Daily Readings September 17, 2012

Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 443

First Reading from St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians

1 Cor 11:17-26, 33

Brothers and sisters:
In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact
that your meetings are doing more harm than good.

St. Paul is concerned about the Corinthians' behavior in the Assemblies or as we would call it, "the Mass".

First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church
there are divisions among you,
and to a degree I believe it;
there have to be factions among you
in order that also those who are approved among you
may become known.

The first thing he mentions is the appearance of divisions within the Corinthians.  He doesn't approve of them but says they will come in order that those who are approved of God may become known to the Church.

When you meet in one place, then,
it is not to eat the Lord's supper,
for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper,
and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.

With respect to the Assembly, he says that when they meet, some begin to eat and get drunk while others go hungry.

Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink?

He says, if that is what you are going to do, you may as well stay home.

Or do you show contempt for the Church of God
and make those who have nothing feel ashamed?

Because in behaving this way, they show contempt for God's house, the Church, and make the poor feel ashamed.

What can I say to you? Shall I praise you?
In this matter I do not praise you.

Therefore, he says that he can not praise them in this behavior.  But only admonish them that it is wrong.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my Body that is for you.

It is wrong because the bread that is given to you in the Assembly is not mere bread.  It is the Body of Christ.  This is what Himself showed Him.

Do this in remembrance of me."

And we break the Bread in remembrance of Him.

In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my Blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

In the same way, Jesus also told him that the wine in the Cup of the New Covenant was His Blood.  And that it was to be consumed in remembrance of Him.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Everytime that we come together and partake of the Eucharist, we proclaim the Gospel of our Lord more effectively than if we were to stand on the corner and preach all day.  Because we show by our actions that we believe in that which the Lord has said.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

Therefore, we must be reverent when we receive the Eucharistic Meal which avails us to eternal life.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17

Response. (1 Cor 11:26b) Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.

Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."

R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.

"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"

R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.

May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."

R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.

It is in the Mass that we proclaim the Faith of our Lord to the world with one voice and one mind.

Romans 15:6
King James Version (KJV)
⁶ That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel Lk 7:1-10

This is one of the most beautiful of Gospel verses.  It is commemorated in the Mass right before we take communion.  I'm sure you'll recognize it.

When Jesus had finished all his words to the people,
he entered Capernaum.

Yesterday we were in Mark, today we are in Luke Chapter 7.  To know what Luke means, take a peek at Luke 6.   There's a lot there, but it ends with Jesus telling them that those who hear His words and obey them are like the man that builds his house on a solid foundation.

A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die,
and he was valuable to him.

A certain Greek army officer of great influence heard that Jesus was coming.  This fellow's servant was ill and dying.

When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him,
asking him to come and save the life of his slave.

So he sent some Jewish elders of the Synagogue to request that Jesus save the servant's life.

They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying,
"He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us."

The Jews, probably in their earnest love for the man, went one further and asked Jesus to come to the officer's house to cure the servant.

And Jesus went with them,

And Jesus came with them.  The next few lines are the ones that floor me every time I hear this.

but when he was only a short distance from the house,
the centurion sent friends to tell him,
"Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.

The Greek officer noticed that Jesus was coming and sent his Jewish friends to say, "I am not worthy that You should come into my house."

Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.

"You are sovereign Lord and God, you need only say the word and my servant will be healed."

For I too am a person subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."

"I too am accustomed to giving orders.  I say, "do this and it is done.""

When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him
and, turning, said to the crowd following him,
"I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
When the messengers returned to the house,
they found the slave in good health.

 And Jesus said, "I have not seen faith this deep in all of Israel." And the servant was healed at that hour.

Sincerely,

De Maria