{"id":293537,"date":"2016-09-09T12:00:37","date_gmt":"2016-09-09T17:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=293537"},"modified":"2016-09-09T12:00:37","modified_gmt":"2016-09-09T17:00:37","slug":"sunday-says-podcast-september-11-2016-mass-readings-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/09\/sunday-says-podcast-september-11-2016-mass-readings-reflections\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Says Podcast – September 11, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sunday<\/a><\/p>\n

Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time<\/h3>\n

Sunday September 11, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n

Lectionary: 132 (NAB Translation<\/b><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Reading 1<\/b><\/p>\n

Exodus 32:7-11,13-14<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

This week\u2019s first reading is one of the great passages from the book of Exodus.\u00a0 God has led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt with mighty miracles.\u00a0 He then formed a covenant with them binding them to Himself as His people.\u00a0 Soon however, this Covenant is broken.\u00a0 While Moses was up the mountain receiving instructions from the Lord, the Israelites grow impatient and build an idol of a calf and begin to worship it in place of God.\u00a0\u00a0 According to the terms of the Covenant the Israelites now deserve death.\u00a0 However, Moses, intercedes for the people\u00a0 before God and God relents. The Catechism states that “from this intimacy with the faithful God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, Moses drew strength and determination for his intercession\u2026God is love; he is therefore righteous and faithful; he cannot contradict himself; he must remember his marvelous deeds, since his glory is at stake, and he cannot forsake this people that bears his name.”\u00a0 This principle is fully developed in today’s gospel reading.<\/p>\n

Responsorial Psalm<\/b><\/p>\n

Psalm 51:3-4,12-13,17,19<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The response for this Psalm is from our Gospel:\u00a0 “I will rise and go to my father.”<\/p>\n

Reading 2<\/b><\/p>\n

1 Timothy 1:12-17<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

This week\u2019s second reading from Saint Paul’s first letter to Timothy shows the greatness of God’s mercy, with Paul himself as an example.\u00a0 In this passage Saint Paul gives thanks to Jesus Christ for the grace shown to him despite his former way of life which included persecuting Christians.\u00a0 We will recall that prior to Saint Paul’s conversion he had gone as far as to participate in the murder of Saint Stephen.\u00a0 Nevertheless, God was able to use Paul as an example of how Christ could transform the hardest of hearts and forgive those who would repent and believe in him, regardless of their past.\u00a0\u00a0 Indeed it was for this very reason that Christ came into the world!<\/p>\n

Gospel<\/b><\/p>\n

Luke 15:1-32<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

In this week\u2019s Gospel from St. Luke, we see the Pharisees resenting Jesus because He associates with \u201csinners.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus’ responds to them in a series of three parables that show the merciful heart of God the Father.<\/p>\n

First, in the parable of the lost sheep, we see the sinners who have wandered away being energetically sought out by the Good Shepherd.\u00a0 The finding of the sheep represents the conversion of the sinner, and the joy of the shepherd depicts the deep love that God has for souls which would be lost.<\/p>\n

Likewise, in the Parable of the coin, the value of the coin seems minimal compared to the effort God expends to find it.\u00a0\u00a0 In this way we see that it is actually God who provides the grace needed to bring to bring sinners to repentance.<\/p>\n

Finally, in the story of the prodigal son, we see the full cycle of human sin and the misery that typically follows sin.\u00a0 The son abandons His Father’s home following his passions and desire for “freedom.”\u00a0 Sad and disillusioned by the unavoidable outcome of leaving the Father, grace begins the work of conversion in his soul.\u00a0 The Father’s merciful love exceeds all expectations as the son is given a lavish reception with rings and shoes to restore him.\u00a0 Yet the older son, much like the Pharisees resents this.\u00a0 The story of the older son serves as lesson to those of us who would presume to set limits on God’s mercy.<\/p>\n

\n

Reflection question from Bishop V\u00e1squez<\/b><\/p>\n

Gospel meditation<\/b><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s parables sounded absurd to the listeners in Jesus\u2019 day. Each highlights the intense boundless love with which God searches for the lost, as well as the irrationally exuberant joy when the lost are found. The final parable paints a scene of a father who has nothing but total love for his children. One has completely rejected and insulted his family and his faith. The other is a self-righteous child who has never done wrong. How do we act in the role of the father toward others who meet these descriptions? Whom do we fail to love or forgive? What sin do we believe is too big for God\u2019s love, mercy and forgiveness? Does self-righteousness prevent us from being in loving relationships with others?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday September 11, 2016 Lectionary: 132 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Exodus 32:7-11,13-14 This week\u2019s first reading is one of the great passages from the book of Exodus.\u00a0 God has led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt with mighty miracles.\u00a0 He then formed a covenant with them binding them to Himself… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-293537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":119096,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/sunday-says-june-7-2015-mass-readings-and-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":293537,"position":0},"title":"Sunday Says – June 7, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"June 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) Lectionary: 168 (NAB Translation) (Jerusalem Bible Translation) This is the great Corpus Christi Sunday where we take a Sunday to focus on the gift of the Eucharist. Reading 1 Exodus 24:3-8 This week\u2019s first reading from Exodus\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunday Says Podcast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2136072,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/consecration-to-st-joseph-iii-st-josephs-staff\/","url_meta":{"origin":293537,"position":1},"title":"Consecration to St. Joseph III: St. Joseph\u2019s Staff!","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"March 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"As thousands prepare to consecrate themselves on March 19th (Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary) and others prepare for the second consecration beginning March 30th and ending May 1st (Feast of St. Joseph the Worker) let us contemplate the power of our spiritual father St. Joseph and his mighty\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image33-150x150.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":156959,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/sunday-says-podcast-october-4-2015-mass-readings-and-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":293537,"position":2},"title":"Sunday Says Podcast – October 4, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"October 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"October 4, 2015 Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 140 (NAB Translation) (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Reading 1 Genesis 2:18-24 This week\u2019s first reading comes to us from the well known reading from Genesis. This is the origin story of Eve in Adam\u2019s search for a companion. This reading can be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunday Says Podcast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":350798,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/01\/get-through-bible-today-video-john-bergsma-bible-basics\/","url_meta":{"origin":293537,"position":3},"title":"Get Through the Bible Today! (Video: John Bergsma, “Bible Basics for Catholics”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"January 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you a member of the Perpetual Bible in a Year Club? I am. I know several people who have read through the entire Bible. Some have even managed it in a year. About ten years ago now, I set out to join them... and like many others, I fell\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/BmxgYU54rgU\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":170955,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/sunday-says-podcast-november-8-2015-mass-readings-and-reflections\/","url_meta":{"origin":293537,"position":4},"title":"Sunday Says Podcast – November 8, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflections","author":"Steve Scott","date":"November 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 155 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 1 Kings 17:10-16 The first reading is from the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament.\u00a0 In our passage for today, we see a poor widow and her son during a time of famine in ancient Israel.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SundaySaysPodcast-logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo1-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":295345,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/09\/eview-walking-with-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":293537,"position":5},"title":"The Bible Is a Story About Jesus (Review: “Walking with God”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"September 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I love to read. I also love Jesus. I must confess, however, that I do not always love to read about Jesus. I would wager that most Christians (and many non-Christians) know that the Bible is a book about Jesus. I would also wager that many of those same people\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Bible is a story about Jesus! A review of \"Walking with God,\" by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins, at ATX Catholic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/bookheartpages-550x394.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/bookheartpages-550x394.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/bookheartpages-550x394.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293537\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}