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Col 1:24 - 2:3
Brothers and sisters:
I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am
filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf
of his Body, which is the Church, of which I am a minister in
accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to
completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from
ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested
to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches
of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in
you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim,
admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and
struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working
within me.
For I want you to know how great a struggle I am having
for you and for those in Laodicea and all who have not seen
me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged as they
are brought together in love, to have all the richness of assured
understanding, for the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ,
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Ps 62:6–7, 9
R. In God is my safety and my glory.
Only in God be at rest, my soul,
for from him comes my hope.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed.
R. In God is my safety and my glory.
Trust in him at all times, O my people!
Pour out your hearts before him;
God is our refuge!
R. In God is my safety and my glory.
Luke 6:6-11
On a sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and began teaching. There was a man with a paralyzed right hand and the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees watched him: Would Jesus heal the man on the sabbath? If he did, they could accuse him.
But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man, "Get up and stand in the middle." Then he spoke to them, "I want to ask you: what is allowed by the Law on the sabbath, to do good or to do harm, to save life or destroy it?" And Jesus looked around at them all.
Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out and his hand was restored, becoming as whole as the other. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another how they could deal with Jesus.
Lord our God,
in your Son Jesus Christ
you have revealed to us
your treasures of wisdom and love.
His life and his gospel are so full and rich
that we can never exhaust their wisdom.
Let it be a life and a wisdom
in which we grow day after day.
Make us complete in Christ,
that we may hasten
the coming of his kingdom
in ourselves and among people far and near.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
First Reading Introduction
In the first reading of today we hear Paul speak with conviction and enthusiasm about his mission of preaching the gospel. It is a glorious task. We can feel how the gospel fills him and has become the sole meaning of his life. Let Christ also be the meaning of our lives. If so, we cannot but preach him by our words and our way of life.
Gospel Introduction
It is strange how, as we read in the Gospel, faithful, practicing religious people, like the scribes and Pharisees—the regular churchgoers of their day—were a big obstacle to the work of Jesus. They are upset and angry because Jesus cures a man with a withered hand on the day of the Lord. Jesus came to do good and to preserve life, as he said, to carry out a mission of love and life, and these cannot be adequately expressed in laws and commands. We may and should do good also on Sundays!
- Lord Jesus, open our minds and hearts to understand your gospel in all its riches, that we may live it and communicate it to others, we pray:
- Lord Jesus, may our sick and suffering people understand that they follow and complete the suffering of Christ and may this realization strengthen them, we pray:
- Lord Jesus, may our communities understand and love you and be united in you, we pray:
Lord our God,
accept these gifts as a sign
of our faith in your Son Jesus Christ.
Let us become smaller
and Christ grow greater in us,
that you may recognize and love in us
your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord our God,
you have spoken to us
your living Word Jesus Christ
and given us his body to eat.
Give to this word an ever-new resonance,
that we may never get tired of it
or think we have exhausted it.
And what we have heard and understood,
help us to speak it in our own words
and in the language of our lives.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
In Christ are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. It is him we have to proclaim with our lives and to become mature in him. May God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
