XXXIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME -  CICLO B – 2018

CHRIST KING OF THE UNIVERSE

«  We have reached the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the 34th Sunday in ordinary time. In this Sunday the liturgy of the church celebrates Jesus as King of the Universe. 

«  On the first Sunday in Ordinary time we have celebrated the Baptism of the Lord Jesus. After his baptism in the Jordan River, the voice of the Father said to Jesus “You are my beloved Son.” 

«  Jesus has healed, taught, forgiven and discussed with the religious authorities of his people, in a word, Jesus has lived a full human life, showing the unconditional love of the Father for all of us.   

«  During the 33 Sundays in Ordinary time, we have seen Jesus vulnerable in many occasions, and now the Church presents him as King and Lord.   

«  Even being king and Lord, he has not abandoned his tenderness, his compassion; on the contrary his kingship is of love, justice and kindness for all. 

 

FIRST READING: Daniel 7:13-14 

Ø  Last week,  we explained some interesting details of this book. Today we will concentrate in the message in chapter 7. 

Ø  The reading introduces the character of the “Son of man” title, which Jesus will apply to himself in many occasions.  

Ø  It is a title of sovereignty, of authority because to this character in the book of Daniel 

o   Royal power and dominion   will be given     

o   All the peoples and languages will respect him, and will bow down before him.

o    I transcribe here the commentary of Luis Alonso Schökel:  

§  In our time, the believer cannot just simply wait for a heavenly being, which will come to judge the oppressors and the oppressing structures.  

§  In and from faith, the Christian person, who is convinced of the liberator, consoling and encouraging value of the Word and of  Jesus Project,  has to transform  his struggles and sweats into  current prophecy.  

§  Time has not change the way God thinks.

§   It is up to us to do works of justice, solidarity and fraternity in the midst of a divided world, which is governed by the forces of evil. 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM – Ps.  93   

R.  THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY

      This psalm belongs to the IV book of psalms (psalms 90-106.) 

      It is a hymn to the divine kingship 

      His power gives firmness to creation   

      The decrees of the Lord are faithful and true.   

      His house is adorned with holiness     

      The kingship and power of God is his holiness, his love, his kindness, his tenderness toward his creation.      

GOSPEL OF JOHN 18:33-37

§  John narrates the encounter between Jesus and Pilate through a series of seven scenes.  

§  The one we will read is the second.  

§  It takes place inside the palace of Pilate.

§  During the interrogation Jesus declares himself king, but a king who does not belong to this world, in a word he declares himself God.  

§  He has come to give witness to the truth. What truth? The truth of God and, the truth of the human being.    

§  Only the one, who accepts the truth, can listen to his voice, the voice of the Master.   

SECOND READING: Rv 1:5-8

ü  This Reading is taken from the first chapter of the book of Revelation.   

ü  After the introduction and the greeting to the churches, the author of the book describes, in a poetic way,  who Jesus is:  

o   He is the faithful witness  

o   He is the first among the dead and the King of the kings of the world.  

o   He loves us and has liberated us from our sins with his blood.  

o   He has made of us a kingdom of priests for God his Father.  

ü  He comes upon the clouds; this reminds us the son of man of the vision of the book of Daniel.  

ü  All even those who killed him will see him.  

ü  And after that Jesus introduces himself saying:   

o   I am the alpha and the omega    

o   The one who is, was and will come, the all-powerful 

CLARETIAN CORNER 

This submission that God gave me to the will of my prelate was the strongest knot by which the Lord had tied the will of my prelate for the opinion of the procurator not to be followed in everything. As soon as the prelate made his note thinking that in that way all could go as well and forward, then the prelate objected that it was not feasible according to the law. So we had a very heavy battle, and, none of us are willing to mortify the other, all of us were very disgusted. This was the will of the whole hell: to make me unacceptable to my superiors. Venerable Maria Antonia París, Foundress .  Autobiography 222. 

I can see that what the Lord is doing in me is like what I observe going on in the motion of the planets: they are pulled by two forces, one centrifugal, the other centripetal. Centrifugal force pulls them to escape their orbits; centripetal force draws them toward their center. The balance of these two forces holds them in their orbits. That's just how I see myself. I feel one force within me, which I'll call centrifugal, telling me to get out of Madrid and the court; but I also feel a counterforce, the will of God, telling me to stay in court for the time being, until I am free to leave. This will of God is the centripetal force that keeps me chained here like a dog on his leash. The mixture of these two forces, namely, the desire to leave and my love for doing God's will, keeps me running around in my circle. Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder. Autobiography 623. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CLARET, Antonio María. Autobiografía.

