Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 438
Reading 1
1 Corinthians 6:1-11
Brothers and sisters:
How can any one of you with a case against another
dare to bring it to the unjust for judgment
instead of to the holy ones?
Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world?
If the world is to be judged by you,
are you unqualified for the lowest law courts?
Do you not know that we will judge angels?
Then why not everyday matters?
If, therefore, you have courts for everyday matters,
do you seat as judges people of no standing in the Church?
I say this to shame you.
Can it be that there is not one among you wise enough
to be able to settle a case between brothers?
But rather brother goes to court against brother,
and that before unbelievers?
Now indeed then it is, in any case,
a failure on your part that you have lawsuits against one another.
Why not rather put up with injustice?
Why not rather let yourselves be cheated?
Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this to brothers.
Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived;
neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers
nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves
nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers
will inherit the Kingdom of God.
That is what some of you used to be;
but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and in the Spirit of our God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
R. (see 4) The Lord takes delight in his people.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Alleluia
See John 15:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
That you may go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 6:12-19
Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Hearing and Healing
And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all. Luke 6:17–19
The Gospel of Luke presents us with what is traditionally known as the “Sermon on the Plain.” Almost everything Luke includes in this sermon is also found in Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount.” Matthew, however, adds some teachings not found in Luke. Matthew’s sermon has three chapters while Luke’s has only one.
In this, the introduction to this “Sermon on the Plain,” from which we will be reading all week, Luke points out that large numbers of people came from far and wide to listen to Jesus. This crowd included many Jews but also included many people from the pagan territory of Tyre and Sidon. And what was it that drew so many of them? They came to “hear” Jesus preach and “to be healed.” They wanted to hear the words of Jesus since He spoke with great authority and in a way that was changing lives. And they were especially amazed by the healing power that Jesus manifested. The last line of the passage above gives great emphasis to this desire for healing. “Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.”
It’s interesting that Jesus performed so many powerful miracles as He went about His public ministry. This was especially the case as He began His ministry. He became a sort of instant celebrity to many and was the talk of the many surrounding towns. But it’s also interesting to note that, as time went on, Jesus gave more emphasis to His teaching than He did to the miracles.
What is it that draws you to our Lord? Perhaps if there were numerous manifest miracles performed today by God, many people would be amazed. But physical miracles are not the greatest work of our Lord and, therefore, should not be the primary focus of our relationship with Him. The primary reason we should be drawn to our Lord is because His holy Word sinks in deeply, changes us and draws us into communion with Him. This is clearly seen by the fact that now that the Gospel message has been deeply established and the Church formed, physical miracles are rare. They do happen, but not in the same way that they did as Jesus first established His public ministry.
Reflect, today, upon the primary reason you find yourself drawn to our Lord. Seek out His living Word, spoken within the depths of your heart. The most important miracle that takes place today is that of interior transformation. When a person hears God speak, responds to that Word, and allows Him to change their life, this is among the most important miracles of grace that we could ever encounter. And this is the central reason we should be drawn to Him, seek Him out and follow Him wherever He leads.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
CONFLICTING REPORTS
“Those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured; indeed, the whole crowd was trying to touch Him because power went out from Him which cured all.” —Luke 6:18-19
St. Luke has just finished recounting five conflicts the religious leaders had with Jesus. They got upset with Jesus over the observance of the sabbath, fasting, the company He kept, and claiming authority to forgive sins. At the end of round five, the religious leaders “became frenzied and began asking one another what could be done to Jesus” (Lk 6:11).
Natural responses to a barrage of complaints and accusations include disturbance, fear, resentment, and withdrawal. Instead, Jesus responded by “spending the night in communion with God” (Lk 6:12), selecting the twelve apostles (Lk 6:13), and healing the sick (Lk 6:19).
Let’s pray for the grace to respond to a barrage of conflicts in the same way Jesus did: by not being perturbed but remaining calm so that we “will be able to pray” (1 Pt 4:7). When we’re going through the agony in the garden, we must take a long time to pray. We should also select others to support us in prayer, even if this exposes us to further rejection. Finally, we should place our own hurts in God’s hands and, although wounded, reach out to heal others.
Prayer: Jesus, give me the grace to make a supernatural response to conflicts.
Promise: “You have been washed, consecrated, justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”—1 Cor 6:11
Praise: Jacob, a high school senior, goes to Confession weekly.
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
It is said, ‘when you have many things to do, start with prayer.’ This is precisely what Jesus did – and taught us to do – when he was really busy. Personal, silent prayer in seclusion characterized his life. In the Gospel passage of today, Luke emphasizes this characteristic of Jesus who spent the whole night in prayer before He chose His apostles. Why do we have an aversion to prayer? Why do we get easily tired while praying? Why do we postpone or compromise when it comes to prayer? Let us learn from Jesus and spend time first in prayer and all the rest will be done for us. Let prayer be our priority.
Prayers
My miraculous Lord, please draw me to Yourself, teaching in the wilderness of my interior life of silence and solitude. Help me to seek You out so that I can hear Your Word, spoken to me to give me new life. May I always listen to You so that Your holy Word will transform me more fully, making me into the new creation You desire me to be. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Inflame my heart with a burning love for you and with an expectant faith in your saving power. Take my life and all that I have as an offering of love for you, who are my All.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 253: The Response of Total Gratitude
What should our response be to God? Oftentimes we become self-consumed in our relationship with God. We focus in on our troubles and needs. These must be given over to God and let go of. When we do this we will discover that we begin to see the glory and goodness of God at work in our lives and we will begin to be filled with the utmost gratitude toward God. Gratitude must consume us and fill our minds and prayers. We must allow gratitude to take over our passions and feelings and every part of our being. This is what we will do for eternity. Heaven will be one eternal act of thanksgiving to God for His goodness and Mercy. When we can turn our eyes away from ourselves and focus in on God, this gift of gratitude will begin to direct our lives (See Diary #1285-1286).
Are you grateful? You will be grateful only if you allow yourself to see the countless gifts that God lavishes upon you every day. It’s easy to allow self-absorption to cloud our vision of these countless blessings from God. But if you can turn your eyes toward Heaven and see the truth, you will be amazed at God’s infinite goodness. Do not let yourself miss out on this glorious discovery of all that God does for you day and night. Do not close your eyes to the abundance of His Mercy. Reflect, today, upon whether or not you allow yourself to see His merciful love lavished upon you and upon others. Fix your gaze upon this Mercy and allow this realization to foster within you a profoundly grateful heart.
My Lord, I thank You for all that You have done in my life and I thank You for all that You will continue to do in me. Help me to become increasingly aware of Your merciful love and the countless blessings You bestow upon me and upon all Your children. As I see Your handiwork all around, fill my heart with sincere gratitude. Jesus, I trust in You.
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