Scripture of the Week
Mass Readings—Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Book of Ezekiel, chapter eighteen, verses twenty-five thru twenty-eight;
Psalm Twenty-five, verses four & five, six & seven, & eight & nine;
The Letter to Philippians, chapter two, verses one thru eleven
(or, the Letter to Philippians, chapter two, verses one thru five);
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-one, verses twenty-eight thru thirty-two.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today’s Gospel gives us the parable of the two sons, which Jesus uses as a comment on the Pharisees rejection of John the Baptist: “When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did”.Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Various people come to the Baptist and ask what they must do in order to be more pleasing to God. And he gives them very concrete instruction. To tax collectors, he says, “Don’t take more than you should”. To soldiers, he says, “Don’t extort and bully people and don’t expect more in pay than you deserve”. To those who have much, he says, “Share what you have with those who have less”. In other words, he urges the basic works of justice.
Like his religious and philosophical colleagues, the Baptist assumes here that this moral reform in the direction of justice can be undertaken through our own efforts.
But when people suggest that he, the Baptist, might be the Messiah, he emphatically clarifies the matter. The last and greatest of the prophets says, “There is one coming who is mightier than I. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals”.
Audio reflection by Scott Hahn, Ph.D.: Breaking the Bread.
Video reflection by Jeff Cavins: Encountering the Word.
Bible Study—The Bible Timeline: Return
The Book of Nehemiah, chapter five (verses one thru nineteen);
The Book of Nehemiah, chapter six (verses one thru nineteen);
The Book of Nehemiah, chapter seven (verses one thru seventy-two).
Commentary: Antisocial Conduct (5:1-5), Nehemiah's Action (5:6-13), Nehemiah's Lack of Self-Interest (5:13-19), Plots against Nehemiah (6:1-14, Conclusion of the Work (6:15-7:3), & Census of the Province (7:4-72).
Bible Study—Proverbs in a Month
The Book of Proverbs, chapter one (of thirty-one; verses one thru thirty-three).
Commentary: I. Introduction: The Value of Wisdom: Purpose of the Proverbs of Solomon (1:1-7), the Path of the Wicked: Greed & Violence (1:8-19), & Wisdom in Person Gives Warning (1:20-33).
Mass Journal: Week 40
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute:
A tree with deep roots can weather any storm. In your life & mine it is only a matter of time before the next storm gets here: an illness, the death of a loved one, unemployment, financial difficulties, a troubled child, a natural disaster, marital strife, or any number of other things. The storms of life are inevitable. The question is not whether there will be another storm. The question is: When will the next storm get here? And when the next storm gets here, it's too late to sink the roots. When the next storm gets here, you either have the roots or you don't.
Otherwise, 1 October would the festival of Blesseds Ralph Crockett & Edward James, Priests & Martyrs (died 1588), martyred in the reign of the queen Elizabeth I: Martyr-link Romeo Charlie & Wikipedia-link Romeo Charlie, Martyr-link Echo Juliett & Wikipedia-link Echo Juliett.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Twould also the festival of Blesseds Christopher Buxton, Priest; Robert Widmerpool; & Robert Wilcox, Priest; Martyrs (died 1588), martyred in the reign of the queen Elizabeth I, three of the four Oaten Hill Martyrs, A.K.A. the Canterbury Martyrs: Martyr-link Charlie Bravo & Wikipedia-link Charlie Bravo, Martyr-link Romeo W-I-D, & Martyr-link Romeo W-I-L; Wikipedia-link Oaten Hill.
'Twould also the festival of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin & Doctor of the Church, O.C.D. (1873-1897, A.K.A. of Lisieux), the "Little Flower of Jesus:" Doctor-link ūna, Doctor-link duae, & Wikipedia-link.
No comments:
Post a Comment