
• Do you feel involved in the words of Jesus: how do you commit yourself in your
service to life? Do you know how to create the necessary conditions so that others
may live better?
• Do you know how to place at the center of your attention and of your commitment
every person and all their requirements?
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Concluding Prayer
Joy for all who take refuge in you, endless songs of gladness!
You shelter them, they rejoice in you, those who love your name. (Ps 5: 11)
Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
You redeem us and make us Your children in Christ. Look upon us, give us true freedom
and bring us to the inheritance You promised.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When
day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he
also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James,
John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who
was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a
traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great
crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their
diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone
in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed
them all.
Reflection
The Gospel today presents two facts: the choice of the twelve apostles (Lk 6: 12-16) and
the enormous crowds who want to meet Jesus (Lk 6: 17-19). The Gospel today invites us
to reflect on the twelve who were chosen to live with Jesus, being apostles. The first
Christians remembered and registered the name of these twelve and of some other
men and women, who followed Jesus and who, after His Resurrection, began to create
the communities for the world outside. Today, also, we remember some catechists or
people significant for our own Christian formation.
• Luke 6: 12-13: The choice of the 12 apostles. Before choosing the twelve apostles
definitively, Jesus spent a whole night in prayer. He prays in order to know whom to
choose and then chooses the twelve, whose names are in the Gospels, and they will
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receive the name of apostles. Apostle means sent, missionary. They were called to
carryout a mission, the same mission that Jesus received from the Father (Jn 20: 21).
Mark is more concrete and says that God called them to be with Him and He sends
them on mission (Mk 3: 14).
• Luke 6: 14-16: The names of the 12 Apostles. With small differences the names of the
twelve are the same in the Gospels of Matthew (Mt 10: 2-4), Mark (Mk 3: 16-19) and
Luke (Lk 6: 14-16). The majority of these names come from the Old Testament. For
example, Simeon is the name of one of the sons of the patriarch Jacob (Gen 29: 33).
James (Giacomo) is the same name of Jacob (Gen 25: 26), Judah is the name of the
otherson of Jacob (Gen 35: 23). Matthew also had the name of Levi (Mk 2: 14), the other
sonof Jacob (Gen 35: 23) Of the twelve apostles, seven have a name that comes from
the time of the patriarchs: two times Simon, two times, James, two times Judah, and
one time Levi! That reveals the wisdom and the pedagogy of the people. Through the
names of the patriarchs and the matriarchs, which were given to the sons and
daughters, peoplemaintained alive the tradition of the ancestors and helped their
own children not to lose their identity. What are the names which we give our
children today?
• Luke 6: 17-19: Jesus goes down from the mountain and people are looking for Him.
Coming down from the mountain with the twelve, Jesus found an immense crowd
of people who were trying to hear His words and to touch Him, because people knew
that a life force came out of Him. In this crowd the were Jews and foreigners, people
from Judaea and also from Tyre and Sidon. There were people who were abandoned,
disoriented. Jesus accepts all those who look for Him, Jews and pagans! This is one
ofthe themes preferred by Luke!
• These twelve men, called by Jesus to form the first community, were not saints. They
were common people, like all of us. They had their virtues and their defects. The
Gospels tell us very little on the temperament and the character of each one of them.
But what they say, even if not much, is for us a reason for consolation.
• Peter was a generous person and full of enthusiasm (Mk 14: 29, 31; Mt 14: 28-29), but
at the moment of danger and of making a decision, his heart becomes small and
cannotgo ahead (Mt 14: 30; Mk 14: 66-72). He was even Satan for Jesus (Mk 8: 33). Jesus
calls him Rock (Peter). Peter of himself was not ‘Pietra’ - Rock, he becomes Rock
(Pietra) because Jesus prays for him (Lk 22: 31-32).
• James and John are ready to suffer with and for Jesus (Mk 10: 39), but they were very
violent (Lk 9: 54), Jesus calls them “sons of thunder” (Mk 3: 17). John seemed to have
some sort of envy. He wanted Jesus only for his group (Mk 9: 38).
• Philip had a nice welcoming way. He knew how to put others in contact with Jesus
(Jn1: 45-46), but he was not too practical in solving the problems (Jn 12: 20-22; 6: 7).
Sometimes he was very naïve. There was a moment when Jesus lost His patience
with him: Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know Me? (Jn
14: 8-9).
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• Andrew, the brother of Peter and friend of Philip, was more practical. Philip goes to
him to solve the problems (Jn 12: 21-22). Andrew calls Peter (Jn 1: 40-41), and Andrew
found the boy who had five loaves of bread and two fish (Jn 6: 8-9).
• Bartholomew seems to be the same as Nathanael. This one was from there and
couldnot admit that anything good could come from Nazareth (Jn 1: 46).
• Thomas was capable of sustaining his own opinion, for a whole week, against the
witness of all the others (Jn 20: 24-25). But when he saw that he was mistaken, he
was not afraid to acknowledge his error (Jn 20: 26-28). He was generous, ready to die
with Jesus (Jn 11: 16).
• Matthew or Levi was a Publican, a tax collector, like Zaccheus (Mt 9: 9; Lk 19: 2). They
were people who held to the system of oppression of that time.
• Simon, instead, seems to have belonged to the movement which radically opposed
thesystem which the Roman Empire imposed on the Jewish people. This is why he
was also called Zealot (Lk 6: 15). The group of the Zealots even succeeded in bringing
aboutan armed revolt against the Romans.
• Judah was the one who was in charge of the money in the group (Jn 13: 29). He
betrayed Jesus.
• James, son of Alphaeus, and Judas Thaddeus. The Gospels say nothing of these two;
they only mention their name.
Personal Questions
• Jesus spends the whole night in prayer to know whom to choose, and then He
chooses those twelve. What conclusions can you draw? Do you do the same when
making an important choice in your life?
• Do you recall the people who began the community to which you belong? What
do you remember about them: the content of what they taught or the witness they
gave?
Concluding Prayer
They shall dance in praise of His name, play to Him on tambourines and harp! For
Yahweh loves His people,
He will crown the humble with salvation. (Ps 149: 3-4)
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Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Opening Prayer
God our Father, you redeem us
and make us your children in Christ. Look upon us, give us true freedom and bring us
to the inheritance you promised.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 1: 1-16, 18-23

Roll of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham: Abraham
fatheredIsaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, Judah
fathered Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron
fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon
fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz fathered
Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse; and Jesse fathered King David.
David fathered Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah‘s wife, Solomon fathered
Rehoboam,Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa, Asa fathered Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah, Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham
fathered Ahaz, Ahazfathered Hezekiah, Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh
fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah; and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers.
Then the deportation to Babylon took place.
After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered
Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor,
Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, Eliud fathered
Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob; and Jacob fathered
Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph;
but before they came to live together, she was found to be with child through the Holy
Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace,
decided to divorce her informally.
He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to
him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home
as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give
birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his
people from their sins.‘ Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken
through the prophet: Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom
they will call Immanuel, a name which means “God-is-with-us.”‘
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Reflection
Today, September 8th, Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, the Gospel gives us the
genealogy or Identity Card of Jesus. By means of the list of his ancestors, the Evangelist
tells the communities who Jesus is and how God acts in a surprising way in order to
fulfil his promise. On our identity card there is our name and the name of our parents.
Some persons, to say who they are, also recall the names of the grandparents. Others
are embarrassed of their ancestors, of their families, and hide behind appearances
which deceive. The Identity Card of Jesus has many names. On the list of names there
is a great novelty. At that time, the genealogy indicated only the name of the men.
Therefore, it surprises that Matthew also mentions five women among the ancestors of
Jesus: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, la wife of Uriah and Mary. Why does he choose precisely
these five women and not others? This is the question which the Gospel of Matthew
leaves for us.
• Matthew 1: 1-17: The long list of names – the beginning and the end of the genealogy.
At the beginning and at the end of the genealogy, Matthew clearly makes us
understand which isthe identity of Jesus: He is the Messiah, son of David and son of
Abraham. As descendant of David, Jesus is the response of God to the expectations
of the Jewish people (2 S 7: 12, and 16). As descendant of Abraham, he is source of
blessings and of hope for all nations of the earth (Gn 12: 13). Therefore, in this way,
both the Jews and the Pagans who formed part of the communities of Syria and of
Palestine at the time of Matthew could see that their hope was fulfilled in Jesus.
• Drawing up the list of the ancestors of Jesus, Matthew adopts a plan of 3 X 14
generations (Mt 1: 17). Number two is the number of the divinity. Number 14 is two
times 7, which is thenumber of perfection. At that time, it was something common
to interpret or calculate God‘s action by using the numbers and the dates. By means
of these symbolical calculations, Matthew reveals the presence of God throughout
the generations and expresses the conviction of the communities who said that
Jesus appeared at the time established by God. With his coming history reaches its
fulfilment.
• The message of the five women mentioned in the genealogy. Jesus is the response
of God to the expectation both of the Jews and of the Pagans, but it is in a completely
surprising way. Inthe stories of the four women of the Old Testament, mentioned in
the genealogy, there is something abnormal. The four of them were foreigners, and
they will conceive their sons outside the normal schema of the behavior of that time
and they do not keep the requirements of the laws of purity of the time of Jesus.
Tamar, a Canaanite, widow, dresses asa prostitute of Jericho to oblige Judah to be
faithful to her and to give her a son (Gen 38: 1-21). Bathsheba, a Hittite, wife of Uriah,
was seduced, abused, and made pregnant by King David, who in addition to that,
ordered her husband to be killed (2 S 11: 1-27). Ruth, a Moabite, a poor widow, chose
to remain with Naomi and adhere to the people of God (Rt 1: 16-18). Advised by her
mother-in-law Naomi, Ruth imitates Tamar and spends the night together with
Boaz, obliging him to observe the law and to give her a son. From their relationObed
was born, the grandfather of King David (Rt 3: 1-15; 4: 13-17). These four women
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question the models of behavior imposed by the Patriarchal society. And thus, their
conventional initiative will give continuity to the descendants of Jesus and will bring
salvation to all the people. Through them, God realizes his plan and sends the
promised Messiah. Truly, God‘s way of acting surprises and makes one think! At the
end the reader will ask: ―And Mary? Is there something irregular in her? What is
it? We get the response from the story of Saint Joseph which follows in (Mt 1: 18-23).
• Mathew 1: 18-23: Saint Joseph was just. What was irregular in Mary is that she became
pregnant before living together with Joseph, her promised spouse, who was a just
man. Jesus says: “If your justice is not greater than the justice of the Pharisees and
the Scribes, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” If Joseph had been just
according to the justice of the Pharisees, he should have denounced Mary and she
would have been stoned. Jesus would have died. Thanks to the true justice of Joseph,
Jesus was able to be born.
Personal Questions
• When I present myself to others, what do I say about myself and about my family?
• If the Evangelist mentions only these five women together with over forty men, no
doubt, he wants to communicate a message, which is this message? What does all
this tell us about the identity of Jesus? And what does this say about us?
Concluding Prayer
They shall speak of the glory of your kingship and tell of your might, making known
your mighty deeds to the children of Adam, the glory and majesty of your kingship. (Ps
145: 10-11)

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
you redeem us and make us your children in Christ. Look upon us, give us true freedom
and bring us to the inheritance you promised.
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Jesus said to his disciples: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless
those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly.
To anyone who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek as well; to anyone who
takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you,
and do not ask for your property back from someone who takes it.
Treat others as you would like people to treat you. If you love those who love you, what
credit can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to
those who do good to you, what credit can you expect? For even sinners do that much.
And if you lend to those from whom you hope to get money back, what credit can you
expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount.
Instead, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend without any hope of return.
You will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is
kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. “Be compassionate just as your Father is
compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you
will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and there will be gifts
for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, will be poured
into your lap; because the standard you use will be the standard used for you.”
Reflection
In today‘s Gospel we have the second part of the “Discourse of the Plain.” In the first
part (Lk 6: 20-26), Jesus addresses himself to the disciples (Lk 6: 20). In the second part
(Lk 6: 27-49), he addresses himself “to you who listen to me,” that is, the great crowds
of poor and sick people, who had come from all parts (Lk 6: 17-19).
• Luke 6: 27-30: Love the enemies! The words that Jesus addresses to these people are
demanding and difficult: to love the enemies, not to curse them, to present the other
cheek to anyone who slaps you on one cheek, and do not protest or complain when
somebody takes what is ours. Taken literally, these phrases seem to favor the rich
who rob. But not even Jesus observes them literally. When the soldier struck him on
the face, he did not offer the other cheek but rather reacted firmly: “If there is some
offence in what I said, point it out, but if not why do you strike me?” (Jn 18: 22-23).
Then, how are these words to be understood? The following verses help us to
understand what Jesus wants to teach us.
• Luke 6, 31-36: The Golden Rule! to imitate God. Two phrases of Jesus help us to
understand what he wants to teach. The first phrase is the so-called Golden Rule:
“Treat others as you would like people to treat you!” (Lk 6: 31). The second phrase is:
“Be merciful as your Father in Heaven is merciful!” (Lk 6: 36). These two phrases
indicate that Jesus does not want simply to change the situation, because nothing
would change. He wants to change the system. The novelty which he wants to
construct comes from the new experience of God the Father, full of tenderness who
accepts all! The words of threat against the rich cannot be the occasion of revenge
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on the part of the poor! Jesus demands the contrary attitude: “Love your enemies!”:
Love cannot depend on what I receive from others. True love should want the good
of others, independently of what he or she does for me. Love should be creative,
because that is how God’s love is for us: “Be merciful, as your Heavenly Father is
merciful!” Matthew says the same thing with other words: “Be perfec as your Father
in Heaven is perfect” (Mt 5: 48). Never will anyone be able to say: “Today I have been
perfect as the Father in Heaven is perfect! I have been merciful as the Father in
Heaven is merciful‖. We will always be below the measure which Jesus has placed
before us.”
• In Luke‘s Gospel, the Golden Rule says: “Treat others as you would like people to treat
you!” (Lk 6: 31). Matthew, in his Gospel, gives a different formulation: “Treat others as
you would like others to treat you.” And he adds: “That is the Law and the Prophets”
(Mt 7: 12). Practically, all religions in the whole world have the same Golden Rule with
a diverse formulation. This is a sign that a universal intuition or desire is expressed
which comes from the bottom of the human heart.
• Luke 6: 37-38: “Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you
will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and there will be gifts
for you; a fullmeasure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, will be
poured into your lap; because the standard you use will be the standard used for
you.” These are four pieces of advice: two in a negative form, do not judge and do
not condemn; and two in positive form: to forgive and to give an abundant
measure. When it says: ”There will be gifts for you,” Jesus refers to the treatment
which God wants to have with us. But when our way of treating others is mean,God
cannot use with us the abundant and overflowing measure that he would want to
use. Celebrate the visit of God. The Discourse of the Plains or the Sermon on the
Mountain, from the beginning, leads the listeners to make a choice, to opt, in favor
of the poor. In the Old Testament, several times, God placed people before this
same choice, blessing or curse. People were given the freedom to choose: “Today
I call heaven and earth to witness against you: I am offering you life or death,
blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live” (Dt
30: 19). It is not God who condemns, but the people themselves according to the
choice that they make between life and death, good or evil. These moments of
choosing are moments of the visit of God to his people (Gn 21: 1; 50: 24-25); Ex 3: 16; 3:
34; Jr 20: 10; Ps 65: 10; Ps 80: 15; Ps 106: 4). Luke is the only Evangelist who uses
this image of the visit of God (Lk 1: 68. 78; 7: 16; 19: 44; Ac 15: 16). For Luke it is the
visit of God which places people before the choice between blessing or curse:
“Blessed are you who are poor” and “Alas for you, the rich!” But people do not
recognize the visit of God (Lk 19: 44).
Personal Questions
• Do we look at life and at persons with the same look of Jesus?
• What does it mean today “be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful”?
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Concluding Prayer
Yahweh, you examine me and know me, you know when I sit, when I rise, you
understand my thoughts from afar. You watch when I walk or lie down, you know every
detail of my conduct. (Ps 139: 1-3)

