SOCL, Sunday29B

Sunday October 20, 2024

For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.

See

As such, ambition is not quite neutral. We are called to be ambitious, that is, to use our gifts, to inhabit our strengths, to be of real service. St Paul says, be ambitious for the higher gifts. It is not that ambition as such is harmful; however, in the common experience, ambition can be destructively egocentric and based on distorted motivation.

Listen

Isaiah 53:10-11; Psalm 33 (32); Hebrews 4:14-16; Mark 10:35-45

Reflect

(Mark 10:35-45)

-Jesus had spent much time teaching his followers that discipleship was a life of service, a life giving oneself for others. In spite of that, James and John were thinking of what they could get out of it. For Jesus, for the apostles, and for each one of us, the glory of God is revealed when we allow God to work through us as we give ourselves for others. When have you found that you reach a fuller life and others benefit when you act in this spirit of service?

-One of the great problems in a community, a parish or an organisation, is when you have some people jockeying for status and positions of power. The good of the group and the people it serves take second place to personal prestige. You have probably seen this happen. Perhaps you have also witnessed people with a spirit of service that allowed them to value the good of the group over personal rewards. Recall them and give thanks for their witness.

-Jesus himself is the great model of this spirit of service. Think of the aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry that have inspired you to imitate his giving of his life for others.

Pray

Most glorious God, in Jesus you show us that your will is to save. Grant to us your people the boldness to desire a place in your kingdom, the courage to drink the cup of suffering and the grace to find in service the glory of your promise. Amen.

References

Blessed the People the Lord has Chosen

One another, Sunday28B

October 13, 2024

Wisdom 7:7-11; Psalm 90 (89); Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30

“With God all things are possible.” With confidence in Jesus’ promise, then, let us pray:

That we may seek to follow Christ totally and completely in every dimension of our life together as a Church and parish community: let us pray to the Lord.

That the pastors, preachers, and teachers of our Church may proclaim the “living and effective” Word of God with compassion and understanding: let us pray to the Lord.

That the nations and governments of the world may work together to provide all people with a just share of the earth’s harvest: let us pray to the Lord.

That all businesses and financial institutions may conduct their affairs with integrity and respect for the sacredness of every person: let us pray to the lord.

That we may embrace the gospel spirit of poverty for the sake of the poor, the homeless, and the hungry: let us pray to the Lord.

That all who have died in the peace of Christ [especially _________], may dwell forever in the house of God: let us pray to the Lord.

That God will hear the prayers we now offer in the silence of our hearts [Pause...]: let us pray to the Lord.

Enliven us with your Spirit of love, O Lord, so that we may seek your mercy and justice for all people bless us with the light of your wisdom, so that we may follow Christ Jesus to make these prayers a reality. In Jesus’ name, we pray.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024o, October 13). Twenty-eighth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101324.cfm

-Cormier, J. (1995). Lord, Hear Our Prayer: Prayer of the Faithful for Sundays, Holy Days, and Ritual Masses.

The Word today, W28B

October 14 - October 19, 2024

Monday 14 October

St Callistus, bishop of Rome and martyr

Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1 The argument here is dense. The main idea is that Christians are the spiritual descendants of the free-born wife (Sarah). Because she is free, her descendants too should be free from the Jewish Law. Hence the wonderful last line of the reading.

Luke 11:29-32 In true prophetic mode, Jesus takes on those who have not believed in him. He evokes great figures from the past, Jonah and Solomon. The word of condemnation are meant, not in the tone of grim retribution, but rather as yet another call not to miss “the day of salvation.”

Tuesday 15 October

St Teresa of Ávila, virgin and doctor

Galatians 5:1-6 Paul teaches that Christ has set us free from the burden of the Law; there is no going back. On the contrary, “what matters is faith that makes its power felt through love.”

Luke 11:37-41 Because we are followers of Jesus, we tend to side with him emotionally in the controversies of his ministry. But it is vital not to leave such stories in the past. Religious hypocrisy, like the poor, is with us always. The harsh words of Jesus are directed to us today.

Wednesday 16 October

St Hedwig, religious; St Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin; St Gall, abbot and missionary

Galatians 5:18-25 Two ways of living are contrasted here, in graphic terms. No one is completely one or the other; nevertheless, the direction we should take is clear: “Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit.”

Luke 11:42-46 There is a risk in all traditions that we focus on the marginal and miss the heart of the matter. This certainly seems to have happened with some Pharisees in Jesus’ day. It is likewise not unknown in church practice, alas!

Thursday 17 October

St Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr

Because of features in the vocabulary and teaching and because of an evident dependance of Colossians, Ephesians is be appreciated as a Deutero-Pauline letter.

Ephesians 1:1-10 If we were to name all the gifts we have in Christ, how would we begin? In this prayer from Ephesians, the writer blesses God again and again for all he done for us in Christ.

Luke 11:47-54 In Luke’s Gospel, the primary “category” for Jesus is that of prophet—something very apparent from today’s Gospel. He himself learned from the destiny of the prophets, finally coming to appreciate that his ministry too would come to a tragic end. We can see something of the way in this furious scene.

Friday 18 October

St Luke, evangelist

2 Timothy 4:10-17 The reading is chosen for the feast because it mentions a certain “Luke.” This is unlike to be the same as the writer of the Gospel and Acts. However, the reading shows wavering support for the apostle or, in reality, for those sustaining the Pauline tradition in a later context.

Luke 10:1-9 The sending the seventy-two—unique to Luke and anticipating the wider mission in the Acts— portrays a picture of fleetfooted evangelisers, who travel lightly and without hindrance of any kind.

Saturday 19 October

Sts John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, and their companions, martyrs; St Paul of the Cross, priest and religious

Ephesians 1:15-23 Our reading today is a glorious, richly inspired prayer, which we can take away with us and reflect on later in the day. Our only response must be “amen, amen.”

Luke 12:8-12 The first saying is blunt challenge not to disown Christ. The third saying is a reassurance that the Holy Spirit will help us when we are threatened for our belief. Most mysterious of all is the “sin against the Holy Spirit” which, against all we believe about God, apparently cannot be forgiven. What can this mean? It does not mean any particular sin but rather the closing of the heart, in a fundamental way, to God’s grace in Jesus. That too, of course, can be forgiven—but only on condition that the closed heart has been opened.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024o, October 13). Twenty-eighth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101324.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/