THURSDAY OF THE FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME -YEAR A

1st reading Hosea 11:1-4.8c-9

Psalm Ps. 80:2ac and 3b.15-16 (R. 4b)

Gospel Matthew 10:7-15

Hosea continues his exposure of the transgressions of Israel. Today, he tells us about the relation between Israel and God while he stresses Israel's worship of another god. Hosea speaks of God's redeeming act when he redeemed Israel from Egypt.

In all these, Hosea tells of God's decision not to give way to his wrath to come to play. The wrath of God will mean doom for Israel. Like former times and how he treated them with love, God deems it to redeem them and bring them back to himself.

We, today, want to still trust in the unfailing love of God for his people, for us.

The Gospel speaks of the mission of the twelve. Matthew notes that they were to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (v. 6), not the pagan territories or enter a Samaritan town (v. 5). They are to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom of heaven (v. 7).

The proclamation of God's kingdom is a permanent feature of Jesus' public ministry. The nearness of the kingdom of heaven means a Good News for the sick, the dead, lepers, and the possessed. It is particularly significant that proclaiming or bringing good news has been understood as a form of liberation. Jesus' command to the apostles to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom of heaven should be understood in the light of liberation and a consolation for the marginalized.

Things do tend to multiply when we share them. The apostles received the Good News of the liberating mission of Christ without fee. They should teach about the Kingdom without pay. This mission, ultimately characterizing Christ's ministry, becomes the 'programmatic discourse' expounded by Christ in a synagogue:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4: 18-19).

We pray today that we may also be beneficiaries of the redeeming plan of God in so far as we remain faithful to him and trust in his unfailing love.

Pax et Bonum

Comments

24TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)

1st Reading Sirach 27:30-28:7 Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 (R. 8) R:// "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in mercy" 2nd Reading Romans 14: 7-9 Gospel Matthew 18:21-35 SET PEOPLE FREE Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). Let us launch into the readings. Our first reading is from Sirach 27:30-28:7. We just have to first understand that we are reading from one of the Deuterocanonical books. Sirach was written in Hebrew around 180 BC by a Jewish scribe and teacher, called Jesus Ben Sirach. The Greek translation was produced by his grandson in 132 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. The book is rich in Wisdom and is often regarded as an elderly person giving pieces of advice ...

25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)

1st Reading Isaiah 55: 6-9 Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18 (R. 18a) R:// "The Lord is near to all who call upon him" 2nd Reading Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a Gospel Matthew 20: 1-16 CHOOSE TRUST OVER CONTRACT Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) and the 3rd Sunday of the month. Our first reading is from Isaiah 55:6-9 and the Gospel is from Matthew 20:1-16. We shall settle on a detail in the first reading and two from the Gospel. The first reading, from Isaiah 55: 6-9, falls within the second division, called "Deutero-Isaiah", at least by the popular scholarly division of the book of the prophet Isaiah. These are people in exile in Babylon being addressed. They had stopped ex...

15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR C

1st Reading Deut. 30:10-14 Resp. Psalm Ps. 19:7.8.9.10 (R.8a) 2nd Reading Col. 1:15-20 Gospel Luke 10: 25-37 A CHARITABLE HEART MAKES A LAW-ABIDING BEING Today is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and the Word of God invites us to reflect on the question of the Law and our obedience to it. It further calls us to a practical identification of who a neighbour is. The Gospel, from Luke 10: 25-37, is an eye opener in this regard. As we reflect on the LAW, we need to take few things into consideration. Let us, first of all, bear in mind that our first reading is from Deuteronomy (Deut. 30:10-14). This is significant because, the LAW which is our focus for this Sunday is also a central theme in Deuteronomy. This book is fashioned around the LAW. Infact, it is the 5th book of the Hebrew Torah (Book of the LA...

"STAY WITH US, LORD" (Luke 24:29)

Search This Blog