Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

“The Lord’s Prayer”
by James Tissot, 1886-96

Readings for Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14

Brothers and sisters:

After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas,

taking Titus along also.

I went up in accord with a revelation,

and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles–

but privately to those of repute–

so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain.

On the contrary,

when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel to the uncircumcised,

just as Peter to the circumcised,

for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the circumcised

worked also in me for the Gentiles,

and when they recognized the grace bestowed upon me,

James and Cephas and John,

who were reputed to be pillars,

gave me and Barnabas their right hands in partnership,

that we should go to the Gentiles

and they to the circumcised.

Only, we were to be mindful of the poor,

which is the very thing I was eager to do.

And when Cephas came to Antioch,

I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.

For, until some people came from James,

he used to eat with the Gentiles;

but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,

because he was afraid of the circumcised.

And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him,

with the result that even Barnabas

was carried away by their hypocrisy.

But when I saw that they were not on the right road

in line with the truth of the Gospel,

I said to Cephas in front of all,

“If you, though a Jew,

are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,

how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

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Commentary on Gal 2:1-2, 7-14

In this passage from the Letter to the Galatians, St. Paul relates his second trip to Jerusalem also related in Acts 15:1-12.  It is clear from these accounts that the reason for the trip was to resolve any differences between the rules applied to Jewish Christians and those applied to Gentile Christians, especially the rule concerning circumcision.  Taking with him two Gentile Christians, Barnabas (who later founded the churches of Crete) and Titus (who became a missionary also) the evangelist describes how he met with the “pillars” (styloi) of the Mother Church of Jerusalem.

St. Paul goes on to relate how St. James (The head of the Church in Jerusalem), St. Peter (Leader of the Apostles) and St. John (Son of Zebedee) all agreed; first that his message was consistent with the Gospel St. Paul had received from Christ and taught to the “uncircumcised”, and second they accepted it without changes.  They further agreed that the mission of the twelve was to the Jews and St. Paul’s mission was to the Gentiles (although this should be seen as a geographical division since St. Paul frequently began his evangelization in a region by speaking first to the Jews. See also Romans 15:17-19).  The symbolism of “…their right hands in partnership” establishes St. Paul on an equal footing with the Apostles.

The second part of the reading deals with St. Peter traveling to Antioch.  Arriving alone he adopted St. Paul’s manners of eating communally with the Gentiles.  However when a delegation from Jerusalem arrived (presumably from St. James) he seemed to revert to separating himself from them and ritually observing the dietary laws of Judaism.  St. Paul confronted him on this point (again emphasizing his equality with St. Peter) and seals a breach in the unity of Christians regardless of their ancestry – Jew or Gentile.  All were one in Christ.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 117:1bc, 2

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

Praise the Lord, all you nations,

glorify him, all you peoples!

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

For steadfast is his kindness toward us,

and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever.

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

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Commentary on Ps 117:1bc, 2

Using a refrain from St. Mark’s Gospel, the psalm is one of praise for the Good News of God’s salvation.  The shortest of the Psalms“…calls on the nations to acknowledge God's supremacy. The supremacy of Israel's God has been demonstrated to them by the people's secure existence, which is owed entirely to God's gracious fidelity.”[4]

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Gospel: Luke 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,

one of his disciples said to him,

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,

your Kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread

and forgive us our sins

for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

and do not subject us to the final test.”

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Commentary on Lk 11:1-4

The Gospel from St. Luke gives us a shorter version of how the Lord passed on the “Lord’s Prayer” to his disciples. In St. Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 6:9-15) this discourse takes place as part of the Sermon on the Mount. In St. Luke’s Gospel it is given while the Lord is himself at prayer.

Notes on the meaning of the various parts of the prayer are numerous. The short message in the Gospel is: “This is an appropriate way to speak to God.”  It begins with an acknowledgement of God’s existence and omnipotence, praising his holiness.  It continues with our further desire that the “will of God”, which creates his Heavenly Kingdom, may also rule on earth. 

Next follows three petitions.  The first is a petition to the Father that we be given nourishment; food for the body and (Eucharistic) food for the spirit – “”our daily bread”.  This petition is followed by a plea for forgiveness – a tacit admission that we have all sinned and all need God’s salvation.  The second part of this petition is a promise that we will attempt to follow Christ’s example, forgiving others as we have been forgiven.  The prayer concludes with a final petition that we not be tested as our Lord was tested by the evil one; encouraged to forego his own passion thus condemning the world to sin and death.

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Reflection:

We ask a question today – what is prayer?  It sounds simple and the short answer is simple – prayer is conversing with God.  But we must go deeper.  Saying that prayer is simply speaking with God is like saying that speaking to another person is communicating.  That latter saying is not necessarily true.  Ask any married couple, when they speak to one another if they are communicating – they will tell you not necessarily. 

The disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray and the Lord gives them this very simple template that we call the “Our Father”.  It begins with our fervent pledge of faith; recognition on our part that God truly exists and is Lord over all that is and will be.  It also, by default, stipulates our belief in his eternal guidance and in life after death.  That very first statement – “Our Father, who art in Heaven” states a core understanding of our faith.  When we say the “Our Father” do we hear that pledge in our hearts?

The Lord next tells us to support God’s will; establishing His Kingdom on earth.  Do we hear ourselves pledge to be God’s instruments; carrying out God’s mission on earth?  Certainly as he was speaking to his disciples, they understood what was being pledged.

The prayer he gave us concludes by asking God for all we need to lead a life full of his peace.  First “our daily bread”; we ask that God assist us in harvesting from all he has created what we need to sustain ourselves physically.  We also pray for that which sustains us spiritually- the source and well-spring of Christ’s peace – the Bread of Life that brings us into physical contact with his sacred self.

Knowing we are not perfect and recognizing that all who seek God’s face will be forced to see their own failings, Jesus next bids us to ask forgiveness from the only one who can forgive sins.  He does so while reminding us that as he has done, so we must do.  Recalling the parable of the unworthy servant who, even though his master forgave him, did not forgive his fellow servants, we are called to forgive those who have harmed us.

Finally, we are reminded that the price of our forgiveness was very high, costing the Son of God his human life.  We earnestly beg the Lord that we not be forced to be put to the test of our convictions with our own lives at stake.  When we conclude – “deliver us from evil”; do we send up our fervent prayer to our deliverer?

What a simple little prayer, the “Our Father”; yet one which we will work a lifetime to pray as he taught it.  Perhaps that is why we repeat it so often.

Pax

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[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture used today is “The Lord’s Prayer” by James Tissot, 1886-96

[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL).  This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.

[4] See NAB Footnote on Psalm 117