September 17, Friday

TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

 

      In today’s first reading Paul gives a summary of his first letter to Timothy and blames the false teachers who cause difficulties in the community. Most of the time they sow dissent by disputes about words and interminable discussions.

      Luke is the evangelist who describes the contribution of women in the apostolate of Jesus. Christ has liberated them from the alienations of Jewish society. They accompanied Jesus since the beginning of his ministry and had a status not far remote from that of the Twelve; after the resurrection they were the first to proclaim that Christ was risen. Together with the Twelve, they are companions of Jesus as he goes from town to town to bring the good news. Companions are people who share the same table.

 

First Reading: 1 Timothy 6:2-12

Dear brother, these are the things I want you to teach and preach. If you have leaders there who teach otherwise, who refuse the solid words of our Master Jesus and this godly instruction, tag them for what they are: ignorant windbags who infect the air with germs of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors. Eventually there’s an epidemic of backstabbing, and truth is but a distant memory. They think religion is a way to make a fast buck.

A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.

But if it’s only money these leaders are after, they’ll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.

But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.

 

Gospel: Luke 8:1-3

Jesus continued according to plan, traveled to town after town, village after village, preaching God’s kingdom, spreading the Message. The Twelve were with him. There were also some women in their company who had been healed of various evil afflictions and illnesses: Mary, the one called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod’s manager; and Susanna—along with many others who used their considerable means to provide for the company.

 

Prayer

Lord our God,
men and women are responsible together
for the life of faith of our Christian communities.
As they were disciples of Jesus
and his companions on the road,
may they also accompany us today,
with their identity and potentials,
that the Church may grow
and its faith be alive and imbued with love.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:

 Do not discriminate

This passage follows immediately from yesterday’s gospel about the sinful woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Jesus is accompanied by the chosen Twelve, and Luke mentions also of many women in the group of Jesus. They helped Jesus and his disciples with their material needs. Luke must have been challenging his community to recognise the significance of the role of women as partners in the life of the Church. Perhaps the early Christian community was fighting a number of social imbalances and discriminations on the basis of religion and gender. Acceptance of non-Jewish people as members of the Church – the Gospel for the gentiles – was also a focal point of Luke. Luke would go on to record in detail the conversion of Cornelius, the gentile soldier, in the Acts of the Apostles. It was a patriarchal society where women had no voice in the society. But Jesus challenges the unjust social system. In the plan of God, he created humans as equals and partners. In this passage, by raising the point of many women accompanying and supporting Jesus and his disciples by providing them with material support, Luke acknowledges the significant role the women had in the mission of Jesus. In fact Jesus was introducing a revolution – against all kinds of discriminations and rejections. He dared to be a guest of the tax collectors and public sinners. Chose a tax collector to be one of his apostles. Defended even prostitutes from public trail and execution. Travelled to the gentile territories to bring them healings and liberation. He has called his disciples to the freedom of the children of God. And in today’s Gospel, there is a special mention to Mary Magdalene – a sinful person. In the Church, there’s no space for any sort of discriminations – on the basis of religion, gender and sexual orientations, ethnicities and nationalities. Unfortunately, the situations have not changed even today from the time of Jesus. People in our communities face a lot of discriminations and rejection because of their nationalities, colour, language and religion. Church has always been accused of being patriarchal, with practically little role for women in the scheme of things until recent times. Pope Francis has called for greater roles for women in church leadership, noting in “Querida Amazonia” that “women have kept the Church alive…through their remarkable devotion and deep faith.” In January this year, he modified the canon law to open the lay ministries of lector and acolyte to women. Let us consider one another as partners and not as superiors or masters against slaves and servants.

 

Video available on Youtube: Do not discriminate