Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 150
23 OCT 2016 A.D.



First Reading SIR 35:12-14, 16-18

The LORD is a God of justice,
who knows no favorites.
Though not unduly partial toward the weak,
yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.
The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan,
nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.
The one who serves God willingly is heard;
his petition reaches the heavens.
The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds;
it does not rest till it reaches its goal,
nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds,
judges justly and affirms the right,
and the Lord will not delay.



Responsorial Psalm PS 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.



Second Reading 2 TM 4:6-8, 16-18

Beloved:
I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.



Alleluia 2 COR 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.



Gospel LK 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --
greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”



Bible Study--30th Sunday in Ordinary Time--Cycle C
(courtesy of Vince Contreras, Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics)


"For me, prayer is an aspiration of the heart; it is a simple glance directed to Heaven, it is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy. Finally, it is something great and supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus." –St. Therese of Lisieux

Thanks, BeNotAfraid. This is one of my favorite parables.

My fav as well, cb73!

It was awful tough to be humble, for me at least. But, the Good Lord saw to that! Never doubt His love + discipline!

The word "humble" is derived from the Latin "humilis," which means low, or lowly--quite literally "humiliated", or 'brought low.'

We farmers and gardeners know of "humus," the same way--"ground," or "dirt" or mixed or ground up organic matter.

I have learned, late in life, Job's brilliant wisdom and insight: "Who am I?" when compared to my Creator.

I am with you BNA. I am a firery somebody, relatively self assured and even cross that line into absolutely brazen depending on what the situation. Humility was taught. I had a sense of  how one is to "act" in humility.


But Life and knowledge of God put me squarely in my place.





Our Deacon offered today that God would REALLY like us to be obedient in action like the Pharisee in the parable! (Whaaaatt????) But understanding you are a sinner like the tax collector.





I go back to St. Augustine. What a spoiled brat! He was as bad as bad gets. But when he FINALLY realized his place.... who he was in comparison to God... we are given this:





Narrow is the mansion of my soul; enlarge Thou it, that Thou mayest
enter in. It is ruinous; repair Thou it. It has that within which must
offend Thine eyes; I confess and know it. But who shall cleanse it? or
to whom should I cry, save Thee? Lord, cleanse me from my secret faults,
and spare Thy servant from the power of the enemy. I believe, and
therefore do I speak. Lord, Thou knowest. Have I not confessed against
myself my transgressions unto Thee, and Thou, my God, hast forgiven the
iniquity of my heart? I contend not in judgment with Thee, who art the
truth; I fear to deceive myself; lest mine iniquity lie unto itself.
Therefore I contend not in judgment with Thee; for if Thou, Lord,
shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall abide it?





Narrow is the mansion of my soul and let us beg in the same earnest manner that our Lord can enlarge it.





Thanks for everything BNA!


All have a blessed week!





 

Thanks for posting each week! This is my first reply in here, but I have always loved this passage. I went to a catholic high school, our patron saint was St Francis DeSales. His book, "Introduction to the Devout Life" focuses heavily on humility. Through my own life experiences and what I've learned I think humility is amongst the greatest of the gifts of God. We experience it through the practice of the virtue of temperance in our daily lives. We are called as Catholics to live a life modeled after that of Christ, as St Francis DeSales said, "Live Jesus".

Jesus was amongst the most humble of all, therefore that is how we are called to live our lives. The son of God, born in a manger amongst the animals. He then rode into Jerusalem on the most humble and meek of all animals, the ass. Even at the hour of his death, he delivered himself unto those whom would persecute and kill him. He submitted himself to cruel torture and a wrongful execution, and yet did so humbly before all despite the ridicule that he endured the entire time. If we could learn to live our lives with even half of his humility we can certainly find grace.

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Thank you angelfire and usmc_delaware!

Very profound thoughts said by both of you here. You are both a great blessing to us all here!

Humility. Yes--now THAT is in short supply in today's world. I cannot fathom how the Creator of all creation, both seen and unseen, would lower himself to wash the dirty feet of his followers--and remember the Jewish proscriptions about cleanliness---against all dirt, grime, and filth--especially on the feet--in a world of donkeys, horses, goats, sheep....

But HE did it to show us all: to love and to serve others



"...a royal priesthood, a people set apart..."

TO SERVE WITH HUMILITY

Just an excellent example. GOD washing our feet.

 

Yep, sure is AF!

...and washing our hearts and souls in the bargain as well!

not to condemn, but to save...