SATURDAY- 26^th  WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –C

Gospel: Luke 10:17-24: Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

I Reading: Baruch 4:5-12.27-29: He who brought disaster on you will give you eternal joy.

The Seventy Return: Great Power, Lk 10:17-20

Jesus Christ gives great power to the person who truly works for him.

1. The Seventy returned (v.17)

a. with joy

b. with great results and a testimony of power

2. The Christian labourer has power over Satan (v.18)

3. The Christian labourer has power overall enemies: perfect security (v.19)

4. The Christian labourer is to rejoice in his salvation, not in his power (v.20)

The Seventy Return: Great Privileges, Lk 10:21-24

The Christian labourer has three great privileges. Jesus was filled with joy over these privileges and praised God. The Lord’s heart longs to share these privileges with every person.

1. Jesus rejoiced (v.21)

2. privilege 1: The spiritual insight into truth (v.21)

a. into “these things”

b. God hides truth from the wise and learned

c. God reveals truth to babes

d. such action is well pleasing to God

3. Privilege 2: The knowledge of God and of His only Son (v.22)

a. God and the Son alone know one another

b. The Son reveals God to some

4. Privilege 3: The insight and privilege of learning God’s full revelation (v.23-24).

Thought: God’s power is defeating satan, of delivering people from the power of satan.

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FRIDAY- 26^th  WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –C

Gospel: Luke 10:13-16: Anyone who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.

I Reading: Baruch 1:15-22: We have sinned in the sight of the Lord and have disobeyed him.

Anyone who rejects me rejects the one who sent me, Lk 10:13-16

1. Walk away from rejecters (v.10-15)

a. any town and people who reject

          1) symbolize God’s rejection by wiping off the very dust of the city

          2) reason: kingdom of God came near, but they rejected it

          3) judgement: shall be greater than Sodom’s

b. any who only profess to be God’s people

          1) illustrated by two Jewish towns

          2) the reason: the works of Christ were seen, yet he was rejected

          3) the judgement: to be more terrible

c. any who have a constant witness but reject: to receive the greatest judgement-hell

2. Know that the Christian labourer presents the Lord (v.16)

Thought: Anyone who rejects the Lord definitely will be condemned.

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THURSDAY- 26^th  WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –C

Gospel: Luke 10:1-12: Your peace will rest on him.

I Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-12: Ezra opened the Book of the Law and blessed the people, and all the people answered him, “Amen! Amen!”

The Seventy Sent Forth : Great Purpose, 10:1-16

Jesus appoints the seventy and sends forth for his mission. This passage tells the Christian labourer how he is to work and tells the hearer how he is to treat the labourer of God.

1. Jesus appointed seventy disciples to prepare the way for Him (v.1)

a. had many disciples

b. two by two

c. saw tremendous need

d. sent as forerunners

2. First, pray for more labourers (v.2)

3. Second, go into an antagonistic world (v.3)

4. Third, trust God and sense the hour’s urgency (v.4)

5. Fourth, guard the message-do not force it upon people (v.5-6)

6. Fifth, accept compensation, but do not seek luxury (v.7)

7. Sixth, be accommodating and adaptable (v.8-9)

a. indentify with people

b. minister to people

c. proclaim the kingdom of God

8. Seventh, walk away from rejecters (v.10-15)

a. any town and people who reject

          1) symbolize God’s rejection by wiping off the very dust of the city

          2) reason: kingdom of God came near, but they rejected it

          3) judgement: shall be greater than Sodom’s

b. any who only profess to be God’s people

          1) illustrated by two Jewish towns

          2) the reason: the works of Christ were seen, yet he was rejected

          3) the judgement: to be more terrible

c. any who have a constant witness but reject: to receive the greatest judgement-hell

9. Eighth, , know that the Christian labourer presents the Lord (v.16)

Thought: Anyone who rejects the Lord definitely will be condemned.

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WEDNESDAY- 26^th  WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –C

Gospel: Luke 9:57-62: I will follow you wherever you go.

I Reading: Nehemiah 2:1-8: It pleases the king, give me leave to go to the city of my ancestors and rebuild it.

The Great Cost of Discipleship, Lk 9:57-62

Many people want to follow Jesus Christ without knowing the great price of discipleship. True discipleship costs everything a person is and has.

