February 3, 2013

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Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 72

Reading 1 from the Holy Book of Jeremiah
 Jer 1:4-5, 17-19

The word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

God spoke to Jeremiah and revealed that He had predestined him as a prophet to the nations before he was even conceived in the womb.

In other words, before Jeremiah existed, God already knew that he would be His prophet.

But do you gird your loins;
stand up and tell them
all that I command you.

This is what I created you to do, therefore, put on your pants and get to work doing what I have commanded you.

Be not crushed on their account,
as though I would leave you crushed before them;
for it is I this day
who have made you a fortified city,
a pillar of iron, a wall of brass,
against the whole land:
against Judah’s kings and princes,
against its priests and people.

Don't let them disturb you.  If they rebel against you, I will not let them defeat you.  I have made you invincible before any of the people of Israel.  Whether they be kings, priests or regular joes.

They will fight against you but not prevail over you,
for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

They will fight you but they won't defeat you because I will save you, says God.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17

R. (cf. 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.

We should always be prepared to tell the people about our hope in God.

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.

R. I will sing of your salvation. 

Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

This is a prayer showing confidence in God, to whom we run whenever we are in any trouble.  Especially when we feel persecuted or treated unfairly.

For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

The Psalmist continues to express hope in God, but also recognizes that God made us for Himself even in our mother's womb.

My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

And he is determined to tell everyone about God's goodness.  Everyday, from his youth to the present, he has proclaimed the goodness of God.

Reading 2 from the first epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians
1 Cor 12:31—13:13 Or 13:4-13

Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

Strive means to work hard.

Eagerly, means with great desire.

Therefore, he is saying that these spiritual gifts are very desirable and we should do our best to receive them.  The only way which I know to strive to receive spiritual gifts is to pray for them.  Because they are not earned.  They are bestowed.

The only other way to receive them is to participate in the Sacraments.  All of the gifts are poured into our soul when we receive the Sanctifying grace of God in the Sacraments.

But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

All of the gifts are desirable, but there is a better way which is even more desirable than all of the gifts put together.  And without which, all of the gifts are as nothing.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues,
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

Without love, the gift of tongues is as the clanging of noisy metal instruments.

And if I have the gift of prophecy,
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.

Even if I know all things and claim to be able to save myself by faith alone, but if I do not add to that faith, love, I have nothing.

If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.

And if I give everything away to the poor and I sacrifice myself before everyone, but I have no love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
It is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

That is one of the most beautiful verses ever written.  I certainly can't improve on it.

If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

Now there is a subtle shift from speaking of "love" to speaking of God.  Or union with God which is heaven.  This is what he means by "when the perfect comes".

Right now, everything is partial to us because we love in part.  But when, in the Judgement, we are united to God perfectly, then we will love perfectly because God is love.

When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.

He is comparing maturity in the human order to maturity in the spiritual order.

When we were children, we babbled like children and had different priorities, where are our toys, can we go out to play, etc.

But when we grow up and become mature, we think about getting a job, finding a home, etc.

In the same way, a child in the spirit thinks of himself, how to make things better for himself.  But a mature person in the spirit thinks of how to please God and how to do good to his neighbor.

At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.

In this life, he says, we don't understand perfectly.  It is as though we live in a haze.  But in those days, we will see as He sees and be fullly aware.

So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

And in those days, three things will remain.  Faith, hope and love.  But love is greater than faith or hope.  The reason, in my opinion, is, because God is love.

or the althernate second reading which is really just a part of the first, so I'll leave it untouched.

Brothers and sisters:
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,

it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke
Lk 4:21-30

Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying:
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus had just read the verse in Isaiah which says the Messiah will come and reveals that it has been fulfilled in Him.

And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.

Many spoke highly of Him and believed His words.

They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”

But He was in His home town where people knew Him from infancy and they doubted.

He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say,
‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said, “Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.

He knew that they doubted Him and that they wanted Him to show signs to prove His claim.

Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

But He didn't oblige.  He said in fact, that when the days of famine struck Israel, Elijah went to a foreign land and there made a miracle for a foreigner, the widow of Sidon.

And in the time of Elisha, there were many ill people in Judah, but Elisha cured the foreigner, Naaman.

When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.

When He said this the people became so angry that they tried to kill Him by throwing Him off the hill that the town was built upon.

But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.

But Jesus simply walked through their midst and went away.