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Today, 27th of September, we celebrate
Saint Vincent of Paul
1 Corinthians 2:10b-16
Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Among men, who knows what pertains to the man
except his spirit that is within?
Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.
And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom,
but with words taught by the Spirit,
describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.
Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God,
for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it,
because it is judged spiritually.
The one who is spiritual, however, can judge everything
but is not subject to judgment by anyone.
For "who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?"
But we have the mind of Christ.
Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
R./ The Lord is just in all his ways.
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R./ The Lord is just in all his ways.
Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R./ The Lord is just in all his ways.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R./ The Lord is just in all his ways.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The Lord lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R./ The Lord is just in all his ways.
Lk 4:31-37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!"
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
"What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out."
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
Clay Jars, Incredible Treasure
In today’s first reading, Paul says that “we carry this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be seen that this extraordinary power belongs to God and not to us.” Sometimes we’d like to be the extraordinary treasure, instead of carrying it. And other times, we claim to be the jar and deny the treasure inside, out of a humility that’s really just pure pride. What’s necessary is to recognize both things: we have an extraordinary treasure (that comes from God), but we are clay jars. And that’s where grace lies. Sometimes we get things mixed up: we try to pass ourselves off as “golden vessels,” but deep down we know that what we carry inside is something mediocre. And this isn’t fair because it denies the truth of God, who has given us so much grace, such a treasure. It’s an insult to the Spirit.
That’s why the Gospel also insists on this: “The greatest among you should act as if he were the least.” Why? Because Jesus himself is among us as a servant… to give us the greatest treasure, which is the Kingdom, salvation.
Gregory the Great, whose memory we celebrate today, understood this well. Born into a high-class family, he was a politician, received civil and ecclesiastical honors, and was appointed Pope, when all he wanted was to be a monk. He gave away all his possessions, cared for the poor, fought for the rights of the Church, defended Rome from invaders and heretics, and gave the Church one of its greatest liturgical treasures, Gregorian chant. He’s rightly called “the Great.” And yet, perhaps his best legacy is the summary of today’s readings: he proclaimed himself “servant of the servants of God,” which is the motto that all successive popes have adopted. With all his wealth, his knowledge, his power, he knew that “the treasure is in clay jars.” That’s the true mark of identity of every Christian.
Cármen AguinacoLord our God,
we say that authority means service,
but we experience that it is very hard
to make this beautiful principle work.
Keep always before our eyes
the example of your Son, Jesus Christ.
His authority was healing and saving,
respectful of people and yet committing us
to get out of our mediocrity.
May all authority among us
be humble, dedicated, self-effacing,
willing to serve to the end,
and patterned after that of Jesus,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
First Reading Introduction
Divine wisdom is a gift from the Spirit. The Spirit gives us discernment. Wisdom does not come from the human reasoning of gnosis and initiation in mystery religions. We should be spiritual people, men and women of the Spirit.
Gospel Introduction
The people and Jesus’ own disciples were often struck by the authority of Jesus. Here was someone higher than a mere human being. There was authority in his teaching—he had something to say that challenged men and confronted them with themselves and with God. He had authority over the law, which he wanted to trim from its man-made trappings. By his authority, he overcame the powers of evil and sin. He claimed to judge people. He used his authority for the good of people—it was a power of salvation. Yet, it was a power that came in humility and weakness, an authority of service that brought faith, that gave hope, that expressed and created love. And when the time came, he used it to lay down his life and to take it up again, to pass it on to his disciples, and then to leave.
– That the Church may speak with authority about Jesus because it knows him by living his life, we pray:
– That we may be close to Jesus because we try to respond deeply to his challenge of loving people, we pray:
– That the world may be a little better because we try to live according to the Good News of Jesus, we pray:
Lord our God,
we say that authority means service,
but we experience that it is very hard
to make this beautiful principle work.
Keep always before our eyes
the example of your Son, Jesus Christ.
His authority was healing and saving,
respectful of people and yet committing us
to get out of our mediocrity.
May all authority among us
be humble, dedicated, self-effacing,
willing to serve to the end,
and patterned after that of Jesus,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Lord our God,
your Son, Jesus Christ left his authority
to his apostles and disciples
as a unifying bond and a legacy of service.
Grant that your Church may use his power
to bind people together and to heal their wounds,
to speak in the name of those without voice,
and to lead us forward to the genuine freedom
that you brought us in Christ, our Lord.
May our authority as Christians consist in doing good and serving people in love. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
