October 23rd, 2018

Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

LECTIONARY
474

FIRST READING
EPH 2:12-22

Brothers and sisters:
You were at that time without Christ,
alienated from the community of Israel
and strangers to the covenants of promise,
without hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the Blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his Flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God,
in one Body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

PSALM
PS 85:9AB-10, 11-12, 13-14

Response: The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.

Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.

The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.

GOSPEL
LK 12:35-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.”

Daily Reflections

23rd October 2018

Paul, writing to the Ephesians, reflects on God’s plan using the concept of covenants. Through covenants, God adopts first the Jews and then through Jesus, He adopts all people thereby breaking walls of division between Jew and Gentile. Building on this foundational element, Paul focuses on conveying to the Ephesians how each one of them make up a ‘living stone’ in the new “Temple of God” of which Christ is the “cornerstone”.

Jesus expects every member of this Temple to be in a constant state of readiness with “loins girded” and “lamps lit”. “Girded loins”, a term borrowed from the Exodus imagery of the Passover, symbolises readiness for action at God’s command. To have ones “lamps lit” is symbolic of being watchful and vigilant.

Jesus’ followers are thus called to be ‘Contemplatives in action’ – always reflective and always active.