A reading from the prophecy of Isaiah
(Chapter 66:18-21)
In spite of the title of this book in the Bible, it does not represent the prophecy of one person regaling Israel at one time. The passage read in the liturgy today dates from the late seventh century before the birth of Jesus. The context was the end of exile in Babylon for the people of the Kingdom of Judah. As those refugees returned to their homeland, the prophet envisions a renewal of a much more expansive kind. In fact, although Judaism up to this point, like all religions of that time, was largely a tribal affair concerning only Jews, "Isaiah" expresses God's plan for people of all nations to adopt faith in him and, in some sense, to do so in Jerusalem. That dream has not materialized exactly as it is described here, but Christians see it being fulfilled, beginning with the ministry of Jesus, as we build the Kingdom of God everywhere on earth.
Responsorial Psalm
(Psalm 117:1, 2)
“Go out to all the world and tell the good news.” Establishing and growing the Kingdom of God throughout the world is not a pipe dream, but it also is not a spontaneous phenomenon happening on its own. As the psalmist urges us, the Kingdom grows only as we work to spread it through our example of fidelity and our actions of compassion, peace, and justice.
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews
(Chapter 12:5-7, 11-13)
“My son, do not distain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines. … At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those trained by it.” When the author of this letter writes of "discipline," he isn't thinking of standing in the corner or going to bed without supper. Rather, he means the discipline of living in keeping with divine law. While we might usually think of discipline as some sort of confinement or limitation, in this context it really means freedom—freedom from any influence, urge, or habit that causes us to turn away from God and lead more narrow and self-centered lives.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
(Chapter 13:22-30)
When Jesus answered this question, "Will only a few people be saved?", he was speaking mostly to Jewish people who were unique in the world of that time by acknowledging the one God. But no matter how firmly they adhered to and professed that belief—surrounded, as they were, by believers in many gods—that distinction alone would not guarantee them salvation. Jesus' answer, using the verb "strive" and the image of forcing oneself through a narrow door, suggests exertion, and that's exactly what he meant. We can't sit on our haunches saying, "I am a Christian," and demonstrate only by going to church and think that that's the mission we received at baptism. No, as Jesus said, we are called to more. We are called to exert ourselves to bring comfort and peace to the world around us, especially where it is needed most. There's no easy road to salvation.
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Painting: The prophet Isaiah, Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564). Sistine Chapel, Vatican..
Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
Charles Paolino is managing editor at RENEW International. He is a permanent deacon of the Diocese of Metuchen.
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