The Word today, W22B
- Admin
- Aug 31, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 27, 2024
September 02 - September 07, 2024
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 The Corinthians found Paul a poor speaker and were unimpressed. He turns this around by saying, in effect, “I don’t want you to be impressed by fine speeches and even logic, because as the centre stands the contradiction of the cross.”
Luke 4:16-30 This compact account, brought forward and expanded by Luke, is really a symbolic tableau, anticipating the ministry of Jesus, his destiny and the later expansion of the Way in the Acts. Jesus is portrayed as a prophet, whose word is penetrating.
St Gregory the Great, bishop of Rome, doctor
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 What should we say of the Holy Spirit in our lives? We could do worse than pay attention to the first and last affirmations of this reading: “The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God.” “But we are those who have the mind of Christ.”
Luke 4:31-37 What kind of authority did Jesus have? Truly effective authority, as we see in this remarkable story.
St Mac Nissi, bishop
1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Continuing his argument with the Corinthians, Paul starts by admitting that after his preaching there was more to be said by the likes of Apollos. Nevertheless, preachers are only those who plant and water. It is God who gives the growth.
Luke 4:38-44 Our Gospel today shows us Jesus as a very busy person who also needed to “recharge his batteries”, as we say. Luke’ underlines throughout the prayer and prayerfulness of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 3:18-23 The Corinthians were inclined to think of themselves as spiritually advanced and, in various ways, superior. Such boasting has no place and Paul knocks it firmly on the head.
Luke 5:1-11 Usually, the call stories are stripped of all human interest. Luke make the response of the first disciples more credible is showing that they did indeed have some previous experience of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 4:1-5 Judging others, especially people in leadership, is a constant “pastime”, even in earliest communities of faith. Paul has no truck with such human assessments: only God is his, and our, judge.
Luke 5:33-39 Jesus was challenged because in his ministry he was not traditional. For example, he did not promote fasting. The early church did take up fasting and our Gospel is an attempt to explain why this is okay even if Jesus himself did not promote it. The marriage symbolism is part of the preaching of the Kingdom.
1 Corinthians 4:6-15 Once more, Paul tries to set aside party politics in the life of the community. He gives a very moving account of the lowly role of the apostle—a tour de force. At the same time, he does not neglect to remind the Corinthians of the origin of the faith among them and he (alone!) is their one father.
Luke 6:1-5 Today’s Gospel is an funny little story and one could be bold and ask what were the Pharisees doing in a cornfield on the Sabbath!! The main point, however, cannot be missed: Jesus’ ministry was utterly new, calling for novelty in thought and practice.
References
-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024b, September 1). Twenty-second Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090124.cfm
-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/
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