October 26, 2013

Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 478
Reading 1 ROM 8:1-11

Brothers and sisters:
Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Those who are in Christ Jesus are those baptized people who are living in accordance with the will of God.

For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus

This is a simile comparing the Sacraments, wherein we receive Sanctifying grace which is a participation in the life of Christ to the Law, which is the Ten Commansments.  The Law of the Spirit of life is the Law of love.  Sanctifying grace leads us to live in love and giving love to God and all of God's creatures.

has freed you from the law of sin and death.

The law of sin is that law which resides in our flesh and tempts us to do wicked and evil things all day long (Romans 7:25).

For what the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do,
this God has done:

Here, "the law" which God has put into our flesh (Romans 2:14) was powerless against the law of sin in our flesh.  

by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh
and for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit.

Christ, came in the flesh in order to conquer sin in the flesh so that the law of righteousness which dwells in our hearts could bloom  in those of us who seek to do the will of God and live according to the spirit of holiness.

For those who live according to the flesh
are concerned with the things of the flesh,
but those who live according to the spirit
with the things of the spirit.

Those who live according to their fallen nature do not seek to do the will of God but to do their own will.

The concern of the flesh is death,
but the concern of the spirit is life and peace.

Those who live according to the flesh seek death because they seek that which removes them from the spirit of life which is God.  But  those who seek to live by the spirit will receive eternal life and peace and holiness.

For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God;
it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it;
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Those who seek to live by the flesh are at enmity with God.  They refuse to do the will of God and seek only their own will.

But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Those of us who live by the spirit will live in unity with Christ and Christ will grant us eternal life.

If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.

And if we continue to live in the Spirit, God will raise us from the dead.

Responsorial Psalm PS 24:1B-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

We and all who live in this world belong to God.  Everything belongs to God.  Let us therefore give God thanks for all which He has given us and seek to live according to His holy will.

Gospel LK 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
He said to them in reply,
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!

This verse confused me for a long time.  Then I realized that if I changed the conjunction from "But" to "And" it made more sense.  It would read like this:

“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?  By no means! AND I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!

You see, Jews thought that the Galileans had died in this horrible manner because they were greater sinners than all other men. But Jesus replied, "No.  They were not worse sinners than you.  You are equally as sinful as they.  So, unless you repent, you will die just as horribly. "

Or those eighteen people who were killed
when the tower at Siloam fell on them—
do you think they were more guilty
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!”

And again, Jesus repeated, "Nor were those who died when the tower fell on them more sinful than you.  AND I TELL YOU,  repent! because if you do not, you will be punished just as they were."

And he told them this parable:
“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,
and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year also,
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.’”

Then Jesus gave them a warning.  I am the heavenly Gardner.  My Father is the owner of the Garden.  My Father would have condemned you by now.  But I have come to give you one more opportunity to repent.  If you do not repent, you will be cut down because of your unfruitfulness and be cast into the fire."