The Word today, W28B
- Admin
- Oct 11, 2024
- 3 min read
October 14 - October 19, 2024
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.”
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.
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!
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.
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.
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/
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