Be anxious not of externalities but on articulation of God’s will

October 6, 2015

Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time

Saint of the day : Saint Bruno, Priest (c. 1030-1101) 

Readings

Book of Jonah 3;1-10 

¹The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ²"Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you."

³So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD'S bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it.

⁴Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed," ⁵when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.

⁶When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. ⁷Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles: "Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. ⁸Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand. ⁹Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold His blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish."

¹⁰When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, He repented of the evil that He had threatened to do to them; He did not carry it out.

Psalms 130:1-4ab; 7-8 

¹Out of the depths* I call to you, LORD; ²Lord, hear my cry! May your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.a  

³If you, LORD, keep account of sins, Lord, who can stand?b  ⁴But with you is forgiveness and so you are revered. 

⁷Let Israel hope in the LORD, For with the LORD is mercy, with Him is plenteous redemption,e  ⁸And he will redeem Israel from all its sins.f

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10:38-42

³⁸As they continued their journey He entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed Him. ³⁹She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at His feet listening to Him speak.

⁴⁰Martha, burdened with much serving, came to Him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."

⁴¹The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. 

⁴²There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Notes on the Readings: 

A). Jonah 3:4 - Shall be destroyed: the Hebrew illustration reminds the reader of the "overthrowing" of the depraved cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, by God’s  unique act.

B). Jonah 3:8 - Beast . . . sackcloth: the animals held the symbols of this repentance, as on circumstances of joy they put up with garlands.

C). Luke 10:38-42  The story of Martha and Mary further demonstrates the significance of hearing the words of the teacher and the concern with women in Luke.

D). Luke 10:39 - Sat beside the Lord at His feet: it is noteworthy for first-century Palestinian Judaism that a woman would assume the posture of a disciple at the master's feet (see also Luke 8:35; Acts 22:3, and it reveals a characteristic attitude of Jesus toward women in this gospel (Luke 8:2-3) and its footnotes.

E). Luke 10:42 - There is need of only one thing: some ancient accounts read, "there is need of few things"; another significant, although most likely inferior, reading established in some manuscripts is, "there is need of few things, or of one." 


Reference:  The New American Bible