Sunday, September 16, 2012

 

MONDAY 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012
MEMORIAL, ST. ROBERT BELLARMINE
MONDAY 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

1Cor 11:17- 26, 33 / Lk 7:1-10

1 CORINTHIANS 11:17- 26, 33
To continue with my advice, I cannot praise you, for your gatherings are not for the better but for the worse. First, as I have heard, when you gather together, there are divisions among you and I partly believe it. There may have to be different groups among you, so that it becomes clear who among you are genuine. Your gatherings are no longer the Supper of the Lord, for each one eats at once his own food and while one is hungry, the other is getting drunk. Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or perhaps you despise the Church of God and desire to humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say? Shall I praise you? For this I cannot praise you. This is the tradition of the Lord that I received and that in my turn I have handed on to you; the Lord Jesus, on the night that he was delivered up, took bread and, after giving thanks, broke it, saying, "This is my body which is broken for you; do this in memory of me." In the same manner, taking the cup after the supper, he said, "This cup is the new Covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do it in memory of me." So, then, whenever you eat of this bread and drink from this cup, you are proclaiming the death of the Lord until he comes. So then, brothers, when you gather for a meal, wait for one another

LUKE 7:1-10
When Jesus had finished teaching the people, he went to Capernaum. There was a captain whose servant was very sick and near to death, a man very dear to him. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent some elders of the Jews to persuade him to come and save his servant's life. The elders came to Jesus and begged him earnestly, saying, "He deserves this of you, for he loves our people and even built a synagogue for us." Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house, when the captain sent friends to give this message, "Sir, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to welcome you under my roof. You see, I didn't approach you myself. Just give the order, and my servant will be healed. For I myself, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers, and I say to this one, `Go!' and he goes; and to the other, `Come!' and he comes; and to my servant, `Do this!' and he does it." On hearing these words, Jesus was filled with admiration. He turned and said to the people with him, "I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith." The people, sent by the captain, went back to his house; there they found that the servant was well.

REFLECTION
In the agape celebrations of the Christian community in Corinth, the congregation was divided according to social status. St. Paul reminds them of the true meaning of the Eucharist which is sharing, after the example of the Lord who shared bread even with those who later betrayed and abandoned him. This is the bread that continues to be broken on the table of Lord where there is no longer Greek or Jew, servant or free person.

In the Gospel, we find the healing of the centurion's servant, which is a narrative common to Matthew and Luke. A unique feature of Luke's version is the good word that the people put in for the centurion to support his request. They say, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he built us our synagogue." This detail is very significant the centurion's powerful status as a military officer would have allowed him to oppress the people. Instead, he used it to serve them.

More details in the Gospel clearly show that this centurion was not status-conscious. He, a master of soldiers, makes a request for a slave. In Luke's account, he does not even dare to approach Jesus, considering himself unworthy even of speaking directly to him. Instead, he sends his friends to him as he approached their house with the heartfelt words we still recite before receiving the Lord in every Mass: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you...."

Indeed, the centurion is least unworthy of receiving the Lord because of his humility and compassion. Each time we recite his simple prayer before welcoming the Lord in Holy Communion, may his story remind us of what the Eucharist truly means.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Fr. Ismael Zuloaga, SJ
… for the personal intentions of
- Anabelle Alves
- Luis Gonzalez
- Pauline
… In Memoriam: Eriberta C. Calvario
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Lourdes Chan
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Pamela Denise C. Inocencio
- Birthday: Merle Gaspar
- Birthday: Annie Aberin
- Birthday: Jacki Capati
- In Memoriam (+): Elizabeth Ong Ting +
- In Memoriam (+): Fr. Juan Andechaga, S.J.
- In Memoriam (+): Marie Amy O'Gorman
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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