Luke 9:18-24 (12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 19, 2016)

Gospel:

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. 

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” 

Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Gospel Trivia:

The gospel mentions two titles of Jesus: "the Christ" and "Son of Man".  I've discussed this in a previous blog and you can click here to learn more about it. 

The phrase "take up his cross" is also mentioned by the evangelists Mark and Matthew.  Today's gospel is by Luke and he adds one word not found in Mark and Matthew -- "daily."

For Luke, "taking up the cross" does not refer to martyrdom (as Mark and Matthew would mean it), but a daily dying to self; a lifestyle of self giving.

Note too that this pronouncement was addressed to all ("then he said to all") and not just to the apostles.  This was also done after Jesus prayed in solitude, a dominant theme in Luke (where it is mentioned 9 times, much more often than in Mark and Matthew).  This establishes the significance of Jesus' pronouncement of daily dying, and the link between it and prayer.

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), p. 337-338.

Luke 7:36-50 (11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 12, 2016)

Gospel:

A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” 

Jesus said to him in reply, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred day’s wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?” Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” He said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” 

He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”


Gospel Trivia:

The gospel shows the contrasting attitude towards a sinner between Jesus and a Pharisee (considered at that time as a pious man of God).  The Pharisee shunned the sinner; Jesus empathized with her.

We should also note the following:

- Jesus was dining inside a Pharisee's house, as it is customary at that time for visiting teachers and persons of honor to be invited in a banquet.

- We know it is a banquet (and not just an ordinary meal) because Jesus was "reclined at table" -- usually on one of the couches which are formed U-shaped around the table.  In a regular meal, people just sat around the table.

- When a guest enters a banquet, the host (in this case, the Pharisee) would usually greet the guest with a kiss (on the hand for a teacher or on both cheeks for an equal), and with foot washing.  The Pharisee did none of these, and yet the sinner did.

- It is customary at that time for non-guests to enter and exit such an occasion, and the woman must have heard Jesus preaching and joined the group that accompanied Jesus.

The gospel also shows the contrasting attitude between the Pharisees and the woman.  The Pharisee was all show (as shown by preparing a banquet) and defined one's relationship with God based on how strictly one followed the laws of Moses.  

The woman, on the other hand, must have heard Jesus preach about God's love and forgiveness; and was relieved of her guilt.  Thus, her gratefulness is expressed overwhelmingly in washing and anointing Jesus' feet.  

(Incidentally, anointing with oil is usually done on one's head, and doing so on the feet shows extraordinary expense and gratitude on the part of the woman).

When faced with a sinner, are you like Jesus or like the Pharisee?

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Parables for Today (Makati: St. Paul Publications, 1987), pp. 138-141.

Like 7:11-17 (10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 5, 2016)

Gospel:

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

Gospel Trivia:

The following trivia will reveal the significance and meaning of this gospel account:

- It mirrors the miracle of Elijah in the first reading of today's Mass; Elijah raised a dead son to life and turned him over to his mother.

- It mentions the place of the miracle -- Nain -- which is not normally done unless the writer has a purpose; in this case the purpose is that Nain is very close to where Elisha performed a similar miracle.

- The Jews believe that the messianic area will be presaged by the dead coming back to life.

- lastly, Jesus is referred to by the crowd as a "great prophet" -- a term reserved only for Elijah and Elisha of the Old Testament.

Thus, Luke is introducing Jesus as the messiah people have been waiting for. Later, Luke will expound that the messianic Jesus is not the liberator from colonial Rome that the Jews were expecting; but a far greater liberator who conquers sin and death. 

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), p. 330-332.