Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus More Than A Human Person
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
The author of 2 Timothy asks Timothy to learn from Paul how to bear persecution and difficulties. He assures Timothy that the persecutors will be punished. Then he asks Timothy to hold on firmly to the faith and to the sacred writings that express it. The scriptures are inspired by God and are like a handbook for a life of faith.
Using a rabbinic form of argumentation, Jesus states that he is more than a descendant of David. No king would have addressed his son as Lord. The Saviour is more than a human being. Early Christianity understood this title of “Son” and “Lord” in the divine sense.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
the person who laid down his life
to save us from our human limitations
and to let us live in your world
is your own Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Give us the true wisdom
to accept him as the Lord of our lives
and your presence among us.
Let him lead us to you,
our God for ever and ever.
First Reading
You, on the other hand, have closely followed my teaching, way of life, projects, faith, patience, love, endurance,
persecutions, and sufferings. You know what happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. How many trials I had to endure! Yet, the Lord rescued me from all of them.
Indeed, all who desire to serve God in Christ Jesus will face persecution;
while evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Servant of the Word of God
As for you, continue with what you have learned and what has been entrusted to you, knowing from whom you received it.
Besides, you have known the sacred scriptures from childhood, which are capable of giving you wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correcting, and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 119:157, 160, 161, 165, 166, 168
R. (165a) O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
Though my persecutors and my foes are many,
I turn not away from your decrees.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
Permanence is your word’s chief trait;
each of your just ordinances is everlasting.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
Princes persecute me without cause
but my heart stands in awe of your word.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
Those who love your law have great peace,
and for them there is no stumbling block.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
I wait for your salvation, O Lord,
and your commands I fulfill.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
I keep your precepts and your decrees,
for all my ways are before you.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
On the Messiah and David
As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said: “The teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the Son of David. How can that be?
For David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared: The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet!’
If David himself calls him Lord, in what way can he be his Son?”Many people came to Jesus and listened to him gladly.
Prayers of the Faithful
– That we may recognise and love Jesus as one of us, who knows us and shares our struggles and concerns, we pray:
– That people everywhere may accept Christ as more than a great human person and as our Lord and Saviour, we pray:
– That our communities may recognise Christ and his Spirit as the binding force of love and friendship among us, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
accept in this bread and this wine
our faith and our commitment to Jesus
as our Saviour and Lord.
May he help us to grow
in faith and patience,
in love and constancy,
that we may be ready for any good work
and encounter you and people
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your son is with us
as our brother and Saviour.
It is our joy
that he has become one of us,
human, breathing, living.
We want to go his way.
Let his suffering be our victory,
his humiliation our honor,
his innocence our justice,
his death our life,
his resurrection is our comfort,
For he is our Lord forever.
(Based on a prayer by Caspar Neumann, +1700)
Blessing
We believe in Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary and one of us, human, but more than a human person: the Son of God and our Saviour. May Almighty God confirm your faith and bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Mk 12:35-37
Be open to change...
The passage on the identity of the Messiah today could be interpreted in several ways. The people listening to Jesus were clear in their minds that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David (2 Samuel 7:13), and they were also clear on the kind of Messiah they wanted. However, the Messiah was, in reality, very different from what they had hoped for. Today, Jesus clarifies the Messiah’s identity in accordance with their scripture. Mark gives no indication of whom Jesus was addressing. Presumably, it was the crowds, and of course, now we know that Mark addressed this question to the catechumens in Rome, for whom Mark wrote the Gospel.
Mark presents Jesus' teaching in the Temple area. He is speaking to everyone, but he wants to prove to the scribes that their understanding of the Messiah is wrong. How well would they take it? Remember, in the previous days of the week, we reflected on Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees. They were trying to trap him. Hence, now Jesus questions their understanding of the identity of the Messiah as the “Son of David.” By calling him the “Son of David,” the religious scholars believed that the historical David was greater than their awaited Messiah. Jesus uses scriptural passages to prove their understanding wrong.
According to the Gospel, the crowd listens intently and with delight to what is being said. How well do we receive corrections or criticism in our life? In the Church, we sometimes hold on to our traditions and convictions even when some of our outdated practices are proven obsolete. Jesus still speaks to us now. Would we be open to listening to him?
The scribes oppose Jesus for many reasons: jealousy, ignorance, pride…. It was difficult for them to accept an ordinary Jew from a faraway village giving them advice. It happens to us, too. Our ego and misplaced pride keep us from listening to the voices of people we dislike. What shall we do to overcome our pride and ignorance and allow God to work in us far beyond our comprehension?
Listening to Jesus brought “delight” to the crowds. The wonder of discovering the truth! The scribes found no delight, for they did not share the heart and mind of Jesus. Where is my delight?
Lord, raise me up above my own prejudices and insecurities. Show me what to change in my life in order to love you more fully and delight more deeply in your friendship and love.