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father,

Jesus also told them a parable, “Can one blind person guide another? Surely both will
fall into a pit? Disciple is not superior to teacher; but fully trained disciple will be like
teacher.”
“Why do you observe the splinter in your brother‘s eye and never notice the great log in
your own? How can you say to your brother, Brother, let me take out that splinter in
your eye,” when you cannot see the great log in your own? Hypocrite! Take the log out
of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter in
your brother‘s eye.
Reflection
Today‘s Gospel gives us some passages of the discourse which Jesus pronounced on
the plains after having spent the night in prayer (Lk 6: 12) and after he had called the
twelve to behis apostles (Lk 6: 13-14). Many of the phrases in this discourse had already
been pronounced on other occasions, but Luke, imitating Matthew, puts them
together in this Discourse of the Plains.
• Luke 6, 39: The parable of the blind man who guides another blind man. Jesus tells a
parable to the disciples: “Can a blind man guide another blind man? Will not both
of them fall into a hole?” A parable of one line, quite similar to the warnings which,
in Matthew‘s Gospel, are addressed to the Pharisees: “Alas for you, blind guides!” (Mt
23: 16, 17, 19, 24, 26) Here in the context of the Gospel of Luke, this parable is addressed
to the animators of the communities who consider themselves the masters of truth,
superior to others. Because of thisthey are blind guides.
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• Luke 6: 40: Disciple – Master. “The disciple is not greater than the teacher, but the
well-prepared disciple will be like the teacher.” Jesus is the Master, not the professor.
The professor in class teaches different subjects but does not live with the pupils. The
Master or Lord does not teach lessons, he lives with the pupils. His subject matter is
himself, his life witness, his way of living the things that he teaches. Living together
with the Master, the Lord has three aspects:
• (1) the Master is the model or example to be imitated (cf. Jn 13: 13- 15).
• (2) The disciple not only contemplates and imitates, he commits himself to
the same destiny of the Master, with his temptations (Lk 22: 28). His
persecution (Mt 10: 24-25), his death (Jn 11: 16);
• (3) He not only imitates the model, he not only assumes the commitment,
but arrives at identifying himself with him: “I live, but it is not I who live, but
Christ lives in me!” (Ga 2: 20). This third aspect is the mystical dimension of
the following of Jesus, fruit of the action of the Spirit.
• Luke 6: 41-42: The splinter in the brother‘s eye. “Why do you observe the splinter in
your brother‘s eye and never notice the great log in your own? How can you say to
your brother: ‘Brother, let me take out that splinter in your eye, when you cannot
see the great log in your own? Hypocrite! Take the log out of your own eye first, and
then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter in your brother‘s eye.’” In the
Sermon on the Mountain, Matthew treats the same theme and explains a bit better
the parable of the splinter in the eye. Jesus asks for a creative attitude which will
make us capable to go and encounter the others without judging them, without
preconceptions and rationalizing, but accepting the brother (Mt 7: 1-5). This total
openness toward others considering them as brothers/sisters will arise in us only
when we are capable of relating with God with total trust as his children (Mt 7: 7-11).
Personal Questions
• Splinter and log in the eye. How do I relate with others at home and in my family,
in workand with my colleagues, in community and with the brothers and sisters?
• Master and disciple. How am I a disciple of Jesus?
Concluding Prayer
Lord, how blessed are those who live in your house; they shall praise you continually.
Blessed those who find their strength in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. (Ps
84: 4-5)
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Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father,

Jesus said to his disciples: “There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a
rottentree that produces sound fruit. Every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do
not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles.
Good people draw what is good from the store of goodness in their hearts; bad people
draw what is bad from the store of badness. For the words of the mouth flow out of
what fills the heart. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’” and not do what I say?
“Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them—I will show
you what such a person is like. Such a person is like the man who, when he built a
house, dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in
flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But
someone who listens and does nothing is like the man who built a house on soil, with
no foundations; as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that
house became!”
Reflection
In today‘s Gospel we have the last part of the Discourse of the Plains that is, the version
which Luke presents in the Sermon on the Mountain of the Gospel of Matthew. And
Luke puts together what follows:
• Luke 6: 43-45: The parable of the tree that bears good fruit. ―There is no sound
tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit.
Every tree can be known by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns or
gather grapes from brambles‖. The letter of James the Apostle serves as a comment
to this parable of Jesus: “Does any water supply give a flow of fresh water and salt
water out of the same pipe? Can a fig tree yield olives, my brothers, or a vine yield
figs? No more can sea water yield fresh water” (James 3: 11-12). A person who is well
formed in the tradition of living together in communitydevelops within self a good
nature which leads him/her to do good. “The good of the treasure of his/her heart is
brought out‖, but the person who does not pay attention to his/her formation will
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have difficulty in producing good deeds. Rather, “from his/her evil treasure evil will
come out evil, because the mouth speaks of the fullness of the heart.” Concerning
the “good treasure of the heart” it is worthwhile to remember what the Book of
Ecclesiasticus says on the heart, the source of good counsel: “Stick to the advice
your own heart gives you, no one can be truer to you than that; since a person‘s soul
often gives a clearer warning than seven watchmen perched on a watchtower. And
besides all this beg the Most High to guide your steps into the truth” (Si 37: 13-15).
• Luke 6: 46: It is not sufficient to say, Lord, Lord. What is important is not to say
beautiful things about God, but rather to do the will of the Father and in this way be
a revelation of his face and of his presence in the world.
• Luke 6: 47-49: To construct the house on rock. To listen and to put into practice, this
is the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mountain. Many people sought security and
religious power in the extraordinary heads (gifts) or in the observance. But true
security does not come from power; it does not come from any of those things. It
comes from God! And God becomes the source of security, when we seek to do his
will. And in this way he will be the rock which will support us, in the difficult hours
and in the storms.
God is the rock of our life. In the Book of Psalms, we frequently find the expression:
“God is my rock, my fortress... My God, my Rock, my refuge, my shield, the force
which saves me...” (Ps 18: 3). He is the defense and the force of those who believe in
him and who seek justice (Ps 18: 21-24). The persons, who trust in this God, become,
in turn, a rock for others. Thus, the prophet Isaiah invites the people who were in
exile: “Listen to me, you who pursue saving justice, you who seek Yahweh. Consider
the rock from which you were hewn, the quarry from which you were dug. Consider
Abraham your father and Sarah who gave you birth” (Is 51: 1-2). The prophet asks the
people not to forget the past and to remember Abraham and Sarah who because of
their faith in God became a rock, the beginning of the People of God. Looking toward
this rock, the people should draw courage to fight and get outof the exile. And thus
Matthew exhorts the communities to have as an incentive or encouragement this
same rock (Mt 7: 24-25) and in this way be themselves rocks to strengthen their
brothers in the faith. This is also the significance which Jesus gives to Peter:
“You are Peter and on this Rock I will build my Church” (Mt 16: 18). This is the vocation
of the first communities called to unite themselves to Jesus, the living Rock, so as to
become themselves living rocks, listening and putting into practice the Word (P 2:
4-10; 2: 5; Ep 2: 19-22).
Personal Questions
• Which is the quality of my heart?
• Is my house built on rock?
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Concluding Prayer
Lord, you created my inmost self,
knit me together in my mother‘s womb.
For so many marvels I thank you; a wonder am I,
and all your works are wonders. (Ps 139: 13-14)

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Reading
A Key to the Reading:
The text of the Gospel of this 24th Sunday of ordinary time presents the first
announcement ofthe Passion and death of Jesus, to the Disciples, Peter trying to
eliminate the Cross and the teaching of Jesus concerning the consequences of the
Cross for those who wish to be His Disciples. Peter does not understand the proposal of
Jesus concerning the Cross and suffering. He accepted Jesus as Messiah, not as a
suffering Messiah. Peter was conditioned by the propaganda of the Government of
that time which spoke of the Messiah only in terms of a glorious King. Peter seemed to
be blind. He could not see anything and wished that Jesus could be like him, Peter
desired and imagined. Today we all believe in Jesus. But all of us do not understand
him in the same way. Who is Jesus for me? Today, which is the most common image of
Jesus that people have? Today, is there a propaganda that tries to interfere in our way
of seeing Jesus? Who am I for Jesus?
A Division of the Text to Help in the Reading:
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• Mark 8: 27-28: The question of Jesus concerning the opinion of the people and the
response of the Disciples
• Mark 8: 29-30: The question of Jesus and the opinion of his Disciples; Mark 8: 31-32ª:
The first announcement of the Passion and death; Mark 8: 32b-33: The conversation
between Jesus and Peter
• Mark 8: 34-35: The conditions to follow Jesus
Gospel Text: Mark 8: 27-35
27
Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put
thisquestion to his disciples, 'Who do people say I am?' 28 And they told him, 'John the
Baptist, others Elijah, others again, one of the prophets.' 29 'But you,' he asked them,
'who do you say I am?' Peter spoke up and said to him, 'You are the Christ.' 30 And he
gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.
31
Then he began to teach them that the Son of man wasdestined to suffer grievously,
and to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be putto
death, and after three days to rise again; 32 and he said all this quite openly. Then,
taking him aside, Peter tried to rebuke him. 33 But, turning and seeing his disciples, he
rebuked Peter and said to him, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God
thinks, but as human beings do.' 34 He called the people and his disciples to him and
said, 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his
cross and follow me. 35 Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who
loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.

Some Questions
• Which point in this text pleased you the most or what struck you the most? Why?
• Which is the opinion of the people and of Peter on Jesus? Why do Peter and the
people think in this way?
• Which is the relationship between the healing of the blind man, described before
(Mk 8: 22-26) and the conversation of Jesus with Peter and the other Disciples?
• What does Jesus ask from those who want to follow him?
• What prevents us today from recognizing and assuming the project of Jesus?
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To Deepen the Theme
Context of Yesterday and of Today:
• In the text of Mark 8: 27 the long instruction of Jesus to his Disciples begins, and this
goeson until the passage of Mark 10: 45. At the beginning of this instruction as well
as at the end of it, Mark places the healing of the blind man: Mark 8: 22-26 and Mark
10: 46-52. At the beginning the healing of the blind man was not easy and Jesus had
to heal him in two stages. The healing of the blindness of the Disciples was also
difficult. Jesus had to give them a long explanation concerning the significance of
the Cross to help them to see the reality, because it was the cross which brought
about the blindness in them. At the end, the healing ofthe blind man Bartimaeus is
the fruit of faith in Jesus. It suggests the ideal of the Disciple: to believe in Jesus and
to accept Him as He is, and not as I want or imagine.
• In the year 70, when Mark wrote, the situation of the communities was not easy.
There was much suffering, many were the crosses. Six years before, in 64, Nero, the
emperor had decreed the first great persecution, killing many Christians. In the year
70, in Palestine, Jerusalem, was about to be destroyed by the Romans. In other
countries, a great tension between the converted Jews and the non-converted was
beginning. The greatest difficulty was the Cross of Jesus. The Jews thought that a
Crucified person could not be the Messiah greatlyexpected by the people, because
the Law affirmed that anyone who had been crucified had to be considered as
cursed by God (Dt 21: 22-23).
Commentary on the Text:
• Mark 8: 22, 26: Healing of the blind man

They bring him a blind man and ask Jesus to cure him. Jesus cures him, but in a
different way. First, he takes him out of the village, then he puts some saliva on his
eyes, imposes the hands and asks him: Do you see anything? And the man
answers: I see men, because I seelike tress that walk! He saw only in part. He sees
tress and interchanges them for people, and the people for trees! It is only in the
second time that Jesus heals the blind man and forbids him to go back to the village.
Jesus did not want an easy propaganda! This description of the healing of the blind
man is an introduction to the instruction which will be given to the Disciples,
because in reality, Peter and the other Disciples were blind! And the blindness of the
Disciples is cured by Jesus, even though not in the first time. They accepted Jesus as
Messiah, but only as a glorious Messiah. They only noticed one part! They did not
want the commitment of the Cross! They interchanged trees for persons!
• Mark 8: 27-30. TO SEE: the discovery of reality
Jesus asks: “Whom do people say that I am?” They answer indicating the diverse
opinions of the people: “John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets.” After
having heard the opinions of others, Jesus asks: “And you, whom do you say that I
am?” Peter answers: “You are the Christ, the Messiah!” That is: “The Lord is the one
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whom the people are expecting!” Jesus agrees with Peter, but forbids to speak
about this with the people. Why does Jesus forbid them this? Then, everyone was
waiting for the coming of the Messiah, but each one in his own way, according to the
class and the social position which he had: some expected him to come as King,
others as Priest. Doctor, Warrior, Judge, or Prophet! Nobody seemed to wait for the
Messiah as Servant, as announced by Isaiah (Is 42: 1-9).
• Mark 8: 31-33. TO JUDGE: clarification of the situation: first announcement of the
Passion
Jesus begins to teach that he is the Messiah Servant announced by Isaiah and will
be taken prisoner and be killed during the exercise of his mission of justice (Is 49: 4-
9; 53: 1-12). Peter is filled with fear, he takes Jesus aside and tries to rebuke him.
And Jesus responds to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God
thinks, but as human beings do!” Peter thought he had given the right answer. And,
in fact he says the just word: “You are the Christ!” But he does not give this word
the right significance. Peter does not understand Jesus. He is like the blind man of
Bethsaida. He interchanged the people with the trees! Jesus‘ answer was very hard.
He calls Peter Satan! Satan is a Hebrew word which means accuser, the one who
withdraws others from the path of God. Jesus does not allow anyone to draw him
away from his mission. Literally, Jesus says: “Get behind me!” That is, Peter has to
go behind Jesus, has to follow Jesus and accept the way or direction which Jesus
indicates. Peter wanted to be the first one and to indicate the direction. He wanted
a Messiah according to his measure and according to his desire.
• Mark 8: 34-37. TO ACT: conditions to follow
Jesus draws conclusions which are still valid today: He who wants to follow me, let
him take up his cross and follow me! At that time, the cross was the death sentence
which the Roman Empire imposed to the marginalized. To take up the cross and to
carry it following Jesus meant, then, to accept to be marginalized by the unjust
system which legitimized injustice. It indicated a radical and total rupture. As Saint
Paul says in the Letter to the Galatians: “But as for me, it is out of the question that I
should boast at all, except of the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the
world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal 6, 14). The Cross is not
fatalism, nor is it an exigency from the Father. The Cross is the consequence of the
commitment, freely assumed by Jesus to reveal the Good News that Jesusis Father
and that, therefore, all have to be accepted and treated as brothers and sisters.
Because of this revolutionary announcement, he was persecuted and he was not
afraid to surrender his life. There is no proof of a greater love than to give one’s life
for the brother.
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Extending the Information:
The Instruction of Jesus to the Disciples
Between the two healings of the blind men (Mk 8: 22-26 and Mark 10: 46-52), is found
the long instruction of Jesus to his Disciples, to help them to understand the
significance of the Cross and its consequences for life (Mark 8: 27 to 10: 45). It seems to
be a document, acertain type of catechism, made by Jesus himself. It speaks about the
cross in the life of the Disciple. It is a type of a schema of instruction:
• Mk 8: 22-26: Healing of a blind man
• Mk 8: 277-38: 1st announcement of the Passion
• Mk 9: 1-29: Instruction on the Messiah Servant
• Mk 9: 30-37: 2nd Announcement of the Passion
• Mk 9: 38 to 10: 31: Instructions on conversation
• Mk 10: 32-45: 3rd Announcement of the Passion
• Mk 10: 46-52: Healing of a blind man.
As we can see, the instruction is formed by three announcements of the Passion. The
first oneis in Mark 8: 27-38, the second one in Mark 9: 30-37 and the third one in Mark
10: 32-45. Between the first one and the second one, there are a series of instructions to
help them to understand that Jesus is the Messiah Servant (Mk 9: 1-29). Between the
second and the third one, a series of instructions which clarify the conversion which
has to take place in the life of those who accept Jesus as Messiah Servant (Mk 9: 38 to
10: 31).
The background of the whole instruction is the road from Galilee to Jerusalem, from
the lake to the cross. Jesus is on the way toward Jerusalem, where he will be put to
death. From the beginning and up to the end of this instruction, Mark informs that
Jesus is on the way toward Jerusalem (Mk 8: 27; 9: 30, 33; 10: 1, 17, 32), where he will find
the cross.
In each one of these three announcements, Jesus speaks about his Passion, Death and
Resurrection as part of the project of Jesus: “The Son of man has to suffer grievously,
and to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to
death, and after three days to rise again” (Mk 8: 31; 9: 31; 10: 33). The word has indicates
that the cross had already been announced in the prophecies (cfr. Lk 24: 26).
Each one of these three announcements of the Passion is accompanied by gestures
or wordsof misunderstanding on the part of the Disciples. In the first one, Peter
does not want thecross and criticizes Jesus (Mk 8: 32). In the second one, the
Disciples do not understandJesus, they are afraid and wish to be greater (Mk 9: 32-34).
In the third one, they are afraid, they are apprehensive (Mk 10: 32), and they seek
promotions (Mk 10: 35-37). And this because in the communities for which Mark writes
his Gospel there were many persons like Peter: they did not want the cross! They were
like the Disciples: they did not understand the cross, they were afraid and wanted to be
the greatest; they lived in fear and desired promotions. Each one of these three
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announcements gives them a word of orientation on the part of Jesus, criticizing the
lack of understanding of the Disciples and teaching how their behavior should be.
Thus, in the first announcement, Jesus demands from those who wish tofollow him to
carry the cross behind him, to lose their life out of love for him and for his Gospel, not to
be ashamed of him and of his word (Mk 8: 34-38). In the second one he demands: to
become the servant of all, to receive the children, the little ones, as if they were Jesus
himself (Mk 9: 35-37). In the third one he demands: to drink the cup that he will drink,
not to imitate the powerful who exploit the others, but to imitate the Son of Man who
has not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life for the redemption of many
(Mk 10: 35-45).
The total understanding of the following of Jesus is not obtained from the theoretical
instruction, but from the practical commitment, walking with him along the way of
service, from Galilee to Jerusalem. Those who insist in maintaining the idea of Peter,
that is, of the glorious Messiah without the cross, will not understand and will not
succeed in assuming an attitude of the true disciple. They will continue to be blind,
interchanging people for trees (Mk 8: 24). Because without the cross it is impossible to
understand who Jesus is and what it means to follow Jesus.
The road of the following is the way of dedication, of abandonment, of service, of
availability, of acceptance of conflict, knowing that there will be the resurrection. The
crossis not an accident on the way, but forms part of the road. Because in the world,
organized beginning with egoism, love and service can exist only in the crucified! The
one who giveshis life in the service of others, disturbs those who live attached to
privileges and he suffers.
Prayer of Psalm 25 (24)

Show Me Lord, Your Ways!
Adoration I offer, Yahweh, to you, my God.