1. A person must count the cost (v.57-58)

a. The man offered himself

b. Jesus offered no luxury, no materialism-only self-denial and sacrifice

2. A person must follow immediately (v.59-60)

a. Jesus invited the man

b. The man had divided attention

c. Jesus’ demand

          1) A sense of urgency

          2) Go now and preach

3. A person must not look back (v.61-62)

a. Another man offered himself

b. The man’s double allegiance

c. Jesus’ judgement: Looking back disqualifies a person

Thought: Every person who is called by Jesus Christ to “preach the gospel/Word of God” must take heed and respond immediately. The Lord’s call is to be the primary thrust of a person’s life.

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TUESDAY- 26^th  WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –C

Gospel: Luke 9:51-56: Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem.

I Reading: Zechariah 8:20-23: Many peoples will come to seek the Lord in Jerusalem.

The Son of Man’s Mission: Jesus’ Mission Misunderstood, 9:51-56

Jesus set out for Jerusalem and death as his ministry and mission of God. This is one of the turning points in his life.

1. His mission: to secure salvation (v.51)

a. By the ascension

b. By death: he set his face toward Jerusalem

2. His mission misunderstood (v.52-54)

a. He sent forerunner to prepare the way

b. He was rejected by the Samaritans

c. The disciples reacted against the Samaritans

3. His mission explained (v.55-56)

a. He did not come to use his power to destroy people’s lives

b. He came to use his power to save people

Thought: Jesus Christ proclaimed clearly the day of salvation is today and he pronounced about the day of judgement of every individual after his/her death is to come.

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MONDAY- 26^th  WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –C

Gospel: Luke 9:46-50: The least among you all, that is the one who is great.

I Reading: Zechariah 8:1-8: I am going to save my people from countries of the East and the West.

The Way of Greatness: Humility, 9:46-50

Jesus teaches the way of greatness is the humility in life. People crave for greater recognition, privilege, respect, honour, power, position and wealth in the society and some time they abuse, misuse and mislead people by exploitation, corruption, injustice and inequality. A true greatness must be based on humility and total commitment for the kingdom of God.

1. The desire for greatness: Wanting position, recognition and power (v.46)

2. The picture of greatness (v.47)

a. Jesus took a child

b. Jesus held the child

3. The right concept of greatness (v.48)

a. Welcoming a child in Jesus’ name

b. Reward

          1) Will receive Jesus

          2) Will receive God

          3) Will be the greatest

4. The right to greatness: Not an exclusive right (v.49-50)

Thought: It is difficult to admit that we are full of self, that is, self-centredness and selfish. The fact hurts; we revolt against it. But the truth has to be faced before we can become what we should be.

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26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-C

I Reading Amos 6:1.4-7: : Those who sprawl and those who bawl will be exiled.

II Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-16: Do all that you have been told until the Appearing of the Lord.

Gospel: Luke 16: 19-31: God things came your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony.

The Rich Man and Lazarus: The Self-Indulgent vs. the Man of Faith

Only Luke records the Parable of Dives and Lazarus, the last in a series dealing with the misuse of wealth. Dives who had refused to listen to Moses and the Prophets in his life time regarding the treatment of the poor, suffers misery hereafter, while Lazarus has his reward in the bosom of Abraham at the banquet of the blessed.

Jesus identified Lazarus was named Lazarus where as the rich man was not identified and named in this passage. The eternal truth is much more blessed and much more terrifying than any mere human description. The rich man is punished for his indifference to the poor man at his door. The rich man misused two opportunities i.e. wealth and religion. The name Lazarus means God is help. He is an allegorical representation either of his poor disciples (Lk 6:20). Wealth destroys society unless equitably shared. The history and present society shows that often wealth causes havoc in the heart of people. Jesus conveys a good lesson to everyone today that the Pharisees were wrong in thinking that their wealth was a sign of their holiness or God’s reward for it; if at all, it was a sign of just the contrary. Neither is poverty a sign that the poor people come second in God’s love. Their trust in God will not fail them; while those who put their trust in wealth, are in for a rude shock when their end comes. Jesus confirms that rich people seldom learn the lesson that riches are dangerous because of their pride, greed and unconcern for the poor. We do not read that the rich man committed any particular crime; it was lack of concern for the poor that cost him heaven. Neither did Lazarus enter heaven just because he as beggar, but because, in his poverty, he put his trust in God. Thus, wealth easily leads people to selfishness and to trust in themselves, whereas poverty patiently borne, leads a person to put his/her trust in God who does not fail anyone. In other words, the parable of the rich man confirms the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “How happy are you who are poor: Yours is the Kingdom of heaven” (Lk 6:20). It is not having of wealth that Our Lord condemns, but the misuse of it.

