Ordinary Time

1) Opening prayer

Almighty God,

every good thing comes from You.

Fill our hearts with love for You,

increase our faith,

and by Your constant care

protect the good You have given us.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

2) Gospel Reading - Luke 4:38-44

After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon. Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them. At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. And demons also came out from many, shouting, "You are the Son of God." But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ. At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, "To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent." And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

3) Reflection

● The Gospel today narrates four different events: the cure of Peter’s mother-in-law (Lk 4:38-39), the cure of many sick people at night, after Saturday (Lk 4:40-41), the prayer of Jesus in a deserted place (Lk 4:42) and His insistence on the mission (Lk 4: 43-44). With small differences Luke follows and adapts the information taken from the Gospel of Mark.

● Luke 4:38-39: Jesus restores life for service. After having participated in the celebration of Saturday in the synagogue, Jesus goes to Peter’s house and cures his mother-in-law. The cure causes her to render service immediately. Having recovered her health and dignity, she places herself at the service of the people. Jesus not only cures, but He cures in such a way that the person places herself at the service of life.

● Luke 4:40-41: Jesus accepts and cures the marginalized. At night, when the first stars appear in the sky, after Saturday is over, Jesus accepts and cures the sick and those possessed whom the people bring to Him. The sick and the possessed were the most marginalized people at that time. They had no one to whom to go. They were at the mercy of public charity; besides, religion considered them impure. They could not participate in the community. It was as if God rejected and excluded them. Jesus accepts and cures them, placing His hands on each one of them. Thus, it is clear in what the Good News of God consists and what He wants to do in people’s lives: to accept the marginalized and the excluded and to integrate them into the community, to live with others.

“Devils came out of many people shouting: “You are the Son of God!” But He warned them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ.” At that time the title Son of God did not have as yet the density and depth that it has for us today. Jesus did not allow the devils to speak. He did not want an easy propaganda based on spectacular expulsions.

● Luke 4:42a: To remain united to the Father by means of prayer. “When daylight came He left the house and made His way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for Him, and when they had caught up with Him they wanted to prevent Him from leaving them.” Here we see Jesus praying. He has to make an enormous effort to have time available and a place suitable for prayer. He goes to a deserted place to be able to stay alone with God. Many times the Gospels speak about Jesus’ prayer, in silence (Lk 3:21-22; 4: 1-2, 3-12; 5:15-16; 6:12; 9:18; 10:21; 11:1; 23:34; Mt 14:22-23; 26:38; Jn 11:41-42; 17:1-26; Mk1:35;). Through prayer, He maintains His consciousness of His mission.

● Luke 4:42b-44: To maintain consciousness of one’s own mission and not think about the result. Jesus becomes known. People follow Him and they do not want Him to leave them. Jesus does not grant this petition and says, “I must proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.” Jesus was very clear about His mission. He does not stop at the result that He has already obtained, but He wishes to sustain His awareness of His mission. It is the mission received from the Father which directs Him when He has to make a decision. “I have been sent for this!” And here in this text this consciousness which is so alive springs up as the fruit of His prayer.

4) Personal questions

● Jesus spent much time in prayer and being alone with the Father, and He looked for this time. Do I dedicate time for prayer and solitude with God?

● Jesus had a clear awareness of His mission. As a Christian, am I conscious that I have a mission, or do I live without a mission? 

5) Concluding Prayer

We are waiting for Yahweh;

he is our help and our shield,

for in Him our heart rejoices;

in His holy name we trust. (Ps 33:20-21)

Ordinary Time

1) Prayer

Show us Your continued kindness, Father,

and watch Your people,

as we acknowledge Your guidance and Your leadership.

Renew the work of Your creation

and guard what You have renewed.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

2) Reading

From the Gospel according to Matthew 17:14-20

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, "Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him." Jesus said in reply, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

3) Reflection

• Context. Our passage has Jesus in his work of healing. After having stayed with the disciples alone in the region of Caesarea Philippi (16:13 to 28) Jesus climbs a high mountain and is transfigured before three disciples (17:1-10) and then reaches the crowd (17:14 - 21) and attempts a new approach to Galilee (17:22). What to think of these geographical shifts of Jesus? It is not to be discounted that they could have  geographical value, but Matthew presents them as part of a spiritual journey. In his journey of faith,  the community is increasingly called upon to retrace that spiritual journey which marked the life of Jesus from Galilee to His passion, death and resurrection: a spiritual journey in which the power of faith plays a crucial role.

