FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME  – CYCLE C - 2019

INTRODUCTION

      Last week Jesus gave his inaugural speech at the Synagogue of Nazareth. Through his words we realized that he introduced his ministry as the Jubilee Year.  He is our Jubilee.

      Next Sunday Jesus will say of himself that he is a prophet.  

      As a prophet, he will suffer, like every prophet, the rejection of his own people. 

JEREMIAH

«  The prophet Jeremiah lived in very painful times: wars, persecutions, deportation to Egypt and finally the deportation to Babylon.  

«  His oracles are full of suffering for the infidelities of his people to the Covenant.  

«  He suffers also for the destruction of his holy city Jerusalem. 

«  He has very harsh words against the leaders of his people, whom he makes responsible for the misfortunes they are suffering. 

«  The central theme of his theology is the Covenantal Theology, he uses images as: 

o   Prostitution to speak of idolatry of his people Israel 

o   When speaking of idols he calls them lovers,   to which some people offer incense and sacrifices.  

«  He has also oracles full of love and gentleness. 

«  Some chapters of the book are like an intimate diary of his relationship with God, whom he loves tenderly and passionately. However, sometimes he experiences God as far, he feels abandoned and even betrayed by the God he loves. 

«  He gives his entire life to God for the service of his people whom he loves tenderly. 

FIRST READING  Jer 1:4-5, 17-19

Ø  God speaks to Jeremiah and says to him  

o   Before you were formed in the womb I knew you  

o   Before you were born I consecrated you  

o   I appointed you prophet of the nations.  

Ø  These words are able to fill anyone with enthusiasm, and to make him or her fall in love with God, but  

Ø  God continues saying to Jeremiah: And now  

o   Be on guard, prepare yourself 

o   Do not be afraid of those who oppose you, those who threaten you.  

o   Because 

§  I have made of you a fortified city  

§  A bronze pillar  

§  An iron wall  

o   Even if they fight against you, do not be afraid, because I, the Lord, will be with you. 

The Lord keeps saying these same words to each one of us.  

Responsorial Psalm Ps 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17

R.  I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R.  I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
 for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R.  I will sing of your salvation
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R.  I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R.  I will sing of your salvation

This psalm shows hope and security in the shelter of God’s presence.

GOSPEL Lk 4:21-30

ü  We take the narrative at the Synagogue of Nazareth from the place where we left it last week. 

ü  Jesus has just announced his program of action and let the people know that the Spirit who sends him to proclaim good news has anointed him.    

ü  The people are pleased to listen to him, but the situation is going to change very soon: Is he not the son of Joseph the carpenter? He belongs to our town; he must not be as good as he looks. Maybe he is hiding something.   

ü  Jesus reminds them the saying: no prophet is accepted in his own country and 

ü  He also reminds them about two prophets:  

o   Elijah who was sent to the widow at Zarephath     

o   Elisha who healed a leper who did not belong to the people of Israel.

ü  These comparisons of Jesus made them furious   

ü  They are so angry that they try to kill him

ü  But Jesus walks away from them without harm. His hour has not come yet.  

SECOND READING  1Cor 12:31-13,13

      Paul includes in his letter to the Community of Corinth this wonderful hymn to love.   

      This hymn is found not only in the Bible and in many of our hymns and songs, 

      But it is also considered a Literary piece of art, patrimony of the human race.  

      When we want to speak about love frequently, we use this hymn of Paul to the Corinthians.  Compared with love nothing has any value: 

o   To speak in tongues  

o   The gift of prophecy, the ability to explain the deepest mysteries of our faith  

o   Moving mountains  

o   Giving everything, even our life, to defend our faith, martyrdom. 

      Love never dies 

      Prophecy will be silenced, faith will be transformed into vision  

      Paul continues and gives a wonderful description of what love really is:  

o   Love is kind, love is patient  

o   Love is neither jealous nor selfish  

o   Love rejoices always in the truth 

o   Love never rejoices in what is evil …   

      Then he compares what happens in our childhood and adulthood.  

      We are invited to grow up to adulthood, and abandon what is childlike, to become adults in faith.    

      Of the three virtues which help us to enter into a relationship with God: faith, hope and charity

      The greatest is charity=love, the other two will not be necessary when we see God face to face in eternity.    

CLARETIAN CORNER

“Now my companions are at the end of their mission, and afterwards, we will all gather and consult with the Bishop of Barcelona who will arrive now and is my close friend and we will see how the matter will be dealt with. But God our Lord who had decided in his eternal decrees  to guide the flight to the other part of the world, permitted another obstacle that in my opinion, banished some of his ideas, undoubtedly because God’s plans were very different  from those of this holy man and mine, because certainly , neither had he ever thought of the cross God had prepared him entrusting to him the government of this vast island, nor, by then, had I ever thought of crossing those seas. So, I remained in my convent as before, and he continued in his mission, for us to transfer to this new world where he wanted to start his work. Venerable María Antonia París, Foundress, Autobiography 62.

One thing that the Lord gave me to understand is that it is important for a missionary to deny himself in taking food and drink. The Italians have a saying to the effect that no one gives credit to saints who like to eat. People would like to think of missionaries as men who are more heavenly than earthly and that we are like saints' statues that don't need to eat or drink. In this respect, our Lord has given me the very special grace of being able to get along without eating, or with eating very little. Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder. Autobiography  403.

BIBLIOGRAFÍA                                                                            

CLARET, Antonio María. Autobiography.

PARIS, María Antonia. Autobiography.

SAGRADA BIBLIA, Confer. Episc. española

RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras – Ciclo C. San Pablo 2006. 

SCHÖKEL , Luis Alonso, La Biblia de nuestro Pueblo.