1.    A difference in life (v.19-21)

a.    Rich man nameless, Lazarus named

b.    Rich man wealthy, Lazarus poor

c.     Rich man healthy, Lazarus disabled

d.    Rich man lived in luxury and extravagance; Lazarus begged, helpless

2.    A difference in death: Lazarus died and was escorted to Paradise; rich man died and was buried (22)

3.    A difference in eternity (23-31)

a.    Rich man in hell, Lazarus in Paradise

b.    Rich man saw glory, Lazarus was in glory

c.     Rich man was alone, Lazarus had fellowship

d.    Rich man had burning sensation, Lazarus had water

e.     Rich man tormented, Lazarus comforted

f.      Rich man remembered his former life, Lazarus was silent

g.    Rich man was fixed in hell, Lazarus was fixed in Paradise

h.    Rich man agonized for loved ones, Lazarus was settle in eternity

i.       Rich man begged for other chance, Lazarus was silently at peace

j.      Rich man was unable to intercede for his family, Lazarus was at rest in God’s promises.

Thought: Two conditions are absolutely needed to enter into God’s Kingdom and be saved: humble trust in God and concern for the poor. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? (Mark 8: 36).

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25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-C

I Reading Amos 8:4-7: : The prophet of old challenges the people over their corrupt dealings and oppression of those who are poor.

II Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-8: Paul urges us to a love of unity, teaching us to pray for all God’s people.

Gospel: Luke 161-13: You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.

The Parable of the Unjust Manager: Man and Money, Lk 16:1-13

This passage is one of the most difficult passages in all of Scripture to understand. Verse eight is the primary reason. There is one particular danger against which the church repeatedly warns us in our Sunday readings: the danger of riches because of wealth wrongly acquired or badly used. No other Gospels stresses the danger of riches so much as that of Luke. The Christians were tempted to make the acquiring of money the main purpose of their lives. So Luke dedicates the whole chapter of 16, from which today’s Gospel has been taken, to guide the use of money. To that purpose Luke brings in two parables of Jesus:

·       The parable of the unfaithful manager narrated in today’s Gospel (Lk 16:1-8).

·       The parable of the rich man and Lazarus about which we shall hear next Sunday (Lk 16:19-31).

Money and oppressions are particularly bad when obtained through oppression, corruptions, exploitations, cheating the poor and down trodden ones. The prophet Amos saw the country’s wealth was built on the social injustice and that the people had no real regard for their religion. The prophet Amos speaks of “the poor being sold for a pair of sandals” (Amos 8:6). The poor had to take loans; the Law forbad taking interest from the needy, (Ex 22:24-25; Lev 25:35-37; Deut 23:20-21) but exorbitant interests were charged, and when a person was unable to  repay the loan, his fields and house were confiscated. When nothing was left, the wife and children of the debtor would be taken as slaves.

Today our concern for social justice and for the poor around us will tell us whether our attitude towards money and possessions accords or not with the Gospel. We must always alert and see that whatever wealth comes to us is legitimately acquired, and that God approves of the use we make of it. The Gospel makes it clear that attachment to money and possessions cannot be combined with a genuine Christian life. The advice of St Paul to Timothy in today’s second reading is to pray for people in authority to discharge their duties in all honesty, for the poor and oppressed who today are victims of injustice, for the rich to change their hearts, refrain from exploiting the poor.

Jesus also teaches about the rich young man- looking for the eternal life- but goes back sadly when Jesus said, go and sell all your wealth and give to the poor; camel can enter into the eye of a needle but very hard for a rich man to enter into heaven etc.

The manager was a trusted slave who was put in charge of the landowner’s estate. He was highly regarded and esteemed, considered to be completely trustworthy. The term “manager” is applied to ministers (1Cor 4:1) and to believers in general (1Pt 4:10; Lk 16:1).

1. The Unjust manager (v.1-7)

a. He was charged with embezzlement, with wasting the Lord’s possessions

b. He was required to prepare a final accounting

c. He knew he was guilty and was unwilling to change and cry for mercy

d. He decided what to do: He would forget the Lord and court the favour and rewards of people

2. The worldly are more wise in their material pursuits than God’s people are in their spiritual pursuits (v.8)

3. The Christian is to use material wealth for good (v.9)

a. Wealth will fail-at death

b. Giving will be reciprocated

4. The Christian is to be faithful in handling possessions: how he handles his possessions will determine what he will be trusted with eternally (v.10-12)

a. Money is the least trust

b. Unfaithfulness disqualifies one from true, heavenly riches

c. Unfaithfulness disqualifies one from all he would receive

5. The Christian cannot serve two masters: Must choose God or riches (v.13)

Thought: How many religionists mislead others through false teaching, causing so many not to use their lives and gifts for God.