But in my trust in you do not put me to shame,let not my enemies gloat over me.
Calling to you, none shall ever be put to shame, but shame is theirs who groundlessly
break faith. Direct me in your ways,
Yahweh, and teach me your paths.
Encourage me to walk in your truth
and teach me since you are the God who saves me. For my hope is in you all day long
-- such is your generosity, Yahweh.
Goodness and faithful love have been yours forever, Yahweh, do not forget them.
Hold not my youthful sins against me,
but remember me as your faithful love dictates. Integrity and generosity are marks of
Yahweh for he brings sinners back to the path.
Judiciously he guides the humble, instructing the poor in his way.
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Kindness unfailing and constancy mark all Yahweh's paths, for those who keep his
covenant and his decrees.
Let my sin, great though it is, be forgiven,
Yahweh, for the sake of your name.
Men who respect Yahweh, what of them? He teaches them the way they must choose.
Neighbors to happiness will they live,
and their children inherit the land.
Only those who fear Yahweh have his secretand his covenant, for their understanding.
Permanently my eyes are on Yahweh, for he will free my feet from the snare.Quick, turn
to me, pity me,
alone and wretched as I am! Relieve the distress of my heart, bring me out of my
constraint.
Look on my misery and pain, take all my sins away.
Take note how countless are my enemies, how violent their hatred for me.
Unless you guard me and rescue me I shall be put to shame, for you are my refuge.
Virtue and integrity be my protection, for my hope, Yahweh, is in you.
Ransom Israel, O God, from all its troubles.
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will
of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to
practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not
only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the
unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Anyone who believes in Jesus has eternal life.
Prayer
Holy Father, through Jesus Your Son, the Word made flesh for us, send me Your Holy
Spirit, that my ears may be opened to hear the “letter of love” that You have written on
me and enlighten my mind that I may understand it in depth. Make my heart docile
thatit may receive Your will with joy and help me to give witness to it. Amen.
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Reading
From the Gospel according to Luke 7: 1-10
When Jesus had finished all his words to the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion
there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him. When he
heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the
life of his slave. They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, "He
deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue
for us." And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the
house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not
worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to
come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person
subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and
to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When
Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd followinghim, "I
tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." When the messengers returned to
the house, they found the slave in good health.
MEDITATION
• Chapter 7 of the Gospel of Luke helps us to receive the call addressed to the pagans
to adhere to faith in the Lord Jesus. The figure of the centurion becomes the example
for all those who want to abide by the faith of Israel and then encounter and know
the face of the Father in Jesus. In the meditation on this Gospel, we are also proposed
to open ourselves to faith or to make our confidence in the Word of the Lord more
firmly unshaken. Let us try, then, to follow, with our hearts, the example of this
Roman centurion, so that in Him we may also be present.
• Perhaps the first aspect that emerges from the reading of the passage is the
situationof suffering in which the centurion finds himself. Try to hear more attentively
the words that try to give light to this reality. Capernaum, a border city, a city apart,
on the margins, a city where the blessings of God seem slow to arrive. The grave
illness; the imminent death of a dear person.
• But we soon see that the Lord enters into this situation, coming to share in it, to live
in it with His loving presence. The words in italics confirm this truth: “asking Him to
come”; “and Jesus went with them”; “He was only a short distance.” It is wonderful
to see this movement of Jesus who moves near to him who calls Him, who searches
for Him and who asks for salvation. This is how Jesus acts with each one of us.
• But it is also very useful to enter into contact with the figure of the centurion, who is
here a bit like our master, our guide on the way of faith.
• “When he heard about Jesus.” He received the announcement, he heard the good
news and held it in his heart. He did not let it escape and did not close his ears to life.
He remembered Jesus and now he goes in search for Him.
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• “He sent.” Twice does the centurion carry out his action: first sending the elders of
the people to Jesus, authoritative figures, then by sending his friends. Luke uses two
different verbs and this helps us to understand better that in this man something
took place, a state of passage: he became more and more open to the
encounter with Jesus. Sending his friends is a bit like going to Jesus Himself.
• “Asking Him to come and save.” Two beautiful verbs that explain the whole intensity
of his request to Jesus. He wants Jesus to come, to be near, to enter into his poor
life, to come and visit his pain. It is a declaration of love, of great faith, because it is
as if he was saying: “Without You, I cannot live anymore. Come!” And he does not ask
forany mere salvation, a superficial healing, as the particular verb chosen by Luke
helps us to understand. In fact, here it is a traverse salvation, one that crosses the
entirety of life, of the entire person, and is capable of taking a person beyond, past
every obstacle, every difficulty or trial, beyond even death.
• “I am not worthy.” Luke puts these words in the mouth of the centurion twice, and
these words help us to understand the great transformation that has taken place
within himself. He feels unworthy, incapable, insufficient, as the two different Greek
terms used here indicate. Perhaps the first conquest on the road of faith with Jesus
is exactly this: the discovery of our great need for Him, for His presence and the more
certain knowledge that alone we can do nothing because we are poor, we are sinners.
However,precisely because of this we are infinitely loved!
• “Say the word.” Here is the great leap, the great transformation in faith. The centurion
now believes in a clear, serene and faithful way. While Jesus walked towards him, he
was also completing his own interior journey, changing, becoming a new man. First,
he welcomed the person of Jesus, then His word. For him it is the Lord as He is, His
word is efficacious, true, powerful, able to do what He says. All of his doubts have
crumbled; nothing remains but faith, the certain confidence in salvation, in Jesus.
Questions
• Does my prayer feel like that of the centurion, addressed to Jesus to come and save?
Am I also ready to explain to the Lord my uneasiness, my need for Him? Am I perhaps
ashamed to present to Him the sickness, the death that lives in my house, in my life?
What do I need in order to fulfill this first step in trust?
• And if I open my heart in prayer, to the invocation, if I invite the Lord to come, whatis
the profound attitude of my heart? Is there also in me, as in the centurion, the
knowledge of being unworthy, of not being sufficient solely of myself, of not being
pretentious? Do I know how to place myself before the Lord with that humility that
comes from love, from serene trust in Him?
• Is His Word good enough for me? Do I ever listen to it in its entirety with attention,
with respect, even though, perhaps, I am not able to fully understand it?
• And in this moment, what is the word that I want to hear from the mouth of the
Lord for me? What do I want Him to say to me?
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• The pagan centurion had such a great faith … and I, who am Christian, what faith do
I have? Perhaps it is true that I must pray like this: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
(Mark 9: 24)
Final Prayer
Your words are a lamp for my steps, Lord! How can a youth keep his way pure?
By observing Your word.
With all my heart I search for You:
do not let me deviate from Your commands.
Put again into my heart Your promise that I may not sin against You.
Blessed are You, Lord: teach me Your decrees.
With my mouth I recount all of the wisdom from Your mouth.
On the way of Your teachings is my joy, more than all other riches.
I want to meditate on Your precepts, to consider Your ways.
In Your decrees is my delight, I will not forget Your word.

The Exultation of the Holy Cross
Opening Prayer
Oh Father, who wanted to save man by the Cross of Christ, Your Son, grant to us who
have known on earth His mystery of love, to enjoy in Heaven the fruits of His
redemption. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Lectio
Gospel Reading – John 3: 13-17
"No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the
Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted
up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him might not perish but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
might be saved through him.
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Meditatio
Key for the Reading:
The text for today’s Liturgy has been taken from the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross. It should not surprise us that the passage chosen for this celebration forms part
of the fourth Gospel, because it is precisely this Gospel which presents the mystery of
the cross of the Lord as the exaltation. This is clear from the beginning of the Gospel:
“as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up” (Jn 3:
14; Dan 7: 13). John explains the mystery of the Incarnate Word in the paradoxical
movement of the descent-ascent (Jn 1: 14, 18; 3: 13). In fact, it is this mystery which offers
the key for the reading in order to understand the evolution of the identity and ofthe
mission of the passus et gloriosus (suffering and glorious) of Jesus Christ, and thatwe
may well say that this is not only valid for the text of John. The Letter to the Ephesians,
for example, uses this paradoxical movement to explain the mystery of Christ: “Now,
when it says, ‘He went up’, it must mean that He had gone down to the deepest levels
of the earth” (Eph 4: 9).
Jesus is the Son of God who becoming Son of man (Jn 3: 13) makes known to us the
mysteries of God (Jn 1: 18). He alone can do this, in so far as He alone has seen the
Father (Jn 6: 46). We can say that the mystery of the Word who descends from Heaven
responds to the yearning of the prophets: who will go up to heaven to reveal this mystery
to us? (cf. Deut 30: 12; Prov 30: 4). The fourth Gospel is full of references to the mysteryof
He who “is from Heaven” (1 Cor 15: 47). The following are some quotations or references:
Jn 6: 33, 38,51, 62; 8: 42; 16: 28-30; 17: 5.
The exaltation of Jesus is precisely in His descent to come to us, unto death, and death
on the Cross, on which He was lifted up like the serpent in the desert, which, “anybody…
who looked at it would survive” (Num 21: 7-9; Zech 12: 10). John remindsus in the scene
of the death of Jesus Christ being lifted up: “They will look to the one whom they have
pierced” (Jn 19: 37). In the context of the fourth Gospel, “to turn and look” means “to
know,” “to understand,” “to see.”
Frequently, in John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about His being lifted up: “When you have
lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He” (Jn 8: 28); “when I am liftedup
from the earth, I shall draw all peoples to Myself. By these words He indicated the kind
of death He would die” (Jn 12: 32-33). In the synoptics also Jesus announces to His
disciples the mystery of His condemnation to death on the cross (see Mt 20: 27-29; Mk
10: 32-34; Lk 18: 31-33). In fact, Christ had “to suffer all that to enter into His glory”(Lk 24:
26).
This mystery reveals the great love which God has for us. He is the Son given to us, “so
that anyone who believes in Him will not be lost, but will have eternal life,” this Son
whom we have rejected and crucified. But precisely in this rejection on our part, God
has manifested Himself to us His fidelity and His love which does not stop before the
hardness of our heart. And even in spite of our rejection and our contempt He gives us
salvation (cf. Acts 4: 27-28), remaining firm in fulfilling His plan of mercy: God, in fact,has
not sent His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world may
be saved through Him.”
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A Few Questions:
• What struck you in the Gospel?
• What does the exaltation of Christ and of His cross mean for you?
• What consequences does this paradoxical movement of descent-ascent imply in the
living out of faith?
ORATIO
Psalm 77 (1-2, 34-38)
My people, listen to My teaching,pay attention to what I say.

I will speak to you in a parable,unfold the mysteries of the past.
Whenever He slaughtered them,they began to seek Him;
they turned back and looked eagerly for Him, recalling that God was their rock,
God the Most High, their redeemer.
They tried to flatter Him with their mouths; their tongues were deceitful towards Him.
Their hearts were not loyal to Him;
they were not faithful to His covenant.
But in His compassion He forgave their guiltinstead of killing them,
time and again repressing His anger instead of rousing His full wrath.
CONTEMPLATIO
"Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2: 11)

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty God,
our creator and guide, may we serve You with all our hearts and know Your forgiveness
in our lives.
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Gospel Reading - John 19: 25-27
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of
Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom
he loved he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Reflection
Today, feast of Our Sorrowful Mother, the Gospel of the day presents the passage in
which Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple, meet at Calvary before the
Cross. The Mother of Jesus appears two times in the Gospel of John: at the beginning at
the wedding feast in Cana (Jn 2: 1-5), and at the end, at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19: 25-
27). These two episodes, only present in John’s Gospel, have a very profound value.
The Gospel of John, compared to the synoptics, is like an x-ray of the other three, while
the other three are only a photograph of what has taken place. The x-rays of faith help
us to discover in the events dimensions which the human eye does not perceive. The
Gospel of John, besides describing the facts, reveals the symbolical dimension which
exists in them.
Thus, in both cases, at Cana and at the foot of the Cross, the Mother of Jesus represents
symbolically the Old Testament waiting for the New Testament to arrive, and in the two
cases, she contributes to the arrival of the New Testament. Mary appears like the step
between what existed before and what will arrive afterwards. At Cana she symbolizes
the Old Testament; she perceives the limits of the Old Testamentand takes the
initiative so that the New one may arrive. She tells her Son, “They have no wine!” (Jn 2:
3). And on Calvary? Let us see:
• John 19: 25: The women and the Beloved Disciple, together at the foot of the Cross.
This is what the Gospel says: “Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and His
mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.” The “photograph”
shows the mother together with the Son, standing up, a strong woman, who does
not allow herself to be discouraged. “Stabat mater dolorosa!” Hers is a silent presence
which supports the Son in His gift of self unto death, death on a cross (Phil 2: 8). But
the “x-ray” of faith shows how the passage from the Old Testament to the New
Testament takes place. As happened in Cana, the Mother of Jesus represents the Old
Testament, the new humanity which is formed beginning from the lived experience
of the Gospel of the Kingdom. At the end of the first century, some Christians thought
that the Old Testament was no longer necessary. In fact, at the beginning of the
second century, Marcionites rejected the Old Testament and remained with only a
part of the New Testament. This is why many wanted to know what was Jesus’ will
regarding this.
• John 19: 26-28: The Testament or the Will of Jesus. The words of Jesus are significant.
Seeing His Mother, and at her side the beloved disciple, Jesus says, “Woman, this is
your son.” Then He says to the disciple, “This is your mother.” The Old and the New
Testament must walk together. At the request of Jesus, the beloved disciple, the son,
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the New Testament, receives the mother in his house. In the house of the Beloved
Disciple,in the Christian community, the full sense of the Old Testament is discovered.
The NewTestament cannot be understood without the Old one, nor is the Old one
complete without the New one. Saint Augustine said, “Novum in vetere latet, Vetus
in Novo patet.” (The New one is hidden in the Old one. The Old one blooms in the
New one). The New one without the Old one would be a building without a
foundation. And the Old one without the New one would be like a fruit tree which
could not bear fruit.
• Mary in the New Testament. The New Testament speaks very little about Mary, and
she says even less. Mary is the mother of silence. The bible only contains seven
utterances of Mary. Each one of those is like a window which allows one to see inside
Mary’s house and to discover how her relationship with God was. The key to
understanding all this is given by Luke: “Blessed are those who receive the word of
God and put it into practice” (Lk 11: 27-28).
• 1st: “How can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?” (Lk 1: 34).
• 2nd: “You see before you the Lord’s servant; let it happen to me as you have
said.” (Lk 1: 38).
• 3rd: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God
my Savior(Lk 1: 46-55).”
• 4th: “My child, why have You done this to us? Your father and I were worried
looking for you” (Lk 2: 48).
• 5th: “They have no wine!” (Jn 2: 3.)
• 6th: “Do whatever He tells you!” (Jn 2: 5).
• 7th: The silence at the foot of the Cross, more eloquent than a thousand
words! (Jn 19: 25-27).
Personal Questions
• Mary at the foot of the Cross. A strong and silent woman. What is my devotion to
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, like?
• In the Pieta of Michelangelo, Mary seems to be very young, younger than the crucified
Son, yet she must have been about fifty years old. Asked why he had sculptured the
face of Mary as a young girl, Michelangelo replied, “People who are passionate for
God never age!” Passionate for God! Is that passion for God in me?
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Concluding Prayer
Yahweh, how abundant is the goodness You have in storefor those who fear You, and
bestow on those who make You their refuge,for all humanity to see!
Safe in Your presence You hide them, far from human plotting. (Ps 31: 19-20)

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty God,
our creator and guide, may we serve you with all our hearts and know your forgiveness
in our lives.

