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12 November/Friday/32nd Week in Ordinary Time,   

Wis 13,1-9/Psa 19,2-3.4-5/Luke 17,26-37

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading  Wisdom 13:1-9

How have those who investigated the world been so slow to find its Master?

Naturally stupid are all men who have not known God and who, from the good things that are seen, have not been able to discover Him-who-is,

or, by studying the works, have failed to recognise the Artificer.

Fire however, or wind, or the swift air,

the sphere of the stars, impetuous water, heaven’s lamps,

are what they have held to be the gods who govern the world.

If, charmed by their beauty, they have taken things for gods,

let them know how much the Lord of these excels them,

since the very Author of beauty has created them.

And if they have been impressed by their power and energy,

let them deduce from these how much mightier is he that has formed them,

since through the grandeur and beauty of the creatures

we may, by analogy, contemplate their Author.

Small blame, however, attaches to these men,

for perhaps they only go astray

in their search for God and their eagerness to find him;

living among his works, they strive to comprehend them

and fall victim to appearances, seeing so much beauty.

Even so, they are not to be excused:

if they are capable of acquiring enough knowledge

to be able to investigate the world,

how have they been so slow to find its Master?

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18(19):2-5

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God,

    and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.

Day unto day takes up the story

    and night unto night makes known the message.

No speech, no word, no voice is heard

    yet their span extends through all the earth,

    their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

Gospel Acclamation   Heb 4:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of God is something alive and active:

it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.

Alleluia!

Gospel   Luke 17:26-37

When the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed

Jesus said to the disciples: ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in Lot’s day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, God rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed.

‘When that day comes, anyone on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must not come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back either. Remember Lot’s wife. Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe. I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed: one will be taken, the other left; two women will be grinding corn together: one will be taken, the other left.’ The disciples interrupted. ‘Where, Lord?’ they asked. He said, ‘Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.’

Reflection

One of the perennial questions asked by believers or Christians is why some people are not able to come to the knowledge of God by observing and studying his works of creation. We Christians are convinced that it is possible to come to faith by carefully contemplating the works of God in the universe. The Psalmist confirms this in the Responsorial Psalm of the day as he affirms that “the heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands”.

The reading further questions why some people decide to worship nature instead of the Creator of the universe. The author considers foolish those who fail to know God from studying his works. It is strange that people prefer to take the created for a god instead of seeking the Creator behind such objects. Despite his condemnation of their action, he expresses a certain sense of compassion toward such people as he acknowledges that some of them are well-intentioned as they are indeed looking for the right direction but only fail to attain it. It is here that the responsibility of Christians comes into play. It is by our evangelizing ministry that we can help worshippers of nature and all who seek the right direction to discover the one and only true God. We do not have to argue with such people about the existence of God because most of such people do not question the existence of God. If they do, they would not worship the created instead of the Creator. What we are called to do is to lead them to the discovery of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Gospels hold the key to the discovery of the God of the universe as revealed to us by Jesus Christ. He tells us that no one has seen the Father except the Son and anyone who reveals him to us. We are privileged to know the Father, thanks to Jesus Christ. Let us become fervent ministers of his word. In this way, we would make him known to our brothers and sisters so that together we may worship the one and only true God. It is only in this way that we and our contemporaries can avoid the fate of the contemporaries of Lot of which we read in the Gospel Reading.

11 November/Thursday/32nd Week in Ordinary Time,   

 Wis 7,22–8,1/Psa 119,89.90.91.130.135.175/Luke 17,20-25

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading    Wisdom 7:22-8:1

Wisdom is a breath of the power of God

Within Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy,

unique, manifold, subtle,

active, incisive, unsullied,

lucid, invulnerable, benevolent, sharp,

irresistible, beneficent, loving to man,

steadfast, dependable, unperturbed,

almighty, all-surveying,

penetrating all intelligent, pure

and most subtle spirits;

for Wisdom is quicker to move than any motion;

she is so pure, she pervades and permeates all things.

She is a breath of the power of God,

pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;

hence nothing impure can find a way into her.

She is a reflection of the eternal light,

untarnished mirror of God’s active power,

image of his goodness.

Although alone, she can do all;

herself unchanging, she makes all things new.

In each generation she passes into holy souls,

she makes them friends of God and prophets;

for God loves only the man who lives with Wisdom.

She is indeed more splendid than the sun,

she outshines all the constellations;

compared with light, she takes first place,

for light must yield to night,

but over Wisdom evil can never triumph.

She deploys her strength from one end of the earth to the other,

ordering all things for good.

Responsorial Psalm:    Psalm 118(119):89-91,130,135,175

Your word, O Lord, stands forever.

Your word, O Lord, for ever

    stands firm in the heavens:

your truth lasts from age to age,

    like the earth you created.

By your decree it endures to this day;

    for all things serve you.

The unfolding of your word gives light

    and teaches the simple.

Let your face shine on your servant

    and teach me your decrees.

Give life to my soul that I may praise you.

    Let your decrees give me help.