Let us be faithful towards of the “little things” God has entrusted us with, that we may one day possess “the real great things”, the eternal life.

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SATURDAY- 24^th  WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –C

Gospel: Luke 8:4-15: The part in the rich soil is people who take the word to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance.

I Reading: 1 Timothy 6:13-16: Do all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the appearing of the Lord.

Jesus Teaches the Sure Fate of the Word:

How People Receive the Word, 8:14-15

Jesus wanted people to know that hearing the Word of God was not enough but need to bear fruits. Those who hear the Word of God and obey accordingly definitely they will bear fruit. It is great encouragement to the preacher and teacher and to the lay witnesses. The seed they sow shall bear fruit (Mt 13:1-9; Mk 4:1-20).

1. Crowds thronged Jesus came from every town (v.4)

2. The parable: A farmer sowed seed (v.5-8)

a. some fell by the path

          1) were trampled

          2) were devoured

b. some fell upon rock

          1) were withered and scorched

          2) had no moisture or depth

c. some fell among thorns: were choked

d. some fell on good ground: were fruitful

3. The reason why Jesus spoke in parables (9-10)

a. to reveal the truth to open hearts

b. to conceal the truth from closed minds

4. The interpretation (v.11-15)

a. the seed is the Word of God

b. some are by the path

          1) they do hear

          2) the devil snatches the word away

c. some are on rock

          1) they do hear

          2) they are choked with materialism and pleasure

e. some are on rich soil

          1) the keep the word

          2) they have honest and good hearts

          3) they bear fruit

Thought: The success of the seed depends upon one thing alone; the condition of the soil (heart) to receive the seed (Word). If the ground (heart) is soft and rich (good qualities) then will bear much fruit.

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FRIDAY- 24^th  WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –C

Gospel: Luke 8:1-3: With Jesus went several women who provided for him out of their own resources.

I Reading: 1 Timothy 6:2-12: As a man dedicated to God you must aim to be saintly.

Jesus and the Women who Supported Him, 8:1-3

This is an interesting passage. It shows that Jesus received financial support for his ministry. There were some women, apparently well-off financially, who supported Him.

1. They supported a ministry of preaching (v.1)

a. It reached out

b. It was true to the gospel: the kingdom of God

2. They supported a ministry of discipleship (v.1)

a. Mary Magdalene: A dark past

b. Joanna: A lady of the king’s court

c. Susanna: An unnoticed follower

d. Many others: unknown

Thought: The women supported a ministry of discipleship. Although Jesus appointed the twelve disciples and later on it was soon to be the Great Commission to all His followers.

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THURSDAY- 24^th  WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –C

Gospel: Luke 7:36-50: Her many sins must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love.

I Reading: 1 Timothy 4:12-16: Always take great care about what you do and what you teach; in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

Jesus Contrasts the Attitudes of the Repentant and Self-Righteousness, 7:36-50

The present passage contrasts the attitudes of the sinful (repentant) and the self-righteous. Self-righteousness is a serious sin. It is both common and damning.

1. Simon, a Pharisee, invited Jesus to dinner and Jesus accepted (v.36)

2. The attitude of the repentant: A woman prostitute (v.37-38)

a. She sensed a desperate need

b. She approached the Lord despite all

c. She surrendered to the Lord in utter humility

d. She loved much giving her most precious possession

3. The attitude of the self-righteous (v.39)

a. He was a considerate man, but self-righteous

b. He considered himself better than others

c. He sensed no need for forgiveness

4. The two attitudes illustrated: The parable of two debtors (v.40-43)

a. One debtor owed much; the other little

b. A free forgiveness of both debtors

c. A piercing question: who appreciated and loved the most?

d. A begrudging answer

5. The need of the self-righteous: To really see Jesus, who the repentant say He is (v.44-50)

a. He is the one who deserves more than common courtesies

1) common vs. worshipful respect

2) common vs. humble greeting

3) common vs. sacrificial gift

b. He is the One who has the power to forgive sins

c. He is the One who people need to  ask about

d. He is the One who saves the repentant

Thought: The person who comes to Jesus Christ must come with a broken and contrite heart.

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