One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee‘s
house and took his place at table, suddenly a woman came in, who had a bad name in
the town. She had heard he was dining with the Pharisee and had brought with her an
alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping, and her tears fell
on his feet, and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with
kisses and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a
prophet, he would know who this woman is and what sort of person it is who is
touching him and what a bad name she has.”
Then Jesus took him up and said, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied,
“Yes Master?” There was once a creditor who had two men in his debt; one owed him
five hundred denarii, the other fifty. They were unable to pay, so he let them both off.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon answered, “The one who was let off more, I suppose.” Jesus said, “You are right.”
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “You see this woman? I came into
your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears
over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has
been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head
with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her
sins, many as they are, have been forgiven her, because she has shown such great love.
It is someone who is forgiven little who shows little love.”
Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
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Those who were with him at table began to say to themselves, “Who is this man, that
even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Reflection
Today‘s Gospel presents the episode of the woman with the perfume who was
accepted by Jesus during a feast in house of Simon the Pharisee. One of the aspects of
the novelty of the Good News of Jesus is the surprising attitude of Jesus toward
women. At the time of the NewTestament women lived marginalized. In the
Synagogue they could not participate in the public life and they could not be
witnesses. Many women, though, resisted this exclusion. From the time of Ezra, the
marginalization of women had been increasing on the part of the religious authority
(Ezr 9: 1 to 10: 44), and the resistance of women against their exclusion, also increased,
as we can see in the stories of Judith, Esther, Ruth, Noemi, Suzanne, and the Sulamite
and others. This resistance found echo and acceptance in Jesus. In the episode of the
woman with the perfume there is inconformity which springs up and the resistance of
the women in the life of every day and the acceptance of Jesus.
• Luke 7: 36-38: The situation which breaks out the debate. Three completely different
persons meet with one another: Jesus, Simon, the Pharisee, a practicing Jew, and
the woman, whom they said that she was a sinner. Jesus is in the house of Simon
who has invited him to dinner with him. The woman enters, and she places herself
at the feet of Jesus, and begins to cry bathing Jesus‘ feet with her tears, and dries
them with her loose hair. She kisses his feet and anoints them with perfume. To get
the hair loose in public was a gesture of independence. Jesus does not draw back,
nor does he send the woman away, rather he acceptsher gesture.
• Luke 7: 39-40: The reaction of the Pharisee and the response of Jesus. Jesus was
accepting aperson, who, according to the custom of the time, could not be accepted,
because she was a sinner. The Pharisee, observing everything, criticizes Jesus and
condemns the woman: “If this man were a prophet, he would know who this woman
is and what sort of person it is who is touching him and what a bad name she has.”
Jesus uses a parable to respond to the provocation of the Pharisee.
• Luke 7: 41-43: The parable of the two debtors. One owed 500 denarii, the other 50.
Neither one was able to pay, both of them were forgiven. Which of them will love
their master more? Response of the Pharisee: The one who was let off more, I
suppose! The parable presupposes that both, the Pharisee and the woman, had
received some favor from Jesus. In the attitude that both take before Jesus they
indicate how much they appreciate the favor received. The Pharisee shows his love,
his gratitude, by inviting Jesus to eat with him. The woman shows her love, her
gratitude, by her tears, the kisses, and the perfume.
• Luke 7: 44-47: The message of Jesus for the Pharisee. After having received the
response ofthe Pharisee, Jesus applies the parable. Even if he was in the house of the
Pharisee, invited byhim, Jesus does not lose the freedom to speak and to act. He
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defends the woman against the criticism of the practicing Jew. The message of
Jesus for the Pharisees of all times is this one:
“The one who is forgiven little, loves little!” A Pharisee thinks that he is not a sinner
because he observes the law in everything. The personal assurance that I, a Pharisee,
create for myselfmany times, in the observance of the Law of God and of the Church,
prevents me from experiencing the gratuity of the love of God. What is important is
not the observance of the law, but the love with which I observe the law. And using
the symbols of the love of the woman, Jesus responds to the Pharisee who
considered himself to be in peace with God: “You poured no water over my feet;
you gave me no kiss, you did not anoint my head with perfumed oil! Simon, in spite
of the banquet that you have offered me, you have loved very little!”
• Luke 7: 48-50: The word of Jesus to the woman. Jesus declares that the woman is
forgiven and then adds: “Your faith has saved you, go in peace!” Here we have the
novelty of the attitude of Jesus. He does not condemn but he accepts. It is faith
which helps the woman to encounter herself and to encounter God. In the
relationship with Jesus, a new force springs upin her and makes her be born again.
Personal Questions
• Where, when, and how are women despised or rejected by the Pharisee of today?
• The woman certainly would not have done what she did if she was not absolutely
certain that Jesus would accept her. Do the marginalized and migrant persons have
the same certainty today?
Concluding Prayer
For Yahweh is good,
his faithful love is everlasting,
his constancy from age to age. (Ps 100: 5)

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty God,
in our lives.
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Now it happened that Jesus made his way through towns and villages preaching and
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.
With him went the Twelve, as well as certain women who had been cured of evil spirits
and ailments: Mary surnamed the Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone
out, Joanna the wife of Herod‘s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who
provided for them out of their own resources.
Reflection
In today‘s Gospel we have the continuation of yesterday‘s episode which spoke about
the surprising attitude of Jesus with regard to women, when he defends the woman,
who was known in the town as a sinner, against the criticism of the Pharisee. Now at
the beginning of chapter 8, Luke describes Jesus who goes through the villages and
towns of Galilee and the novelty is that he was not only accompanied by the disciples,
but also by the women disciples.
• Luke 8: 1: The Twelve who follow Jesus. In one phrase alone, Luke describes the
situation: Jesus goes through towns and villages preaching and proclaiming the
Good News of the Kingdom of God and the Twelve are with him. The expression “to
follow Jesus” (cf. Mk 1: 18; 15: 41) indicates the condition of the disciple who follows the
Master, twenty-four hours a day, trying to imitate his example and to participate in
his destiny.
• Luke 8: 2-3: The women follow Jesus. What surprises is that at the side of the men
there are also women ―together with Jesus‖. Luke places both the men and the
women disciples at the same level because all of them follow Jesus. Luke has also
kept some of the names of some of these women disciples: Mary Magdalene, born
in the town of Magdala. She had been cured, and delivered from seven demons;
Joanna, the wife of Chuza, steward of Herod Antipa, who was Governor of Galilee;
Suzanne and several others. It is said that they “served Jesus with their own goods”
Jesus allows a group of women “to follow” him (Lk 8: 2-3; 23: 49; Mk 15: 41). The Gospel
of Mark when speaking about the women at the moment of Jesus‘ death says:
―There were some women who were observing at a distance and among them Mary
of Magdala, Mary, the mother of James the younger and Joset, and Salome, who
followed him and served him when he was still in Galilee, and many others who had
gone up with him to Jerusalem (Mk 15: 40-41). Mark defines their attitude with three
words: to follow, to serve, to go up to Jerusalem. The first Christians did not draw up
a list of these women disciples who followed Jesus as they had done with the twelve
disciples. But in the pages of the Gospel of Luke the name of seven of these women
disciples are mentioned: Mary Magdalene, Jeanna, wife of Chuza, Suzanne (Lk 8: 3),
Martha and Mary (Lk 10: 38), Mary, the mother of James (Lk 24: 10) and Anna, the
prophetess (Lk 2: 36), who was eighty- four years old. Number eighty-four is seven
times twelve: the perfect age! The later Ecclesiastical tradition does not value this
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fact about the discipleship of women with the same importance with which it values
the following of Jesus on the part of men. It is a sin!
• The Gospel of Luke has always been considered as the Gospel of women. In fact, Luke
is the Evangelist who presents the largest number of episodes in which he
underlines the relationship of Jesus with the women, and the novelty is not only in
the presence of the women around Jesus, but also and, above all, in the attitude of
Jesus in relation to them. Jesus touches them and allows them to touch him without
fear of being contaminated (Lk 7: 39; 8: 44-45, 54). This was different from the
teachers of that time; Jesus accepts women who follow him and who are his disciples
(Lk 8: 2-3; 10: 39). The liberating force of God, which acts in Jesus, allows women to
raise and to assume their dignity (Lk 13: 13). Jesus is sensitive to the suffering of the
widow and is in solidarity with her sorrow (Lk 7: 13). The work of the woman who
prepares the meal is considered by Jesus like a sign of the Kingdom (Lk 13: 20-21). The
insistent widow who struggles for her rights is considered the model of prayer (Lk 18:
1-8), and the poor widow who shares the little that she has with others is the model
of dedication and donation (Lk 21: 1-4). At a time when the witness of women is not
accepted as something valid, Jesus accepts women and considers them witnesses
of his death (Lk 23: 49), of his burial (Lk 22: 55-56) and of his resurrection (Lk 24: 1-11,
22-24).
Personal Questions
• How is woman considered in your community, in your country, in your Church?
• Compare the attitude of our Church with the attitude of Jesus.
Concluding Prayer
God, examine me and know my heart, test me and know my concerns.
Make sure that I am not on my way to ruin, and guide me on the road of eternity. (Ps
139: 23-24)
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Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty God,
in our lives.

With a large crowd gathering and people from every town finding their way to Jesus,
he told this parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. Now as he sowed, some fell on
the edge of the path and was trampled on; and the birds of the air ate it up. Some seed
fell on rock, and when it came up it withered away, having no moisture. Some seed fell
in the middle of thornsand the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell
into good soil and grew and produced its crop a hundredfold.” Saying this he cried,
“Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!”
His disciples asked him what this parable might mean, and he said, “To you is granted
to understand the secrets of the kingdom of God; for the rest it remains in parables, so
that they may look but not perceive, listen but not understand.
This, then, is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God. Those on the edge of
the path are people who have heard it, and then the devil comes and carries away the
word from their hearts in case they should believe and be saved.
Those on the rock are people who, when they first hear it, welcome the word with joy.
But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of trial they give up.
As for the part that fell into thorns, this is people who have heard, but as they go on
their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life and never
produce any crops. As for the part in the rich soil, this is people with a noble and
generous heart who have heard the word and take it to themselves and yield a harvest
through their perseverance.
Reflection
In today‘s Gospel, we will meditate on the parable of the seed. Jesus had a very
popularword to teach by means of parables. A parable is a comparison which uses the
visible things of life that are known to explain the invisible and unknown things of the
Kingdom of God. Jesus had an enormous capacity to find very simple images to
compare the things of God with the things of life which people knew and experienced
in their daily struggle to survive. This presupposes two things: to be within the things of
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life, and to be within the things of God, of the Kingdom of God. For example, the people
of Galilee understood all about seeds, of land, of rain, of the sun, of salt of flowers, of the
harvest, of fishing, etc. Now, there are exactly these known things that Jesus uses in the
parables to explain the mystery of the Kingdom. The farmer who listens says: “The seed
in the ground, I know what this means. Jesus says that this has something to do with
the Kingdom of God. What could this ever be?” It is possible to imagine the long
conversations with the people! The parable enters into the heart of the people and
urges them to listen to nature and to think about life.
When he finishes telling the parable, Jesus does not explain it, but he usually says:
“Who has ears to hear, let him hear.” This means: “This is: You have heard and so
now try to understand!” From time to time he would explain to the disciples: People
like this way of teaching, because Jesus believed in the personal capacity to discover
the sense of the parables. The experience which people had of life was for him a
means to discover the presence of the mystery of God in their life and to have courage
not to be discouraged along the way.
• Luke 8: 4: The crowds follow Jesus. Luke says: a large crowd got around him and
people from all the towns ran to him from all the towns. So then he tells them this
parable. Mark describes how Jesus told the parable. There were so many people that
he, in order not to fall, went into a boat and sitting down he taught the people who
were on the seashore (Mk 4: 1).
• Luke 8: 5-8: The parable of the seed is a mirror of the life of the farmers. At that time,
it was not easy to live from agriculture. The ground was full of rocks; there was little
rain,much sun. Besides, many times, people, to shorten the way, passed through the
fields and stepped on the plants (Mk 2: 23). But in spite of that, every year the farmer
sowed and planted, trusting in the force of the seed, in the generosity of nature.
• Luke 8: 8b: Anyone who has ears to hear let him hear! At the end, Jesus says: “Anyone
who has ears to hear, let him hear!” The way to be able to understand the parable is
to search: “Try to understand!” The parable does not say everything immediately, but
moves the person to think. It does it in such a way that the person discovers the
message beginning from the experience which the person has of the seed. It urges
the person to be creative and to participate. It is not a doctrine which is presented
ready to be taught and decorated. The parable is not water in a bottle, it is the source.
• Luke 8: 9-10: Jesus explains the parable to the disciples. At home, alone with Jesus,
the disciples want to know the meaning of the parable. Jesus responds by means of
a difficult and mysterious phrase. He says to the Disciples: “To you is granted to
understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God, for the rest it remains in parables so
that they may look but not perceive, listen but not understand.” This phrase gives
rise to a question in the heart of the people: What is the purpose of a parable? Is it to
clarify or to hide things? Did Jesus uses the parables in order that people continue
in their ignorance and would not convert themselves? Certainly not! In another
place it is said that Jesus used the parables “according to what they could
understand” (Mk 4: 33). The parable reveals and hides at the same time” It reveals for
those who are “inside, within” who accept Jesus Messiah Servant. It hides for those
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who insist in seeing in him the Messiah the glorious King. These understand the
images of the parable, but do not understand its meaning.
• Luke 8: 11-15: The explanation of the parable, in its diverse parts. One by one, Jesus
explains the parts of the parable, the seed, and the earth up to the harvest time.
Some scholars think that this explanation was added afterwards; that it would not
be from Jesus‘, but from one of the communities. This is possible! It does not
matter! Because in the bud of the parable there is the flower of the explanation.
Buds and flowers, both of them have the same origin, that is, Jesus. This is why we
also can continue to reflect and to discover other beautiful things in the parable.
Once, a person in a community asked: “Jesus says that we have to be salt. For what
does salt serve?” The persons gave their opinion starting from the experience which
each one had regarding salt! And they applied all this to the life of the community
and discovered that to be salt is difficult and demanding. The parable functioned
well! The same thing can be applied to the seeds. All have a certain experience.
Personal Questions
• The seed falls in four different places: on the roadside, among the rocks, among the
thorns and in the good earth. What does each one of these four places mean? What
type of earth am I? Sometimes, people are rock; other times thistles; other roadside,
other times good ground. Normally, what are we in our community?
• Which are the fruits which the Word of God is producing in our life and in our
community.
Concluding Prayer
Your kingship is a kingship or ever, your reign lasts from age to age.
Yahweh is trustworthy in all his words, and upright in all his deeds. (Ps 145: 12-13)

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
became for them the source of life and of resurrection.
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Gospel Reading: Mark 9: 30-37 (41)

The text of the Gospel for the liturgy of this Sunday presents us with the second
foretelling of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. As in the first foretelling
(Mk 8: 31-33), the disciples are scared and overcome by fear. They do not understand
anything about the cross, because they are not capable of understanding nor of
accepting a Messiah who becomes the servant of his brethren. They still dream of a
glorious messiah (Mt 16: 21-22). There is a greatdiscrepancy among the disciples. While
Jesus proclaims his Passion and Death, they discuss who will be the greatest among
them (Mk 9: 34). Jesus wishes to serve, they only think of ruling! Ambition makes
them want to take a place next to Jesus. What is it that stands out in my life:
competitiveness and the desire to rule or the desire to serve and encourage others?
Jesus‘ reaction to the demands of the disciples helps us understand a little concerning
the fraternal pedagogy used by him to form his disciples. It shows us how he helped
them to overcome ―the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod‖ (Mk 8: 15). Such leaven
has deep roots. It springs up again and again! But Jesus does not give up! He
constantly fights against and criticizes the wrong kind of “leaven.” Today too we have a
leaven of the dominant ideology: the spread of the neo-liberal system, of commerce, of
consumerism, of novels, of games, all deeply influencing our way of thinking and
acting. Today too we have the leaven of the dominant ideology. Like the disciples of
Jesus, we too are not always capable of keeping up acritical attitude towards the
invasion of this leaven. Jesus‘ attitude of formator continues to help us.
A Division of the Text to Help Us in Our Reading:
• Mark 9: 30-32: the proclamation of the Passion

• Mark 9: 33-37: a discussion on who is the greatest
• Mark 9: 38-40: the use of the name of Jesus
• Mark 9: 41: the reward for a cup of water
The Text:
30
They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any
one know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be
delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three
days he will rise." 32 But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask
him.
33
And they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What
were you discussing on the way?" 34 But they were silent; for on the way they had
discussed with one another who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the
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twelve; and he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant
of all." 36 And he took a child, and put him in the midst ofthem; and taking him in his
arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me;
and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."
38
John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we
forbade him, because he was not following us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for
no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of
me. 40 For he that is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a
cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his
reward.

Some Questions
• Which words pleased you most or drew your attention?

• What attitude did the disciples take in each of the passages: vv 30-32; vv 33-37; vv
38-40?Is it the same attitude in the three passages?
• What is Jesus‘ teaching in each episode?
• What does the phrase “Anyone who is not against us is for us” mean for us today?
A Key to the Reading

for those who wish to go deeper into the text.
Comment
• Mark 9: 30-32: The proclamation of the Cross.

Jesus was going across Galilee, but he did not want the people to know this, because
he was concerned with the formation of his disciples. He talks to them about “The
Son of Man” who must be handed over. Jesus draws his teaching from the
prophecies. In the formation of his disciples he uses the Bible. The disciples listen,
but they do not understand. Yet they do not ask for explanations. Perhaps they are
afraid to show their ignorance!
• Mark 9: 33-34: A competitive mentality.
When they return home, Jesus asks: What were you arguing about on the road? They
do not reply. It is the silence of those who feel guilty, because they had been arguing
which of them was the greatest. The “leaven” of competitiveness and prestige, which
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characterized the society of the Roman Empire, had infiltrated among the small
community still in its beginnings! Here we see the contrast! While Jesus is thinking
of being the Messiah-Servant, they were thinking about which of them was the
greatest. Jesus tries to descend while they tryto ascend!
• Mark 9: 35-37: To serve and not to rule.
Jesus‘ reply is a resume of the witness he had given from the very beginning: If
anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all! And the
last gains nothing. He is a useless servant (cf. Lk 17: 10). The use of power is not to
ascend or rule, but to descend and serve. This is the point that Jesus stresses most
and on which he bases his witness (cf. Mk 10: 45; Mt 20: 28; Jn 13: 1-16). Jesus takes a
little child. Someone who only thinks of ascending and ruling has no time for the
little ones, for children. But Jesus turns everything upside down! He says: Anyone
who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and anyone
who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me! He identifies himself
with the children. Anyone who welcomes the little ones in the name of Jesus
welcomes God himself!
• Mark 9: 38-40: A restricted mentality.
Someone who did not belong to the community was using the name of Jesus
to cast out devils. John, the disciple, sees him and stops him: Because he was not
one of us, we tried to stop him. John stops a good action in the name of the
community. He thought he owned Jesus and wanted to stop others from using
Jesus‘ name to do good. This was the restricted and old mentality of the “Elect, the
separate People” Jesus replies: You must not stop him! Anyone who is not against
us is for us! (Mk 9: 40). What is important for Jesus is not whether the person is or is
not part of the community, but whether the person does or does not do the good
deeds that the community should be doing.
• Mark 9: 41: A cup of water deserves a reward.
Here we have an inserted phrase used by Jesus: If anyone gives you a cup of water
to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most
certainly not lose his reward. Let us consider two thoughts:
• 1) If anyone gives you a cup of water: Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem to give
his life. The gesture of a grand gift! But he does not despise small gestures
of gifts in daily life: a cup of water, a welcome, a word, so many other
gestures. Even the smallest gesture is appreciated.
• 2) Just because you belong to Christ: Jesus identifies himself with us who
wish to belong to him. This means that for him we are of great worth.
Further Explanations to Better Understand the Text
• Jesus, the “Son of Man”

This is Jesus‘ favorite name. It appears quite frequently in the Gospel of Mark (Mk 2:
10-28; 8: 31-38; 9: 9-12, 31; 10: 33-45; 13: 26; 14: 21, 41, 62). This title comes from the Old
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Testament. In the book of Ezekiel, he presents the human condition of the prophet
(Ez 3: 1, 10, 17; 4: 1 etc.). In the book of Daniel, the same title appears in an apocalyptic
vision (Dn 7: 1-28), where Daniel describes the empires of the Babylonians, the
Medians, the Persians and the Greeks. In the prophet‘s vision, these four empires
appear as “monstrous animals” (cf. Dn 7: 3-8). They are beastly empires, brutal,
inhuman, that persecute and kill (Dn 7: 21-25). In the prophet‘s vision, after two
inhuman reigns the Kingdom of God appears in the form not of an animal but that
of a human figure, the Son of man. It is a kingdom with the appearance of people, a
human kingdom, that promotes life and that humanizes (Dn 7: 13-14).
• In Daniel‘s prophecy, the figure of the Son of Man represents, not an individual, but
as he says, the “people of the Saints of the Most High” (Dn 7: 27; cf Dn 7: 18). It is the
people of God that will not allow itself to be cheated or manipulated by the dominant
ideology of the beastly empires. The mission of the Son of Man, that is, of the people
of God, consists in realizing the Kingdom of God as a human kingdom. A kingdom
that does not destroy life, butrather builds it up! It humanizes people.
• When Jesus presents himself to his disciples as the Son of Man, he assumes as his
own the mission that is the mission of the whole People of God. It is as though he
were saying to them and to us: “Come with me!” This mission is not only mine, but of
all of us! Together, let us accomplish the mission that God has entrusted to us: to
build the human and humanizing Kingdom of his dream! Let us do what he did and
lived throughout his life, above all, in the last three years of his life. Pope Leo the
Great used to say: “Jesus was so human, so human, as only God can be!” The more
human it is, the more divine it becomes. The more we are son of man so much
more will we be ―son of God. Everything that makes people less human draws people
away from God, even in religious life, even in Carmelite life! This is what Jesus
condemned and he placed the good of the human person above the law and the
Sabbath (Mk 2: 27).
• Jesus, the Formator
“To follow” was a term that was part of the system of education at that time. It was
used to indicate the relationship between disciple and master. The relationship
between disciple and master is different from that of teacher and student. Students
follow the lessons of the teacheron some particular subject. Disciples “follow” the
master and live with him all the time.
It is during this period of “living together” for three years that the disciples will
receive their formation. A formation in the following of Jesus was not just the passing
on of some decorative truths, but the communication of a new experience of God
and of the life that shone from Jesus for the disciples. The very community that grew
around Jesus was the expression of this new experience. This formation led people
to see things differently, to different attitudes. It created in them a new awareness
concerning the mission and respect for self. It made them take the side of the
excluded. It produced a “conversion,” the consequence of having accepted the Good
News (Mk 1: 15).
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Jesus is the axle, the center, the model, the point of reference of the community. He
shows the road to follow, he is “the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14: 6). His attitude
is proof and an exposition of the Kingdom: he makes the love of the Father
transparent and incarnates and reveals it (Mk 6: 31; Mt 10: 30; Lk 15: 11-32). Jesus is a
“meaningful person” for them, who will leave on them a permanent mark. Many
small gestures mirror this witness of life that Jesus gave by his presence in the life of
the disciples. It was his way of giving human form to the experience he had of the
Father. In this way of being and sharing, of relating to people, of leading the people
and of listening to those who came to him, Jesus is seen:
• as the person of peace, who inspires and reconciles: “Peace be with you!”
(Jn. 20: 19; Mt 10: 26-33; Mt 18: 22; Jn 20: 23; Mt 16: 19; Mt 18: 18);
• as a free person and one who liberates, who awakens freedom and
liberation: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2:
27; 2: 18-23);
• as a person of prayer, whom we see praying at all important moments of his
life and who inspires others to prayer: “Lord, teach us to pray!” (Lk 11: 1-4; Lk
4: 1-13; 6: 12-13; Jn 11: 41- 42; Mt 11: 25; Jn 17: 1-26; Lk 23: 46; Mk 15: 34);
• as a loving person who arouses reactions full of love (Lk 7: 37-38; 8: 2-3; Jn 21:
15-17; Mk 14: 3-9; Jn 13: 1);
• as a welcoming person who is always present in the lives of the disciples and
who welcomes them when they come back from the mission (Lk 10: 7);
• as a realistic and observing person who arouses the attention of the disciples
in matters of life by teaching them in Parables (Lk 8: 4-8);
• as a caring person always paying attention to the disciples (Jn 21: 9), who
looks after their rest and who wishes to stay with them so that they may rest
(Mk 6: 31);
• as someone preoccupied with the situation even to forgetting that his
tiredness and his rest when he sees people who are looking for him (Mt 9:
36-38);
• as a friend who shares everything, even the secrets of his Father (Jn 15: 15);
• as an understanding person who accepts the disciples just as they are, even
when they flee from him, in spite of their denial and their betrayal of him,
without ever breaking with them (Mk 14: 27-28; Jn 6: 67);
• as a committed person who defends his friends when they are criticized by
their adversaries (Mk 2: 18-19; 7: 5-13);
• as a wise person who knows the fragility of human beings, knows what
happens in the heartof a person, and thus insists on vigilance and teaches
them to pray (Lk 11: 1-13; Mt 6: 5-15).
In a word, Jesus shows himself to be a human person, very human, so human as only
God can know to be human! Son of Man.
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Psalm 30 (29)
Thanksgiving After Some Mortal Danger
I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast drawn me up,

and hast not let my foes rejoice over me.O Lord my God, I cried to thee for help,and
thou hast healed me.
O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among
those gone down to the Pit.Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to
his holy name.For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping
may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. As for me, I said in my
prosperity,"I shall never be moved."
By thy favor, O Lord, thou hadst established me as a strong mountain; thou didst hide
thy face, I was dismayed.
To thee, O Lord, I cried; and to the Lord I made supplication: "What profit is there in my
death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise thee? Will it tell of thy faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be thou my helper!"
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; thou hast loosed my sackcloth
and girded me with gladness,that my soul may praise thee and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee forever.
Final Prayer
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Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Father,
guide us, as You guide creationaccording to Your law of love.
May we love one anotherand come to perfection in the eternal life prepared for us.
the Holy Spirit,one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus said to the crowd: "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it
under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the
light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that
will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who
has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will
be taken away."
Reflection
Today’s Gospel presents three brief phrases pronounced by Jesus. They are phrases
scattered in different places which Luke collected here after the parable of the seed (Lk
8: 4-8) and of His explanation to the disciples (Lk 8: 9-15). This literary context, in which Luke
places the three phrases, helps us to understand how he wants people to understand
these phrases of Jesus.
• Luke 8: 16: The lamp which gives light. “No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl
or to put it under a bed; no, it is put on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light
when they come in. This phrase of Jesus is a brief parable. Jesus does not explain,
because all know what He is speaking about. This belonged to everyday life. At that
time, there was no electric light. Just imagine this! The family meets at home. The
sunbegins to set. A person gets up, lights the lamp, covers it with a vase or places it
underthe bed. What will the others say? All will scream out: “Are you crazy... place the
lampon the table!” In a biblical meeting somebody made the following comment:
The Wordof God is a lamp which is necessary to light in the darkness of the night. If
it remains closed up in the book of the bible, it will be like the lamp under a vase. But
when it is placed on the table it gives light to the whole house, when it is read in
community and is connected to life.
• In the context in which Luke places this phrase, he is referring to the explanation
which Jesus gave about the parable of the seeds (Lk 8: 9-15). It is as if he would say:
the thingswhich you have just heard you should not keep them only for yourselves, but
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you should share them with others. A Christian should not be afraid to give witness
and spread theGood News. Humility is important, but the humility which hides the
gifts of God given to edify the community is false (1 Cor 12: 4-26; Rom 12: 3-8).
• Luke 8: 17: That which is hidden will be manifested. “There is nothing hidden which
will not be manifested, nothing secret which will not be known and brought to light.”
In the context in which Luke places this second phrase of Jesus, it also refers to the
teachings given by Jesus particularly to the disciples (Lk 8: 9-10). The disciples cannot
keep these only for themselves, but they should share them, because they form part
of the Good News which Jesus has brought.
• Luke 8: 18: Attention to preconceptions. “So take care how you listen, anyone who has
will be given more, anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he thinks he
has.” At that time, there were many preconceptions on the Messiah which
prevented people from understanding, in a correct way, the Good News of the
Kingdom which Jesus announced. “For this reason, this warning of Jesus concerning
preconceptions is quite actual. Jesus asks the disciples to be aware of the
preconceptions with which theylisten to the teaching that He presents. With this
phrase of Jesus, Luke is saying to the communities and to all of us: “Be attentive to
the ideas with which you look at Jesus!” Because if the color of the eyes is green,
everything will seem to be green. If it were blue, everything would be blue! If the idea
that I have when I look at Jesus is mistaken, erroneous, everything which I receive
and teach about Jesus will be threatened by error!If I think that the Messiah has to be
a glorious King, I will not want to hear anything which Jesus teaches about the Cross,
about suffering, persecution and about commitment, and to lose even what I
thought I possessed. Joining this third phrase to the first one, I can conclude what
follows: anyone who keeps for himself what he receives and does not distribute it to
others, loses what he has, because it becomes corrupt.
Personal Questions
• Have you had any experience of preconceptions which have prevented you from
perceiving and appreciating in their just value, the good things that persons have?
• Have you perceived the preconceptions which are behind certain stories, accounts,
and parables which certain persons tell us?
Concluding Prayer
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,who walk in the Law of Yahweh!
Blessed are those who observe His instructions, who seek Him with all their hearts. (Ps
119: 1-2)
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St Matthew the Evangelist
Opening Prayer
Father, you call your children to walk in the light of Christ.
Free us from darkness and keep us in the radiance of your truth.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 9: 9-13

As Jesus was walking on from there he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax
office, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up and followed him.
Now while he was at table in the house it happened that a number of tax
collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your master eat with
tax collectors and sinners?'
When he heard this he replied, 'It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick.
Go and learn the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice. And
indeed I came to call not the upright, but sinners.'
Reflection
The Sermon on the Mountain takes chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew. The
purpose of the narrative part of chapters 8 and 9 is to show how Jesus put into practice
what he had just taught. In the Sermon on the Mountain, he teaches acceptance (Mt 5:
23-25, 38-42, 43). Now he puts it into practice accepting the lepers (Mt 8: 1-4), the
foreigners (Mt 8: 5- 13), the women (Mt 8: 14-15), the sick (Mt 8: 16-17), the possessed (Mt
8: 28-34), the paralytics (Mt 9: 1-8), the tax collectors (Mt 9: 913), the unclean persons (Mt
9: 20-22), etc. Jesus breaks the norms and the customs which excluded and divided
persons, that is with the fear and the lack of faith (Mt 8: 23-27) the laws on purity (9: 14-
17), and he clearly says which are the requirements for those who want to follow him.
They should have the courage to abandon many things (Mt 8: 18-22). In the same way
in the attitudes and in the practice of Jesus we see in what the Kingdom and the
perfect observance of the Law of God consists.
• Matthew 9: 9: The call to follow Jesus. The first persons called to follow Jesus are four
fishermen, all Jewish (Mt 4: 18-22). Now Jesus calls a tax collector, considered a sinner
and treated as an unclean person by the community of the most observant of the
Pharisees. In the other Gospels, this tax collector is called Levi. Here, his name is
Matthew, which means gift of God or given by God. The communities, instead of
excluding the tax collector and of considering him unclean, should consider him a
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Gift of God for the community, because his presence makes the community become
a sign of salvation for all! Like the first four who were called, in the same way also
Matthew, the tax collector, leaves everything that he has and follows Jesus. The
following of Jesus requires breaking away from many things. Matthew leaves the tax
office, his source of revenue and follows Jesus!
• Matthew 9: 10: Jesus sits at table with sinners and tax collectors. At that time the Jews
lived separated from the tax collectors and sinners and they did not eat with them
at the same table. The Christian Jews should break away from this isolation and sit
at table with the tax collectors and with the unclean, according to the teaching given
by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mountain, the expression of the universal love of God
the Father (Mt 5: 44-48). The mission of the communities was that of offering a place
to those who did not have it. But this new law was not accepted by all. In some
communities persons coming from paganism, even if they were Christians, were not
accepted around the same table (cf. Ac 10: 28; 11: 3; Ga 2: 12). The text of today‘s Gospel
shows us Jesus who sits at table with tax collectors and sinners in the same house,
around the same table.
• Matthew 9: 11: The question of the Pharisees. Jews were forbidden to sit at table with
the tax collectors and with sinners, but Jesus does not follow this prohibition. Rather
he becomes a friend to them. The Pharisees seeing the attitude of Jesus, ask the
disciples: “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” This question
may be interpreted as an expression of their desire to know why Jesus acts in that
way. Others interpret the question like a criticism of Jesus‘ behavior, because for over
five hundred years, from the time of the slavery in Babylon until the time of Jesus,
the Jews had observed the laws of purity. This secular observance became a strong
sign of identity. At the same time it was a factor of their separation in the midst of
other peoples. Thus, because of the laws on purity, they could not nor did they
succeed to sit around the same table to eat with tax collectors. To eat with tax
collectors meant to get contaminated, to become unclean. The precepts of legal
purity were rigorously observed, in Palestine as well as in the Jewish communities of
the Diaspora. At the time of Jesus, there were more than five hundred precepts to
keep purity. In the years 70‘s, at the time when Matthew wrote, this conflict was very
actual.
• Matthew 9: 12-13: “Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice.” Jesus hears the question
of the Pharisees to the disciples and he answers with two clarifications: the first one
is taken from common sense: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the
sick.” The second one is taken from the Bible: “Go and learn the meaning of the
words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice.” Through these clarifications, Jesus
makes explicit and clarifies his mission among the people: “I have not come to call
the upright but sinners.” Jesus denies the criticism of the Pharisees; he does not
accept their arguments, because they came from a false idea of the Law of God. He
himself invokes the Bible: “Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice.” For Jesus, mercy
is more important than legal purity. He refers to the prophetic tradition to say that
mercy has greater value for God than all sacrifices (Ho 6: 6; Is 1: 10-17). God has
profound mercy, and is moved before the failures of his people (Ho 11: 8-9).
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Personal Questions
• Today, in our society, who is marginalized and excluded? Why? In our community,
do we have preconceptions or prejudices? Which? Which is the challenge which the
words of Jesus present to our community?
• Jesus asks the people to read and to understand the Old Testament which says:
“Mercy is what pleases me and not sacrifice.” What does Jesus want to tell us with
this today?
Concluding Prayer
Blessed are those who observe his instructions. Blessed are those who observe his
instructions, who seek him with all their hearts, and, doing no evil, who walk in his ways.
(Ps 119: 2-3)

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Father,
guide us, as you guide creation according to your law of love.
May we love one another and come to perfection in the eternal life prepared for us.