Gospel Acclamation                                                                                            1Peter 1:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of the Lord remains for ever:

What is this word?

It is the Good News that has been brought to you.

Alleluia!

Gospel Luke 17:20-25

The kingdom of God is among you

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.’

He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look there!” or, “Look here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.’

Reflection

The First Reading is a presentation of the characteristics of wisdom, thus every word of the reading is very important for our reflection. The reading presents twenty-one characteristics of wisdom. Obviously, we cannot meditate on each word so we are compelled to choose without implying that those not taken into consideration are neither important nor of lesser value. It is important to note that these characteristics are rooted in Greek culture so the author is borrowing from that culture to enrich his Jewish culture. A careful reflection on the characteristics of wisdom reveals that many of her qualities are similar to those of the God of Israel. For example, wisdom is characterised as intelligent, holy, unique and all powerful.

These and other characteristics contribute to the ability of wisdom to make all things new. As a re-creator, she is able to generate holy souls that are pleasing to God. As they are pleasing to God, they are also loveable to him. In this, we can say that she never fails to transform humanity. Wisdom is able to carry out her mission only when the subject or the person in question is docile to the actions of Wisdom. It is similar to what we say about docility to the spirit of God. This is what reveals the importance of human cooperation in carrying out the divine plan. Wisdom is ready to share with every person her characteristics and make us friends of God but we need to collaborate with her. Our cooperation should be a wholehearted one so that we would not miss the manifestation of the kingdom as announced in the First Reading. We pray for the grace to open ourselves to the workings of divine wisdom in our lives so that we can be pleasing in God’s sight and be worthy of participation in his kingdom.

10 November/Wednesday/32nd Week in Ordinary Time,  

Wis 6,2-11/Psa 82,3-4.6-7/Luke 17,11-19

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD 

First Reading:  Wisdom 6:1-11

Kings, your power is a gift to you from the Lord

Listen, kings, and understand;

rulers of remotest lands, take warning;

hear this, you who have thousands under your rule,

who boast of your hordes of subjects.

For power is a gift to you from the Lord,

sovereignty is from the Most High;

he himself will probe your acts and scrutinise your intentions.

If, as administrators of his kingdom, you have not governed justly

nor observed the law,

nor behaved as God would have you behave,

he will fall on you swiftly and terribly.

Ruthless judgement is reserved for the high and mighty;

the lowly will be compassionately pardoned,

the mighty will be mightily punished.

For the Lord of All does not cower before a personage,

he does not stand in awe of greatness,

since he himself has made small and great

and provides for all alike;

but strict scrutiny awaits those in power.

Yes, despots, my words are for you,

that you may learn what wisdom is and not transgress;

for they who observe holy things holily will be adjudged holy,

and, accepting instruction from them, will find their defence in them.

Look forward, therefore, to my words;

yearn for them, and they will instruct you.

Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 81(82):3-4,6-7

Arise, O God, to judge the earth.

Do justice for the weak and the orphan,

    defend the afflicted and the needy.

Rescue the weak and the poor;

    set them free from the hand of the wicked.

I have said to you: “You are gods

    and all of you, sons of the Most High.”

And yet, you shall die like men,

    you shall fall like any of the princes.’

Gospel Acclamation:   cf. 2Thes 2:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Through the Good News God called us

to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Alleluia!

Gospel:   Luke 17:11-19

No-one has come back to praise God, only this foreigner

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’

Reflection

The First Reading seems to be directly addressing kings and rulers of the nations. Such an indication at the beginning of the reading can give the impression that ordinary people or those who are not rulers are not being addressed. Far from that; we need to keep in mind that even if we do not have thousands under our rule or we do not boast of many nations under us, we share in the governance of human society in diverse ways. Each one of us, no matter how ordinary we may think of ourselves, each one of us has authority over some people. Parents have authority over their children; senior officials have authority over those under their administrative care; teachers have authority over their pupils and students. The words of the author of the Book of Wisdom are therefore very relevant to us all.

Those in authority are often tempted to think that their authority is self-generated. They think they can rule by their own force or power but the First Reading tells us that power is a gift from the Lord. It is the Lord who appoints kings and rulers. If they want to be good and faithful rulers, they need to rely on God because they rule on his behalf. Anyone who takes things into his own hands and thinks he can rule by his own power is doomed to fail. Many leaders fail to remember this basic principle of life when they enter into the heat of their job.

The First Reading serves as a reminder that no leader is master of him/herself. All who have been entrusted with governance should know that their acts would be probed by God and their actions scrutinised by him. We should all learn to subject ourselves to the authority and surveillance of God who alone can judge and approve our acts and intentions. If we place ourselves under his guidance, he would lead us on the path of righteousness. Our actions would be done according to his will and we would be his faithful servants. While striving to be faithful servants, we should not fail to acknowledge God who grants us his graces. The nine lepers in the Gospel Reading failed to do so and incurred the displeasure of Jesus who asked: “‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?” We pray that we may be faithful servants of God in any situation of leadership entrusted to us.