Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Born Free
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. In a rather difficult passage, Paul speaks to us today of freedom: We are born free as Christians, as people of the New Testament. Now that Christ has set us free, we should see to it that we are never enslaved again. Paul himself is a striking example of this “liberating freedom”: he has freed himself from Pharisaism and could even take a free stance regarding the other apostles when Christian freedom was at stake. Are we free persons?
Gospel. Jesus reprimands the Jews for not believing unless they see spectacular signs. But Christ proclaims that faith consists in trust in the word and in the person of the one who is sent. The early Christian community specified further: faith rests in confidence in the risen Christ. The preeminent sign is Jesus Christ himself. We believe not because of this or that wonder or proof but because Jesus makes God visible to us.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
your Son remained a free person
even in the face of death:
Life was not taken from him,
he gave it in freedom to you and to us,
that we might be free people.
Keep us free from slavery in any form,
from the evil of sin first of all,
but also from our own fears and complexes,
the pressures of people, the herd spirit,
that we may be faithful to the gospel
and free for people and for you.
This we ask you through Jesus Christ our Lord.
First Reading
Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31–5:1
It says that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by his wife, who was free.
The son of the slave woman was born in the usual way, but the son of the free woman was born as a fulfillment of God’s promise.
Here, we see an allegory and symbols of two covenants. The first is the one from Mount Sinai, represented by Hagar: her children are destined for slavery.
But the Jerusalem above, who is our mother, is free.
For it is written:
Rejoice, barren woman
without children;
break into shouts of joy,
you who do not know
the pains of childbirth,
for many will be the children
of the forsaken mother,
more than of the married woman.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 2) Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God,
who looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
As the crowd grew larger, Jesus spoke these words:
“People of today are troubled. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah.
As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation.
The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times to accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and here there is greater than Solomon.
The people of Nineveh will also rise up on Judgment Day with these times to accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching caused them to turn from their sins, and here there is greater than Jonah.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For the leaders of nations, that they may respect and promote human rights and work relentlessly for justice, happiness and freedom for their people, we pray:
– For the oppressed and the exploited, that they may not take their marginal existence as the will of God, but that they may become conscious that they too are called to be free, we pray:
– For this community, that we may not shut up ourselves within little prisons of self-interest, but that we may be truly one and free in Christ as a community of service, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
we come before you and offer you our gifts
as your free sons and daughters.
Give us your Son as our guide
that through him we may win
the relentless struggle
to gain our interior freedom,
so that we may be fully human
and indeed your sons and daughters reborn free
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
strangely enough, we are free
when we are bound to you as your people.
In this Eucharist we have encountered again
your Son Jesus Christ.
With him, we are willing
to be all life long apprentices
of the freedom to serve and to love.
Let him go with us on his road
that leads to your land of freedom,
for you are our God for ever and ever.
Blessing
Born free, we should never become slaves to anyone or anything. Whatever is said today, we are sons and daughters of the Father, and that is a relationship of love, and therefore of freedom. May Almighty God keep you free and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Luke 11: 29-32
Appreciating the miracles
It is evident that Jesus speaks to the religious leaders who repeatedly ask him for “a sign”. However, they were unwilling to see the signs and wonders he performed for the people who approached him
While Pope Francis was visiting Slovakia in September 2021, speaking to a group of Jesuits, he spoke about a large Catholic TV channel that kept criticising him for everything he did. And the Pope said, “This is the devil’s work.” Many people were unhappy about his comment. In today’s gospel, we have an example of Jesus losing his temper. He sounded disappointed to say, “This generation is an evil generation.”
The cleansing of the temple was not the only occasion when we saw the angry face of Jesus. Refusing to see the wonders and miracles around us and denying the hand of God working in our lives is an evil act – the work of the devil.
The religious scholars' refusal to see the signs around them stems from their closed-mindedness. Their understanding of the scriptures and acquaintance with the traditions made them feel self-righteous and holier-than-thou. They had no more room for the novelty of the good news, the novelty of the merciful and forgiving God. That is why when Jesus drove away the demons, healed the sick, calmed the sea and fed the hungry, ordinary people were thrilled and joyous for the mighty things God had done among them. But the religious scholars were still asking for signs from heaven. Jesus refuses to budge; he knows that no number of signs and wonders would satisfy their demands because they were stiff-necked and self-righteous.
Jesus, like Jonah, is a call to repentance and radical conversion. Moreover, Jesus implies that many of his listeners are not ready or willing to hear that call. They do not need any signs; Jesus has been giving them an abundance of signs through his teaching and healing work.
The absence of openness to change and scrupulous adherence to traditions are trends of the present-day Church as well. When we fail to make decisions, are scared to take risks and refuse to accept changes, we fail to believe in the God of surprises.
Today the Word of God poses these questions: “Am I attached to my things, my ideas, and am I rigid and stiff-necked? Or am I open to the God of surprises?” Moreover, “Am I a stagnant person or a person on a journey?” Am I capable of understanding and appreciating the signs and wonders around me?