• The power of faith. Jesus, after His transfiguration, with His small community of disciples, returned from the crowd before returning to Galilee (v. 22) and arriving in Capernaum (v. 24). In the crowd a man approached Him and begged Him to intervene in the evil that keeps his son imprisoned. The description preceding the intervention of Jesus is really clear: this is a case of epilepsy with all its pathological consequences on the psychic level. At the time of Jesus, this type of illness was traced to evil forces and specifically the action of Satan, enemy of God and man, and therefore the origin of evil and all evil. Faced with such a situation in which evil forces far beyond human capabilities are at work, the disciples find themselves powerless to heal the child (vv. 16-19) and because of their lack of faith (v. 20). For the evangelist, this young epileptic is a symbol of those who devalue the power of faith (v. 20), not mindful of the presence of God in their midst (v. 17). The presence of God in Jesus, Emmanuel, is not recognized. Understand something of Jesus is not enough. We need true faith. After Jesus rebuked the crowd, they bring the boy: "Bring him here" (v. 17). Jesus heals and frees him and rebukes the devil. This is not simply the miracle of healing a single person,  but also the healing of the weak and uncertain faith of the disciples. Jesus approaches them, who are confused or dazed by their impotence: "Why could we not cast it out?" (v. 20). Jesus' answer is clear: "because of your wavering faith.” Jesus calls for faith that can move mountains to identify with His person, His mission, His divine power. It is true that the disciples have left everything to follow Jesus but have failed to heal the epileptic boy because of "little faith." It is not lack of faith, only that it is weak, vacillating for sure, with a predominance of mistrust and doubt. It is a faith that is not rooted entirely in relationship with Christ. Jesus goes beyond the language when He says, "If you have faith like a mustard seed" it can move mountains, it is an exhortation to be guided by the power of faith in action, which becomes especially strong in times of trial and suffering and attains maturity in the scandal of the cross. True faith can do anything,  can even move mountains. The disciples, the early community, experienced that you must join in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

4) Personal questions

• Through meditation we observed that the disciples are placed in relation to the epileptic and to Jesus Himself.  Do you find that your faith helps you to relate to Jesus as well as to others?

• Do you feel committed every day to move the mountains that stand between your self-interest and the will of God?

5) Final Prayer

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, stronghold in times of trouble. Those who honor Your name trust in You; You never forsake those who seek You, LORD. (Psalm 9)

Ordinary Time

1) Opening prayer

God our Father and protector,

without You nothing is holy,

nothing has value.

Guide us to everlasting life

by helping us to use wisely

the blessings You have given to the world.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 14:1-12

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, "This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him." Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

3) Reflection

•Today’s Gospel describes the way in which John the Baptist was the victim of corruption and arrogance of the government of Herod. He was killed without due process, during a banquet of the king, with the powerful of the kingdom. The text gives us much information on the time in which Jesus lived and on the manner in which power was used by the powerful of that time.

• Matthew 14:1-2. Who is Jesus for Herod? The text begins by telling about the opinion which Herod had of Jesus: "This is John the Baptist himself, he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in Him.” Herod tries to understand Jesus starting from the fear which assailed him after murdering John. Herod was very superstitious and hid his fear behind the ostentation of his riches and  his power.