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, normoney; and do not have a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay
there; and when you leave let your departure be from there. As for those who do not
welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as evidence
against them.”
So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and healing
everywhere.
Reflection
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Today‘s Gospel describes the mission which the Twelve received from Jesus. Later, Luke
speaks about the mission of the seventy-two disciples (Lk 10: 1-12). The two Gospels
complete one another and reveal the mission of the Church.
• Luke 9: 1-2: The sending out of the Twelve on mission. “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.” In calling the
Twelve, Jesus intensifies the announcement of the Good News. The objective of the
mission is simple and clear: they received the power and authority to cast out devils,
to cure the sick, and to announce the Kingdom of God. Just as people were admired,
astonished seeing Jesus‘ authority over the unclean spirits, and seeing his way of
announcing the Good News (Lk 4: 32, 36), the same thing should happen with the
preaching of the twelve apostles.
• Luke 9: 3-5. The instructions for the Mission. Jesus sends them out with the following
recommendations: “Take nothing for the journey, neither staff, nor haversack, nor
bread, nor money and do not have a spare tunic.” Do not go from one house to
another, but “Whatever house you enter stay there; and when you leave let your
departure be from there.” “As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave
their town shake the dust from your feet as evidence against them.” As you will see
these recommendations, which seem strange to us, have a very important
significance.
• Luke 9: 6. The execution of the Mission. They go. It is the beginning of a new stage.
Now, not only Jesus, but the whole group goes to announce the Good News to the
people. If the preaching of Jesus caused conflict, now, with the preaching of the
whole group, there will bea greater conflict.
• The four fundamental points of the mission. At the time of Jesus, there were diverse
Movements of renewal: the Essenes, the Pharisees, and the Zealots. They also were
seeking a new way to live in community and they had their own missionaries (cf. Mt
23: 15). But, they, when they went on mission, they were advised: to carry a staff, and
a haversack to put in it their food. They did not trust the food which was literally
not pure. Contrary to the other missionaries, the disciples of Jesus received diverse
recommendations which help us to understand the fundamental points of the
mission, to announce the Good News:
• They should take nothing (Lk 9: 3; 10: 4). That means that Jesus obliges
them to trust inthe hospitality; because one who goes with nothing, goes
because he trusts in the people and thinks that he will be welcomed,
received. With this attitude they criticize the laws ofexclusion taught by the
official religion and they show, by means of a new practice, that they had
other criteria in the community.
• They should remain in the first house where they enter, until they leave the
place (Lk 9: 4; 10: 7). That is, they should live together in a stable way and
not go from one house toanother. They should work with all and live from
what they receive in exchange “because the laborer deserves his wages” (Lk
10: 7). In other words, they should participate in the life and work of the
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people, and the people will receive them in their community and will share
with them house and food. That means that they have to trust in sharing.
This explains the severity of the criticism against those who reject the
message: shake off the dust from the feet, as a protest against them (Lk 10:
10-12), because they are not rejecting anything new but rather their past.
• They should cure the sick and drive out the devils (Lk 9: 1; 10: 9; Mt 10: 8). That
is, they should carry out the function of “defenders” (goêl) and accept in the
clan, in the community, the excluded. With this attitude they criticize the
situation of disintegration of community life of the clan and they indicate
concrete openings. The expulsion of the devils is a sign of the coming of the
Kingdom of God (Lk 11: 20).
• They should eat what the people give them (Lk 10: 8). They could not live
separated having their own food, but they should accept the communion
with others, eat with others. That means that in the contact with the people,
they should not be afraid of losing the purity as it had been taught to them.
With this attitude they criticize the laws of purity which were inforce and
indicate, by means of the new practice, that they possess another access to
purity, that is, intimacy with God.
These were the four fundamental points of community living which should
characterize the attitude of the missionaries who announce the Good News in the
name of Jesus: hospitality, sharing, communion and acceptance of the excluded
(defender, goêl). If there is a response to these four requirements, then it is possible to
cry out all over to the four corners of the world:
“The Kingdom has arrived!” (cf. Lk 10: 1-12; 9: 1-6; Mk 6: 7-13; Mt 10: 6-16). And the Kingdom
of God which Jesus has revealed to us is not a doctrine, nor a catechism, nor a law. The
Kingdom of God comes and becomes present when persons, motivated by their faith
in Jesus, decide to live together in community to give witness and to reveal, in this way,
to all, that God is Father and Mother and that we, the human beings, are brothers and
sisters. Jesus wanted the local community to be a new expression of the Covenant of
the Kingdom, of the love of God the Father, who makes us all brothers and sisters.
Personal Questions
• Has participation in the community helped you to accept and to trust persons,
especially the simpler and poorer?
• Which is the point of the mission of the Apostles which for us today has greater
importance? Why?
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Concluding Prayer
Lord, set me free from taunts and contempt since I observe your instructions.
Though princes sit plotting against me, your servant keeps pondering your will. (Ps 119:
22-23)

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Father, guide us, as you guide creation according to your law of love.

Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was going on; and he was puzzled, because
some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had
reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life.
But Herod said, “John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?” And
he was anxious to see him.
Reflection
Today‘s Gospel presents a reaction from Herod listening to the preaching of Jesus.
Herod does not know how to place himself before Jesus He had killed John the Baptist
and now he wants to see Jesus close to him. It is always threatening.
• Luke 9, 7-8: Who is Jesus? The text begins with the exposition of the opinion of the
people and of Herod on Jesus. Some associated Jesus to John the Baptist and to
Elijah. Others identified him with a Prophet, that is, with a person who speaks in the
name of God, who has the courage to denounce injustices of those in power and
who knows how to give hope to the little ones. He is the Prophet announced in the
Old Testament like a new Moses (Dt 18: 15). These are the same opinions that Jesus
received from the disciples when he asked them:
• “Who do people say I am?” (Lk 9: 18). Persons tried to understand Jesus starting from
things that they knew, thought and expected. They tried to set him against the
background of the familiar criteria of the Old Testament with its prophecies and
hopes, and of the Tradition of the Ancients with their laws. But these were
insufficient criteria; Jesus could not enter into them, he was much bigger!
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• Luke 9: 9: Herod wants to see Jesus. But Herod said: “John, I beheaded him; so who
is this of whom I hear such things?” “And he was anxious to see him.” Herod, a
superstitious man without scruples, recognizes that he was the murderer of John
the Baptist. Now, he wants to see Jesus. Luke suggests thus that the threats begin
to appear on the horizon of the preaching of Jesus. Herod had no fear to kill John. He
will not be afraid to kill Jesus. On the other side, Jesus does no fear Herod. When they
tell him that Herod wanted to take him to kill him, he sent someone to tell him: “You
may go and give that fox this message: “Look, today and tomorrow I drive out devils
and heal, and on the third day I attain my end.” (Lk 13: 32) Herod has no power over
Jesus. When at the hour of the passion, Pilate sends Jesus to be judged by Herod,
Jesus does not respond anything (Lk 23: 9). Herod does not deserve a response.
• From father to son. Sometimes the three Herods, who lived during that time are
confused, then the three appear in the New Testament with the same name: a)
Herod, called the Great, governed over the whole of Palestine from 37 before Christ.
He appears at the birth of Jesus (Mt 2: 1). He kills the new-born babies of Bethlehem
(Mt 2: 16). b) Herod, called Antipas, governed in Galilee from the year 4 to 39 after
Christ. He appears at the death of Jesus (Lk 23: 7). He killed John the Baptist (Mk 6:
14-29). c) Herod, called Agrippa, governed all over Palestine from the year 41 to 44
after Christ. He appears in the Acts of the Apostles (Ac 12: 1, 20). He killed the Apostle
James (Ac 12: 2).
When Jesus was about four years old, King Herod, the one who killed the new-born
babies of Bethlehem died (Mt 2: 16). His territory was divided among his sons,
Archelaus, would govern Judea. He was less intelligent than his father, but more
violent. When he assumed the power, approximately 3000 persons were massacred
on the square of the Temple! The Gospel of Matthew says that Mary and Joseph,
when they learnt that Archelaus had taken over the government of Galilee, were
afraid and returned on the road and went to Nazareth, in Galilee,which was governed
by another son of Herod, called Herod Antipas (Lk 3: 1). This Antipas governed over
40 years. During the thirty-three years of Jesus there was no change ofgovernment
in Galilee.
Herod, the Great, the father of Herod Antipas, had constructed the city of Caesarea
Maritime, inaugurated in the year 15 before Christ. It was the new port to get out the
products of the region. They had to compete with the large port of Tyron in the North
and, thus, help to develop trade and business in Samaria and in Galilee. Because of
this, from the time of Herod the Great, the agricultural production in Galilee began
to orientate itself no longer according to the needs of the families, as before, but
according to the demands of the market. This process of change in the economy
continued during all the time of the government of Herod Antipas, another forty
years, and found in him an efficient organizer. All these governors were “servants of
power.” In fact, the one who commanded in Palestine, from the year 63 before Christ,
was Rome, the Empire.
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Personal Questions
• It is well always to ask ourselves: Who is Jesus for me?
• Herod wants to see Jesus. His was a superstitious and morbid curiosity. Others want
to see Jesus because they seek a sense for their life. And I, what motivation do I have
which moves me to see and encounter Jesus?
Concluding Prayer
Each morning fill us with your faithful love, we shall sing and be happy all our days; let
our joy be as long as the time that you afflicted us, the years when we experienced
disaster. (Ps 90: 14-15)

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Father,
guide us, as you guide creationaccording to your law of love.

Now it happened that Jesus was praying alone, and his disciples came to him and he
put this question to them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
And they answered, “Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; others again one of the
ancient prophets come back to life.”
“But you,” he said to them, “who do you say I am?” It was Peter who spoke up. “The
Christ of God,” he said.
But he gave them strict orders and charged them not to say this to anyone. He said,
“The Son of man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief
priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.”
Reflection
The Gospel today follows the same theme as that of Yesterday: the opinion of the
people onJesus. Yesterday, beginning with Herod, today it is Jesus who asks what
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people think, the public opinion and the Apostles respond giving the same opinion
which was given yesterday. Immediately follows the first announcement of the passion,
death, and resurrection of Jesus.
• Luke 9: 18: The question of Jesus after his prayer. “One day, while Jesus was praying
alone, his disciples came to him and he put this question to them do the crowds say
I am?” In Luke‘s Gospel, on several important and decisive occasions, Jesus is
presented in prayer: in his Baptism when he assumes his mission (Lk 3: 21); in the 40
days in the desert, when, he overcame the temptations presented by the devil Lk 4:
1-13); the night before choosing the twelve apostles (Lk 6: 12); in the Transfiguration,
when, with Moses and Elijah he spoke about his passion in Jerusalem (Lc 9: 29); in
the Garden when he suffers his agony (Lk 22: 39-46); on the Cross, when he asks
pardon for the soldier (Lk 23: 34) and when he commits his spirit to God (Lk 23: 46).
• Luke 9: 19: The opinion of the people on Jesus. “They answered: ‘For some John the
Baptist; others Elijah, but others think that you are one of the ancient prophets who
has risen from the dead.’” Like Herod, many thought that John the Baptist had risen
in Jesus. It was a common belief that the prophet Elijah had to return (Mt 17: 10-13;
Mk 9: 11-12; Ml 3: 23-24; Eclo 48: 10). And all nourished the hope of the coming of the
Prophet promised by Moses(Dt 18: 15). This was an insufficient response.
• Luke 9: 20: The question of Jesus to the disciples. After having heard the opinion of
others, Jesus asks: “And you, who do you say I am?” Peter answers: “The Messiah of
God!” Peter recognizes that Jesus is the one whom the people are waiting for and
that he comes to fulfill the promise. Luke omits the reaction of Peter who tries to
dissuade Jesus to follow the way ofthe cross and omits also the harsh criticism of
Jesus to Peter (Mk 8: 32-33; Mt 16: 22-23).
• Luke 9: 21: The prohibition to reveal that Jesus is the Messiah of God. “Then Jesus
gave them strict orders and charged them not to say this to anyone.” It was
forbidden to them to reveal to the people that Jesus is the Messiah of God. Why does
Jesus prohibit this? At that time, as we have already seen, everybody was expecting
the coming of the Messiah, but, each one in his own way: some expected a king,
others a priest, others a doctor, a warrior, a judge or a prophet! Nobody seemed to
expect the Messiah Servant, announced by Isaiah (Is 42: 1- 9). Anyone who insists in
maintaining Peter‘s idea, that is, of a glorious Messiah, without the cross,
understands nothing and will never be able to assume the attitude of a true disciple.
He will continue to be blind, exchanging people for trees (cf. Mk 8: 24). Because
without the cross it is impossible to understand who Jesus is and what it means to
follow Jesus. Because of this, Jesus insists again on the Cross and makes the second
announcement of his passion, death, and resurrection.
• Luke 9: 22: The second announcement of the Passion. And Jesus adds: “The Son of
Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and
Scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.” The full
understanding of the following of Jesus is not obtained through theoretical
instruction, but through practical commitment, walking together with him along
the road of service, from Galilee up to Jerusalem. The road of the following is the road
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of the gift of self, of abandonment, of service, of availability, of acceptance of conflict,
knowing that there will be a resurrection. The cross is not an accident on the way; it
forms part of our way. This because in the organized world starting from egoism, love
and service can exist only if they are crucified! Anyone who makes of his life a service
to others disturbs those who live attached to privileges and suffers.
Personal Questions
• We all believe in Jesus. But there are some who understand him in one way and
others in another way. Today, which is the more common Jesus in the way of
thinking of people?
• How does propaganda interfere in my way of seeing Jesus? What do I do so as not
to allow myself to be drawn by the propaganda? What prevents us today from
recognizing and assuming the project of Jesus?
Concluding Prayer
Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,
who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle, my faithful love, my bastion, my
citadel, my Savior; I shelter behind him. (Ps 144: 1-2)

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Father,
guide us, as you guide creation according to your law of love.
Gospel Reading - Luke 9: 43b-45

