2025-10-26 Thirtieth Sunday in ordinary time
Thirtieth Sunday in ordinary time
Welcome
Opening prayer
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, the light of the World, our Saviour and Redeemer, you gave us the words of eternal life. Grant us the wisdom to meditate on your words and take them to heart, so that your light may always guide our thoughts, words and actions. Open our eyes, minds and hearts to see clearly your wonderful truths, and fill us with the Spirit of understanding, so that our every thought, word and action is for the praise, honor and glory of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Mother Mary, full of grace, pray for us. Saint Jerome, Lover of Sacred Scripture, pray for us. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let us pause for a moment to pray for those need our prayers including Madeline O'Neal who recently had a fall. Teresa and Sandra who are traveling, and any others ... Let's say a Hail Mary for them ....
Recap of last week's action item
- Visit an elderly person who is isolated or a shut-in
Book of Sirach
The period saw less involvement from Yahweh and the rise and fall of empires, including the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great and the subsequent rule by his successors, the Ptolemies and Seleucid and finally the Roman conquest of the region roughly 60 BC eventually followed around the time of Christ.
Psalm 34
Psalm 34 is classified as an Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving, where the singers give thanks to God for deliverance from various life-threatening situations: illness, enemies, and dangers.
In 1 Samuel 21:10-15, David flees for his life from a jealous Saul and seeks refuge in Gath, of the land of King Achish . But Achish recognises him so David, afraid for his life, feigns madness to disguise his true identity.
Fifteen individual Hymns of Thanksgiving occur in the book of Psalms. In them, psalm singers give thanks to God for deliverance from various life-threatening situations: illness, enemies, and dangers.
Readers of Psalm 34 should be recognized as a song of thanksgiving for deliverance and find hope for deliverance from various oppressive situations.
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
This letter describes key aspects of Paul’s life and teaching consistent with what is found in the undisputed Pauline letters. It thus powerfully represents Paul, imprisoned and aware that his death is near, exhorting his spiritual son Timothy to follow his exemplary Christian life and teachings as Timothy continues to advance the gospel in adverse circumstances.
In evaluating his own life, Paul offers Timothy three interrelated images.
First, he has “fought the good fight” - presenting himself as a victor, complete with the wreath or “crown” given to champions. Powerful imagery in the Greco-Roman world, he uses it as a metaphor for the moral life.
Secondly, Paul has “completed the race.” In two ways, one is that Paul has preserved the sound teaching of the Gospel (2 Timothy 1:13), passing it along to Timothy and others, while false teachings abound (2 Timothy 2:16-18; 3:8; 4:3-4). The second is that he has maintained faith in the Lord Jesus Christ throughout his ministry, even amidst his many sufferings and persecutions (2 Timothy 1:8, 12, 15; 2:8-10; 3:11; 4:10, 14, 16).
Finally, Paul says, “I have kept the faith.” Because of his faithful life in preaching of the Gospel, 4:17-18 indicates that the Lord’s provision and righteousness make this life possible.
Paul does not glorify suffering for its own sake, but throughout this letter, he asserts that it is an inevitable part of serving the Christ who suffered and gave his life in faithfulness to his mission.
Luke 18:9-14
The Leaven of the Pharisee aka Prideful religiosity talks of falsely taking credit for one's propriety and thumping one's chest at being a good disciple to the exclusion of others.
This is a metaphor for self-righteous disciples today who feel so convinced that their way of discipleship is better than others who move through the world differently, leading them to demonize their neighbor. When such beliefs promote contempt, resentment, and grievance in others, then we have misunderstood what true discipleship means, rendering prayer ineffectual, even blasphemous.
The tax collector likewise is a metaphor for the outcast who acknowledges his sinfulness and humbly asks for mercy; God welcomes back lost sheep into the fold. It is the repentant sinner who is worthy of celebration, not the “ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). Further in Luke 5:32, Jesus opts “to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Action item for this week
Read Matthew 5:3-12 The Beatitudes
2 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
3 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
4 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
5 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
6 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
8. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
9. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
- Prayfully conduct an examination of conscience and ask god for mercy
- After mass introduce yourself to some you see every Sunday but don't know
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
You saw through the pride of the Pharisees
and taught that true holiness dwells in the humble and pure of heart.
Deliver us, Lord, from the sin of hypocrisy —
from saying prayers without love,
from judging others while excusing myself,
from seeking honor more than service,
and from obeying Your law only with our lips and not our hearts.
Teach us to love mercy more than sacrifice,
to act justly, to walk humbly with You, our God.
Let our faith be simple,
our worship sincere,
our obedience joyful,
and our charity hidden but real.
Cleanse us, O Lord, of the leaven of pride.
Fill us with the Spirit of Your truth and compassion,
that we may follow You not for appearance,
but for love of the Father who sees in secret.
Create in us a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within us.
Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
may we grow in humility and grace,
walking always in the light of Your mercy.
Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment