{"id":908,"date":"2019-10-01T15:28:41","date_gmt":"2019-10-01T15:28:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/?p=908"},"modified":"2019-10-01T15:28:41","modified_gmt":"2019-10-01T15:28:41","slug":"6-october-2-2019-c-twenty-seventh-sunday-of-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/?p=908","title":{"rendered":"6 October 2 2019 (C) twenty-Seventh SUNDAY of Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A. The Bible as Guide in Life\nand Liturgy (Sunday Readings)<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. Reflection\n& Dialogue: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A. The Bible as Guide in Life\nand Liturgy (Sunday Readings)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Reading <\/em>(Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4). The upright man will live by his faithfulness. <\/em>This is a very\ninteresting reading, and also an important one from the point of view of God\u2019s\nrelationship with humanity, and also for the human mind\u2019s understanding (or\nlack of understanding) of God\u2019s ways. The prophet Habakkuk puts a direct\nquestion to God as to where he stands in the presence of obvious oppression and\ninjustice without saving: \u201cWhy (O Lord) do you look on where there is tyranny?\u201d\nThis is a question older than Habakkuk and is still with us. We can give a date\nfor this question of Habakkuk and the situation that occasioned it. Mention is\nmade of the Chaldeans (1:6), a fierce and impetuous nation. The reference is to\nthe Neo-Babylonian Empire that was victorious over the Assyrian Empire in 626\nB.C., and became masters of Palestine\nfrom 609 onwards under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar from 609 onwards,\nespecially about the 600. Habakkuk tells us that as a prophet, one (as another\nprophet puts it) who can stand in the counsel of the Lord, he stood on his\nprophetic watchpost, keeping watch to see what the Lord will say and answer\nconcerning his complaint. The Lord answered and told Habakkuk to write the\nvision down, and in plain easily readable writing so that passers by may read\nit. It would be a kind of road sign. The vision was thus intended not for\nHabakkuk alone. We are not explicitly told what the substance of God\u2019s reply\nwas, but it apparently referred to God\u2019s concern for his people and to the\nrighting of injustice. Its very ambiguity could give it wider significance. The\noracle, the divine reply, is presented as having a force of its own, pressing\nahead for its fulfilment, a fulfilment that would certainly come. But\nfulfilment need not be immediate, and patience is indicated as a requirement in\ncase of delay. God\u2019s ways are not the ways of humanity with regard to the\nfulfilment of prophecies. Habakkuk\u2019s text envisages two different attitudes in\nthis regard. One is that of the proud, whose soul is not right. The other is\nthat of the just, the righteous, persons who will live by their faithfulness,\nfaithfulness in the sense of steadfastness, ongoing adherence to God whose\npromise will come true. The prophet Habakkuk himself would be one of those, and\ncould apply to himself the sentiment found at the end of the Canticle that\ncompletes his collection of prophecies (Habakkuk 3:17-19):\u201c<\/sup>Though the fig\ntree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of\nthe olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off\nfrom the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in\nthe Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the\nfeet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.\u201d<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responsorial Psalm <\/em>(Psalm 94[95]). O that today you would listen to his voice!\nHarden not your hearts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second Reading <\/em>(2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14). Never be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord. <\/em>As\nwas mentioned on an earlier occasion here when introducing these letters, some\nscholars have expressed the view that in these Pastoral Letters we have what\nthey regard as Early Catholicism, with aspects of teaching and practice which\nbecame common in the \u201cGreat Church\u201d in the second century and later such as the\napostolic succession and the deposit of faith to be safeguarded. Timothy is\npresented in this letter and today\u2019s readings as the successor of Paul, who had\nlaid hands on him sacramentally, from which certain divine graces flowed, He is\nnow asked to fan into flame the divine gifts then given to him. Although fidelity\nto the faith and to the \u201cdeposit\u201d is stressed in these letters, rather than on\nthe gifts of the Holy Spirit, this does not mean that the Church has become\n\u201cinstitutional\u201d. God\u2019s gift to her was not the spirit of timidity, but the gift\nof the Spirit of power, love and self-control. Part of the new age in which\nTimothy finds himself means readiness to suffer for Christ\u2019s sake, in this case\nin union with Paul, a prisoner awaiting sentence of death. Such readiness is a\ngift from God. Often in these Pastoral Letters the recipients are warned to be\non the alert for various forms of false teachings, which are not in keeping\nwith the Gospel message, \u201csound teachings” as