Everyone was awestruck by the greatness of God. But while everyone was full of
admiration for all he did, he said to his disciples, “For your part, you must have
these words constantly inmind: The Son of man is going to be delivered into the
power of men.”
But they did not understand what he said; it was hidden from them so that they
should not seethe meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
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Reflection
The Gospel today presents the second announcement of the Passion, Death and
Resurrectionof Jesus. The disciples do not understand the words about the cross,
because they are neither capable to understand a Messiah who becomes the servant of
his brothers. They continue to dream about a glorious Messiah.
• Luke 9: 43b-44: The contrast. “Everyone was full of admiration for all he did.” Jesus
said to his disciples “For your part you must have these words constantly in mind:
The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the power of men.” The contrast is very
big. On one side, the vibration and admiration of the people for everything that Jesus
said and did. Jesus seems to correspond to all that people dream, believe, and
expect. On the other side, the affirmation of Jesus that he will be put to death and
delivered in the hands of men, that is, the opinion of the authority on Jesus is totally
contrary to the opinion of the people.
• Luke 9: 45: The announcement of the Cross. “But they did not understand what he
said; for them it was so mysterious, that they did not understand the sense and were
afraid to ask questions concerning this argument.” The disciples listened to him but
they did not understand the words about the cross. But even in this way, they do
not ask for any clarification. They are afraid to show their ignorance!
• The title Son of Man. This name appears quite frequently in the Gospels: 12 times in
John, 13 in Mark, 28 in Luke, 30 in Matthew. In all, it appears 83 times in the four
Gospels. This is the name which pleased Jesus the most. This title comes from the
Old Testament. In the Bookof Ezekiel, is indicated the very human condition of the
prophet (Ez 3: 1, 4, 10, 17; 4: 1 etc.).
• In the Book of Daniel, the same title appears in the apocalyptic vision (Dn 7: 1-28), in
which Daniel describes the empires of the Babylonians, of the Medes, of the Persians
and of the Greeks. In the vision of the prophet, these four empires have the
appearance of “monstrous animals” (cf. Dn 7: 3-8). They are animal empires which
are brutal, inhuman, which persecute, dehumanize, and kill (Dn 7: 1, 25). In the vision
of the prophet, after the anti- human kingdoms, the Kingdom of God appears which
has the appearance, not of an animal, but rather of a human person, Son of Man.
That is, a Kingdom with the appearance of people, a human kingdom, which
promotes life, it humanizes (Dn 7: 13-14). In the prophecy of Daniel the Son of Man
represents, not an individual, but rather, as he himself says, the “people of the
Saints of the Most High” (Dn 7: 27; cf. Dn 7: 18). It is the People of God who do not
allow themselves to be dehumanized nor deceived or manipulated by the
dominating ideology of the animal empires. The Mission of the Son of Man, that is, of
the People of God,consists in realizing the Kingdom of God like a human kingdom.
That is, a Kingdom which promotes life, which humanizes persons.
• Presenting himself as Son of Man to the disciples, Jesus makes his own this mission
which is the mission of all the People of God. It is as if he would say to them and to
all of us: “Come with me! This mission is not only mine, but it belongs to all of us! Let
us go together to carry out the mission which God has entrusted to us, and thus
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realize the human and humanizing Kingdom which he dreamt!” And he did this
during all his life, especially during the lastthree years. Pope Leo the Great said:
“Jesus was so human, but so human, like only God can be human.” The more
human he was, the more divine he was. The more he is “Son of Man” the more he
is “Son of God!” Everything which dehumanizes persons draws away from God. That
was condemned by God, who has placed the good of the human person above all
the laws, above the Sabbath or Saturday (Mk 2: 27). At the moment, when he was
condemned to death by the religious tribunal of the Synedrium, Jesus assumes this
title. When he was asked if he was “the Son of God” (Mk 14: 61), he answered that he
is the “Son of Man”: “I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand
of the Almighty” (Mk 14: 62). Becauseof this affirmation he was declared, by the
authority, guilty deserving death. He himself knewit because he had said: “The Son
of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for
many” (Mk 10: 45).
Personal Questions
• How do you combine in your life, suffering and faith in God?
• In the time of Jesus there was contrast: people thought and expected or hoped in a
certain way; the religious authority thought and expected or hoped in a different
way. Today, this same contrast exists.
Concluding Prayer
Forever, Yahweh,
your word is planted firm in heaven. Your constancy endures from age to age;
you established the earth and it stands firm. (Ps 119: 89-90)

Twenty-six Sunday of Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
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Reading
The Gospel text of the 26th Sunday of ordinary time recounts part of a long instruction
that Jesus addressed to his disciples (Mc 8: 22 a 10: 52). (See the commentary on the
Gospel of 24th Sunday). This Gospel especially sets down three conditions necessary for
the conversion of someone who wishes to follow him:
• it corrects the wrong idea of those who think they own Jesus (Mk 9: 38-40);
• (ii) it insists on welcoming little ones (Mk 9: 41-42) and
• (iii) it demands a radical commitment to the Gospel (Mk 9: 43-48).
A Division of the Text as a Help to the Reading:
• Mark 9: 38-40: Jesus corrects the closed mentality of John the Apostle.
• Mark 9: 41: Anyone who offers a cup of water to one of Jesus‘ disciples will be
rewarded.
• Mark 9: 42: Avoid scandalizing little ones.
• Mark 9: 43-48: A radical commitment to the Gospel.
Gospel Text: Mark 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48
38
John said to him, 'Master, we saw someone who is not one of us driving out devils in
your name, and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.' 39 But Jesus said,
'You must not stop him; no one who works a miracle in my name could soon
afterwards speak evil of me. 40 Anyone who is not against us is for us.
'If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, then
in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not lose his reward.
'But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith, would
be betterthrown into the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck.
And if your hand should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you to enter
into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that never
be put out. 44 45 And if your foot should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for
you enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 46 47 And if
your eye should be your downfall, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the
kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell 48
where their worm will never die nor their fire be put out. 49 For everyone will be
salted with fire. 50 Salt is a good thing, but if salt has become insipid, how can
you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one
another.'
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Some Questions
• What pleased or struck you most in this text? Why?

• What does Jesus‘ statement mean for us today when he says: ―Anyone who is not
against us is for us‖?
• What does the “cup of water” mentioned by Jesus mean for us today?
• Who were the “little ones”? What does “anyone who is the downfall of one of these
little ones” mean (v. 42)?
• “Millstone around his neck,” “Cut the hand or foot,” “Tear out the eye”: Can these
statements be taken literally? What is Jesus saying through these statements?
• In our society and community, who are the little ones and the marginalized? How
do we welcome them and what is the quality of our welcome?
To Go Deeper Into the Theme

Yesterdays’ and Today’s Context:
• As we said above, this Sunday‘s Gospel presents three important requirements for
the conversion of anyone who wishes to be Jesus‘ disciple:
• (i) Not to have a closed mentality likethat of John the disciple who thought
he owned Jesus, but to be open and ecumenical, able to recognize good in
others, even though they may belong to another religion.
• (ii) To overcome the mentality of those who considered themselves superior
to others and who, thus, despised the little ones and the poor and drew apart
from the community. According to Jesus, such a person deserves to have a
millstone tied round his neck and to be thrown into the depths ofthe sea.
• (iii) Jesus asks us not to let routine enter our living out of the Gospel, but that
we maybe able to break the ties that prevent us from living it fully.
• These three pointers are very real for us today. Many members of the Catholic Church
tend to be anti-ecumenical and have a closed mentality as if we Christians are
better than others. In today‘s world, dominated by a neo-liberal system, many
despise the little ones and everywhere poverty, hunger, refugees and those
abandoned are on the increase. We Christians are often not committed to live the
Gospel. If we, millions of Christians, were to really live the Gospel, the world would be
a different place.
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A Commentary on the Text:
• Mark 9: 38-40: A closed mentality.

One who did not belong to the community, used Jesus‘ name to drive out devils.
John, the disciple, sees this and forbids it: Because he was not one of us, we tried to
stop him. In the name of the community, John tries to stop someone else from doing
good! He thought that to be a good disciple he had to monopolize Jesus and, thus,
wanted to stop others from using the name of Jesus in doing good. This was the
closed and old mind of the “Chosen people, a people set apart!” Jesus replies: You
must not stop him! Anyone who is not against us is forus! (Mk 9:40). For Jesus, what
is important is not whether the person is or is not a member of the community, but
whether this person does or does not do the good that the community should be
doing. Jesus had an ecumenical mind.
• Mark 9: 41: Anyone who offers a cup of water will be rewarded.
One of Jesus‘ sayings was inserted here: If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not lose
his reward. Two thoughts to comment on this saying: i) “If anyone gives you a cup
of water”: Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to give his life. The sign of a great offering!
But he does not forget little offerings in daily life: a cup of water, a sign of welcome,
an act of charity, and so many other signs to show our love. Anyone who despises
the brick will never build a house! ii) ―Because you belong to Christ‖: Jesus identifies
himself with us who wish to belong to him. This means that, for him, we are of
great worth. Thus, we must always ask ourselves: “Who is Jesus for me?” and also ask
ourselves: “Who am I for Jesus?” This verse gives us an answer that is encouraging
and full of hope.
• Mark 9: 42: A scandal to little ones.
A scandal is something that makes a person deviate from the straight path. To
scandalize little ones is to cause little ones to deviate from the path and lose faith in
God. Anyone who does so, is condemned to be: “thrown into the sea with a great
millstone hung round his neck!” Why such harshness? Because Jesus identifies
himself with the little ones (Mt 25:40.45). Anyone who hurts them, hurts Jesus! Today,
in many places, the little ones, the poor, leave the Catholic Church and go to other
churches. They can no longer believe in the Church! Why? Before we point the finger
at the other churches, it is good to ask ourselves: why do they leave our house? If
they leave it is because they do not feel at home with us. There must be something
missing in us. How far are we to blame? Do we deserve the millstone around our
necks?
• Mark 9: 43-48: Cutting off the hand and foot.
Jesus tells us to cut the hand or foot, to pluck out the eye, if these are the cause of
scandal. He says: “It is better for you to enter into life crippled (maimed, with one
eye), than to have two hands (feet, eyes) and go to hell.” These sayings cannot be
taken literally. They are saying that we must be radical in our choice for God and for
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the Gospel. The expression, “Gehenna (hell), where their worm will never die nor their
fire be put out,” is an image that depicts the situation of one without God. Gehenna
was the name of a valley near Jerusalem, where the rubbish of the city was thrown
and where there was a constant fire to burn the rubbish. This malodorous place was
used by the people to symbolize the situation of one who had no part in the
Kingdom of God.
Further Information:
Jesus welcomes and defends the little ones
Many times, Jesus insists on welcoming little ones. “Anyone who welcomes a
little child such as this in my name, welcomes me” (Mk 9: 37). “If anyone gives so
much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple,
then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not go without his reward” (Mt 10:
42). He asks that we do not despise the little ones (Mt 18: 10). At the final
judgment, the just will be welcomed because they gave food to “one of the least
of these brothers of mine” (Mt 25: 40).
If Jesus insists so much on welcoming little ones, it is because many little ones
were not made welcome! In fact, women and children did not count (Mt 14: 21;
15: 38), they were despised (Mt 18: 10) and bound to silence (Mt 21: 15-16). Even the
apostles forbade them to go near Jesus (Mt 19: 13; Mk 10: 13-14). In the name of
God‘s law, badly interpreted by the religious authorities, many good people were
excluded. Rather than welcoming the excluded, the law was used to legitimize
exclusion.
In the Gospels, the expression “little ones” (in Greek elachistoi, mikroi or nepioi),
sometimes means “children,” at other times it means those excluded from
society. It is not easy to distinguish. Sometimes what is “little” in the Gospel,
means “children” because children belonged to the category of “little ones,” of
the excluded. Also, it is not easy to distinguish between what comes from the
time of Jesus and what from the time of the communities for whom the Gospels
were written. In any case, what is clear is the context of exclusion in practice at
the time, and the image that the first communities had of Jesus: Jesus places
himself on the side of the little ones and defends them. What Jesus does in
defense of the life of children, of little ones, is striking:
• Welcomes and forbids scandalizing them. One of Jesus‘ hardest sayings is against
those who give scandal to little ones, that is, who by their attitude deprive children
of their faith in God. For such as these, it would be better to have a millstone tied
round their necks and be thrown into the sea (Mk 9: 42; Lk 17: 2; Mt 18: 6).
• Welcomes and touches. When children come to Jesus to get his blessing, the
apostles are upset and want to send them away. According to the customs of those
days, mothers and little children lived practically in a permanent state of legal
impurity. To touch them meant incurring impurity! But Jesus corrects the disciples
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and welcomes the mothers and children. He embraces the children. “Let the little
children come to me, do not stop them!” (Mk 10: 13-16; Mt 19: 13-15).
• Identifies with the little ones. Jesus embraces the children and identifies with them.
Anyone who welcomes them “welcomes me” (Mk 9: 37). “In so far as you did this to
one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me” (Mt 25: 40).
• Asks the disciples to become like children. Jesus wants the disciples to become like
childrenwho receive the Kingdom like children. Otherwise, it is not possible to
enter the Kingdom(Mk 10: 15; Mt 18: 3; Lk 9: 46-48). He says that children are the
teachers of adults! This was not normal. We want to do the opposite.
• Defends their right to shout. When Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem, it is the
children who shout the loudest: “Hosanna to the son of David!” (Mt 21: 15). Children
were criticized by the chief priests and Scribes, but Jesus defends them and even
quotes Scripture in their defense (Mt 21: 16).
• Is grateful for the Kingdom present in little ones. Jesus greatly rejoices when he
realizes that the little ones understand the matters concerning the Kingdom that he
proclaimed to the people. “Father, I thank you!” (Mt 11: 25-26) Jesus sees that the little
ones understand the things concerning the Kingdom better than the doctors!
• Welcomes and heals. Jesus welcomes, heals or raises from the dead many children
and young people: Jairus‘ twelve-year-old daughter (Mk 5: 41-42), the Canaanites‘
daughter (Mk 7: 29-30), the widow from Naim‘s son (Lk 7: 14-15), the epileptic child
(Mk 9: 25-26), the Centurion‘s son (Lk 7: 9-10), the public servant‘s son (Jn 4: 50), the
child with five loaves and two fishes (Jn 6: 9).
Praying Psalm 34 (33)

A Poor Man Shares His Faith With Us
I will bless Yahweh at all times, his praise continually on my lips.

I will praise Yahweh from my heart;let the humble hear and rejoice.
Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh,let us acclaim his name together.
I seek Yahweh and he answers me,frees me from all my fears.
Fix your gaze on Yahweh and your face will grow bright,you will never hang your head
in shame.
A pauper calls out and Yahweh hears, saves him from all his troubles.
The angel of Yahweh encamps aroundthose who fear him, and rescues them.Taste and
see that Yahweh is good.
How blessed are those who take refuge in him. Fear Yahweh, you his holy ones; those
who fear him lack for nothing. Young lions may go needy and hungry,but those who
seek Yahweh lack nothing good.
Come, my children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.Who among you
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delights in life, longs for time to enjoy prosperity? Guard your tongue from evil, your
lips from any breath of deceit. Turn away from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue
it.
The eyes of Yahweh are on the upright,his ear turned to their cry.
But Yahweh's face is set against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from
the earth.
They cry in anguish and Yahweh hears and rescues them from all their troubles.
Yahweh is near to the broken-hearted, he helps those whose spirit is crushed.
Though hardships without number beset the upright, Yahweh brings rescue from
them all.Yahweh takes care of all their bones,not one of them will be broken.
But to the wicked evil brings death, those who hate the upright will pay the penalty.
Yahweh ransoms the lives of those who serve him, and there will be no penalty for
those who take refuge in him.
Final Prayer

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Father,
you show your almighty powerin your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promise and come to share in the joys of
your kingdom.

An argument started between the disciples about which of them was the greatest.
Jesus knew what thoughts were going through their minds, and he took a little child
whom he set by his side and then he said to them, 'Anyone who welcomes this little
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child in my name welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes the one
who sent me. The least among you all is the one who is the greatest.'
John spoke up. 'Master,' he said, 'we saw someone driving out devils in your name, and
because he is not with us we tried to stop him.' But Jesus said to him, 'You must not
stop him:anyone who is not against you is for you.'
Reflection
The text enlightens us. If previously Luke had presented the convergence of the men
around Jesus to recognize him in faith, to attend to listen to him and to be present to
his cures, now, anew stage is opened in his public itinerary. The person of Jesus
does not monopolize the attention of the crowds anymore, but he is presented as the
one who slowly is being drawn away from his own to go toward the Father. Such an
itinerary foresees his journey to Jerusalem. And while he is about to undertake that
journey, Jesus reveals to them the destiny that is awaiting him (9: 22). Then he is
transfigured before them to indicate the starting point of his ―Exodus‖ toward
Jerusalem. But immediately after the light that he experiences in the transfiguration,
Jesus once again announces his Passion leaving the disciples uncertain and disturbed.
The words of Jesus on the event of his Passion, “The Son of man is going to be
delivered into the power of men,” but they did not understand (9: 45) and they were
afraid to ask him (9: 45).
Jesus takes a child. The enigma of Jesus being delivered broke out a great dispute
amongthe disciples to decide to whom the first place would belong. Without being
asked his opinion, Jesus, who being God knew how to read hearts, intervenes with a
symbolical gesture. To begin he takes a child and places him at his side. Such a
gesture is an indicationof election, of privilege that is extended at the moment that
one becomes a Christian (10: 21-22). So that this gesture will be understood, not
uncertain, Jesus gives a word of explanation: the “greatness” of the child is not stressed
but his inclination to “acceptance.” The Lord considers “great” anyone who like a child
knows how to accept God and his messengers. Salvation presents two aspects: the
election on the part of God which is symbolized by the gesture of Jesus who accepts
the child: and the acceptance of the one who has sent him, the Father of Jesus (the
Son) and of every man. The child embodies Jesus, and both together in their smallness
and suffering, realize God‘s presence (Bovon).
But the two aspects of salvation are indicative also of faith: in the gift of election the
passive element emerges; in service, the active one; two pillars of the Christian
existence. To accept God or Christ in faith has the consequence of total acceptance of
the little ones on the part of the believer or of the community. “To be great” about
which the disciples were discussing is not a reality of something beyond, but it refers to
the present moment and is expressed in the “diaconia” of service. Lived love and faith
carry out two functions: we are accepted by Christ (takes the child); but also we have
the particular gift of receiving him (“anyone who accepts the child, accepts him, the
Father.” v. 48).
A brief dialogue follows between Jesus and John (vv. 49-50). This last disciple is
considered among the intimate ones of Jesus. The exorcist who does not belong to
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those who are intimate with Jesus is entrusted the same role that is given to the
disciples. He is an exorcist who, on the one side is external to the group, but on the
other, he is inside the group because he has understood the Christological origin of
divine force that guides him (“in your name”). The teaching of Jesus is clear: a Christian
group should not place obstacles to the missionary activity of other groups. There are
no Christians who are “greater” than others, but one is “great” in being and in
becoming Christians. And then missionary activity has to be in the service of God and
not to increase one‘s own fame or renown. That clause on the power of the name of
Jesus is of crucial importance: it is a reference to the liberty of the Holy Spirit, whose
presence is certainly within the Church, butit can extend beyond the instituted or
official ministries.
Personal Questions
• You, as a believer, baptized, how do you live success and suffering?
• What type of “greatness” do you live in your service to life, to persons? Are you
capable of transforming competition into cooperation?
Concluding Prayer
I praise your name Lord for your faithful love and your constancy; your promises surpass
even your fame.
You heard me on the day when I called, and you gave new strength to my heart. (Ps
138: 2-3)

Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Father,
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promiseand come to share in the joys of
your kingdom.
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When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, “There, truly, is an Israelite in whom
there is no deception.”
Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, “Before Philip came to call
you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel.”
Jesus replied, “You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You are
going to see greater things than that.” And then he added, “In all truth I tell you, you
will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of
man.”
Reflection
Today‘s Gospel presents the dialogue between Jesus and Nathanael in which the
following phrase appears: “In all truth I tell you, you will see heaven open and the
angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of man.” This phrase helps to
clarify something concerning the archangels.
• John 1, 47-49: The conversation between Jesus and Nathanael. Philip took Nathanael
to Jesus (Jn 1: 45-46). Nathanael had exclaimed: “Can anything good come from
Nazareth?” Nathanael was from Cana, which was close to Nazareth. Seeing
Nathanael, Jesus said:
There, truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deception! And he affirms that he
knew him already when he was under the fig tree. How could Nathanael be an
“authentic Israelite,” if he did not accept Jesus as Messiah? Nathanael “was under
the fig tree.” The fig tree was the symbol of Israel (cf. Mq 4: 4; Zc 3: 10; 1Kgs 5: 5). “To
be under the fig tree” was the same as being faithful to the project of the God of
Israel. The authentic Israelite is the one who knows how to detach himself from his
own ideas when he perceives that these are not in agreement with God‘s project.
The Israelite who is not ready to converse is neither authentic nor honest. Nathanael
is authentic. He expected the Messiah according to the official teaching of that time,
according to which the Messiah came from Bethlehem in Judea. The Messiah could
not come from Nazareth in Galilee (Jn 7: 41-42, 52). This is why Nathanael resists
himself to accept Jesus as Messiah. But the encounter with Jesus helps him to
become aware that God‘s project is not always as persons imagine it or desire that it
be Nathanael recognizes his own deception, he changes idea, accepts Jesus as
Messiah and confesses: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”
The diversity of the call. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke present the call of
the first disciples in quite a brief way: Jesus walks along the seashore, and he calls
Peter and Andrew. Then he calls John and James (Mk 1: 16-20). The Gospel of John
has a different way of describing the beginning of the first community which was
formed around Jesus. John does it by narrating very concrete stories. One is struck
by the variety of the calls and of the encounters of persons among themselves and
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with Jesus. Thus, John teaches what is necessary to do to begin a community. It is by
means of contacts and personal invitations, and it is like that even today! Jesus calls
some directly (Jn 1: 43). Others indirectly (Jn 1: 41-42). One day he called two disciples
of John the Baptist (Jn 1: 39). The following day he called Philip who, in turn, called
Nathanael (Jn 1: 45). No call is repeated because every person is diverse. People will
never forget the important calls which have marked their life. One even remembers
the hour and the day (Jn 1: 39).
• John 1: 50-51: The angels of God who descend and ascend on the Son of Man. The
confession of Nathanael is only at the beginning. Anyone who is faithful, will see
heaven open and the angels who go up and descend on the Son of Man. They will
experience that Jesus is the new bond of union between God and us, human beings.
It is the realization of the dream of Jacob (Gen 28: 10-22).
The angels who go up and descend the ladder. The three Archangels: Gabriel,
Raphael, and Michael. Gabriel explained to Prophet Daniel the meaning of the vision
(Dn 8: 16; 9: 21). The angel Gabriel also took God‘s message to Elizabeth (Lk 1: 19) and
to Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Lk 1: 26). His name means “God is strong.” Raphael
appears in the Book of Tobit. He accompanies Tobias, the son of Tobit and of Anna,
throughout the trip and protects him from all danger. He helps Tobias to liberate
Sara from the evil spirit and to cure Tobit, his father, from his blindness. His name
means “God heals.” Michael helped the Prophet Daniel in his struggles and
difficulties (Dn 10: 13, 21; 12: 1). The letter of Jude says that Michael disputed with the
devil over the body of Moses (Jude 1: 9). It was Michael who obtained victory over
Satan, throwing him out of Heaven and throwing him into hell (Rev 12: 7). His name
means:
• ”Who is like God!” The word “angel” means messenger. He takes a message from
God. In the Bible, the entire nature could be the messenger of God himself, when it
turns its face on us and reveals God‘s love for us (Ps 104: 4). The angel can be God
himself, when he turns his face on us and reveals his loving presence to us.
Personal Questions
• Have you already had some encounter which has marked your whole life? How
have youdiscovered there the call of God?
• Have you been interested, sometimes, like Philip, to call another person to
participate in thecommunity?
Concluding Prayer
I thank you, Yahweh, with all my heart, for you have listened to the cry I uttered.In the
presence of angels, I sing to you,
I bow down before your holy Temple. (Ps 138: 1-2)
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Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael
Opening Prayer
Father,
You show Your almighty powerin Your mercy and forgiveness. Continue to fill us with
Your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life Your promiseand come to share in the joys of
Your kingdom.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,who lives and reigns with You and

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus
answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."
Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under
the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I
say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and
descendingon the Son of Man."
Reflection
Today’s Gospel presents the dialogue between Jesus and Nathanael in which the
following phrase appears: “In all truth I tell you, you will see heaven open and the angels
of God ascending and descending over the Son of Man.” This phrase helps to clarify
something concerning the archangels.
• John 1: 47-49: The conversation between Jesus and Nathanael. Philip took Nathanael
to Jesus (Jn 1: 45-46). Nathanael had exclaimed: “Can anything good come from
Nazareth?” Nathanael was from Cana, which was close to Nazareth. Seeing
Nathanael, Jesus said: “There, truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deception!” And
He affirmsthat He knew him already when he was under the fig tree. How could
Nathanael be an “authentic Israelite,” if he did not accept Jesus as Messiah?
Nathanael “was under the fig tree.” The fig tree was the symbol of Israel (cf. Mq 4: 4;
Zc 3: 10; 1Kgs 5: 5). “To be under the fig tree” was the same as being faithful to the
project of the God of Israel. The authentic Israelite is the one who knows how to
detach himself from his own ideas when he perceives that these are not in
agreement with God’s project. The Israelite who is notready to converse is neither
authentic nor honest. Nathanael is authentic. He expected the Messiah according to
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the official teaching of that time, according to which the Messiah came from
Bethlehem in Judea. The Messiah could not come from Nazareth in Galilee (Jn 7: 41-
42, 52). This is why Nathanael resists accepting Jesus as Messiah. But the encounter
with Jesus helps him to become aware that God’s project is not always as one
imagines it or desires that it be. Nathanael recognizes his own deception, he changes
his idea, accepts Jesus as Messiah and confesses: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You
are the King of Israel!”
The diversity of the call. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke present the call of
the first disciples in quite a brief way: Jesus walks along the seashore, and He calls
Peter and Andrew. Then He calls John and James (Mk 1: 16-20). The Gospel of John
has a different way of describing the beginning of the first community which was
formed around Jesus. John does it by narrating very concrete stories. One is struck
by the variety of the calls and of the encounters of persons among themselves and
with Jesus. Thus, John teaches what is necessary to do to begin a community. It is by
means of contacts and personal invitations, and it is like that even today! Jesus calls
some directly (Jn 1: 43). Others indirectly (Jn 1: 41-42). One day He called two disciples
of John the Baptist (Jn 1: 39). The following day He called Philip who, in turn, called
Nathanael (Jn 1: 45). No call is repeated because every person is diverse. People will
never forget the important calls which have marked their life. One even remembers
the hour and the day (Jn 1: 39).
• John 1: 50-51: The angels of God who descend and ascend on the Son of Man. The
confession of Nathanael is only at the beginning. Anyone who is faithful, will see
heaven open and the angels who go up and descend on the Son of Man. They will
experience that Jesus is the new bond of union between God and us, human beings.
It is the realization of the dream of Jacob (Gn 28: 10-22).
The angels who go up and descend the ladder. The three Archangels: Gabriel,
Raphael,and Michael. Gabriel explained to prophet Daniel the meaning of the vision
(Dn 8:16; 9:21). The angel Gabriel also took God’s message to Elizabeth (Lk 1:19) and to
Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Lk 1: 26). His name means “God is strong.” Raphael appears
in the Book of Tobit. He accompanies Tobias, the son of Tobit and of Anna,
throughout the trip and protects him from all danger. He helps Tobias to liberate
Sara from the evil spirit and to cure Tobit, his father, from his blindness. His name
means “God heals.” Michael helped the prophet Daniel in his struggles and
difficulties (Dn 10: 13, 21; 12: 1).The letter of Jude says that Michael disputed with the
devil over the body of Moses (Jude 1: 9). It was Michael who obtained victory over Satan,
throwing him out of Heaven and throwing him into hell (Rev 12: 7). His name means:
“Who is like God!” The word‘angel’ means messenger. He takes a message from God.
In the bible, the entire naturecould be the messenger of God Himself, when it turns
its face on us and reveals God’s love for us (Ps 104: 4). The angel can be God Himself,
when He turns His face on us and reveals His loving presence to us.
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Personal Questions
• Have you already had some encounter which has marked your whole life? How have
you discovered the call of God there?
• Have you been interested, sometimes, like Philip, to call another person to participate
in the community?
Concluding Prayer
I thank You, Yahweh, with all my heart, for You have listened to the cry I uttered.In the
presence of angels I sing to You, I bow down before Your holy Temple. (Ps 138: 1-2)

Opening Prayer
Father,
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promiseand come to share in the joys of
your kingdom.

In those days the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him
in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself would be visiting.
And he said to them, 'The harvest is rich but the laborers are few, so ask the Lord of the
harvest to send laborers to do his harvesting. Start off now, but look, I am sending you
out like lambs among wolves. Take no purse with you, no haversack, no sandals. Salute
no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter, let your first words be, "Peace to this house!" And if a man of
peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.
Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the laborer
deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.
Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is put before
you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, "The kingdom of God is very near to you."
But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its
streets and say, "We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and
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leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near." I tell you, on the
great Day it will be more bearable for Sodom than for that town.
Reflection
• Context: Chapter 10 of which this passage is the beginning, presents a characteristic
of revelation. In 9: 51 it is said that Jesus “resolutely turned his face toward Jerusalem”.
This journey, expression of his being Son, is characterized by a two-fold action: he is
closely united “to the fact of being taken away of Jesus” (v. 51), his “coming” through
the sending out of his disciples (v. 52): there is a bond of union in the double
movement: “to be taken away from the world” to go toward the Father, and to be
sent to men. In fact, it happens that sometimes the one sent is not accepted (9, 52
and, therefore, he must learn how to be “delivered,” without allowing himself,
because of this, to be modified by the rejection of men (9, 54-55). Three brief scenes
make the reader understand the meaning of following Jesus who is going to
Jerusalem to be taken out of the world. In the first one, a man is presented who
desires to follow Jesus wherever he goes; Jesus invites him to abandon all he has, all
that gives him well-being and security. Those who want to follow him have to share
his destiny of a nomad life. In the second scene it is Jesus who takes the initiative
and he calls a man whose father has just died. The man asks to delay in responding
to the call in order to comply with the law, to his duty to bury the parents. The
urgency of announcing the Kingdom exceeds this duty: the concern of burying the
death is useless because Jesus goes beyond the doors of death and he fulfils this
even for those who follow him. In the third scene, finally, a man is presented who
offers himself spontaneously to follow Jesus but he places a condition: to bid farewell
to his parents. To enter into the Kingdom does not admit any delays. After this three-
fold renunciation the expression of Luke 9, 60, “Once the hand is laid on the plough,
no one who looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God”, introduces the theme of
chapter 10.
• The dynamic of the account: The passage which is the object of our meditation
begins with expressions somewhat dense. The first one, “After these things, it sends
us back to the prayer of Jesus and to his firm decision to go to Jerusalem. The second
one concerns the verb “appointed”: he appointed seventy-two others and sent them
out...” (10, 1), where it is said concretely that he sent them ahead of him, it is the same
resolute Jesus who is journeying to Jerusalem. The recommendations that he
addresses to them before sending them are an invitation to be aware of the reality
to which they are sent: abundant harvest in contrast with the few laborers. The Lord
of the harvest arrives with all his force but the joy of that arrival is hindered by the
reduced number of laborers. Therefore, the categorical invitation to prayer: “Ask the
Lord of the harvest to send laborers to do his harvesting” (v. 2). The initiative of
sending out on mission is the competence of the Father but Jesus transmits the
order: “Start off now” and then he indicates the ways of following (vv. 4-11). He begins
with the luggage: no purse, no haversack nor sandals. These are elements that show
the fragility of the one who is sent and his dependence on the help that they receive
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from the Lord and from the people of the city. The positive prescriptions are
synthesized first in arriving to a house (vv. 5-7) and then in the success in the city (vv.
8-11). In both cases, the refusal is not excluded. The house is the first place where the
missionaries have the first exchanges, the first relationships, valuing the human
gestures of eating and drinking and of resting as simple and ordinary mediations to
communicate the Gospel. “Peace” is the gift that precedes their mission, that is to
say, fullness of life and of relationships; the true and real joy is the sign that
distinguishes the arrival of the Kingdom. It is not necessary to seek comfort; it is
indispensable to be welcomed. The city becomes, instead, the most extensive field
of the mission: there, life, political activity, the possibility of conversion, of acceptance
or rejection are developed. To this last aspect is linked the gesture of shake off the
dust (vv. 10-11), it is as if the disciples abandoning the city that has rejected them
would say to the people that they possess nothing or could express the end of the
relationships. Finally, Jesus recalls the guilt of that city which will close itself to the
proclamation of the Gospel (v. 12).
Personal Questions
• You are invited every day by the Lord to announce the Gospel to those close to you
(in the house) and to all persons (in the city). Do you assume a poor, essential style in
witnessing your identity as a Christian?
• Are you aware that the success of your witness does not depend on your individual
capacity but only on the Lord who orders and of your availability?
Concluding Prayer
Your face, Yahweh, I seek;
Do not turn away from me.
Do not thrust aside your servant in anger,without you I am helpless.
Never leave me, never forsake me, God, my Savior. (Ps 27: 8-9)
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Lectio Divina September 2021

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ocarm.

Gospel Reading - Luke 4: 38-44

Gospel Reading - Luke 5: 1-11

Friday, September 3, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 5: 33-39

Saturday, September 4, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 6: 1-5

Sunday, September 5, 2021

• Mark 7: 31: a geographical description: Jesus is somewhere outside Judea.

A Moment of Prayerful Silence

Gospel Reading - Luke 6: 6-11

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 6: 12-19

Gospel Reading - Matthew 1: 1-16, 18-23

Thursday, September 9, 2021

Friday, September 10, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 6: 39-42

Gospel Reading - Luke 6: 43-49

Sunday, September 12, 2021

A Moment of Prayerful Silence

• Mark 8: 22, 26: Healing of the blind man

Prayer of Psalm 25 (24)

Adoration I offer, Yahweh, to you, my God.

Monday, September 13, 2021

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

My people, listen to My teaching,pay attention to what I say.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 7: 36-50

Friday, September 17, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 8: 4-15

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Gospel Reading: Mark 9: 30-37 (41)

• Mark 9: 30-32: the proclamation of the Passion

A Moment of Prayerful Silence

• Which words pleased you most or drew your attention?

A Key to the Reading

• Mark 9: 30-32: The proclamation of the Cross.

• Jesus, the “Son of Man”

I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast drawn me up,

Gospel Reading - Luke 8: 16-18

Gospel Reading - Matthew 9: 9-13

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 9: 1-6

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 9: 7-9

Friday, September 24, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 9: 18-22

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 9: 43b-45

Sunday, September 26, 2021

• What pleased or struck you most in this text? Why?

To Go Deeper Into the Theme

• Mark 9: 38-40: A closed mentality.

Jesus welcomes and defends the little ones

Praying Psalm 34 (33)

I will bless Yahweh at all times, his praise continually on my lips.

Monday, September 27, 2021

Gospel Reading - Luke 9: 46-50

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Gospel Reading - John 1: 47-51

Thursday, September 30, 2021