Thursday, November 8, 2012

XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - CYCLE B – NOVEMBER 11, 2012


 
«  Last Sunday the Lord Jesus answered the question made by the Pharisee about the most important precept of the Law. “You shall love the Lord your God… and you shall love your neighbor…”  It is a commandment with two parts.

«  Today Jesus will say to us that the poor widow has given more than anybody else. 

  FIRST READING : I Kg  17:10-16
Ø  The two books of Kings are the continuation of the First and Second Books of Samuel.  

Ø  In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible called the LXX(seventy) and in the Latin translation called the “Vulgata” they are called III and IV Kings, because I and II Samuel are called I and II Kings. 

Ø  These books are part of the Deuteronomistic History, which goes from the entrance into the promised land to the exile in Babylon (587 BC) They are called by the Jews “Former Prophets” 

Ø  The author or the authors  of the books write after at the end of the exile.  

Ø  The theology is the same as in all the other deuteronomistic books: 

o   Monotheism. The God of Israel is the only one. If we remember the first Reading of last Sunday we could perceive that Israel means that God is unique different from all the other gods=idols. But they accept that other peoples have their own gods. 

o   The Messianic Hope, in the Southern Kingdom= Kingdom of Judah we have the promise of the Emmanuel which will confirms the promise made to David that his dynasty will be always on the throne of Israel.

o   In the Northern Kingdom= Kingdom of Israel they legitimacy is based on the fact that  they are the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.  

o   The exile considered as the punishment for their infidelity to the Covenant. 

«  The reading for this week belongs to the so called “Cycle of Elijah” chapters 17-19.

«  We encounter the great and terrible Prophet Elijah  who performs his prophetic ministry in the Northern Kingdom, denouncing the infidelity of the Kings and the People as well. 

«  There is a great drought and it is related to the words of Elijah who has asked God to stop the rain until Elijah shall ask God to send it. 

«  Elijah has asked for the rain to stop, as a punishment for the people.   

«  Their culture would attribute to God anything related to the natural phenomena which were considered as the weapons of God. 

«  The scene is situated in this reality of poverty due to the drought.  

«  Elijah arrives at Zarephath of Sidon obeying the voice of God.    

«  Elijah speaks with a poor widow. He asks from her food and water. The woman does not have any food, only a little bid for her and her son, and after eating they will wait for death.  

«  Elijah insists that she give food to him and he assures her that the food will last until the drought is over. 

«  The woman believes in the words of the man of God, and the promise becomes a reality.  

SALMO RESPONSORIAL – Ps 146 PRAISE THE LORD, MY SOUL! 

ü   Psalm 146 is a hymn to God, the creator of the universe and the defender of the poor.   

ü  God

o   Heals the brokenhearted

o   Gives bread to the hungry   

o   Gives freedom to the captive  

o   Gives sight to the blind  

o   Loves the just and protects the stranger 

o   He sustains the widow and the orphan 

o   Raises up those who are bowed down

o   Thwarts the way of the wicked   

o   God reigns, and his way to reign is 

o   To protect, to care, to serve his creature with tender love. 
GOSPEL Mk 12:38-44
«  This gospel Reading has two teachings of Jesus: One about the falsehood of some Pharisees; the other about the true discipleship.

«  In the first part Jesus says:  beware of the scribes, they look for places of honor in the streets and at banquets. They want people to believe that they are superior, different from the rest.  

«  These same men who want to be honored, instead of willing the honor only for God, take advantage of the needs of the poor.

«  In the second part Jesus is in front of the treasury of the Temple and sees the people putting their offering of money into it. A poor widow comes and puts two  little coins.  

«  Jesus, who has eyes to see the truth in each one of us, says that this poor widow has offered more than anyone else.   

«  He calls his disciples and teaches the lesson about love and trust in God. A lesson about the poverty mentioned in the first beatitude.   

o   This widow has given more than the others. We may imagine the surprise of the disciples.  

o   She has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.  She could have given only one coin and keep the other, but she gave everything.

o   While the others have contributed from their surplus wealth.

«  How happy we should be if we accepted the invitation of Jesus to be poor, to have a heart free from the little or the much we have, and share it with who is in need.    

SECOND READING : Heb 9:24-28
ü  We continue to read from this beautiful letter about the priesthood of Christ Jesus.  

ü  Christ has entered into the real sanctuary, heaven itself. 

ü  To be in the presence of God making intercession for us. He is our Redeemer.   

ü  He does not have to offer the sacrifice to God repeatedly. He has appeared at the end of time, and offers himself in sacrifice once and for all.   He will return a second time not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who await for him.

ü  In the Eucharistic celebration we proclaim his death and await his second coming. 

 CLARETIAN CORNER

 
At many other times our Lord has given me the grace to follow him with great detachment from all things and much trust in His Divine Providence. The Lord always does this with a great feeling of gratitude and tells me with great love: “My daughter, if one could be detached from oneself, then he would know what I do for him.

These words cause such a consolation and confusion in the soul, that only the one who has at any time heard them will be able to understand. How will it be compared to this most ungrateful creature to whom our Lord has done this grace so many times? I confess, for the glory of God, that this is the grace, which gives my soul more detachment not only from all the things of the earth and from me, but even from my own soul. And this humiliation that, in these occasions, I do not know what to tell Him: only to be ashamed and to shrink as if I would like to hide not to see the Majesty of God so humiliated, giving thanks with so great love to the least of his creatures for a little service she, helped by his divine grace, does to Him.

Ah, Lord!!! What shall I say to express what happens in my soul in these moments, writing such delicacies of love? There is only one thing I can say, that, if man would know the gratitude of the heart of Jesus for the benefits received, there could be no man ungrateful to God’s benefits. And I do not die of sorrow for my ingratitude seeing such gratitude in my Lord Jesus Christ. Venerable Maria Antonia París, Foundress of the Claretian Missionary Sistsrs, Autobiography  91-92.

 It is well known that modesty is the virtue that teaches us to do all things in a fitting manner. Because we should do all things just as Jesus Christ did, I used to ask myself in every situation, and still do, how Jesus would have acted. How carefully and with what purity and rightness of intention He did everything: preaching, eating, dealing with all sorts of people, praying! Thus, with the Lord's help, I resolved to imitate Jesus Christ in all things so as to be able to say by my actions, if not in so many words, "Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.".Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters,  Autobiography 387.  

BIBLIOGRAPHY
CLARET, Antonio María. Autobiografía.
PARIS, María Antonia. Autobiografía  en Escritos.
Schökel, Luis Alonso, La Biblia de nuestro Pueblo.
Sagrada Biblia. Versión oficial de la Conferencia episcopal española.

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