 |
“Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini”
photographer and date are unknown |
Readings for Thursday of the
Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem
Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Wisdom 7:22b-8:1
In Wisdom is a spirit
intelligent, holy, unique,
Manifold, subtle, agile,
clear, unstained, certain,
Not baneful, loving the good,
keen,
unhampered, beneficent,
kindly,
Firm, secure, tranquil,
all-powerful, all-seeing,
And pervading all spirits,
though they be intelligent,
pure and very subtle.
For Wisdom is mobile beyond
all motion,
and she penetrates and
pervades all things by reason of her purity.
For she is an aura of the
might of God
and a pure effusion of the
glory of the Almighty;
therefore nought that is
sullied enters into her.
For she is the refulgence of
eternal light,
the spotless mirror of the
power of God,
the image of his goodness.
And she, who is one, can do
all things,
and renews everything while
herself perduring;
And passing into holy souls
from age to age,
she produces friends of God
and prophets.
For there is nought God
loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom.
For she is fairer than the
sun
and surpasses every
constellation of the stars.
Compared to light, she takes
precedence;
for that, indeed, night
supplants,
but wickedness prevails not
over Wisdom.
Indeed, she reaches from end
to end mightily
and governs all things well.
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Commentary on Wis 7:22b-8:1
This
passage from the Book of Wisdom describes wisdom, the spirit of God that guides
the faithful. The author captures the character of this spirit with adjectives
that only serve to show us the limits of language, trying to describe what is
beyond human understanding. It does, however, give us an understanding of the
omnipresent spirit of God in all things.
Because
it is placed with much older wisdom material (i.e., Psalms and Proverbs), the
development of human understanding of God’s revelation is somewhat obscured. We
see clearly in this passage the evolution of divine inspiration concerning the
merciful character of our Heavenly Father. This description, borrowing heavily
from Greek philosophical language, and written only 50 years before Christ,
provides us with a more comprehensive understanding of God’s will and merciful
nature than that of Sacred Scripture written much earlier.
CCC: Wis 7:25-26 2500; Wis 7:29-30 2500; Wis 8:1 302
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:89, 90, 91, 130, 135, 175
R. (89a) Your word is for ever, O Lord.
Your word, O LORD, endures
forever;
it is firm as the heavens.
R. Your word is for ever,
O Lord.
Through all generations your
truth endures;
you have established the
earth, and it stands firm.
R. Your word is for ever,
O Lord.
According to your ordinances
they still stand firm:
all things serve you.
R. Your word is for ever,
O Lord.
The revelation of your words
sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple.
R. Your word is for ever,
O Lord.
Let your countenance shine
upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
R. Your word is for ever,
O Lord.
Let my soul live to praise
you,
and may your ordinances help
me.
R. Your word is for ever,
O Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 119:89, 90, 91, 130, 135, 175
Placed
within the body of the Psalter, Psalm 119 invites the singer to meditate upon
the joys of following God’s law. It prepares the singer for the psalms that
follow. Psalms 120-124 are called the “Songs of Ascents,” they are the psalms
sung as pilgrims approach their goal – the temple of the Lord. Psalm 119
prepares them for the joy of their arrival.
The
words in the Book of Wisdom described the spirit contained in it, and the psalm
now describes the Word of God, everlasting in Heaven. The indelible and eternal
character of God’s creation is proclaimed in this song of praise to God’s law.
CCC: Ps 119:90 2465
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Gospel: Luke 17:20-25
Asked by the Pharisees when
the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of
God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce,
‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of
God is among you.”
Then he said to his
disciples,
“The days will come when you
will long to see
one of the days of the Son of
Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will
say to you,
‘Look, there he is,’ or
‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in
pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from
one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in
his day.
But first he must suffer
greatly and be rejected by this generation.”
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Commentary on Lk 17:20-25
In this selection from St. Luke’s Gospel, the Pharisees ask
Jesus to tell them when the kingdom of God will come. Throughout Luke, Jesus
has been denying that the messianic age will come simply by following Mosaic
Law and the Prophets (even the greatest of them – John the Baptist).[4] He is now confronted with the question: “Where is the
Kingdom of God?” He answers that it is already among them (referring to his
own ministry and the effect it has on his followers).
Jesus’ description of the “coming days” is also a
reference to the coming destruction of Jerusalem.”(1) Many of the sayings
collected here appear in the Olivet Discourse, where they more explicitly refer
to the doom that awaits the city and the temple (Matthew
24-25; Mark 13). (2) Mention of
the days of the Son of man (17:22) is echoed later in Luke when
reference is made to the ‘days’ when foreign armies will besiege the city (Luke
19:43) and the ‘days’ when the temple will be
devastated (Luke 21:6).”[5]
To his disciples, Jesus makes it clear that his coming
passion will cause them to flee, and that doubt will assail them. He reassures
them of his eternal presence as he tells them that, once he has gone from them,
he will not be coming back, but at the same time he will always be with them (“just
as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will
the Son of Man be in his day”).
CCC: Lk 17:19-31 2463
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Reflection:
Today Scripture begs us to
unzip the bag of skin we live in and look inside. The reading from the Book of Wisdom describes
the spirit of the wisdom of God, how when it is taken up by those who believe,
it becomes a force within us that guides and heals; it infuses us with holiness
itself.
The Lord says the same thing
in St. Luke’s Gospel. He is asked by the
Pharisees when the kingdom of God (which he proclaims unceasingly) will
come. We can almost see the expression
on his face when he hears this question.
It would be one of amused surprise and he answers: “’The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will
announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.' For behold, the kingdom of God
is among you.’”
They don’t understand, of
course, unless they are among those who already believe that Jesus is the
Messiah, the Son of God. Then they would
see. The kingdom of God flows into them
from the Word of God incarnate before them.
His disciples must “kind of get it.”
But he takes them aside and gives them a little better explanation
because, while they may understand that Jesus “is” the kingdom of God, they
need to understand that it is not just his physical presence but something
more.
He explains that once he is
physically taken up, the “Kingdom of God” must flash to every part of God’s
creation: “just as lightning flashes and
lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his
day. “
So that lightning flash has
happened, and the Lord seared his presence in our hearts as the Holy Spirit
entered us in baptism. We refresh it
with the sacraments to keep the grace (that indwelling connectedness, our share
of God’s life) strong within us. And
today we look inside and thank God for that gift that gives us strength to face
all things and endure all obstacles.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini” photographer and date are unknown.
[2]
S.S. Commemoratio[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.
[4]
Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, Inc., ©
1968), 44:125, p.150.[5]
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, New Testament (Ignatius Press, San Francisco,
CA. © 2010),140.
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