Outside
the US on this date: Optional Memorial for Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest. In
the United States, this memorial is transferred to October 20th.
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| “Martyrdom of Sts. John De Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues and their Companions” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN |
Reading 1: Ephesians
1:11-14
Brothers
and sisters:
In
Christ we were also chosen,
destined
in accord with the purpose of the One
who
accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so
that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we
who first hoped in Christ.
In
him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the
Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were
sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which
is the first installment of our inheritance
toward
redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
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Commentary on
Eph 1:11-14
This selection concludes St. Paul’s
introduction and blessing. He quickly gets into doctrinal exhortations. Here
the evangelist announces the adoption, by the Lord, of all who believe in him
(“we were chosen,” a reference to the Jewish people of whom St. Paul was
one, and, “you also, who have heard the truth,” meaning the Gentiles who
came to faith). St. Paul next refers to the indelible change, the
transformation brought about in Baptism and Confirmation, as he speaks about
being “sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit” (first given in
Baptism and sealed in Confirmation, see also Ezekiel 9:4-6, Revelation 7:4). In this
adoption we share the inheritance of God’s children which is redemption and
justification.
CCC: Eph 1:13-14 706, 1274; Eph 1:13 693, 698, 1296; Eph 1:14 1107
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1-2,
4-5, 12-13
R. (12) Blessed the people
the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Rejoice,
you just, in the LORD;
praise
from the upright is fitting
Give
thanks to the LORD on the harp;
on
the ten-stringed lyre offer praise.
R. Blessed the people the
Lord has chosen to be his own.
For
the LORD'S word is true;
all
his works are trustworthy.
The
LORD loves justice and right
and
fills the earth with goodness..
R. Blessed the people the
Lord has chosen to be his own.
Happy
the nation whose God is the LORD,
the
people chosen as his very own.
From
heaven the LORD looks down
and
observes the whole human race,
R. Blessed the people the
Lord has chosen to be his own.
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Commentary on
Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
Psalm
33 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. In this selection the emphasis is on
faithfulness to God, who has saving power combined with hope, a central
component of faith in God.
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Gospel: Luke 12:1-7
At
that time:
So
many people were crowding together
that
they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus
began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware
of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There
is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor
secret that will not be known.
Therefore
whatever you have said in the darkness
will
be heard in the light,
and
what you have whispered behind closed doors
will
be proclaimed on the housetops.
I
tell you, my friends,
do
not be afraid of those who kill the body
but
after that can do no more.
I
shall show you whom to fear.
Be
afraid of the one who after killing
has
the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes,
I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are
not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet
not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even
the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do
not be afraid.
You
are worth more than many sparrows.”
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Commentary on
Lk 12:1-7
St. Luke continues to present us with a collection of sayings of Jesus passed on to his disciples. In this passage, he first warns them about adopting the style and attitude of the Pharisees, whose “holier than thou” attitude was a veneer for their internal sin. The Lord tells them that there is nothing that can be hidden from God, and that all will be made clear in the final judgment.
The Lord goes on to encourage his
friends, telling them that God will watch over them. He uses the analogy of the
sacrificial animals (“five sparrows sold for two small coins”) as a
metaphor for the attacks they will encounter from the Jewish leadership, and
how God will uphold them.
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Reflection:
Have
you ever wondered why wild animals run away, literally flee for their lives in
fright when a human approaches? What has
taught them to be afraid of us? This
instinctive flight reflex is an inherited trait. It was developed though the process of
natural selection. Animals without the
instinct to flee from larger animals may have been fine for a while, but
generally fell victim to predators before they reproduced. The animals that had a strong flight reflex
lived to have offspring that had the same natural instinct to flee, and the
flight reflex became the norm.
Human
babies are born without this natural defense.
They come into the world (like most top predators) without the flight
reflex, in a sense, fearless. Parents
know this and teach their children to fear those things, situations, and people
that could be dangerous to them. They
are taught not to reach for things that are hot, and they are taught not to
talk to or go with strangers. This
process of teaching goes on even past the time when those children are willing
to listen to what the parent tries to teach (a period known as adolescence).
Because
our verbal skills are so highly developed, many of us forget that, at a very
deep level, our children, much like mammalian young, learn by observing their
parents or those set over them as guardians.
They watch us and observe what we do, accepting our behavior as valid
teaching aids. It is for this reason,
for instance, if we are vehement about not smoking, but we ourselves smoke, our
children will see the conflicting message and default to what they see us do,
rather than what we say. Similarly with
drugs, if we say don’t do drugs and alcohol but we ourselves take pills and
drink, our children will not fear addiction.
We
come now, rather obviously, to Jesus' words in the Gospel. He tells us and shows us who to fear. He states clearly: “do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no
more.” The statement he makes goes
against some basic instincts we have been taught, doesn’t it? Not really.
What it does is gives us a more refined view of what constitutes a
threat to us. We already know that
dangerous situations and physically dangerous people should be avoided (akin to
animal instincts). What the Lord tells
us is we must learn to identify threats that can cause us spiritual death as
well. If a person, like a terrorist, is
intent upon killing us with a gun or bomb, what can we do to protect
ourselves? We can try to be observant
and alert, but we must not live in fear.
Our fear, we are told, should be: “of
the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna.” Our fear
must be of displeasing or going against God.
Of
all the lessons the Lord teaches, this one is most difficult for us. Even his passionate example provides us with
a teaching aid to that end. The martyrs
like St. Ignatius of Antioch show us emphatically what was meant by his
words. They seem to possess supernatural
courage in the face of torture and death.
The teaching of God’s children goes on.
We see we still have much to learn and pray that we have the strength
(and time) to learn what he teaches.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Martyrdom of Sts. John De Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues and their
Companions” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN.
[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 republication is
not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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