• Matthew 14:3-5: The hidden cause of the murder of John. Galilee, the land of Jesus, was governed by Herod Antipas, the son of King Herod the Great, from the year 4 BC until the year 38 AD. Forty-three years in all! During the lifetime of Jesus, there were no changes of government in Galilee! Herod was the absolute lord of everything; he did not render an account to anyone; he did whatever passed through his mind: arrogance, lack of ethics, absolute power, without control from the people! But the one who ruled Palestine since the year 63 BC was the Roman Empire. Herod, in Galilee, so as not to be dismissed, tried to please Rome in everything. Above all, he insisted on an efficient administration which would bring riches to the Empire. His concern was his own promotion and his security. For this reason, he repressed any type of subversion. Matthew says that the reason for murdering John was because John had denounced Herod, because Herod had married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Flavius Joseph, a Jewish writer of that time, says that the true reason for the imprisonment of John the Baptist was Herod’s fear that there would be a popular revolt. Herod liked to be called the benefactor of the people, but in reality he was a tyrant (Lk 22:25). John’s denunciation of Herod was the drop that caused the glass to overflow: “It is against the Law for you to have her.” And John was put in prison.

• Matthew 14:6-12: The plot of the murderer. An anniversary and a festive banquet, with dances and orgy! Mark says that in the feast were “the great of the court, the officials and the important people of Galilee” (Mk 6:21). This is the environment in which the murder of John the Baptist is planned. John, the prophet, was a living denunciation of that corrupt system. This is why he was eliminated, as a personal revenge. All this reveals the moral weakness of Herod. So much power accumulated in the hands of one man, unable to control himself! In the enthusiasm of the feast and from the wine, Herod makes a promise by oath to Salome, the young dancer, daughter of Herodias. Superstitious as he was, he thought that he had to respect this oath and respond to the caprice of the girl, and because of this he ordered the soldier to bring the head of John on a tray and give it to the dancer, who then gave it to her mother. For Herod, the life of his subjects was worthless. He disposes of them as he would the staircases in his house!

The three characteristics of the government of Herod: the new capital, large estates, and the class of functionaries:

a) The New Capital. Tiberiade was inaugurated when Jesus was only 20 years old. It was called that in order to please Tiberius, the emperor of Rome. It was inhabited by the lords of the earth, the soldiers, the policemen, the unscrupulous judges (Lk 18:1-4). The taxes and the products of the people were channeled into it. It was there that Herod made his orgy of death (Mk 6:21-29). Tiberiades was the city of the palaces of the King, where those who wore soft, delicate dresses lived (cf. Mt 11:8). The Gospels do not record that Jesus ever entered this city.

b) The large estates. Scholars say that during the long government of Herod, the large estates grew, causing harm to community property. The Book of Enoch denounces the lords of the land and expresses the hope of the little ones: “And then the powerful and the great will no longer be the lords of the land” (En 38:4). The ideal of ancient times was the following: “Each one will peacefully sit under his vine and nobody will frighten them” (1 Mac 14:12; Mic 4:4; Zech 3:10). But the politics of the government of Herod made this ideal impossible.

c) The class of functionaries. Herod created a whole class of functionaries faithful to the project of the King: the Scribes, the merchants, the lords of the land, the officers of the market, the tax collectors, the militia, the policemen, the judges, the local heads. In every village there was a group of people which supported the government. In the Gospels, some Pharisees appear together with the Herodians (Mk 3:6; 8:15; 12:13), and that shows the alliance between the religious power and the civil power. The life of the people in the villages was very controlled, both by the government and by the religion. Much courage was necessary to begin anything new as John and Jesus did! It was the same as attracting to yourself the anger of the privileged ones, both from the religious and the civil powers.

4) Personal questions

• Do you know any people who died victims of corruption and domination of the powerful? And here among us, in our community and in the Church, are there victims of authoritarianism and of the abuse of power?

• Herod, the powerful, who thought he was the lord of life and death of people, was a coward before the great and a corrupt flatterer before the girl who danced. Cowardice and corruption marked the exercise of Herod’s power. Compare all this with the exercise of religious power and civil corruption in the different levels of society.

5) Concluding Prayer

The humble have seen and are glad.

Let your courage revive, you who seek God.

For God listens to the poor;

He has never scorned His captive people. (Ps 69:32-33)

Ordinary Time

1) Opening prayer

God our Father,

Your light of truth

guides us to the way of Christ.

May all who follow Him

reject what is contrary to the Gospel.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

3) Reflection

• The Gospel today is composed of only three verses (Mt 11:28-30) which form part of a brief literary unit, one of the most beautiful ones, in which Jesus thanks the Father for having revealed the wisdom of the Kingdom to the little children and because He has hidden it from the doctors and the wise (Mt 11:25-30).  In the brief commentary which follows we will include the entire literary unit.