this reading calls it. The\naccepted teaching of the Church is here called the \u201cdeposit\u201d of faith, to be\ndefended, explained and handed on, not however as something of human origin,\nbut as something precious, to be guarded with the help of the Holy Spirit who\nlives in the Church and in each believer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gospel<\/em> (Luke 17:5-10). If only you had faith. <\/em>It is best to\nunderstand this reading in the larger context of Luke\u2019s Gospel. We are in that\nsection of the Gospel commonly known as the \u201cJourney to Jerusalem\u201d. Immediately before this chapter\nwe had dialogue and discussions between Jesus and various groups and\nindividuals. In the present chapter Jesus is addressing the disciples then with\nhim, teaching that would hold true for disciples of later ages. In the verses\nimmediately preceding today\u2019s reading he speaks of the occasions of stumbling\n(scandals) that are bound to come, and a severe warning is given for the one\nwho would be an occasion of stumbling (a scandal) for \u201cone of these little\nones\u201d. There is here no question of sex abuse or of children. There were no\nchildren among Jesus\u2019 first followers. The \u201clittle ones” are followers who\nmay easily be led astray and away from faith in him. This is followed by an\nadmonition of forgiveness again and again within the Christian community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Immediately after this, in today\u2019s\nreading we have the request of the disciples to Jesus to increase their faith.\nThey may have been aware of the need of a deep faith to face the requirements\nof discipleship, and the temptation to forsake their mission. At the Last Supper\nJesus said that Satan wishes to sift all the disciples like wheat, but Jesus\nhad prayed that Simon\u2019s (Peter\u2019s) faith may not fail but that in due time he\nmight confirm he brothers (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus\u2019 reply to the apostles\u2019\nrequest is to stress the importance of faith, and illustrate the marvels it can\nperform by the example of a large tree with extensive roots. The disciples need\ndeep faith, one that will work marvels. But success is no basis for\nself-satisfaction or pride. They still are merely <\/p>\n\n\n\n

servants\nwho have done their duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. Reflection & Dialogue<\/strong>: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s readings invite us to enter into\ndialogue with contemporary society, and some of its religious preoccupations.\nThis we can do under three headings, one for each of today\u2019s three readings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            1.\nFaithfulness, steadfastness, with perceived\ndelays by God and the Church. <\/em>We live in an era of rapid change in society,\none in which prompt, if not immediate, answers are expected, sometimes in matters\nof faith and morals. From time immemorial God\u2019s ways and actions have been\nquestioned by believers and non-believers. The Bible tells us that Job had put\ntogether his book of evidence concerning some of God\u2019s actions. God did reply\nto Job but did not give an answer to his questions. Neither did he to the\nprophet Habakkuk. In our day, as in those of Job and Habakkuk, believers will\nhave to live with their faith in God, whatever their questioning. Faith is a\ntheological virtue, a gift of God. The certainty of faith comes from God. No\namount of questions can shake this certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            2.<\/em> The Deposit of Faith. <\/em>The\nconcept of the \u201cdeposit of faith\u201d can be traced back to the first century and\nthe Pastoral Epistles. It is with us still, and is thus formulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Churc<\/em>h, under\nthe heading: \u201cThe heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church. The\napostles entrusted the \u2018Sacred deposit\u2019 of the faith (the depositum fidei<\/em>), contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to\nthe whole of the Church\u201d (par. 84); “Sacred\nTradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of\nGod, in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source\nof all her riches.\u201d (par. 97). What elements in the \u201cdeposit\u201d are immutable,\nand which historically conditioned are matters currently under discussion. Given\nthat this belongs to the mystery of faith, a faith approach and divine guidance\nare indicated.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            3. The faith that works wonders. <\/em>This has been stressed by Jesus, and remains\nan inspiration and source of consolation, for Church leaders and all the\nfaithful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A. The Bible as Guide in Life and Liturgy (Sunday Readings) B. Reflection & Dialogue: A. The Bible as Guide in Life and Liturgy (Sunday Readings) First Reading (Habakkuk 1:2-3; … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sunday-readings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=908"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":909,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908\/revisions\/909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}