Wednesday

1st Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year I

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In today’s First Reading the Letter to the Hebrews explains that in order to redeem humanity Our Lord had to have some solidarity with it. Through his Incarnation he took humanity upon himself: he became man without leaving aside his divinity. A high priest is the mediator between God and man, and Our Lord, through his Incarnation, became this mediator and mediation: in his Person he enabled humanity to be restored after the Fall. He is able to empathize with us in our struggles and sufferings because he too chose trials and sufferings for our salvation.

Death was not something desired by God. The Book of Wisdom teaches that death came into the world due to the envy of the Devil (see Wisdom 1:13 and 2:24). The first horrific experience of death occurred soon after sin, through the Devil’s temptation and the sin of our first parents, when Cain slew his brother Abel. Sin and death have always gone hand in hand, and the Devil influences us and the world through them. Through sin the Devil has a power to inflict spiritual death: the loss of God not only here, but in eternity.

Our Lord came to free us from sin and death, and he did so through the Cross. Instead of a tempter we have a mediator. Let’s turn to Our Lord and away from temptation so that he can liberate us from sin and death.

Readings: Hebrews 2:14–18; Psalm 105:1–9; Mark 1:29–39. See also 22nd Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday.

34th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year II

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In today’s First Reading those who remained faithful to the Lord despite all the persecution and calamity now sing his praises. The Song of Moses refers to the song the Israelites sung when they were delivered from destruction by the Egyptians due to the parting and crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1–21; see Exodus 14:19-31). Christ, the New Moses, has also led them through calamity and persecution into the Promised Land. It’s the moment of victory at the end of time when evil is definitively overthrown.

As part of the faithful’s song they rejoice that the Lord’s “righteous acts have been revealed.” At the end we will see completely how good and righteous Our Lord is. We may not see it clearly in this life, afflicted by suffering and evil, but we must trust and believe in it and it will be revealed one day for all to see.

We’ve already been delivered from evil through Baptism: the crossing of the waters of the Red Sea is a prefiguration of the salvation that comes through the water of Baptism. Let’s live in hope that the victory one day will be complete.

Readings: Revelation 15:1–4; Psalm 98:1–3b, 7–9; Luke 21:12–19. See also 14th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday, Year II, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, and 34th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday.

33rd Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year II

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In today’s First Reading John is given a glimpse of what Heaven will be like in the future. The imagery may be a little strange and disconcerting if you try to picture it literally; John is trying to express symbolically what it will be like and who will be there. The four living creatures symbolize the presence of all creation, and the eyes covering them symbolize God’s knowledge and concern for them. The lion, calf, man and eagle represent what is what is noblest, strongest, wisest, and swiftest in creation. The twenty-four elder represent the Twelve apostles and the twelve tribes of Israel, and the seven spirits of God represent seven angels who stand in God’s presence (two of which we know as Gabriel and Raphael). Lastly, the thunder and lightning are typically signs of God’s appearance and activity.

This vision of Heaven may not entirely quad with our own: are we just going to be falling on our faces forever telling the Lord how great he is? The question should be, what would give us reason to do so? If you remember fondly your high school graduation you remember it like a moment of accomplishment in your life where a limitless future, forged by your own hand, seemed before you. Hopefully you also remembered someone who helped you make it through high school: a parent, a teacher, or a friend. It’s a moment of joy and a moment of gratitude. John’s vision and ours should be exactly that: not just joy at having finished something and having a bright future ahead of us, but gratitude toward those who make it possible, because we never get there alone.

We haven’t “graduated” life yet, but a bright future lies in store for us if we work hard for it and let Our Lord help us achieve it.

Readings: Revelation 4:1–11; Psalm 150:1b–6; Luke 19:11–28. See also 21st Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday, Year II and 33rd Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday.

The Stories Behind Graduation Traditions | Mental Floss

30th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year II

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In today’s First Reading Paul continues to give advice to the Church at Ephesus on various categories of relationship, and today he focuses on the relationship between parents and children, as well as master and slave. It’s no surprise that Paul reminds children of the Commandment to honor their father and mother, but he adds that this is a source of blessing. This duty of honoring goes from the crib to eternity: as parents get older the roles often get reversed, and children should love and care for their parents with the same love and care that they received. This mutual love breaks down when the parents don’t treat their children as they should, which is why Paul also reminds parents not to lord their position over their children.

For slaves Paul encourages them to spiritually “transfer ownership” to Our Lord. Slavery is a great injustice, but in Paul’s time it was so prevalent that he didn’t see the need to question it. For Paul, we’re all slaves of the Lord anyway: he owns master and slave alike, and both answer to him, therefore neither is entitled to abuse the relationship they share. Slaves in Paul’s time could be freed as well, and even in then, as his other letter to Philemon shows, Paul’s hope was that believers would go from master and slave to brothers in the Lord, either spiritually or otherwise. Thankfully most of the world today doesn’t suffer the scourge of slavery, but we can follow Paul’s advice as employer or employee too.

Let’s ask Our Lord to help us today be a fair and loving parent, child, employer, or employee. Or all of the above.

Readings: Ephesians 6:1–9; Psalm 145:10–14; Luke 13:22–30. See also 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, and the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday and Thursday.

 

29th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year II

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At the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome there is a statue of St. Paul in the courtyard with the inscription in Latin that, translated, means “teacher to the nations.” Paul in today’s First Reading is marveling at how much bigger his mission is than he would have imagined when he was a zealous Jew persecuting “heretical” Christians who’d corrupted the Jewish faith. It’s ironic that after being so dedicated to the Jewish faith and consumed with zeal to punish and imprison Jewish “heretics” the Lord would reveal to him that his mission was among the non-Jewish nations and he would spend much of his mission refuting those who tried to Judaize Christianity.

Throughout salvation history the Lord revealed his saving plan gradually. In one moment it seemed the people of Israel were to be the only ones blessed and chosen by God, but even in their time the Lord hinted at their conversion being part of something much bigger. In the end the people of Israel were just one stage of the preparation to save all the nations, and the apostles, especially Paul, saw that the truth of the Gospel went beyond the Jews to the whole world.

Paul was one of the faithful servants to which Our Lord alludes in today’s Gospel. He had received the grace of a special and important mission in the early Church and beyond. Yet he didn’t see it as a burden; he saw it as a gift. Ask Our Lord today to help you see what gift he wants you to receive for the benefit of others. There are still many people who’d be shocked to hear that the Lord wants to bless and choose them too. Be the bearer of that good news in their lives.

Readings: Ephesians 3:2–12; Isaiah 12:2–3; Luke 12:39–48. See also 19th Week in Ordinary Time, Sunday, Cycle C, 29th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, and 21st Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday.