Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 10-18-03, Feast, St. Luke, evangelist

Reading I
2 Tm 4:10-17b

Beloved:
Demas, enamored of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke is the only one with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you,
for he is helpful to me in the ministry.
I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,
the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.

Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;
the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
You too be on guard against him,
for he has strongly resisted our preaching.

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
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 Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
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 Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Gospel
Lk 10:1-9

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"

From: 2 Timothy 4:10-17b

News and Messages

[10] For Demas, in love with the present world, has deserted me and gone to
Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. [11] Luke
alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you; for he is very useful in
serving me. [12] Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. [13] When you come, bring
the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all
the parchments. [14] Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord
will requite him for his deeds. [15] beware of him yourself, for he strongly
opposed our message. [16] At my first defense no one took my part; all
deserted me. May it not be charged against them! [17] But the Lord stood by
me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully, that all the Gentiles
might hear it.

Commentary:

9-18. In his letters St Paul often asks people to do things for him;
his messages here are particularly moving, given as they are on the eve
of his martyrdom. He is following the example of Christ: he puts his
trust in God even though his friends desert him (vv. 10-12, 16); his
enemies harass him more than ever, yet he forgives them (vv. 14, 16);
in the midst of his sufferings he praises the Lord (v. 18). His mention
of Thessalonica, Galatia, Dalmatia, Ephesus, Troas, Corinth and Miletus
show how warmly he remembers places which were very receptive to the
Christian message. These few verses constitute a mini-biography.

His generosity of spirit is shown by the fact that he mentions so many
disciples by name; to all he gave of his best; some of them fell by the
wayside but most of them stayed faithful; some are mentioned in the
Acts of the Apostles or in other letters, but for others this is the
only mention in the New Testament. However, all without exception must
have been very present to the Apostle who became "all things to all
men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Cor 9:22).

10. Demas was one of St Paul's companions during his first Roman
imprisonment (cf. Col 4:14; Philem 24); but now, when the Apostle is
near to death and in a harsher prison than before, he has left him alone.

"That passage of the Second Episode to Timothy makes me shudder, when the
Apostle laments that Demas had fallen in love with the present world and
gone to Thessalonica. For a trifle, and for fear of persecution, this man,
whom St Paul had quoted in other epistles as being among the saints,
had betrayed the divine enterprise. I shudder when I realize how little I
am: and it leads me to demand from myself faithfulness to the Lord even
in situations that may seem to be indifferent--for if they do not help me
to be more united to Him, I do not want them" (J. Escriva, "Furrow",
343).

13. The cloak he refers to was a sleeveless cape used for protection
against rain and cold. The "books" were probably less important documents
usually written on sheets of papyrus, whereas the parchments would
probably have contained more important texts, such as Sacred Scripture.
This message does indicate that St Paul was fond of study and reading.
And the fact that the letter goes into details like this speaks in favor
of its being written by Paul.

16-17. St Paul points to the contrast between the way men treat him and
the way God does. Because of the hazards involved in staying with Paul
or defending him, some of his friends, even some of his closest
friends, have deserted him; whereas God stays by his side.

"You seek the company of friends who, with their conversation and
affection, with their friendship, make the exile of this world more
bearable for you. There is nothing wrong with that, although friends
sometimes let you down. But how is it you don't frequent daily with
greater intensity the company, the conversation, of the great Friend,
who never lets you down?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 88).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Luke 10:1-9

The Mission of the Seventy Disciples

[1] After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on
ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself
was about to come. [2] And He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful,
but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to
send out laborers into His harvest. [3] Go your way; behold, I send
you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. [4] Carry no purse, no bag,
no sandals; and salute no one on the road. [5] Whatever house you
enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!' [6] And if a son of peace
is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return
to you. [7] And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what
they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house
to house. [8] Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what
is set before you; [9] heal the sick in it and say to them, "The
Kingdom of God has come near to you.'"

Commentary:

1-12. Those who followed our Lord and received a calling from Him (cf.
Luke 9:57-62) included many other disciples in addition to the Twelve
(cf. Mark 2:15). We do not know who most of them were; but undoubtedly
some of them were with Him all along, from when Jesus was baptized by
John up to the time of His ascension--for example, Joseph called
Barrabas, and Matthias (cf. Acts 1:21-26). We can also include Cleopas
and his companion, whom the risen Christ appeared to on the road to
Emmaus (cf. Luke 24:13-35).

From among these disciples, our Lord chooses seventy-two for a special
assignment. Of them, as of the Apostles (cf. Luke 9:1-5), He demands
total detachment and complete abandonment to divine providence.

From Baptism onwards every Christian is called by Christ to perform a
mission. Therefore, the Church, in our Lord's name, "makes to all the
laity an earnest appeal in the Lord to give a willing, noble and
enthusiastic response to the voice of Christ, who at this hour is
summoning them more pressingly, and to the urging of the Holy Spirit.
The younger generation should feel this call to be addressed in a
special way to themselves; they should welcome it eagerly and
generously. It is the Lord Himself, by this Council, who is once more
inviting all the laity to unite themselves to Him ever more intimately,
to consider His interests as their own (cf. Philippians 2:5), and to
join in His mission as Savior. It is the Lord who is again sending
them into every town and every place where He Himself is to come (cf.
Luke 10:1). He sends them on the Church's apostolate, an apostolate
that is one yet has different forms and methods, an apostolate that
must all the time be adapting itself to the needs of the moment; He
sends them on an apostolate where they are to show themselves His
cooperators, doing their full share continually in the work of the
Lord, knowing that in the Lord their labor cannot be lost (cf. 1
Corinthians 15:58)" (Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem", 33).

3-4. Christ wants to instill apostolic daring into His disciples; this
is why He says, "I send you out", which leads St. John Chrysostom to
comment: "This suffices to give us encouragement, to give us confidence
and to ensure that we are not afraid of our assailants" ("Hom. on St.
Matthew", 33). The Apostles' and disciples' boldness stemmed from
their firm conviction that they were on a God-given mission: they
acted, as Peter the Apostle confidently explained to the Sanhedrin, in
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, "for there is no other name under
heaven by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

"And the Lord goes on," St. Gregory the Great adds, "Carry no purse, no
bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road.' Such should be the
confidence the preacher places in God that even if he is not provided
with the necessities of life, he is convinced that they will come his
way. This will ensure that worry about providing temporal things for
himself does not distract him from providing others with eternal
things" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", 17). Apostolate calls for generous
self-surrender which leads to detachment; therefore, Peter, following
our Lord's commandment, when the beggar at the Beautiful Gate asked him
for alms (Acts 3:2-3), said, "I have no silver or gold" ("ibid.", 3:6),
"not so as to glory in his poverty", St. Ambrose points out, "but to
obey the Lord's command. It is as if he were saying, `You see in me a
disciple of Christ, and you ask me for gold? He gave us something much
more valuable than gold, the power to act in His name. I do not have
what Christ did not give me, but I do have what He did give me: In the
name of Jesus Christ, arise and walk' (cf. Acts 3:6)" ("Expositio
Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc".). Apostolate, therefore, demands
detachment from material things and it also requires us to be always
available, for there is an urgency about apostolic work.

"And salute no one on the road": "How can it be", St. Ambrose asks
himself, "that the Lord wishes to get rid of a custom so full of
kindness? Notice, however, that He does not just say, `Do not salute
anyone', but adds, `on the road.' And there is a reason for this.

"He also commanded Elisha not to salute anyone he met, when He sent him
to lay his staff on the body of the dead child (2 Kings 4:29): He gave
him this order so as to get him to do this task without delay and
effect the raising of the child, and not waste time by stopping to talk
to any passer-by he met. Therefore, there is no question of omitting
good manners to greet others; it is a matter of removing a possible
obstacle in the way of service; when God commands, human considerations
should be set aside, at least for the time being. To greet a person is
a good thing, but it is better to carry out a divine instruction which
could easily be frustrated by a delay ("ibid.").

6. Everyone is "a son of peace" who is disposed to accept the teaching
of the Gospel which brings with it God's peace. Our Lord's
recommendation to His disciples to proclaim peace should be a constant
feature of all the apostolic action of Christians: "Christian
apostolate is not a political program or a cultural alternative. It
implies the spreading of good, `infecting' others with a desire to
love, sowing peace and joy" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 124).

Feeling peace in our soul and in our surroundings is an unmistakable
sign that God is with us, and a fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Galatians
5:22): "Get rid of these scruples that deprive you of peace. What
takes away your peace of soul cannot come from God. When God comes to
you, you will feel the truth of those greetings: My peace I give to
you..., peace I leave you..., peace be with you..., and you will feel
it even in the midst of troubles" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 258).

7. Our Lord clearly considered poverty and detachment a key feature in
an apostle. But He was aware of His disciples' material needs and
therefore stated the principle that apostolic ministry deserves its
recompense. Vatican II reminds us that we all have an obligation to
contribute to the sustenance of those who generously devote themselves
to the service of the Church: "Completely devoted as they are to the
service of God in the fulfillment of the office entrusted to them,
priests are entitled to receive a just remuneration. For `the laborer
deserves his wages' (Luke 10:7), and `the Lord commanded that they who
proclaim the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel' (1
Corinthians 9:14). For this reason, insofar as provision is not made
from some other source for the just remuneration of priests, the
faithful are bound by a real obligation of seeing to it that the
necessary provision for a decent and fitting livelihood for the priests
are available" (Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 20).

FEAST OF THE DAY

There is little known about the life of St. Luke other than that he was
a Gentile, he was known by St. Paul, and historians think that his
works were written around 80 AD. St. Luke was one of the
companions of St. Paul on his third missionary journey, and he is
mentioned by St. Paul in the Second Letter to Timothy and the letter
to the Colossians. Luke has two works included in the canon of the
New Testament, The Gospel according to Luke and The Acts of the
Apostles. These two works set up parallels between the life of Jesus
and the life of the early Church.

Luke wrote his Gospel as a Gentile writing to Gentiles, this is known
because he wrote in classic Greek style instead of Aramaic.
Scripture scholars divide the Gospel of Luke into six thematic
sections. The first section is called the Gospel of Mercy. The second
section is called the Gospel of Universal Salvation. The third section
is called the Gospel of Gospel of the Poor. The fourth section is
called the Gospel of Absolute Renunciation. The fifth section is
called the Gospel of Prayer and the Holy Spirit. The sixth section is
called the Gospel of Joy. Each of these sections are named for the
major theme they show and the parables that are told to illustrate
those themes. St. Luke is the patron of the medical profession,
painters, artists, sculptors and butchers, and is often represented by
a winged ox in iconography.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for
he is helpful to me in the ministry. -2 Tm 4:11

TODAY IN HISTORY

707 Pope John VII dies
1417 Death of Pope Gregory XII
1503 Death of Pope Pius III
1987 Canonization of St. Lawrence Ruiz and companions by Pope John Paul II

TODAY'S TIDBIT

Evangelist is a word derived from a Greek root meaning "Good
News.' An evangelist is someone who spreads the Good News

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray, through the intercession of St. Luke, for all involved in
medical professions.

The Word Among Us

Saturday, October 18, 2003

Meditation
2 Timothy 4:10-17

When a poor, uneducated fisherman leaves everything to follow a teacher with a captivating message, we admire his or her courage. But when an educated and successful doctor burns his bridges, admiration turns to wonder: Whatever motivated him to make such a sacrifice? Luke, who is traditionally seen as the author of the Third Gospel and the Book of Acts, was an accomplished, successful man. Scripture indicates that he was a physician and a Gentile by birth (Colossians 4:11,14). One tradition holds that Luke was also a painter, that he never married, and that he died, full of the Holy Spirit, at age eighty-four.

This extremely talented and probably well-off man could have spent life enjoying the many pleasures that come with success. Instead, Luke chose the rigors of traveling with Paul and facing all the dangers of a missionary life. He even accompanied Paul to Rome and stayed with him during his captivity. Such sturdy faithfulness must have been a great comfort for Paul. What attracted Luke to such a life? Jesus! He had seized Luke’s heart, and Luke couldn’t help but follow wherever he led.

As Jesus captures our hearts, we too will experience what Luke did—the overflowing love of God, and this love will change our hearts. We will no longer want to live just for ourselves but for Jesus. We will want to follow him and be faithful to his word, no matter what. We will long for his kingdom, and we will dedicate ourselves to spreading that kingdom.

Luke was filled with Jesus’ love and compassion, and he reflected these attributes in his gospel. For example, he’s the only one who tells us about Jesus’ mercy to the outcast tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). He’s the only one who tells us about the prodigal son whose father was so extravagant in his love (15:11-32). We read these stories and come away reassured: “I’m precious to Jesus! I’m worth everything to him!” And, we come away saying, “Jesus, you’re worth everything! No sacrifice is too great to be with you!”

“Holy Spirit, flood me with a deeper revelation of Jesus as Savior, Lord, Brother, Friend. Open my eyes to Jesus present in those around me, in your word, in the Eucharist, and in my times of prayer.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Saturday, October 18, 2003 >>

St. Luke

2 Timothy 4:9-17

Psalm 145

Luke 10:1-9

View Readings

THE GOSPEL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

“I have no one with me but Luke.” —2 Timothy 4:11

Luke never saw or heard Jesus, but he knew things about Him that even Jesus’ closest followers had not realized. This motivated Luke to write his gospel and its sequel, the Acts of the Apostles. Luke epitomizes Jesus’ statement: “Blest are they who have not seen and have believed” (Jn 20:29). Although Luke had not seen Jesus, he knew Jesus more deeply than many of those who had walked and talked with Jesus (see 1 Pt 1:8).

The Holy Spirit gave Luke many special insights into the person of Jesus. Thus, many have called his Gospel the “Gospel of the Holy Spirit,” which is followed by the Acts of the Apostles and the acts of the early Church through the power of the Spirit.

Luke shows us that it is better for us that Jesus ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:7). Life in the Spirit is the only way to intimacy with Jesus, “for the Spirit scrutinizes all matters, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2:10). The Spirit guides us to all truth (Jn 16:13), and Jesus is the Truth (Jn 14:6). “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3).

Receive the Holy Spirit. Know the heart of Jesus. Share the good news of Jesus with a world ignorant of Him.

Prayer: Father, may the depths of my relationship with Jesus impel me to share the good news.

Promise: “If there is a peaceable man there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.” —Lk 10:6

Praise: St. Luke was so in touch with the Spirit that he wrote two books of the Bible.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	To Ransom Captives and Rescue Prisoners
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Saturday, October 18, 2003

Mk 10:35-45

Deep in the Middle Ages wave after wave of Christians went on crusades to the Holy Land to liberate the holy places from the Moslems. These crusades went on for several centuries and failed in the end. But in the meantime there were vast numbers of casualties: many thousands killed or injured in battle, tens of thousands — including a king of France — cut down by disease on the way, and thousands more — including a king of England — held captive for ransom. Whole religious orders of priests were founded with the sole purpose of ransoming captives and liberating prisoners from the clutches of the heathens. And sometimes those priests would even offer themselves in exchange for the prisoners!

Just an isolated moment in history long ago and far away? We might think so, but Sunday's Gospel disagrees. For, as we heard so clearly, Jesus defines his whole mission as ransoming captives. "I have come to give my life in ransom for the many." In defining himself in that way, Jesus also defines our vocation as his followers. So we'd better figure out what this business of ransoming captives and rescuing prisoners is all about.

First of all, what it's not about for us is dashing off to Lebanon or Iran or Iraq to negotiate with terrorists. Our task is more subtle than that, and our opportunities are much closer at hand. Jesus is asking us to do for one another what he tries to do for us. He's asking us to invest our very best energies in the task of setting one another free from whatever holds us captive.

To understand that vocation we have to look closely at the kinds of things that enslave people. Just think of the fears, and angers, and grudges that hold people captive. Think of the bad habits of a lifetime that are trapping so many. Think of the bad ideas that imprison so many. And think of the compulsive need for things, the need for stuff, which holds so many of us hostage and forecloses the possibility of a happy life. Just call up in your mind's eye the face of anyone you know, friend or foe, and you'll see there, even in the very best of people, the hints of prison walls, the need to be set free.

So how do we go about helping one another escape our prison walls? Tons of free advice will rarely do it — we've already learned that! The most powerful, liberating gift we have to give is our steadfast, compassionate presence. Our strength, our goodness, and our willingness to continue walking at the side of our friend can, in time, become strength and goodness and freedom for our friend.

That is a wonderful gift we have to give: strength, goodness, and freedom. What a sadness it would be if we failed to give it!

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