The Word today, W26B

September 30 - October 05, 2024

Monday 30 September

St Jerome, priest, doctor, exegete

Job 1:6-22 The great story of Job begins today. Notice: (i) Satan is not the later devil, but a very cheeky member of the heavenly court; and (ii) there is something quite formulaic about Job’s reaction, a devotional façade, soon to be torn away.

Luke 9:46-50 Our Gospel today addresses two issues never that far away: ambition and jealousy. Two unpleasant relatives!

Tuesday 01 October

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor

Job 3:1-3,11-17,20-23 Job is the great book which “tells it like it is” and perhaps chapter 3 captures this best of all. The bitter experience of unjust suffering leads to searing expression of innocence and despair. At times, the writing is quite savage.

Matthew 18:1-5, 10 The reading is special for the feast because it mentions the angels. In the culture, young children are not a symbol of innocence but rather of powerlessness.

Wednesday 02 October

The Holy Guardian Angels

Job 9:1-13, 14-16 Job, in a brief moment of more calm reflection, takes up the topic of the mystery of God’s mind and intentions. Something of this insight will find it way into the final message of the book.

Luke 9:57-62 The cost of discipleship—everything, in reality—is the focus of the several stories today. Jesus demands all or nothing.

Thursday 03 October

Bl Columba Marmion, abbot

Job 9:1-13, 14-16 Job, in a brief moment of more calm reflection, takes up the topic of the mystery of God’s mind and intentions. Something of this insight will find it way into the final message of the book.

Luke 9:57-62 The cost of discipleship—everything, in reality—is the focus of the several stories today. Jesus demands all or nothing.

Friday 04 October

St Francis of Assisi, founder and friar

Job 38:1, 12-21, 40:3-5 Finally, God breaks his silence and his words are overwhelming—both as poetry and as theology. The radical incapacity of humans to scrutinise God is forcefully underlined and leaves Job gasping.

Luke 10:13-16 Prophets are not always comfortable people and in today’s Gospel Jesus points out the missed opportunities of several towns and village. It is vital not to leave us teaching in the past, of course. Would he say the same to us today?

Saturday 05 October

Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17 Job’s final answer is much discussed. It cannot mean he thinks he was wrong all along. Instead it must mean something like “I will suspend my case before the mystery.” The marvellous provision of “new” children is an ironic evocation of the lex talionis and an unexpected twist in the book of Job. After all, one set of children cannot be simply replaced by another!! It is just not human.

Luke 10:17-24 The central passage of this reading—the prayer of Jesus—is extraordinarily important. In some form, it goes back to the historical Jesus. Two consequences follow. First of all, Jesus was aware of a quite particular relationship with the Father and and his own role as revealer. Secondly, the wording of that role as revealer sounds uncannily like something from the Fourth Gospel and, indeed, may be one of the inspirations behind the language and ideas in John’s Gospel.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024j, September 29). Twenty-sixth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092924.cfm

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

SOCL, Sunday26B

Sunday September 29, 2024

Do not stop him; whoever is not against us is for us.

See

Jesus knows, of course, that it is not our hands or our feet or our eyes which cause us to sin (cf. Mark 7:14-23). There is a certain sarcastic, even caustic wit in telling us to lop off extremities, as if it were that simple. Sometimes, humour is more effective—more disarming at any rate— than blunt exhortation (hence, dictators always fear the comedians). The point is not lost however: we need to get to the root of the matter and undergo conversion of heart, then of life and then of the whole person, limbs and all!

Listen

Numbers 11:25-29; Psalm 19b; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Reflect

(Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48)

-John objected to a person who was not in their group, casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Jesus himself had no problems with this. Jealousy can poison our outlook even when what is done by another is good. “S/he is invading my patch.” Perhaps you have seen, in yourself or in others, the negative effect of jealousy and the contrasting positive effect of being able to rejoice that good is being done, irrespective of who is the person doing it.

-In strong terms Jesus condemns those who are destructive of the life of others, particularly the “little ones.” Just as Jesus came that we might have life and have it to the full, we likewise are here to make a positive difference to others. What was it like for you when you were able to do something that was helpful to another?

-Rather dramatically Jesus tells us to cut off a hand, or tear out an eye, rather than harm another. It is not to be taken literally but it does mean that we should not be casual about our efforts to live a good life. When have you experienced the benefits of an element of seriousness in your approach to life?

Pray

Pour out your Spirit, O God, over all the world to inspire every heart with knowledge and love of you. Grant that we who confess Jesus as Lord may shun whatever is contrary to this faith and give witness to your love that has saved us in Christ, for he lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

References

The Precepts of the Lord

The Word today, W25B

September 23 - September 28, 2024

Monday 23 September

St Padre Pio

Proverbs 3:27-34 How should we behave towards our neighbours? This reading offers a range of advice and perhaps one teaching or other will resonate with my own experience.

Luke 8:16-18 Our Gospel offers some arresting, even disconcerting, sayings of Jesus.

Tuesday 24 September

Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13 Today, we hear a series of proverbs offering wisdom coming from reflection upon experience. Any one proverb would merit reflection and perhaps there is one that speaks to you today.

Luke 8:19-21 It is interesting that Luke, who has the fullest portrait of Mary, should include this intriguing passage.

Wednesday 25 September

St Finbarr, bishop

Proverbs 30:5-9 The prayer included in this reading is a surprise, but the reasons given are good. It comes down to moderation or, as a friend puts it, an “elegant sufficiency”!!

Luke 9:1-6 The Twelve are empowered to do exactly what Jesus did. Just like him, they are to depend on the providence of God and the kindness of strangers. Shaking off the dust is a prophetic gesture of judgement and rejection (cf. Luke 10:11; Acts 13:51; 18:6).

Thursday 26 September

Sts Cosmas and Damian, martyrs

Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 For the next three days, we hear from the book of Ecclesiastes. When read as a whole, it is a surprise to find this book in our Bible, because it is so pessimistic. Our reading today captures that in a reflection upon vanity of vanities. Remember, however, that vanity here does not mean self-regard (cf. selfies!) but rather futility / emptiness. The opening words could be well translated as “futility of futilities” or “the most futile.”

Luke 9:7-9 Herod, who is more curious about than really interested in Jesus, uses the various categories for understanding Jesus.

Friday 27 September

St Vincent de Paul, priest and religious

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 This reading is sometimes chosen for funerals and you can see why. The wisdom within is somewhat static: this is just how things are and we must accept it.

Luke 9:18-22 The disciples repeat the common opinion, as we heard yesterday. But Jesus challenges them (and us) directly to go deeper.

Saturday 28 September

St Laurence Ruiz and companions, martyrs; St Wenceslaus, martyr

Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8 Our final reading from Ecclesiastes is a poem…but about what? If you listen carefully, you will see it is about the dilapidation of old age. For instance, the strong men are our legs and the women who grind are our teeth. And so on.

The end of life is captured marvelously “before the silver cord has snapped, or the golden lamp been broken, or the pitcher shattered at the spring, or the pulley cracked at the well.”

Even though Ecclesiastes can be emotionally reserved, there is a pathos for the human condition in this poem.

Luke 9:43-45 Suffering is always bewildering, so the reaction of the disciples in this passage is perfectly understandable.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024h, September 22). Twenty-fifth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092224.cfm

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