October 21st, 2018

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

LECTIONARY
219

FIRST READING
IS 60:1-6

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.

Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

PSALM
PS 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22

Response: Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.

SECOND READING
ROM 10:9-18

Brothers and sisters:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
The Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!
But not everyone has heeded the good news;
for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?
Thus faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
But I ask, did they not hear?
Certainly they did; for

Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.

GOSPEL
MK 28:16-20

The Eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with yon always, until the end of the age."

Daily Reflection

21st October 2018

Mission Sunday

Everyone loves to win but very few are willing to work hard and prepare for the race.

Today’s Gospel speaks of something similar. The Sons of Zebedee want seats at the right and left of Jesus when He comes in glory. What’s odd about this request is that Jesus has just finished predicting his Passion and death for a THIRD time. Jesus then goes on to summarise his authority structure, “Whoever among you wishes to be first must be the slave of all.” Jesus’ idea of authority is a personification of a concept found in Isaiah, “Because of his suffering, he shall see the light of day” and “through his suffering my servant shall justify many.”

What Jesus asks of would be followers like you and me is indeed difficult but never impossible. For the letter to the Hebrews states unequivocally that Jesus is able to “empathise” with us since, like us, he “has been tested in every way” and is “yet without sin”.

The Responsorial Psalm prays aloud what Jesus expects of us, “May your love be upon us O Lord, as we place all our trust in you”