Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
October 29, 2021
Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 483
Reading I
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are children of Israel;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm
- Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.
Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,
“Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”
But they kept silent; so he took the man and,
after he had healed him, dismissed him.
Then he said to them
“Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?”
But they were unable to answer his question.
Reflection: HUMILTY / HUMILIATION
Paul in Romans, Chapters 9-11, discusses the salvation of the Jews. His contention is that God saves all who have faith, both Jews and pagans. The Jews rejected Christ. This caused Paul great sorrow. One cannot forsake God by loving one's brother. In OT, God so loved Israelites that he adopted them as his children and gave them the covenant. In today's Gospel, Jesus is invited for a dinner. People are so relaxed at a meal that Jesus made good use of it. He used the opportunity to teach them. The Pharisees usually interpreted Scripture to their own advantage. There was a man with dropsy in their midst and Jesus healed this man The Pharisees were just observing Jesus. They choose not to respond but remain silent. Jesus takes the man by the hand, cures him, and sends him away. Afterward, in response to a possible criticism that could be levelled against him, Jesus explains the reason behind the cure: If they had no problem, on Sabbath day, to help a son or even an animal in difficulty, then Jesus also has the right to help the man with dropsy. Jesus once again affirms his mission clearly: “I have come to give life and life in all its fullness."