PARIS, María Antonia. Autobiografía  en Escritos

RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras-Año B. San Pablo 2005.

Schökel, Luis Alonso, La Biblia de nuestro Pueblo.

Sagrada Biblia. Versión oficial de la Conferencia episcopal española.

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – CYCLE B – 2018

The readings for this coming Sunday have an apocalyptic tone and color.   

THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Ø  This prophetic book has traits of the apocalyptic literature. 

Ø  It has several peculiarities:   

o   The first and second chapters are written in Hebrew. 

o   Then from 2,4b to 7,27 they are written in Aramaic.   

o   And afterwards it continues in Hebrew .

o   The Greek version includes passages not included in the Hebrew Scriptures, probably these are episodes that circulated around the Jewish communities and were added to the original book: the three young men prayer in the furnace   3,24-90, the judgement of Susana    c.13 , and the story of Daniel and the idols    c. 14

Ø  In this book we discover the following structure:  

o   A series of stories about Daniel and the three companions in the court of the king of Babylon (cc. 1-6.)

o   Revelations that Daniel receives through heavenly visions  cc. 7-12

o   Intervention of Daniel in the judgement of Susana and the fall of the idols   cc. 13-14.

o   Each one of these sections presents a different structure:   

§  The first one describes the life of the Jewish community in the diaspora, the good relationships with the civil authorities.    

§  The second pictures the persecution suffered by the Jews under the kingship of Antiochus Epiphanes IV. Daniel speaks of 4 kingdoms and the coming of the Kingdom of God after the death of the king.  

§  The third part shows an undetermined historical concept, signals the triumph of justice and the nonsense of idolatry.  All of this can happened in any historical moment.  

Ø  The leading thread which gives unity to the book is:   

o   The person of Daniel  

o   The  exile  in Babylon  

o   But overall “God who has the power over the kingdoms of the earth will establish his kingdom sometime in the future.”  

Ø   Composition  of the Book

o   The book is written in  several languages   

o   The central point is the vision of the 4 kingdoms and  the Son of Man

Ø  The Message of the Book of Daniel  

o   Hope in the coming of a new situation in which, those who are faithful to God will reign, where evil or sin will be no more, and which will be eternal.   

FIRST READING  Dn 12,1-3

ü  This Reading is taken from the second part of the book, when the Jews were suffering persecution for their faithfulness to their faith.   

ü  Michael the angel who takes care of the humans will rise up to take action.    

ü  From the People of God all those whose names are written in the book will be saved.  

ü  This is like what happens in the nations and in the cities, those who belong there have their names written in the civil registries.   

ü  The reading speaks of resurrection for life or for death.   

ü  The wise, not those who accumulate intellectual knowledge, but the true wise men, those who savor the truth, the beauty, the goodness of God, those who discover his footprints everywhere around them, and who learn from his inner whisper.  

ü  Those who taught others justice, that is the truth of God, the knowledge of God, the love of God, goodness. 

ü  All of them will shine in the firmament like the stars for all eternity, forever.   

ü  What a wonderful image, so full of meaning!

RESPONSORIAL PSALM   Ps  16

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the Lord ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

v  We repeat over and over “You are my inheritance, O Lord.”    

v  Yes, the Lord is our inheritance, our joy, our delight, the cup of our happiness, our portion.   

v  He will never abandon us; he will not allow us to suffer corruption.  

v  He shows us the way to Him, towards life where joy is eternal.   

GOSPEL  Mk  13:24-32

§  The situation that the communities lived at the beginning, especially the community of Mark was of suffering due to  persecution.  

§  Persecution which led to physical death, but also another type of persecution “to be considered of lower status in society, to be like people who do not count…” How many human beings still now continue to suffer the same situation!  

§  The temptation of tiredness is a reality.   

§  And Mark wants to encourage his community, to remind them some of the words of Jesus that could enlighten them, give them courage, give them strength.   

§  In that day… what day? The end of history, when God will be all in all.    