• Matthew 11:25-26: Only the little children accept and understand the Good News of the Kingdom. Jesus recites a prayer: “I thank You Father, Lord of Heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children.” The wise, the doctors of that time, have created a system of laws which they imposed on the people in the name of God (Mt 23:3-4). They thought that God demanded this observance from the people.  But the law of love, which Jesus has revealed to us, said the contrary.  What is important in order to be saved is not what we do for God, but what God, in His great love, does for us! God wants mercy and not sacrifice (Mt 9:13). The simple and poor people understood Jesus’ way of speaking and rejoiced.  The wise said that Jesus was in error.  They could not come to understand His teaching.  “Yes, I praise you! He praised the Father that the little children understand the message of the Kingdom despite it being hidden from the wise and the learned! If they want to understand it they have to become the pupils of the little children!  This way of thinking and of teaching makes people feel uncomfortable.

• Matthew 11:27: The origin of the new Law: the Son knows the Father. What the Father has to tell us He has given to Jesus, and Jesus reveals it to the little children, so that they may be open to His message. Jesus, the Son, knows the Father.  He knows what the Father wanted to communicate to us, when many centuries ago He gave His Law to Moses. Today, Jesus is teaching many things to the poor and to the little children and, through them, to all His Church.   

• Matthew 11:28-30: The invitation of Jesus which is still valid today.  Jesus invites all those who are tired to go to Him, and He promises them rest.  In our communities today, we should be the continuation of this invitation which Jesus addresses to people who were tired and oppressed by the weight of the observance asked by the laws of purity.  He says, “Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.” Many times, this saying has been manipulated, to ask people for submission, meekness and passivity. Jesus wants to say the opposite. He asks people not to listen to “the wise and learned,” the professors of religion of that time, and to begin to learn from Him, from Jesus, a man who came from Galilee, without higher instruction, who says He is “meek and humble of heart.” Jesus does not do as the scribes, who exalt themselves because of their science, but He places Himself at the side of the people who are exploited and humiliated. Jesus, the new Master, knows by experience what takes place in the heart of the people who suffer.  He has lived this well and has known it during the thirty years of His life in Nazareth.

• How Jesus puts into practice what He taught in the Discourse on the Mission. Jesus has a passion: to announce the Good News of the Kingdom. He had a passion for the Father and for the people of His country who are poor and abandoned.  There, where Jesus found people who listened to Him, Jesus announced the Good News, in any place: In the synagoguesduring the celebration of the Word (Mt 4:23), in the houses of friends (Mt 13:36); walking along the way with the disciples (Mt 12:1-8); along the shore of the sea, sitting in the boat (Mt 13:3); on the Mount from where He proclaims the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1); in the  squares and in the cities, where people would bring the sick to Him (Mt 14:34-36). Also in the Temple of Jerusalem, during the pilgrimage (Mt 26:55)!  In Jesus everything is revelation of everything which He bore inside Himself! He not only announced the Good News of the Kingdom;  He Himself was and continues to be a living sign of the Kingdom. In Him we see clearly what happens when a human being allows God to reign in his life. Today’s Gospel reveals the tenderness with which Jesus welcomes the little children. He wanted them to find rest and peace. And because of this choice of His for the little children and the excluded, He was criticized and persecuted. He suffered very much! The same thing happens today. When a community tries to open itself to be a place of welcome and consolation for the little children and the excluded of today who are the foreigners and the migrants, many people do not agree and criticize. 

4) Personal questions

• Have you ever experienced the rest promised by Jesus?

• How can the words of Jesus help our community to be a place of rest for our life?

• How can one be meek and humble while at the same time striving for promotion or advancement at work or in the community?

• To follow Jesus requires radical change. How can this be an easy yoke or a light burden?  

5) Concluding Prayer

In You is the source of life,

by Your light we see the light.

Continue Your faithful love to those who acknowledge You,

and Your saving justice to the honest of heart. (Ps 36:9-10)