Wednesday, 5th September 2018

Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

LECTIONARY
433

FIRST READING
1 COR 3:1-9

Brothers and sisters,
I could not talk to you as spiritual people,
but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.
I fed you milk, not solid food,
because you were unable to take it.
Indeed, you are still not able, even now,
for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,
are you not of the flesh, and walking
according to the manner of man?
Whenever someone says, "I belong to Paul," and another,
"I belong to Apollos," are you not merely men?

What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul?
Ministers through whom you became believers,
just as the Lord assigned each one.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.
Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God's co-workers;
you are God's field, God's building.

PSALM
Ps 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21

Response: Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.

From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth,
He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.

GOSPEL
LK 4:38-44

After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, "You are the Son of God."
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, "To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent."
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Daily Reflection

5th September 2018

Saint Teresa of Calcutta

The call of Christianity is to transcend the mundane horizons of human thinking. This call too has stages of growth. Paul, keenly aware of these stages, narrates how he nurtured the Corinthians with “milk and not solid food”. His invitation is now to grow up from their first steps in the faith to maturity in Christ, focusing not on the messengers – Apollos & Paul - but rather on God, the master.

The Gospel paints Jesus as possessing that spiritual maturity. After healing Peter’s mother-in-law and the multitudes of sick who were brought to him, and on completing his work there, he insists on moving on to other towns and villages, although the people would rather have him stay with them. The people must not focus on Jesus but rather on God and His goodness to them.

Spiritual maturity consists not in owning nothing, but rather that nothing must own you except the love of God!

In our own time, we too have pointers to this message. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, whose feast we celebrate today, is a perfect example.