October 1, 2015
Thursday of the Twenty-sixth week in
Ordinary Time
Saint of the day : Saint Therese of Lisieux, Virgin & Doctor of the Church (1873-1897) - Memorial
Readings
1Now when the seventh month came, the
whole people gathered as one man in the open space before the Water Gate, and
they called upon Ezra the scribe to bring forth the book of the law of Moses
which the LORD prescribed for Israel.
2On the first day of the seventh
month, therefore, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which
consisted of men, women, and those children old enough to understand.
3Standing at one end of the open place
that was before the Water Gate, he read out of the book from daybreak till
midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those children old enough to
understand; and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
4Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden
platform that had been made for the occasion; at his right side stood
Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and on his left
Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, Meshullam.
5Ezra opened the scroll so that all
the people might see it (for he was standing higher up than any of the people);
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
6Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, "Amen, amen!"
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD, their faces to
the ground.
7(The Levites Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah,
Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan,
and Pelaiah explained the law to the people, who remained in their places.)
8Ezra read plainly from the book of
the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
9Then (Nehemiah, that is, His
Excellency, and) Ezra the priest-scribe (and the Levites who were instructing
the people) said to all the people: "Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep"-for all the people were weeping as they
heard the words of the law.
10He said further: "Go, eat rich
foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing
prepared; for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for
rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"
11(And the Levites quieted all the
people, saying, "Hush, for today is holy, and you must not be
saddened.")
12Then all the people went to eat and
drink, to distribute portions, and to celebrate with great joy, for they
understood the words that had been expounded to them.
8The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul. The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to
the simple. b
9The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart. The command of the
LORD is clear, enlightening the eye.
10The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever. The statutes of the LORD are true, all of them just;
11More desirable than gold, than a
hoard of purest gold, Sweeter also than honey or drippings from the comb. c
1After this the Lord appointed seventy
(-two) 2 others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he
intended to visit.
2He said to them, "The harvest is
abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out
laborers for his harvest.
3Go on your way; behold, I am sending
you like lambs among wolves. 4Carry no money bag, no sack, no
sandals; and greet no one along the way. 5Into whatever house you enter, first
say, 'Peace to this household.' 6If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.
7Stay in the same house and eat and
drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move
about from one house to another. 8Whatever town you enter and they
welcome you, eat what is set before you, 9cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'
10Whatever town you enter and they do
not receive you, go out into the streets and say, 11'The dust of your town that clings to
our feet, even that we shake off against you.' Yet know this: the kingdom of
God is at hand.
12I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Sodom on that day than for that town.
Important notes on the Gospel:
A). Verses 1-12 -Only the Gospel of
Luke contains two episodes in which Jesus sends out His apostles on a mission:
the first (Luke 10:1-6) is based on the mission in Mark 6:6b-13 and narrates the sending out of the Twelve;
Luke 10:1-12 a comparable account based on Q becomes the sending out of
seventy-two in this gospel. The episode goes on with the theme of Jesus setting
up witnesses to Himself and His ministry. These witnesses consist not only the
Twelve but also the seventy-two who may personify the Christian mission in
Luke's own day. Note that the directions provided to the Twelve and to the
seventy-two are parallel and that what is said to the seventy-two in Luke 10:4
is instructed to the Twelve in Luke 22:35.
B). Verse 1- Seventy [-two]:
important representatives of the Alexandrian and Caesarean text types read
"seventy," while other significant Alexandrian texts and Western
readings have "seventy-two."
C). Verse 4 - Carry no money bag . . . greet no one along
the way: because of the necessity of the mission and the focus for missionaries, being engross on material possession and even customary greetings should not distract
from the achievement of the mission.
D). Verse 5 - First say, "Peace
to this household': On earth peace to those on whom His favor rests: the peace
that results from the Christ episode is for those whom God has privileged with His grace. This narrative is found in the oldest representatives of the Western
and Alexandrian text traditions and is the preferred one. Conversely, the Byzantine text tradition,
reads: "on earth peace, good will toward men." The peace of which
Luke's gospel articulates (Luke 2;14 ; 7:50;
8:48; 10:5-6; 19:38, 42; 24:36) is beyond the absence of war of the pax Augusta (The long years of peace—though occasionally interrupted by revolts and
strife); it also consists the safety and well-being characteristic of peace in the
Old Testament.
The secret coming of the kingdom is
to be revealed by them, and no fear must be allowed to discourage them from
that announcement.
E). Verse 6 - A peaceful person:
literally, "a son of peace."
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Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.