§  When the falsehood and the truth of our history will be manifested, because all that distract us now: sun, moon, stars, human and nature powers will be no more.   

§  Time will be no more either, the sun, the moon and the stars which signal now the years and stations will no longer shine   

§  Space will disappear also, “the stars will fall…” the distance between the sky and the earth will be eliminated  

§  And then without obstacles caused by the things which surround us, we will be able to see the presence of the Son of man, Jesus, the Lord of history.   

§  Jesus who has said to us that he will come, he has also said to us  that he is in every human being who comes to us in his or her need and asks for our help.  He has also said that he will be with us in our evangelizing mission, until the end of history.  

§  This Jesus who will come,  is already here and  walks with us.   Remember the two from Emmaus they walked with him (Jesus)  “but they did not recognize him, they did not see him, until they were  able to forget  themselves, their sadness, their worries and think about the stranger  whom they welcomed into their home, only then they were able to see him.  

§  Towards the end of this segment of the Gospel of Mark, it seems as if Mark changes the scenario from the end of history to the end of Jerusalem, of the temple “ this generation will not pass away…”     

§  Mark also invites us to look at nature, which warns us about the times, the phenomena, In the same way we are invited to look at history with the eyes of Jesus and discover its meaning.   

§  The Lord has come, the Lord is already here, the Lord will come. Mark does not speak about judgement, because the presence of the Lord which will illumine our lives, our history, will uncover our truth and our lie as well.   

§  Let us not await until the end to ask the Lord his help, to allow him to illumine us, and thus we will not fear that our lie be uncovered by Him. He is the only one who can change our lie into his truth.   

§  Come Lord Jesus! And give us the strength to allow your love and your presence   transform us.    

SECOND READING  Heb 10:11-14. 18

      The author of this letter continues sharing with us his thoughts about the priesthood of Jesus.  

      The priest of the old law offered repeatedly the sacrifice asking for forgiveness, but these sacrifices could not take away sin.    

       Jesus has offered only one sacrifice to take away the sins of the world, and he is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. To be seated at the right hand means to have power, means equality with the one seated on the throne. In the earthly kingdoms the person seated at the right hand of the king is the most important person in the kingdom after the king.    

      And it ends saying “when there is forgiveness, sin is eliminated.”      

      This reflection of the author of the letter to the Hebrews is an invitation to trust, to truly believe that we have been forgiven, saved, redeemed.   That when I repent and I approach the sacrament of forgiveness my sins are eliminated, they do not exist anymore, because Jesus has destroyed them forever, and this is made visible and real for me through the sacramental  ministry which Jesus has given to the church.   

      Thank you Lord for your forgiveness, teach us to forgive in the same way, to forgive the offenses instead of nurturing them with our bitterness. Make us like you!   

	CLARETIAN CORNER

They were so humble that the Archbishop always commanded me to give my opinion and , with this family , he had myself – love well humiliated, because my rudeness did not understand anything of these matters, and, in virtue of holy obedience, I had to express my feelings, and I did not know how to say any other thing but that, for me, I preferred to be poor with Christ than to have rents to give to the poor . And that was the purpose of rents if we would not be able even to beg alms from them? That this was my opinion but that my will was no other than the will of my prelate and that he might do what he considered best before God.

 Venerable María Antonia París, Foundress, Autobiography 221.

I can see that what the Lord is doing in me is like what I observe going on in the motion of the planets: they are pulled by two forces, one centrifugal, the other centripetal. Centrifugal force pulls them to escape their orbits; centripetal force draws them toward their center. The balance of these two forces holds them in their orbits. That's just how I see myself. I feel one force within me, which I'll call centrifugal, telling me to get out of Madrid and the court; but I also feel a counterforce, the will of God, telling me to stay in court for the time being, until I am free to leave. This will of God is the centripetal force that keeps me chained here like a dog on his leash. The mixture of these two forces, namely, the desire to leave and my love for doing God's will, keeps me running around in my circle..Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder.     Autobiography, 623

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CLARET, Antonio María. Autobiografía

PAGOLA, José A. El camino abierto por Jesús. 2 Marcos.

PARIS, María Antonia, Autobiografía

DIARIO BÍBLICO 2018. Claret Publishing Group.

SAGRADA BIBLIA, versión oficial de la Conferencia Episcopal Española.

 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.