XIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY
TIME – 2020
The liturgy of this Sunday speaks
about doing good for love of God. The family in the first reading prepared a
comfortable room for the prophet Elisha, the “man of God”, the psalm repeats Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord, and the Gospel says that those who do
something good for others will not be left without a reward.
THE BOOK OF KINGS
Ø The book of Kings can be approach
in several ways.
Ø They contain history and are an
important source of information about the Israelite Kingdoms.
Ø The theological interpretation has
two principles: to justify the disintegration of the Davidic empire and the
need for the religious unity of the people of God.
Ø As a counterpart of the stories of
kings, we find the stories of women and of many prophets.
Ø The destiny of Israel is in God’s
hand.
Ø Through prophets, the divine will
is made known on earth to kings and
people
Ø The future consequences of their
response to God’s will are spelled out.
FIRST READING 2 Kings
4: 8-11. 14-16a
Ø According to Wikipedia, the town of Shunem (Hebrew: שׁוּנֵם) was
a small village in the possession of
the Tribe of Issachar, near the Jezreel Valley and South
of Mount Gilboa (Joshua 19,18).It may be identified as the modern village of
Sulam.
Ø It seems that Elisha, disciple of Eliah, went
frequently to the town of Shunem and to the house of a good couple.
Ø In the
Old as well as in the New Testament we find stories about good women who
welcomed into their homes men who were passing by their city, as if they were
messengers of God.
Ø Here the
woman and her husband prepare a comfortable place where Elisha could rest.
Ø The
recompense is huge and surprising; the couple will have a son. They have prayed
so much to have a son and the child never came.
Ø This is
the generosity of God who recompenses the good we do.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 88: 2-3.
16-17. 18-19
R. (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever,
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever;"
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
You are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and the Holy One of Israel, our king.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever,
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever;"
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
You are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and the Holy One of Israel, our king.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
ü The psalmist shows feelings of joy, of thanksgiving and of
praise to God.
ü He invokes God whose love
is eternal, merciful and faithful.
ü The psalmist says that the
people
o Who walks under the light
of God and praises him is happy.
o
He is happy also because God is his shield and his king.
GOSPEL Mt 10: 37-42
Ø The Gospel is the continuation of last
Sunday’s reading. Only 4 verses are omitted.
Ø Verses 37-39 explain the demands, the
conditions of the following of Jesus:
o The first condition is the fidelity to
the Lord that
§ Illumines all the other fidelities
required for a life as a disciple of Jesus
§ goes beyond the fidelity toward
our family and any other fidelity
§ asks us to carry the cross in his
following
§ and finally, accordingly to what the Gospel says, it teaches us that if
we hold on to our life willing to keep it we will lose it, but if we allow the
Lord to organize and decide over our life, if we surrender to him, if we put
ourselves completely in his hands, we will keep and gain our life.
Ø The verses 40-42 speak of the
recompense to this fidelity in his following:
o When we welcome someone it is Jesus
whom we welcome and, in turn we are welcoming the Father.
o The recompense will be according to
who we think we are welcoming:
§ Prophet, just person, disciple
§ Even the glass of fresh water that we
give to a little one (poor, marginalized…) will not be without a
recompense.
Ø In the responsorial psalm there is
phrase that says My kindness is established forever,
How true this is!
How true this is!
LETTER TO THE ROMANS
In this part of chapter 6 Paul reflect
on baptism and in its consequences
In baptism we were submerged into the
death and resurrection of Christ
However, Paul knows well that sin has
not been completely banished either from the world, or from us Christians who
have been submerged into the life of Christ.
Thus he explains baptism as a process
of gradual transformation in Christ.
SECOND READING Rom 6: 3-4. 8-11
Paul speaks here about
baptism
v We have been baptized into
Christ Jesus death.
v And if we have been baptized into his death, so too into his resurrection, his new
life.
v We have been given the
power to die to sin, to have the strength and the energy to live a life for God
far from evil, counting of course on the participation in the life of Christ
Jesus.
ü Paul ends his reflection
saying: consequently,
you too must think of yourselves as dead to sin and living for God in Christ
Jesus.
Maybe it would help us to
remember persons, things and events related to our baptism, or to the baptism
of our children.
CLARETIAN CORNER
Venerable María Antonia
París - This, which at
first sight may appear to the Bishops as something of little importance, is the
only weapon with which they should defend the Holy Law which they should
preach, and understand that without this, all of their works will be fruitless. I could say great things here about the
esteem that a Prelate should have of the example of his Divine Master, as God
has taught me, but it seems to bold to me, for I speak with whom I am not
worthy to hear, and so it appears to me I will fulfill my obligation simply
writing the most essential points that His Divine Majesty has pointed out to me
without excluding any, without failing to observe the Lord’s command.
Therefore,
after renewing themselves and their associates, the Bishops should fully devote
themselves to distributing the bread of the Divine Word. From Plan
for the Renewal… 15-16 in the book Paris
and Claret Two Pens Guided by the Same Spirit.
St. Anthony Mary Claret –
The Bishops are the successors of the Apostles and,
thus they have to be with their good example the light of the world.
They have to practice the good works, in such a way
that their example be as a bright light that may shine before others and move
them to glorify their heavenly Father
The Bishops have to be friends of prayer, in imitation
of Jesus…
In the fire that burns in meditation all scoria is
taken away, men melt and are molded into the image of Jesus, they are filled
with the Holy Spirit, and begin to speak…
The Bishops have to teach, following the mandate of
Jesus to his Apostles…
The
Bishops have to be the salt of the earth through their doctrine… (From Notes to
preserve and restore the beauty of the Church : “Who are the Bishops nn.
1-8” in Paris and Claret… )
BIBLIOGRAPHY
MUÑOZ,
Ma. Hortensia and TUTZO, Regina
Claretian Missionary Sisters. Paris
and Claret Two Pens Guided by the Same Spirit. 2010.
SCHÖEL,
Luis Alonso, “ of the text and Commentaries” – Biblia del Pregrino 2015
“Letter
to the Romans” in THE NEW AMERICAN
BIBLE, Revised Edition 2000.
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