May 20, 2013

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Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time 
Lectionary: 341

Reading 1SIR 1:1-10

All wisdom comes from the LORD

and with him it remains forever, and is before all time

Wisdom, prudence and understanding, the ability to discern the right course of action, comes from God.

The sand of the seashore, the drops of rain,

the days of eternity: who can number these?

Heaven’s height, earth’s breadth,

the depths of the abyss: who can explore these?

We can come closer to home.  The hairs on our head, who can count them?  Only God.  God knows everything.  With God is perfect wisdom, prudence and understanding.  Only God can give us these things.

Before all things else wisdom was created;

and prudent understanding, from eternity.

The wisdom which was given to man was created.  But prudence and understanding, the wisdom of God, which exists in God, is uncreated.  

The word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom

and her ways are everlasting.

It is from God that wisdom is poured into men.  It is a grace of God.

To whom has wisdom’s root been revealed?

Who knows her subtleties?

To whom has the discipline of wisdom been revealed?

And who has understood the multiplicity of her ways ?

There is but one, wise and truly awe-inspiring,

seated upon his throne:

There is but one, Most High 

all-powerful creator-king and truly awe-inspiring one,

seated upon his throne and he is the God of dominion.

It is the LORD; he created her through the Holy Spirit,

has seen her and taken note of her.

He has poured her forth upon all his works,

upon every living thing according to his bounty;

he has lavished her upon his friends.

God created everything with wisdom and understanding.  God said to Job:

Job 38:1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,  2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?  3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.  4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.  5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?  6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;  7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?   

Only God knows all these things.  But God has lavished His wisdom upon all men who believe in Him and who ask for it.

James 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  

Responsorial PsalmPS 93:1AB, 1CD-2, 5

R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

The LORD is king, in splendor robed;

robed is the LORD and girt about with strength. 

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

And he has made the world firm,

not to be moved.

Your throne stands firm from of old;

from everlasting you are, O LORD. 

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:

holiness befits your house,

O LORD, for length of days. 

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

God has made the world and all that is in it.  Nature is a testimony to the existence of God.  We can know that God exists based upon the beauty of that which is created:

Romans 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

GospelMK 9:14-29

As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John
and approached the other disciples,
they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.

When Jesus and the Apostles Peter, James and John came down from the mountain of the Transfiguration, they found the disciples in a dispute with a large crowd of Jews.

Immediately on seeing him,
the whole crowd was utterly amazed.
They ran up to him and greeted him.

When they saw Him, the crowd rushed over to Him.

He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”

Jesus asked the crowd, "why are you arguing with my disciples?"

Someone from the crowd answered him,
“Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit.
Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down;
he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid.
I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.”

One of the people in the crowd to Him that the disciples had not been able to heal his son of possession by an evil spirit.

He said to them in reply,
“O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?

I'm not sure whether Jesus was reprimanding the people or the disciples here.  

How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.”
They brought the boy to him.
And when he saw him,
the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions.
As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around
and foam at the mouth.

When Jesus called for the boy to be brought to Him, the evil spirit threw the boy into convulsions.

Then he questioned his father,
“How long has this been happening to him?”
He replied, “Since childhood.
It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him.

Then Jesus asked the child's father, "How long has this been happening."  And the father replied, "since childhood."

But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Then the father made a snafu.  When he asked Jesus to cure his child, he said, "If you can help."

Jesus said to him,
“‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”

Immediately, Jesus caught that and said, "what sort of faith is that?  If you believe in everything is possible."

Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

This is a very poignant and touching moment for me and perhaps for every parent.  How many of us want to have enough faith to bring our children to everlasting life which only Christ can give?

Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering,
rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,
“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you:
come out of him and never enter him again!”

At that point, Jesus reprimanded the spirit and cast him out of the child.

Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out.
He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!”

Suddenly, the spirit left and the child looked as though he was dead.

But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.

But Jesus stood him up by the hand.

When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private,
“Why could we not drive the spirit out?”
He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”

The disciples could not understand why the spirit would not leave when they cast him out.  And Jesus said that this type would only come out through prayer.