XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - CYCLE B –   2018 

Today in the Gospel Jesus tells us that the poor widow put more money in the Temple’s treasury than anybody else.       

FIRST READING: I Re 17:10-16 

Ø  The two books of King are the continuation of the two books of Samuel.  

Ø  In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, called the Septuaginta, and in the Latin translation called Vulgata, the books of Kings are called III and IV of Kings, because the books of Samuel are called I and II Kings.  

Ø  These books are part of what is called the Deuteronomist history, which goes from the entrance into the promised land to the Babylonian exile (587 BC) 

Ø  In the Hebrew Scriptures  these books are called “The former prophets” 

Ø  The author of these books writes them after the return from the exile.  

Ø  They have the same theology as the rest of the Deuteronomist books: 

o   Monotheism. The God of Israel is the only God.     

o   The messianic hope,  for the Southern Kingdom we have the promises of the Emmanuel, which fulfills the promise made to David, that his dynasty will remain on the throne of Israel.   

o   On the other hand, the Northern Kingdom establishes its legitimacy in their condition as heirs of Jacob and Joseph.   

o   The exile is seen as a punishment for their infidelity to the Covenant with Yahweh. 

In this Sunday’s reading we encounter the prophet Elijah.  The ministry of this prophet is narrated  in what it is called the Cycle of Elijah   (cc. 17-19 of  I Kings). Elijah does his prophetic ministry in the Northern Kingdom, he denounces the infidelity of the kings and of the people.      

«  The country suffers a strong drought and in the book of Kings it is attributed to the words of Elijah who asked God to stop the rain until Elijah will ask him the contrary. 

«  Elijah has asked this as a punishment for the unfaithfulness of the Kingdom of Israel or the Northern Kingdom.   

«  After Solomon’s death, his kingdom was divided in two Kingdoms: Northern-Israel, Southern- Judah.   

«  The culture of those people attributed all the natural phenomena to God, they are his weapons.   

«  The scene of this Sunday first reading is situated in the context of the great drought and the poverty, which comes from it.  

«  Elijah arrives to Zarephath  of Phoenicia as God had told him.     

«  Elijah talks with a widow. He asks her for food and drink, the woman has only a small amount of food for her and her son; afterwards she will wait for death to come.   

«  Elijah asks her to give him food, and assures her that the little provisions she has will last until the drought comes to an end.   

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

RESPONSORIAL PSALM –  .

R.   Praise the Lord, my soul!
 The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R.   Praise the Lord, my soul! 
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R.   Praise the Lord, my soul!
 The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R.   Praise the Lord, my soul!
  

ü   This psalm is a hymn to God,  the creator of the universe and defender of the poor.  God  

o   makes justice to the poor

o   gives food to the hungry

o   gives freedom to the captive

o   gives sight to the blind

o   raises those who are bowed down

o   loves the just and protects the foreigner    

o   upholds the widow and the orphan   

o   destroys the plans of the wicked.   

  

ü  We may say that God reigns by protecting and caring and serving his creature with love and tenderness.    

GOSPEL  Mk 12:38-44

«  Jesus begins saying that we need to be careful and do not trust those who seek honors and distinctions, making us believe that they are superior and different from us.  

«  These who ask us to honor them, instead of all of us honoring God, devour the little that the poor have, for their own benefit.   

«  Jesus, who is observing the people who give their donation for the Temple, sees a poor widow who comes also and deposits two coins, because she has nothing else   to give. Nobody pays attention to her donation, which is so insignificant.

«  Jesus sees more, he sees the heart, our truth or our lie. He sees the truth of the poor woman, her full trust in her God.   

«  Jesus considers this situation so important that he calls his disciples around him, in the same way he did when he wanted to teach them about service. Now the lesson will be about complete trust in God, which is the true poverty mentioned in the first beatitude.  

o   Look, he said, this widow has given more than anyone else has. We can imagine the surprise in the face of the disciples, really our Teacher says sometimes estrange things.   

o   She has given more than anyone else has because she has given the little she had for her sustenance, while the others have given the leftovers.   

«  How happy we would be if we could open up ourselves to Jesus. He invites us to be free from the little or the much we have, and to have the freedom to share it with others.  

«  Happy are we if we learn the lesson on poverty, how free we will be!

SECOND READING : Heb 9:24-28

ü  We read again from this beautiful letter on the priesthood of Christ.  

ü  Christ has entered not into a copy of the true sanctuary, like the sacred temple of Jerusalem, but he has entered into God’s abode in heaven.    

ü  To be in the presence of God and to intercede for us, He is our mediator, our redeemer.    

ü  He does not have to offer sacrifices repeatedly. He came at the end of time, and he offers the sacrifice once and for all for all of us, for the people from the past, present and future.   

ü  The reading ends with these words: in the same way that we die once and afterwards comes the judgement 

ü  In the same way Christ offered his life only once to take away the sins of many=all  

ü  And he will appear a second time to bring salvation to those who anxiously await for him 

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

CLARETIAN CORNER  

And so it has happened in this foundation, that though the Archbishop was unwilling to be concerned for this or that,  he has been, by Divine impulse, concerned for everything, because I have never expressed a desire of mine except when I have been asked. I think that my silence itself gave place to them to ask me, and God put in them more desire to advance the work, more than what I manifested, because this is the way of God in this work. I say this for the new ones coming to us, to learn how to hope in God against all hope.  Venerable Maria Antonia París, Foundress.  Autobiography 218.

I sometimes ask myself, "What cause have you to be so upset? Everyone in the palace respects you; the whole royal family appreciates you and values your presence; Her Majesty the Queen loves you and dotes on you. Well, then, what makes you have such violent feelings on the subject?" In truth, I have none. I can't come up with any good reason for it. My only answer to the enigma is that the repugnance I feel is a grace God has sent me to prevent me from becoming attached to the prestige, honors, and riches of this world. For I can see clearly that this constant feeling of disgust for the court and my desire to escape from it have kept me from envy and from setting my heart on the things the world holds dear. Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder. Autobiography 622.  

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.